Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 14/05) - City council has passed a resolution calling for the end to the lockout of CBC workers.

The resolution, presented by Coun. Kevin O'Reilly Monday night, directs Mayor Gord Van Tighem to write CBC president Robert Rabinovitch, requesting that permanent positions not be converted to contract jobs - a proposal that has so far kept the two sides in the contract dispute far apart.

In addition, the mayor was asked to write Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the federal ministers of Labour and Canadian Heritage, and copy these correspondences to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, expressing the city's concerns about the ongoing labour dispute.

The resolution also directed the mayor to "communicate" with Rabinovitch and Canadian Media Guild president Lise Lareau, "asking them to increase their resolve" to end the dispute and restore regular regional television and radio programming to the NWT.

According to the Guild, the union representing CBC staff, the City of Yellowknife is the only Canadian municipality so far to offer its support as the nation-wide lockout nears its second month.

"I don't know of any other municipality," said Karen Wirsig, communications co-ordinator for the Guild, who called the motion a "great model resolution" for other municipal governments to pass.

The resolution came after longtime CBC North personalities, Dave Miller and Paul Andrew, made a plea to council, citing hardships faced by employees and unilingual aboriginal listeners who have gone without a regular source of broadcast news since the lockout began Aug. 15.

"I ask your support and for this council to take the lead and say this is enough," said Andrew, while asking council to spread the word to other communities and band councils in the North and throughout the country.

Miller told council the North is better served by permanent employees over contract workers, because they will likely stay longer and provide better "stability" to CBC North programming.

He reminded council that permanent jobs also mean a better likelihood that staff will settle in the city, buy houses, and pay taxes. He said CBC North has about 60 employees living in Yellowknife.

The resolution passed, 5-1. Coun. Blake Lyons abstained.

Lyons originally appeared willing to vote in favour of the motion. He warned against the dangers of allowing replacement workers back into the city - a reference to the tragic outcome to the Giant Mine strike of 1992 - which Miller hinted was possible, but declined to vote after an amendment to the resolution supporting CBC North employees only and not their southern counterparts, failed to pass.

Coun. Alan Woytuik voted against the resolution, saying the city had no business "taking sides" in a labour dispute.

"I'm appalled we would take a position without hearing the other side," said Woytuik.

O'Reilly said it was council's business, citing a previous motion council passed in support of First Air employees who were about to be relocated out of Yellowknife in 2002.

"I'm prepared to take sides if it's affecting our people."