Yellowknife (July 28/06) - To meet challenges the territory will face with increased development Premier Joe Handley says the time is now to get fiscal certainty from Ottawa.

"Our position has not changed. We have four goals we need to reach without further delay," said Handley, who met this week with provincial and territorial leaders in Newfoundland.

He discussed fixing formula financing, dropping the GNWT's $300 million borrowing limit, getting an agreement in principle on resource revenue sharing and changing the per capita allocation of federal dollars.

Handley said he hopes to see an agreement on those points by the fall. The demands are "consistent with what the Prime Minister says he believes in," he said during

the Council of the Federation meetings in St. John's.

"We want to be the primary beneficiaries of resource revenues and the borrowing limit is an old antiquated way of dealing with the territories," he added.

With the glacial movement of discussions between the federal and territorial governments, Assembly of First Nations NWT Chief Bill Erasmus believes Ottawa should cut revenue deals directly with aboriginal governments.

"The GNWT doesn't have the authority to negotiate resource revenue and territorial formula financing on our behalf," said Erasmus.

However, Handley does not see a conflict. In the past, the premier has noted that as services transfer from the GNWT to aboriginal self- governments, the necessary funding has been provided.

The way for aboriginal groups to have more control is to finalize and implement these agreements, he added.