Yellowknife (Aug 07/06) - The Aboriginal Pipeline Group is finished dealing with Dehcho First Nations (DFN) and Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, according to Fred Carmichael.

On July 31 the DFN missed the deadline to join the group.

On the same day Norwegian sent a letter to Carmichael giving a deadline of Aug. 3 for the group to allow DFN access to documents related to the pipeline.

Those documents pertained to finances, liability and partnership details are necessary for the First Nations to make an informed decision about joining the group, according to Norwegian.

That's not so, Carmichael said.

"This thing has been studied to death," he said.

The Deh Cho Economic Corporation has already conducted two independent studies on the pipeline deal from both economic and legal standpoints, said Carmichael, chairman of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG).

Last year the Dehgah Alliance Society, which represents the Deh Cho communities located along the proposed pipeline route, also conducted its own review.

Each review recommended that membership in the group was a good deal, but Norwegian doesn't want to hear that so he's waiting until someone says it's a bad deal, said Carmichael.

"If he's scared to go bankrupt for $59 I'll gladly donate the money personally," he said about Norwegian, referring to the $59 it would cost the DFN to buy the 34 shares set aside for it in the APG.

Those shares will give a return of approximately $6.8 million a year once the pipeline is carrying natural gas south, said Carmichael.

If the APG receives a loan guarantee from the Federal government that will allow them to borrow money at a lower rate, the returns will jump to $15 million a year, he added.

Carmichael is calling for Norwegian to be more honest about his motives.

Norwegian is using the pipeline as leverage to negotiate his region's land claim, Carmichael said.

He added he respects the fact the DFN is trying to negotiate a land claim, but Norwegian has to be honest and admit he won't be part of the pipeline until the land claim is settled.

He can't use the APG as an excuse, said Carmichael.

Leverage is the wrong word, said Norwegian.

The APG is part of a bigger picture together with things like the Dehcho Land Use Plan, said Norwegian.

"It's all one rubix cube and the APG is just one small piece of it," he said.

If one piece is moved everything falls out of line so the decisions need to be made properly, said Norwegian.

He added the APG documents are needed to do due diligence.

The DFN wants to have a business advisor look at the details and in order to provide advice.

If the documents aren't released, Norwegian said a DFN leadership meeting scheduled for Aug. 9-10 will see a decision made without them.

The documents won't be released, said Carmichael. "We're through dealing with Herb."