Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 4, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - With plans to build a sports fieldhouse on the back burner, the city was in a scramble last week to spend more than $3 million set aside for it out of the Community Capacity Fund.

The deadline to spend $3.2 million still left in the fund handed down by Premier Joe Handley in 2005 was on Saturday.

Coun. Paul Falvo said the latest plan is to switch pools of money set aside for other projects such as the Somba K'e Civic Plaza and the proposed Kam Lake bypass route with the fieldhouse cash earmarked out of The Community Capacity Fund.

"In terms of bricks and mortar and in terms of taxes, nothing is changing here," said Falvo.

"Were just moving forward on other things with that money so we don't lose it.

"If the fieldhouse gets back on track we'll work that back into things."

The fieldhouse project was postponed in February after cost projections ballooned to over $26 million.

The remaining capacity fund will now be divided between the civic plaza at $2 million, the Kam Lake bypass route at $1,000,200, and $201,200 to purchase office space and property for "economic development purposes" for the Yellowknife Metis Nation local #66.

The Metis local were given a seat on the Community Capacity Fund committee after Handley announced the $7.2 million fund in August 2005.

City council pondered five resolutions at a committee meeting Monday to be sent the NWT Association of Communities for adoption.

One pushes the territorial government to regulate massage therapy services.

Another asks the government to consider whether gambling games like Texas Hold'em should be a permissible form of gaming, and the third asks the government to standardize a format for municipal parking tickets.

Massage therapy became a sore point for the city three years ago after council found itself caught in the middle of a dispute between two rival massage therapy associations who were at odds over qualification requirements to practise. The city felt determining qualifications was a territorial government responsibility but City Hall's pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.

The city's resolution asks the government to develop a discussion paper and consider regulations for massage therapy.

However, it was a passage out of the parking ticket resolution - first presented last week - that generated the most consternation.

Coun. Bob Brooks said he did not like a section calling for automatic convictions for people who fail to pay or contest a parking ticket.

"What if it blows off the windshield and the person doesn't know about it," said Brooks.

On Monday, the two other resolutions were presented by Falvo and Coun. Shelagh Montgomery. Falvo's resolution urges the territorial government to adopt an electronics recycling program for computer equipment.

Montgomery's asks the government to not sign onto the BC/Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement.

She argues that the agreement could allow corporations to sue municipal governments for up to $5 million if land planning decisions infringe upon the agreement.

None of the resolutions have been adopted yet. The deadline is April 13.

City council have voted to amend a portion of the city's Community Energy Plan.

Coun, Mark Heyck proposed that instead of committing to reduce energy use for city operations by 15 per cent by 2014, the city should reduce "greenhouse gas emissions" by 20 per cent by 2014 instead.

"Twenty per cent is the municipal standard," said Heyck.

Coun. Kevin Kennedy explained that the wording of "greenhouse gases" as opposed to mere energy use will ensure the city commits to cutting down on climate change-inducing hydrocarbons like diesel fuel while also cutting back on energy use in general.

Couns. David Wind and David McCann weren't all that hot about the idea, however, especially the part about raising the standard to 20 per cent.

"I don't think we should just throw in some target without knowing what will happen," said McCann.

The energy plan still needs a formal council vote for adoption.