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DEH CHO - Communities in the Deh Cho, along with the rest in the territory, have some planning to do.

Before March 31, 2010 all communities have to complete an integrated community sustainability plan. The plan is one of the requirements of the federal gas tax funding agreement.

Administrators from four Deh Cho communities took part in a workshop from Feb. 10 to 11 on how to complete an integrated community sustainability plan. Participants included, from left, front row, Ruby Jumbo, facilitators Sabrina Broadhead and Penny Johnson, Liza McPherson, Samantha Konisenta, Darlene Sibbeston, Susan Coyne, a facilitator, and Margaret Ireland. Back row, from left, Paul Nadijwan, Duncan Canvin, Brian Desjardins, Fred McPherson and Arnold Gargan. - photo courtesy of Nathan McPherson

The agreement, which was signed between the federal government and community governments from across the territory in March 2005 allocated $37.5 million in funding over five years.

The money is for environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects.

The agreement, which was set to end in 2010, has been extended indefinitely and communities a little more than a year left to submit a sustainability plan.

Susan Coyne, the sustainability coordinator with the NWT Association of Communities (NWTAC), said the process has begun.

To assist communities the NWTAC, in conjunction with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, ran a series of five workshops across the territory to teach community administrators and band managers how to complete a sustainability plan.

The last of the two-day workshops was held in Fort Simpson from Feb. 10 to 11. Thirteen administrators from Wrigley, Jean Marie River, Trout Lake and Fort Simpson participated.

The workshop highlighted what the plan is and how to start, said Coyne. Participants were introduced to a software program, the ICSP tool, which will help them work through the process.

The plan requires a large amount of information.

The document is composed of four smaller plans including a strategic plan, a capital investment plan, a community energy plan and a human resources plan.

"All in all the four plans are a considerable amount of work for the community governments to undertake," said Coyne.

Although the plan is specifically needed for the gas tax funding it's also a good exercise for communities to undertake, she said.

"Planning is something that always has to be a priority with communities," said Coyne.

If communities don't plan they have to take reactive approaches to issues as opposed to dealing with them before they fully develop, she said.

Fred Norwegian, acting senior administrative officer for the Jean Marie River First Nation, said constructing the plan will be a good exercise for the community.

The chief, band council and band members will all have to work together to make plans for the community's future, said Norwegian.

Although the band completed a similar plan a few years ago Norwegian said there's still a lot of work to be done.

"If we work hard I'm sure we can complete it," he said.

So far Jean Marie River hasn't identified any projects to use the gas tax funding on.

"Once we receive it we can definitely put it to use," said Norwegian.