SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The territorial government has once again rejected a call by the city to implement a 911 emergency phone service, despite a recent report advising it could be provided to most NWT residents with relative ease.

A Yellowknife couple found themselves in a terrifying situation in November of last year when they couldn’t recall the emergency phone number after their truck fell through the ice of a pond at the Sand Pits outside of town. The territorial government continues to reject calls for a 911 service, even after a recent report concluded it could be implemented in seven of the NWT’s largest communities, home to 77 per cent of the territory’s population. - photo courtesy of Jessi Moekerk

Robert McLeod, minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, wrote to Mayor Gord Van Tighem on Aug. 24 stating the GNWT won't be providing 911 until it can be implemented in all communities across the NWT.

An exasperated Wendy Bisaro, Frame Lake MLA and former chair of the city's 911 committee when she was a city councillor, told the legislative assembly on the opening day of the fall session Thursday that the minister's response defies logic.

The latest feasibility study, a $45,000 report jointly paid for by the GNWT and the city, states that 911 should be phased in, starting with the territory's seven largest communities: Behchoko, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Norman Wells, Hay River and Yellowknife. By starting with those communities, 77 per cent of the NWT's population would have access to 911 at a start-up cost of $1,018,000 and $1.2 million annually, according to the report by Vancouver-based consultants Planetworks that was made public last May.

"The minister's response is shortsighted and (it seems he has) a poor understanding of the study," said Bisaro. "Why must 77 per cent of our residents wait for an essential service? (The decision) flies in the face of this assembly's stated goal of sustainable, vibrant, safe communities."

McLeod said it's his goal to ensure the remaining 23 per cent of residents get the same service, something he said larger communities take for granted.

"Our goal is to ensure we have basic service for everyone in the NWT," he said.

"We would like to be able to assist in providing the service, but we have to also ensure that this service or any basic service is available to a lot of remote communities we have out there."

The city's struggle to get a 911 agreement with the territorial government has been ongoing for most of this decade, ever since Percy Kinney, the former chief coroner of the NWT, recommended the service following the death of a snowmobiler near Prosperous Lake in 2000.

Freda Hope wandered off and froze to death after crashing through the ice before rescuers could find her.

There was confusion over who to call after a person was driving Hope's partner to hospital - who was also in a snowmobile accident - tried 911 but didn't realize it wasn't in service.

"For the last seven years this recommendation has been there and the city has been trying to get it going," said Bisaro, adding the initial startup cost of implementing the service is too costly for the city to do it on its own.

"It's recognized as a necessary safety mechanism.

"There's just this sort of 'we can't do it because it's not a priority of this government,' or 'we can't do it because, well, it's Yellowknife and, you know, Yellowknife gets everything and we don't want to go there.'"

During Friday's session, Mackenzie Delta MLA David Krutko said the government must make sure capital projects benefit all Northerners.

"We have to represent all the territory in any political decision we make," said Krutko.