SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A week after a curiously-worded tender from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans sparked some concern that another socio-economic report on the Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) was in the works, Bob McLeod, minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment for the GNWT, said the Joint Review Panel (JRP)'s own report on the $16.2 billion pipeline is due for release on Dec. 31.

But that date remains unconfirmed.

McLeod, speaking yesterday during a media teleconference from Calgary, where he met with several proponents of the gas project, said he was given the release date by the Northern Gas Project Secretariat. The secretariat assists agencies like the JRP and National Energy Board in the environmental assessment and regulatory review of the project.

"I haven't spoken with Minister McLeod," Brian Chambers, executive director for the secretariat, said yesterday. "The panel will be issuing a media advisory later this week ... indicating when the report will be released."

McLeod's announcement comes in the wake of a misleading request for proposals posted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans last week.

According to the original tender description, "The purpose of this Request for Proposals is to develop a report that determines and assesses the socio-economic impact of the MGP on harvesters and communities depending on traditional, recreational and commercial fishing activities."

"Certainly I was as surprised as anyone else when I read about it," said McLeod. "I was wondering, 'Where is DFO coming from?' It seemed to be out in left field."

The tender, which was written by Winnipeg-based workers in the Department of Fisheries and Ocean's policy sector, was not very clear about the report's real focus and has since been revised, said Michael Hecimovich, the department's Western Arctic area director.

"After it was brought to my attention, I said, 'Well, jeez. If someone's not in our business and reads this, yeah, I could see how they're going to take this the wrong way and a lot of people were wondering, 'What are we doing?'" said Hecimovich.

"I'll tell you exactly what we're trying to do with (the report): it's to conduct a literature review to conduct a socio-economic analysis to help in the development of integrated fisheries management plans in the Northwest Territories.

"We're not really focused on the Mackenzie pipeline."

Once the JRP report is released, the National Energy Board will resume its regulatory hearings on the pipeline in April. According to the energy board's timeline, a final decision on the pipeline could be made next September.