SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The NWT's iconic polar bear plate is gaining some colour, adding some images and becoming more reflective.

The changes will cost NWT vehicle owners $10, or $25 if they prefer to keep their existing plate number or personalized plate.

The Department of Transportation is handing out new licence plates this summer. They will bear the slogan "Spectacular Northwest Territories" in place of "Explore Canada's Arctic."

Department spokesman Earl Blacklock, said these will be one-time costs that will cover the price of the new design. The last time Northwest Territories licence plates underwent an overhaul was in 1986.

"We're following the lead of other jurisdictions in using the licence plate to promote travel in the NWT," Blacklock said, adding the design would reflect an image of northern lights, a polar bear and a Northern landscape.

Rosalee Prentice, an artist in Hay River, is relieved the government is keeping the polar bear shape for the licence plates.

"They're not changing the shape of the bear, I hope," Prentice said. "I like the distinctive thing of the Territories being the bear."

The other design changes to the plates are interesting, she said. "To me, it sounds very artistic."

Prentice also supports changing the slogan from"' Explore the Arctic" to "Spectacular Northwest Territories'"

"I think that's great," she said, explaining the new slogan puts more focus on the NWT as opposed to the Arctic.

As for the extra charges for the new plates, Prentice believes the additional $25 is a way to discourage people from keeping the same number or personalized plates to make the switch to the new design easier for the GNWT.

Alex Hall, an outfitter in Fort Smith, dismisses the idea that the new licence plate is a way to promote travel to the NWT.

"I don't think it will make any difference," he said.

In fact, he said he can think of only three customers that he got as a result of any kind of GNWT advertising in his 35 years as an outfitter. As for the new slogan, Hall also doesn't believe it will have any impact, although he said the change makes sense. Overall, he said he has always thought that a polar bear licence plate for the NWT is a stupid concept.

"Personally, I don't see the point of it," he said, noting most of the polar bears in Canada's North are in Nunavut.

Hall can't understand why some people are objecting to the extra fees for the new licence plates.

"I don't see why it's a big deal," he said, adding most people in the NWT make enough money to easily pay the new fees.

The look of the plates isn't the only reason for updating the hardware, according to Blacklock. The reasoning behind the change, he said, was the equipment used to produce the current plates was past its prime and the contract with the company that made it was expiring.

"There will be new moulds, new material, and less environmental impact with the process," he said.

Blacklock said the new plates will be reflective, making them safer and more discernible for police.

The switchover is expected to be $400,000, covered for the most part by the fees. There are currently 31,042 registered vehicles in the NWT.

"It costs $10 to make these things," Blacklock said. He said the fee for specialized plates would cover the administrative cost, which includes the cost of mailing out the handout to every household.

People will still have to pay $72.60 for the sticker to renew their personal plate for a year. That price varies for trailers, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. The added $10 fee, effective July 1, is applicable to each vehicle's plate.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins said he thought the plate design should have been updated years ago. But he said news of the notice was a "complete surprise" and he was disappointed with the decision to make people pay .

"They're nickling and diming the average person for a service we already provide," he said. "It seems like a cash grab for a service "

- with files from Paul Bickford