SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Three years after the Department of Transportation announced plans to re-route the Ingraham Trail around clean-up work at Giant Mine, the new path it will ultimately take has yet to be decided.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay asked what the hold-up was in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

"I'd like to ask the minister what has happened," queried Ramsay of Transportation Minister Michael McLeod. "The road was supposed to be constructed, the realignment was supposed to be conducted in the summer of 2008."

The public was presented with three options for re-routing the road in 2007, ranging in cost from $6 million to $15 million at the time. The shortest and least expensive route follows close to the shore of Back Bay while the longest and most expensive option would carry the road through Fred Henne Park.

McLeod said the current schedule calls for construction to begin in 2011, and for the new route to be open in 2012 with final surfacing complete by 2013. He didn't specify which route the government would take.

"We'd like to narrow down the options to one and start engineering and environmental reviews that need to be determined in some of the outcomes," said McLeod. "That's going to be done in short order. I just have to ask the member to be a little bit patient."

Ramsay responded that he is patient.

Caribou remain scarce

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley and Michael Miltenberger, minister of Environment and Natural Resources, spoke Tuesday about how to get more caribou meat into people's bellies.

Problem is, it could be a while - first there need to be more of those delicious ungulates around.

"I'm wondering if the minister could tell me what we must see in terms of herd recovery before the harvest guidelines will be opened up a bit to meet some of those requirements," asked Bromley in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

Last year, a government survey found the Bathurst caribou herd had shrunk to 32,000 animals from 120,000 in 2006. The lower count led to a halt to the sport and resident caribou hunt and restrictions on the aboriginal harvest.

Miltenberger replied that will be determined after future consultations with the Yellowknives Dene and Wek'eezhii Renewable Resource Management Board. He added his department is looking at increasing the bison and moose quota to compensate aboriginal hunters for the loss in meat.

An act for artists

Artists are good, according to both Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins and Education, Culture and Employment Minister Jackson Lafferty.

On Hawkins' advice on Monday, Lafferty committed to investigate the creation of an Arts Profession Act based upon one recently implemented in Saskatchewan.

"The act protects the intellectual property of artists and supports the development of properly prepared contracts," said Hawkins. "That law includes a definition of a professional artist and commits the Saskatchewan government to develop a cultural policy framework and action plan."

Hawkins quoted statistics saying that 18 per cent of the territory's population consider themselves artists, in one form or another.

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