Yellowknives Dene are "very upset" after learning by word of mouth that two trucks plunged through the ice on Gordon Lake and Drybones Lake the first weekend of December.

The trucks, now sitting under 80 feet of water, were building the winter roads to supply Lupin mine and carry up to 681 litres of diesel fuel each.

Darren Unrau, acting Yellowknife district manager for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, says that water pressure should stop the fuel from leaking out of their tanks.

But Fred Sangris, environment co-ordinator for the Yellowknives, complains that DIAND has an obligation to inform the band of any accidents that pose an environmental threat.

He also wants to know if companies operating the roads have a quick response plan.

Regardless of the politics involved, these incidents raise legitimate questions about a lack of preparedness for worse accidents, such as fuel tanker spills, collisions and explosions on the winter roads into the barrens.

Unrau says as far as he knows DIAND has no authority over the weight of trucks on the ice. If DIAND isn't responsible who is?

With the future opening of several diamond mines there will be tremendous volumes of traffic on ice roads.

According to Hay River's deputy mayor Ray Young, within a few weeks there will be one truck leaving every several minutes carrying all kinds of cargo, including fuel supplies, with many headed for the barrens.

The apparent gap in jurisdiction should be addressed immediately by both the territorial and federal governments.

They must ensure that governments and companies have the expertise and equipment to operate safely, and the quick response capability to deal with major spills. Sangris and the Yellowknives should have their questions answered, for the benefit of us all. ( 01/08/97 )

Some Yellowknife retailers maintain that "Donny Days", the days off without pay for territorial government workers, are one reason Christmas sales were flat.

The medicine may be bitter but the alternative might be worse.

In Ontario, then-Premier Bob Rae introduced similar measures to both bring the budget under control and to be seen to be bringing the budget under control. The provincial workers' unions angrily abandoned their support for his NDP government. The result was Tory premier Mike Harris and job cuts by the thousands.

GNWT employees may be miffed but they should be looking beyond next week's pay envelope. Donny Days may well forestall more drastic measures. ( 01/08/97 )