by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 15/97) - When the highest court in the North convenes Jan. 21, it won't be anywhere near the territories' capital city, where it usually sits.

The NWT Court of Appeal will be about 1,000 kilometres south -- in Edmonton -- to hears three cases being brought before it by Northern convicts serving time in Alberta prisons.

The decision to hold court there was a judicial one, made by the Chief Justice of the Northwest Territories Catherine A. Fraser, according to one court official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said the move to hold court in Alberta's capital city could save Northern taxpayers thousands of dollars per case.

Fraser, who is an Alberta-based justice, would not comment on the decision. However, her secretary confirmed that Fraser made the decision prior to Christmas.

The NWT Court of Appeal is composed mainly of Alberta Court of Appeal judges and handles cases that have already been decided by a lower court, but are being appealed either by the convict or the prosecution.

In the past, prisoners serving time in Alberta who are coming back to Yellowknife for a court appearance have required as many as three guards to escort them too and from Yellowknife.

Flying three prisoners and their guards here for such an appearance -- using generic round trip airfares -- could cost the government more than $3,500 and as much as $4,800.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Because the North's Appeal Court is made up of mainly Alberta judges, each one required for a sitting must be flown North and fed and lodged for the sitting's duration.

Only once before has the court sat in Edmonton, the official said Monday.

Last October, five cases were brought before the court, although no decisions were made.

"It's cost-efficient, and why not use the facilities down there? It just makes sense," the official said.