Air Firth

Independent candidate Wally Firth doesn't have a budget to fly from community to community.

He does have the wherewithal to use his mobile election office -- a truck -- to visit the Yellowknife airport on a regular basis, however.

And it has paid off.

While shaking hands and giving out campaign literature one day, "people gave me cheques for my campaign right there."

One wonders if something like this would happen in any riding outside the North.

Grit spin on CBC

The Liberal policy book, Securing Our Future Together (SOFT), reads like motherhood and apple pie as far as the CBC is concerned.

Laid-off CBC employees would probably go a little further than the Red Book, which confesses the Liberals did not live up to their commitment to provide stable multi-year funding for institutions such as the CBC.

SOFT scribes do a fine job of glossing over the carnage that occurred at CBC this year and is planned for the future.

Though they note the government's commitment is evidenced by the $858 million in public funding that goes to the CBC, they fail to mention the nearly 40 per cent in cuts it will have made to the corporation's coffers by 1998.

Though SOFT says the Liberal government "restored" $10 million to CBC radio, it fails to mention that if re-elected the Liberals will continue a plan that will see the radio budget reduced by $54 million since they took office.

Advanced poll time

Those who will be out of the city June 2 can vote in the upcoming advanced polls.

The advance poll will be set up at the Baker Centre from noon to 8 p.m. on May 23, 24 and 26.

To vote at an advanced poll you must ensure your name is on the voting list. Unlike previous years, there you cannot be sworn in at the advance polls.

To get your name on the list, visit the Elections Canada office in the Northway Building or call 920-8100 for more information.

Listen up

Candidates will convene once again in Yellowknife for an all-candidates forum.

The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is hosting the forum that goes tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Explorer Hotel.

Oops, wrong guy

National Conservative party leader Jean Charest was able to score one up on the Liberals late last week.

The Grits "incorrectly identified" Charest as a separatist in an internal party document.

To make amends, the Liberals issued a nation-wide media release apologizing to Charest. The campaign turns a little ugly.