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Editorial Wednesday, May 28, 1997 Beware the rising price tag
We were most interested to find that the price tag for Yellowknife's $6.3-million multi-use complex has now risen to over $10 million -- this in the space of just five months.
And while the community at large has been assured by Mayor Lovell himself that the complex will not just be for skaters, it seems the past president of Yellowknife Minor Hockey is pushing council to include an Olympic-sized ice surface in the deal.
We're also wondering why council's community services committee is recommending the complex be located on Twin Pine Hill. Has this been decided because it's a good location or are there other reasons being taken into consideration?
We have said in the past that a multi-use community complex is good for Yellowknife, if cautiously considered and properly built.
Unfortunately our confidence in the project slips with every dollar added to the facility's price tag.
For one, we don't need a special ice surface, just two regular-sized rinks, unless Yellowknife is expecting to put a bid in for the winter Olympics any time soon.
Second, we don't want to see another Inuvik rec complex fiasco where the price tag of the project continues to rise until it's beyond our fiscal means.
Third, we would rather see a proper study carried out to find the best location for the complex -- a location that takes into account traffic patterns, neighborhood and teen access -- than have the city just plop the complex down wherever council see fit.
Sure, nobody wants to see a second-rate complex built in the capital city, but nor do we want some ill-placed opulent shrine to our bladed ones erected on the backs of taxpayers.
If it takes more studies and a few more city-wide meetings to work out a reasonable plan, then so be it.
Yellowknifers deserve the best complex they can afford, but not one they can't.
Six years is a surprisingly long period of time for a union contract. Yet that's what Canadian Auto Workers negotiators agreed to accept during the last round of talks with Royal Oak Mines.
Not every affected miner at Giant Mine will be happy with the new contract, which also means no pay raise for at least three years. But for Yellowknife -- the city and its residents -- the deal is good news.
With the threat of a strike at one mine now reduced to zero until at least 2003, the stability and confidence index just shot up a couple of points. After all, memories of the 1992 strike are still painful for many of us.
Roberts Bay Resources is planning to drill at the Burwash mine, the site of Yellowknife's original gold strike.
This is good news for the community. As the city of Yellowknife faces job losses due to division and government restraint, revisiting the foundation of the city's once-booming economy may be just what we need to get back on our feet.
The exploration company's optimism about the potential of closed mining properties is a welcome shot in the arm around here and we wish them good luck and profitable drilling.
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