But it's accountability, not the frequency, of trips to Europe that concerns Ald. Kevin O'Reilly.

At Tuesday's meeting of city council, he alone voted against authorizing the mayor to take the trip at the end of the month.

"If I'd had a clear budget from the task force and knew how it fit in with the other commitments the city has made in its contribution agreements, I might be prepared to support it," said O'Reilly.

It was only the day of the meeting, a month after asking for it, that he received a budget outlining the task force's expenses.

The city and territorial government fund the task force, but the budget does not clarify how much comes from city coffers, how much is from territorial grants to the city and how much comes directly from the GNWT.

The budget accounts for expenses from January to April this year. The task force anticipates spending $109,800, during that time, $19,500 on the Antwerp trip.

Lovell will head the delegation, which also includes Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce president Garth Malakoe, Yellowknives Dene representative Darrell Beaulieu and the city's diamond consultant, Steve Richards.

The mayor pointed out that promotional material, which accounts for $40,000 of the budget, is aimed at promoting Yellowknife as a place to live and do business, whether related to diamonds or not.

O'Reilly said he is worried the city may not be able to live up to other economic development obligations.

Among those obligations are those attached to a $300,000 grant the city got from the territorial government this year. The grant accounts for more than half the city's economic development budget.

The government gave the city the money to pursue the projects and goals identified in a strategic plan, Into the Next Millennium, for economic development in the city.

Among the other targets the plan identifies are promotion of tourism and film production and preparing for division.