NNSL (Mar 18/98) - The question will look something like this: "Do you approve of the city of Yellowknife enacting Bylaw No. 4010, which is a bylaw to authorize the city to borrow the sum of $2,790,000 out of a total project cost of $9,320,000 for the purpose of a twin-pad arena, youth centre and gymnasium club?"

On Monday, the city's committee of the whole agreed to recommend this question for approval by council at next week's meeting before shipping it off to the printers.

But the lone question didn't sit too well with Ald. Cheryl Best, who proposed an additional question to staff, which advised against it.

"It would be a lot fairer to the ratepayers if we allowed them to decide whether they want an arena or not," said Ald. Cheryl Best. "We're blackmailing them when they're thinking if they turn down the arena, they won't have these other things."

Best suggested council separate the three items in the question rather than lumping them together.

She also added that council take money from their arena reserves to pay for the gymnastics facility and youth centre and ask the public if they should borrow the total $2.9 million for the arena.

Ald. Bob Brooks choose to differ with Best's position and said weighing the question entirely on the arena was unfair.

"We're raising money for all these things. It wasn't for one or the other," said Brooks.

On Feb. 26 council unanimously approved a motion to submit a borrowing bylaw for $2.5 million for the construction of a twin-pad arena, $150,000 for a youth centre and $140,000 for a gymnastics facility.

Brooks said the public has agreed to the option of ratepayer approval on all three items.

"I think that we're not blackmailing them in any way," said Brooks.

The committee in the end recommended the initial question.

Office Complements has been hired to edit an information package which contains the question and detailed information about the project.

This package will be sent out to all Yellowknife households to help them make an informed decision on voting day in April.