Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Aug 07/98) - The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation's game council has set up a new harvester assistance program aimed at helping Inuvialuit hunters and trappers with sparse resources.

The corporation has invested $4.5 million in the new Inuvialuit Harvester Assistance Program. Interest on the investment will be granted to hunters in six Inuvialuit communities.

By the July 31 application deadline, the Inuvik hunters and trappers committee had received 43 applications. The hunters and trappers committees have a deadline of Sept. 1 for determining which applications are successful.

But it need not be the HTC that determines each community's successful applicants as the HTC could strike a committee or consult with elders to decide the merit of applications.

Money will be disbursed Oct. 1.

Inuvik HTA resource person Loretta Elias said the board had not yet determined how it would decide which applications would be successful, but that annual income would likely be taken into consideration as well as the cost of the requested item.

"Some of the big words we use are 'beneficiaries with demonstrated need for extra support,'" said IRC hunter and trapper coordinator George Case.

"Right now we have about $200,000 available that will actually be put out in grants this year. What we've done is allocated a base formula -- so much for each community -- and then approximately half of it will also be rationed out based on the number of hunter and trapper committee members in each community as well."

Case said hunters and trappers can use the money for things like boats, motors or snowmobiles. But he stressed applications for large, expensive items may be built on false expectations and what would be more likely is people would get the money for minor purchases which would help them start a successful hunting season.

"Smaller things people are looking for can range from double-walled tents to survival suits (or) equipment parts for their snowmobiles," he said.

Granting money for items such as fishing nets or firearms would help more people than if applications for more costly items were approved.

Grants will cover up to 75 per cent of an item.

"Somebody has the ability to get bank financing for a boat," Case said.

"If somebody had some resources, they could finance the boat over four or five years. The IHAP grant could be used in 75 per cent of the down payment."

The program's ceiling is $10,000 on a per-household basis.

The six communities involved are Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Holman, Paulatuk, Aklavik and Sachs Harbour.