Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 27/99) - A city council committee recommended Monday that no more money from Mayor Dave Lovell's budget be spent on the Friends of Democracy advertising campaign at the present time.

Coun. Cheryl Best said the Priorities, Policy and Budget Committee made the recommendation after learning city hall had already allocated almost $8,000 from the mayor's budget for Friends advertising.

"I'm sure the mayor will hold at that level," Best said by telephone, adding that council will likely accept the committee's recommendation when it meets again in two weeks.

The committee debated the matter Monday, and some council members said that cutting off advertising contributions now might result in the necessity of providing larger grants to Friends down the road. City council has already given a $25,000-grant toward the estimated $100,000 in legal fees Friends needs to challenge the GNWT over electoral boundaries.

Best said in the meeting that money for advertising can prove useful, as it generates additional funds, and suggested a $10,000-cap would be more appropriate.

"There's a better chance of us not having to throw them another $30,000 to $50,000 in future if we pay $2,500 for advertising," she said.

"There's a whiff of a blank cheque," Coun. Ben McDonald countered. "We've allowed the organization to have a big push on advertising -- cap it now and invite them to come back in future if they can prove they need it."

Friends goes to court March 1 to challenge the GNWT for overturning a territorial committee recommendation that Yellowknife merits two additional legislative seats. But Friends vice-president Bob MacQuarrie has said compromise is possible, and it was in this spirit that Best said she was open to a recent suggestion by Rae-Edzo Mayor Fred Behrens to add three seats to the legislature, including one for Yellowknife and one for Rae-Edzo. But while ideal, Best said that with the legislature in recess, a political solution outside of court is unlikely at this point.

"As far as I know there's been no serious discussion about a possible solution, but certainly if there was it would save the community $100,000," she said.