Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 03/99) - An half-page cartoon advertisement that ran in Monday's News/North has set off alarm bells for Yellowknife city councillors.

The cartoon, entitled Today's Lesson is Sharing, shows Hay River Mayor Jack Rowe in a classroom setting recommending part of the territorial government bureaucracy be moved out of Yellowknife. In the cartoon, Rowe also suggested any DIAND positions transferred to the North should go to smaller communities.

"It causes me some concern," said Coun. Ben McDonald at a committee meeting Monday. "I don't want council to overreact to the ad, but I think the city should try to find out who paid for it... and the purpose of doing so."

Coun. Robert Slaven said the Yellowknife bashing in the cartoon and a recent xxxHay River Hub editorial criticizing the electoral boundaries court case is getting out of hand.

"I really don't like the feeling I get from this," he said referring to the cartoon. "There's things in that ad that remind me of ethnic cleansing."

"The thing I don't like about it," said Coun. David Ramsay, "is the reference to Yellowknife as a bottomless pit. Mr. Rowe and his adversarial attitude toward Yellowknife -- I just don't understand it."

Ramsay went on to suggest that criticism from Hay River has heated up since Tu Nedhe MLA Don Morin resigned as premier, and that Morin and Rowe are close friends.

Coun. Peggy Near criticized Ramsay for being critical of Rowe.

"We're hanging Jack Rowe without a shred of evidence (Hay River paid for the ad)," said Near.

Contacted later the same day, Rowe said the ad was paid for by the Town of Hay River.

"If the city of Yellowknife feels like its being chastised, they should," said Rowe. "Yellowknife's got to start looking beyond its boundaries or we're all in trouble."

The advertisement was placed with the blessing of council, said Rowe, and meant to draw attention to the capital using its economic and political clout to seize every opportunity that comes to the North.

Rowe did not know the exact cost of the advertisement, but said it was less than $500.

"It was certainly no where near the $25,000 the city of Yellowknife spent on the Friends of Democracy," he added.