Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 08/99) - The NWT's western communities are being offered a one-time grant of $5,000 in order to celebrate the creation of their own new territory.

The grants are from the NWT legislative assembly's Special Committee on Western Identity and communities have until March 10 to submit their ideas in order to receive the money.

"The committee is encouraging communities to take ownership in their new territory; to recognize the things we stand for and get out there and celebrate them," committee chair and Yellowknife South MLA Seamus Henry said in a statement last week. "The grant will help to get things going."

On Friday the committee's co-ordinator, Lynda Comerford, said word about the grant is already spreading through the west.

"We have already had communities get back to us," she said.

Once each community determines how and when its grant will be used, they will be added to the official calendar of events the committee will produce and distribute.

Events sparked by the grant, must take place between March 15 and August 15.

The committee is also still at work helping to determine what the official NWT symbols will be. A new legislative mace, flag and coat of arms will be unveiled when the assembly meets in the fall.

"We will continue to use our name for the time being, so we already have various official symbols in place, like the flower and bird," Henry said.