Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik ( Jun 02/00) - Although a little later than the rest of the territory, the cookies are now going like hot cakes during the Girl Guides' annual spring sale.

The girls, who had been waiting for the warmer weather to set in, are now going door-to-door with the sweet treats.

The recent cold snap left the Inuvik girls sitting on their cookies.

"Everybody else in the territory has sold their's already," said leader Juanita Bourque. "Weather is kind of holding us back."

Bourque said they've brought in 1,200 boxes this year. It may seem like a lot, but they always sell quickly.

"We have, in previous years, had the same amount and we haven't had any problem in selling out," she added. "It is a very good fund-raiser for us."

The cookies sell for $3.50 a box or three boxes for $10, Bourque said. The profits are split between Inuvik, Yellowknife, Toronto and Mr. Christie.

"They have made them for years and years," Bourque laughed.

Helping out with the sale this year is nine-year-old Rebecca Robertson. She's spent the past four years in Sparks and Brownies and this year she "flies up" to Guides.

"I like to sell them," Robertson said. "At the school concert we sold every little box."

The temptation to dip into the profits is always there.

"I ate a whole box," she giggled. "I snuck my mom's. My favourite are the vanilla."

"My favourite is vanilla too," chimes in Jenessa Bourque, who gets a workout moving the product.

"It's fun, but the boxes are heavy," she said.

Her mom Juanita said this year is going to be a little different because only Brownies and Sparks will be selling cookies.

There will be no Girl Guides this year.

"We had lots of girls registered (for Guides), but there was no leader, which was unfortunate," she said.

"We're hoping that next year will be better, because this is really unfair to these girls not to belong to the club because of a lack of volunteers.

"The kids are interested, it's just getting volunteers to commit to being leaders," she said. "It's very sad when you've got 19 girls registered to be Girl Guides, but no one wants to be a leader."