Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 14/00) - Municipal leaders continue to press their case for new roads in the North.

Members of the NWT Association of Municipalities met with the new Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Roger Allen, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jim Antoine and Premier Stephen Kakfwi on Aug. 4 to discuss issues related to the National Highways Strategy, block funding, housing, land development, and the participation of municipalities in the NWT intergovernmental forums.

NWTAM vice-president Bob Brooks said one of the outcomes of the meeting was the realization that only one highway in the NWT, Highway 3, between Rae and Yellowknife, meets the criteria of the National Highways Strategy for improvements.

"That's because the National Highways Strategy only talks about communities that are connecting capital cities," said Brooks.

However, he said DIAND has agreed to look into building new road infrastructure in other Northern communities.

The NWTAM suggested a group of municipal and territorial leaders travel to Ottawa to speak with officials from DIAND and the Department of Transportation to discuss the need for new roads in the North.

"That's something that they're going to take back and discuss with various (GNWT) members and departments," said Brooks.

In the meantime, Brooks and NWTAM president George Roach, of Inuvik, plan to question federal ministers about the issue when they attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in St. John's, Newfoundland in September.