Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 12/01) - Acho Dene Koe will lose almost half a million dollars in wages and benefits as a result of Paramount's decision to cancel natural gas work.
General manager of the Acho Dene Koe Holdings Ltd., Shane Parrish, said Fort Liard band-owned companies receive about 20 per cent of every dollar spent by oil and gas companies in the Fort Liard area.
"I can't get over it. I'm sick to my stomach," Parrish said of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board decision to refer Paramount's N-69 and L-71 wells to environmental assessment.
"What are they trying to do to us? Are they trying to bankrupt us? I wish they'd let us know so we could start planning," said Parrish.
But the news isn't all bad for the Acho Dene Koe.
The band has secured contracts for camps and catering and some construction work with Alberta Energy Company West (AEC West) in northern B.C., said Parrish.
