Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 26/01) - Judy Harder is pleased that a committee of MLAs has rejected the territorial government's proposed highway toll.

Harder, owner of Wrangling River Supply, had sent an anti-toll petition bearing more than 500 signatures to the standing committee on governance and economic development. She explained that some of those signatures included Tsiigehtchic residents as well.

"There needs to be work done on the roads, there's no question there, but they need to revisit the idea of how it's going to be paid for," Harder said.

"It was going to be on the backs of people who live here, totally, and I don't believe that's the way it should be done."

Under the proposal, a permit fee would have been imposed on all commercial vehicles weighing at least 12,000 kilograms and carrying freight on NWT highways. A public highway improvement fund was also to be established.

In September Inuvik town council voted against the toll concept.

"There was a consensus on town council that not enough information was given, basically, to justify it, and maybe a little more research needed to be done," Coun. Denny Rodgers said on Tuesday.

"They certainly have to find some way to fix the roads, as far as I'm concerned."

Clarence Wood is a member of town council, and is also vice-president representing cities, towns and villages for the NWT Association of Municipalities.

He is pleased the toll is not going ahead.

"It was an unfair method of new taxation. It was totally unworkable, the way it was presented," Wood said.

"I really don't feel they explored all their options before they brought this as far as they did.

" I think it was a complete waste of money, and they really should reevaluate their policies before they put them forward."