Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (May 27/02) - Starting June 1, the price of gas will drop by one third in communities affected by bad gas. And Nunavummiut with damaged snowmobiles can begin filling out compensation forms today.

Wildlife officers will help snowmobile and outboard motor owners fill out compensation forms. The Department of Sustainable Development is working with hunters and trappers organizations in communities without a wildlife officer to identify another contact.

If possible, owners should produce receipts for engine repairs dating back to last fall.

Within three weeks, the government plans to compile the information and begin making payments based on average costs.

The territorial government will review individual claims that exceed average costs on a case by case basis -- and continue to accept claims until the year's end.

"We're prepared to go the full length," said Ng at a press conference on Thursday. "We don't think individuals should be out of pocket because of what's happened."

Ng said he doesn't know what the final price tag will be. But the government will foot the bill -- for now. "We're hoping all the parties end up chipping in," he said.

Ng acknowledged the government shares responsibility for the fiasco. "All parties obviously had a role in this. It's a matter of degree," he said. "Our role is to ensure quality of product is there."

As for the current gas supply, the Alberta Research Council and the Petroleum Products Division of Public Works are doing tests in Rankin Inlet that blend bad gas with high-quality fuel in Kugluktuk that comes from Alberta.

The mixture is 70 per cent good gas to 30 per cent bad. Ng said the blend appears to work, and hopes further tests will confirm this.

If the plan fails, the government has "a contingency plan with NTCL."

Ng said a worst-case scenario would involve draining tanks and flying in new gas.

The government has issued a request for proposals for the 2003 gas supply. However, "in the spirit of co-operation," it won't break the contract with NTCL this year.

This means -- although the bad gas came from a refinery in New Jersey -- the current shipment will again come from outside Canada.

However, Ng said the Alberta Research Council has "taken specifications" from Kugluktuk gasoline and will test Nunavut's incoming gas based on this criteria.

The government is also doing tests on outboard motors and collecting samples from pumps, fuel filters and injectors to study the damage on larger engines.

Ng said the reduction in gas prices will last until the problem is fixed or Nunavut gets a new supply.

Iqaluit city councillor Glenn Williams said the plan shows the government is responding to constituent's concerns. Nunavut was created to bring people closer to their government, he said. "This is a refection of that."