Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (June 14/02) - The time for a regional economic development corporation is at hand.

Covering much of the same ground they did at a similar workshop seven months ago, some of the region's foremost business-minded individuals and political leaders agreed last week that they need political approval to get such a venture off the ground.

"We've got a concept and we've got to move on it," Liidlii Kue chief Rita Cli said, warning that others, like the Inuvialuit, are ready to capitalize if the Deh Cho is not.

"We're missing so many opportunities ... we need to tie up our airspace with airlines. We need to tie up our waterways with boats," she said at a conference in Fort Simpson last week.

"I am so tired of talking. Get meat on that bone and go forward."

Asked why formation of a Deh Cho economic development corporation had stalled, DCFN Grand Chief Michael Nadli said the necessary personnel simply were not in place.

He said the resolution from last week's workshop is on the agenda for the Deh Cho Assembly in Kakisa, to be review by the leadership.

"In a sense there's a lot of frustration and people want to see something happen here. So (the resolution) is a strong indication of consensus for people to say, 'Quit sitting on your ass and get moving on this,' " said Nadli, who wasn't able to attend last week's conference due to other commitments.

"I'm hoping that will happen once and for all and we'll see it on its merry way."

Although they don't want political interference once the ball is in motion, panelists such as Doug Cardinal, of the Hay River Reserve, suggested that DCFN leadership must be more business-minded while the future development corporation's board of directors must be aware of the Deh Cho Process.

Cli noted that the regional development corporation will report annually to the Deh Cho assembly "because they are the highest power in Deh Cho that sits.

"These two have to co-exist. There's no getting away from it," she said.