Hay River (Aug 11/03) - Patterson Sawmills Ltd. has made another bid to get timber and get back in business.

A three-day appeal hearing was held recently in Hay River on the GNWT's decision to deny the sawmill a timber permit for the Cameron Hills.

"I think it's a slam-dunk, myself," says sawmill manager Eugene Patterson following the hearing.

The appeal was heard by Yellowknife lawyer Jack Williams, who has 30 days to make a report to Jim Antoine, the minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.

Patterson says the government incorrectly used the interim measures agreement of the Deh Cho Process to turn down the application, which was filed in September 2001 and rejected 14 months later.

The 83-year-old sawmiller also says the government claimed the application was seeking too much timber, but he argues that is also incorrect.

The territorial government doesn't understand its own Forest Management Act, he says. "I want the government to start paying attention to the law."

Ten witnesses appeared before the appeal, along with several intervenors.

Bob Bailey, the assistant deputy minister of RWED, declined to comment on the hearing, other than to say, "We have to let the process run its course and see what is at the end of it."

Patterson Sawmills Ltd. is seeking 10,000 cubic metres of timber in the Cameron Hills in each of five years. It has not had a permit or licence to harvest timber anywhere since March 2000.

Access to timber has been an ongoing problem for the sawmill, which claims to generate about $1 million for the Hay River economy when in operation.