Yellowknife (Aug 29/03) - Closed for nearly a year, the Canadian Firearms Centre say they'll be opening a Yellowknife office soon and are all but certain they've found someone to staff it.

Back in early June, CFC communications officer, Michelle Snyder, who is no longer with the department, said the Yellowknife office "should be staffed right away."

Almost three months later, however, CFC's chief firearms officer for Western and Northern Canada, David Migadel, said she probably meant to say that the centre would start looking for staff immediately but the office in Yellowknife probably won't open until early to mid-October.

Nonetheless, he said they are fairly certain they have found a candidate from Yellowknife to staff the centre after a lengthy screening process that lasted most of the summer.

"We just finished interviews up there (Yellowknife) two weeks ago," said Migadel. "It's quite a process and it takes several weeks."

He said the candidate in mind hasn't officially accepted the job yet, but it appears promising that person will. If the job is accepted, that person will undergo training for a few weeks in Edmonton followed by a couple more at RCMP headquarters in Regina.

Once that matter is cleared up the only problem remaining is finding an office in Yellowknife, which Migadel said has been difficult so far.

The new firearms officer may have to work out his or her home until they do.

"If we don't have an office the person will just have to work out of their house until we get an office," said Migadel. "But certainly we'll have a presence back in the NWT probably in a few weeks."

Migadel said the new officer's main duty will be to screen new Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) applicants in the NWT. the officer will also be in charge of inspecting retail outlets that sell firearms and local shooting ranges.

To date, Migadel said 7,582 NWT residents are registered with either PALs, Possession only licences, or the old but still valid Firearms Acquisition Certificates.

The number also includes those who have been denied a licence, but Migadel couldn't say how many there were.

"It's about time," said Great Slave MLA Bill Braden.

"Firearms are a part of the way of life up here for a lot of people.

"If Canada is going to impose these kind of rules on us then they should have an office here that is staffed and will help people."