Yellowknife (Oct 31/03) - With only one chance to get it right, the Con trailer park land issue has to be dealt with properly, said Coun. Kevin O'Reilly.

Council voted this week to refer the abandonment and restoration plan for the land to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board for environmental assessment.

O'Reilly said the process to acquire the land on which the Con/Rycon trailer park residents sits is very complex and needs to be "an open, transparent process."

"They develop a set of questions and guidelines to Con to do the required work," he said of the board's resulting conclusion.

"It's an opportunity for public input and a formal process for making the best possible decisions."

Because the city doesn't own the land, O'Reilly said it doesn't have much leverage in its negotiations.

He added that the advantage of taking this route is that it slows down the mine's preparatory closing work.

"They're (the mine) not supposed to be doing any work during the process. It should be done according to an approved plan but they are still going ahead," he said.

With the landmark Robertson shaft head frame slated to be toppled before the end of this year, O'Reilly said that will make it virtually impossible to access the underground shafts.