Inuvik (Sep 10/04) - The self-government ball is now in the court of Gwich'in communities. The Gwich'in Tribal Council decided this week to administer related funding on its own .

All money that had previously been going to the Beaufort-Delta self-government office to cover costs of hiring field workers and writing community constitutions will now be administered by the council.

Bob Simpson, chief negotiator for Beaufort-Delta self-government, called the move a positive one.

"We've always put an emphasis on grassroots participation and this is a healthy step towards that," he said.

Simpson said the administrative arm of the council will now handle the duties previously charged to his Inuvik office.

Simpson said none of the Gwich'in funds were part of the self-government's operation budget and that the move is simply an administrative change. "(The council) has direct linkages and the administration to do it," he said.

While the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit cover costs of formulating a self-government model, the federal and territorial government provide the bulk of the administrative costs associated with the ongoing self-government process.

However, Simpson said additional federal and territorial resources are necessary to see the deal to fruition.

As for the final price tag of establishing self-government in the region, Simpson said the cost-analysis process is proceeding and the figure should be determined by December of this year.

Fred Carmichael, president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, was unavailable for comment.