Yellowknife (Sep 27/04) - The reputation of Ol' Slavey grows steadily, spreading across the country as Yellowknife's favourite lake monster enjoys the acclaim previously reserved for other denizens of the deep.

Ever since Yellowknifer editor Chris Woodall sat down earlier this summer and figured that, well, Great Slave is an awfully deep lake, and something really ought to live there, the spectre of Slavey has grown exponentially.

Since Sept. 18, Slavey's story has been featured in newspapers across Canada.

On the Internet, Slavey's legend has spread even quicker among monster hunters.

Jim Lynn has become something of a star out of all this. An ordained priest of 41 years standing, Lynn reported the last sighting of Ol' Slavey.

Since the Sept. 12 incident, Lynn has been interviewed by newspapers and TV crews.

"You get a lot of reaction from people, whether they believe you or whether they think you're losing it," he said.

Lynn was looking out to the lake from his home when he saw something six to eight feet tall moving swiftly across the water.

"The first thing you have to think is if there's that much of it above water, how much is below?"

He is equally clear of the fact that the creature is not his invention.

"The Aboriginal peoples have been talking about a creature in the lake for years -- long before I ever saw anything."

He adds that a friend of his tells stories about his father having an encounter on the lake years ago.

Following his sighting, Lynn put out an advertisement in the paper asking anyone "travelling via small boat on Great Slave Lake about 9 a.m., Sunday, September 12," to contact him.

So far there has been no response, but Lynn still hopes to hear from someone.

Coun. Dave McCann has seen Slavey twice, and swears by the accuracy of Lynn's sighting.

"I saw exactly what Jim was seeing."

McCann thinks the presence of a creature could be a boon to tourism in Yellowknife.

"I think we need to get the word out, create a buzz," he said.

McCann suggested stuffed replicas, boat tours and airplane fly-overs as possible ways to build a tourism industry around Ol' Slavey.

"We have a window of opportunity to embrace tourism so it really takes hold."

Archie Catholique, the chief of Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation, has a different take on the creature: leave it alone.

"We know there is something out there in the lake," Catholique said, noting the stories and sightings go back many years.

He said, however, that the creature is part of Creation and should be treated with respect.

"The things are not there to be bothered. They don't bother anyone," he said.

Dr. James Reist is a research scientist and head of the Arctic Fish Ecology and Assessment Research Section with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

He suggested sightings could be nothing more than trees or waves which look like animals.

Reist said that if a creature does exist, it would likely be a plesiosaur, a large aquatic reptile from around the Jurassic period that is usually depicted with long, flipper-like fins, round bodies and long necks.

Plesiosaurs, which are considered to be extinct, inhabited deep lakes and bodies of water, much like Great Slave Lake, said Reist.

"It could be a lot of things, but probably not a fish," added Reist, pointing out that the world's largest lake trout, inconnu and northern pike weigh 102 lbs, 63 lbs and 55 lbs respectively.

If there is a creature in Great Slave, its large size is likely caused by sexual underdevelopment, said Reist.

He added that a monster would be most likely to frequent the West Basin because there are more fish there for it to eat.

Still, Reist said given the lake's massive size, "clearly we need more research on the aquatic fauna."

An informal poll shows that not everyone is ready to embrace Ol' Slavey.

Stuart Saul thinks it's a big jackfish.

"I always knew there was something big in there," he said.

Laura Swanson said the suggestion "is just too unbelievable."

Donna Dooley, on the other hand, thinks "anything is possible. I don't disbelieve any stories like this -- it's a big, deep lake, so who knows what's down there."

And then there's Bill Dicks, who credits the Slavey story to "overly superstitious people with overactive imaginations, whom I would put in the same league as UFO enthusiasts."

-- with files from Paul Bickford and Pamela Corie