Yellowknife (Nov 29/04) - What's the big stink about garbage?

That's the title of a new report from the NWT Waste Management Forum, put on by a group of aboriginal, municipal, ecological and government representatives who met in Norman Wells to discuss the NWT's waste issues.

The forum ran from March 16 to 18 and its report, produced by the Dene Nation, features the panel's many recommendations.

"It was very productive," said program co-ordinator Lorne Napier of the Dene Nation. "It was a good opportunity to network and renew the push for better practices."

Among the recommendations from the 33-member forum was that there be additional discussion on industrial waste.

Industrial waste, as well as issues related to air and water quality, weren't fully addressed, explained Napier.

A discussion on water management was also recommended. Incidents like this summer's landslide in Fort Smith, which overflowed the sewage lagoon, will be examined.

The forum was the first meeting of its kind in the territory but Napier said there was a strong consensus in favour of holding more in the future.

"We want to reach out to more chiefs, more communities, more federal departments," he said.