Inuvik (Feb 04/05) - With 881 signatures, Janetta Day presented her rent control petition to Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland last week

According to Roland, the petition has been handed to the Clerk's Office of the Legislative Assembly for an "official count" of the signatures.

Once that is done, Roland, or possibly newly-elected Twin Lakes MLA Robert McLeod, will table it in the legislative assembly.

"I've raised (the issue) with my cabinet colleagues and we'll be having further discussions," said Roland when asked about the mood amongst fellow MLAs regarding the implementation of rent control in the territory.

Roland added that after the petition is presented to members of the legislative assembly, Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation David Krutko "will have to respond."

Roland was in Ottawa this week for a finance ministers meeting.

Also on the table for discussion was fixing the fiscal imbalance in regards to territorial formula financing - the amount of money Ottawa provides to the NWT each year.

On Tuesday, Roland and his territorial and provincial colleagues met with Federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale to discuss the 2005 budget proposal.

Asked if there was going to be any more money in the pot for the territory than last year, Roland said there "were no details on that."