Brent Reaney
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 10/05) - NWT communities will get nearly $40 million in federal money to spend how they see fit.

"We're not going to ask too many questions," Premier Joe Handley said Monday as he announced a proposal for spending under the Northern Strategy program.

Communities in the Northwest Territories could get the money as soon as Nov. 1, if the plan is approved in the legislative assembly in October.

Handley said he has talked with most MLAs and "there was pretty much strong support from cabinet," for the proposal.

Prime Minister Paul Martin announced the strategy last December, and said it was designed to provide a vision for Northern Canada and $120 million divided equally between Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

Communities in the Northwest Territories will get $35 million to address priorities at the grassroots level.

Of the remaining $5 million, $4 million will go to housing and $1 million to health and youth programming.

Handley said communities will have the option of taking the money in a lump sum, or over three years.

The proposed allocation formula includes a base dollar amount of $606,000 per community plus about $350 per person.

Yellowknife would receive about $7.25 million.

Positive step

Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem called the proposal "a positive step."

While there have been many past federal initiatives involving the North, he said "this one came with money. There's been a very useful allocation of funds across the Northwest Territories."

Van Tighem said the city may consider partnering in a number of projects, including the new dementia centre, or the transitional homeless shelter, but it will be a few months before a final list is made.