Mike W.Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 30/05) - The Department of Indian Affairs may buy the downtown building that's now home to the post office and give it to an undisclosed aboriginal group, said a department spokesperson.

Janet Pound, assistant lands negotiator, said it could be years before the property would be released to the group should Indian Affairs purchase it, but it would be included as part of a land claim settlement.

"We're discussing it with one of our aboriginal groups at this time," said Pound.

She wouldn't say which aboriginal group is part of the discussions, but with the Tlicho Agreement settled, the Akaitcho First Nations, which includes the Yellowknives Dene, is the only local group without a settled land claim.

"The decision hasn't been made on this property yet," said Pound.

A spokesperson for the Yellowknives Dene quoted community negotiator Ted Tsetta as saying: "We're interested."

The federal government owns the 50-year-old building. Last August, the Department of Public Works told other federal departments, the territorial government and City Hall, that the post office building was up for sale.

So far only the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs has expressed interest in buying the building. The agency has until May to close the deal, or Public Works will put the building up for sale on the open market.

Where that leaves the post office remains to be seen.

According to Public Works, its lease expires March 31. but they haven't received any word from Canada Post about its plans.

At a meeting with worried city councillors, Monday, Public Works representatives said the postal corporation had an option to buy the building in 1981.

They don't know if Canada Post will make an offer this time around.

"We don't know what they're up to," said Rick Landry, one of two Public Works officials at the meeting.

"We don't know their business case."

Coun. David McCann wonders if Canada Post really intends to stay downtown, despite a large-scale renovation of the building completed only a couple years ago.

"They're not exactly laying it all out for us," said McCann. "Gee, if you're interested, sign the lease."

Landry said they won't "bounce" Canada Post if they fail to sign a new lease by the end of March, but added that a new lease would "help their tenure" if a new landlord takes over.

The union representing postal workers has also waded into the issue, raising questions about whether or not Canada Post signed a new five-year lease in September.

"The local wants to make sure we're staying where we are," said Loretta Kaminski, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers local.

She said she was told by NWT area manager Ron Kingsley in September that he had signed the five-year lease.

After word got out that there were no discussions about a lease renewal to date, the union filed a grievance with its regional office in Winnipeg, demanding to see a copy of the agreement.

"We want proof," said Kaminski.

John Caines, manager of media relations for Canada Post, repeated the corporation's desire to stay in the building. As for the union's claim that they were told a lease has been signed already, Caines said the lease was "between us and the people who own the building."