Yellowknife (Sep 29/06) - Convincing pregnant mothers not to drink is the biggest factor in the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the NWT.

That's the view of Michael Miltenberger, NWT minister of health and social services.

"That is probably the hardest, most heart-breaking challenge," said Miltenberger, after a meeting with ministers from across Northwestern Canada, Monday.

Seven ministers - from Yukon, the NWT, B.C., Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nunavut - were in Yellowknife Monday to discuss strategiesto battle Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The condition occurs when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy, damaging the fetus. Symptoms range from facial deformities, poor physical and emotional development to memory and attention deficits.

There are secondary disabilities to FASD as well, which could include mental illness and drug addiction.

Miltenberger said the meeting with the ministers was intended to find a solution by pooling resources and research and to encourage the federal government to take action.

"The Northwest Territories plans to have an action plan in the coming month," Miltenberger said.

"Fourteen per cent of pregnant women have acknowledged that they drank while pregnant," according to the territorial government.

However, there are no statistics available for how many people in the NWT have FASD, and Miltenberger admitted that's a problem. Another problem is the lack of simple test to diagnose FASD in infants and children, said Miltenberger.

Linda Reid, minister of childcare and early childhood development from B.C., put a price tag on FASD.

"It costs $1.5 million per child through the course of their life," she said. In B.C. there are 300 children born a year with FASD, and she said that this is a financial drain for any province or territory.