Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 24, 2007

MACKENZIE DELTA - While many Mackenzie Delta residents still rely on hunting and trapping to supplement incomes, younger people in the riding are looking to training and jobs in the Mackenzie Gas Project.

"We need to make sure people have the skills and training to take advantage of this opportunity," says David Krutko, who has represented the region for 12 years.

Challenger Mary Joanne Clark wants to see some large-scale government-funded projects. "The biggest issue for Tsiigehtchic is having an airport, and Aklavik should be connected to the Dempster Highway," she said.

Clark is a linguistics instructor in Fort McPherson and a former hamlet councillor for Old Crow, Yukon.

Donald Robert, a social worker for six years across the NWT, is emphasizing social issues.

"There is use of alcohol and drugs, there is family violence. We need enough resources to combat these problems together," he said.

Fort McPherson mayor Rebecca Blake said education and health care are major issues. "There's always a shortage of nurses.

With education, again, there's always the lack of qualified teachers - or if we do have enough qualified teachers, then there's support staff which the government doesn't fund completely."

In Aklavik, Learning Centre instructor Lorna Keating asked her adult students about issues in the community.

They responded with a list that included better drug and alcohol treatment and more pre-school space. There was also a concern about the quality of water and outdated equipment at the health centre.

"They also wanted to see more job opportunities and on-the-job training," said Keating.

For a community like Tsiigehtchic, the job creation is the big issue. The population is below 150 and while a Northern Store opened this year, the community has no other shops and few places of employment outside government-funded offices.

Krutko was elected in 1995 and 1999 and acclaimed in 2003. He was Minister of Public Works in the last assembly, responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.