SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Premier Floyd Roland may have to pay for costs born out of the inquiry into his affair with a legislative assembly clerk should it be found he was in conflict for not disclosing the relationship with MLAs or making an attempt to distance himself from the confidential nature of his mistress' duties.

Premier Floyd Roland

His girlfriend, Patricia Russell, as clerk of standing committees, often sat in on closed door meetings with regular MLAs where the premier and cabinet were not welcome. She was moved out of the job after the affair was disclosed last December - several months after it began.

While the costs have to be made public, the inquiry will likely prove to be an expensive undertaking by the time it's complete.

A conflict of interest inquiry into former premier Don Morin's business dealings cost taxpayers $1.7 million.

Legislative assembly clerk Tim Mercer said a detailed tally of all costs associated with the inquiry, including sole adjudicator Ted Hughes' daily rate, are being kept and will eventually be made public.

"The cost of Mr. Hughes, his time and his contract, his commission council and any other sort of administrative requirements like travel, accommodations, meals, rental of rooms, that sort of things, this will all be born by the legislative assembly," said Mercer.

Along with these costs, Mercer said the legislative assembly will cover costs of the premier's legal counsel, but under the NWT Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, Roland may be required to repay some or all the costs associated with the inquiry if Hughes were to find him in conflict. He could also be forced to give up his seat in the legislative assembly.

"We don't know what all this is going to be until the inquiry starts to play out," Mercer said, adding legislation requires the legislative assembly to table all costs associated with the inquiry.

"Previously, it couldn't be made public until it was tabled in the house," said Mercer.

"If the report comes out in mid-November, the next possible chance to table it would be in February. We've amended our legislation so that I am permitted to make it public before it is tabled as long as members see it first.

"It doesn't leave people sitting until the speaker (of the legislative assembly) can table it in the house."

In order to cover the cost of the inquiry, the legislative assembly might be required to seek supplementary appropriation - a mid-fiscal year spending approval.

"We don't budget for these types of things, so if the costs aren't something we can absorb internally we will seek a supplementary appropriation," Mercer said. "So we'll have to go back to the house for an additional budget approval."

One regular MLA said cost isn't the prevailing issue.

Wendy Bisaro, Frame Lake MLA and one of the six regular MLAs who filed a conflict of interest complaint against the premier, said "there is a price to pay for justice."

"I haven't seen any estimate of expenses at this point. I mean, yeah, it's expensive, but from my standpoint I want a clarification on what a conflict of interest is," Bisaro said. "Not at any cost, but I think what is proposed (referring to the scale of the inquiry) is going to be okay. I think it's justified at this point."