SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - City hall isn't sending any delegates to the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark next month, but the city will be represented nonetheless and it won't cost a thing, says Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

"It's been interesting to see in the media over the last couple of weeks, little spots about the large contingent going from the GNWT to Copenhagen," said Van Tighem on Monday, who was referring to the territorial government's delegation of five MLAs and two bureaucrats, not including another GNWT staffer whose bill will be covered by the federal government.

"The City of Yellowknife will be in Copenhagen too, but we've chosen a different route."

He said Yellowknife's success in battling greenhouse gas emissions will be highlighted at the conference by delegates from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which is sending four people to the conference although none from Yellowknife.

"We have exceeded the Kyoto Protocol five years earlier than we had planned," he said.

"Yellowknife will be represented in Copenhagen, but it didn't cost us a penny.

"With what Yellowknife has done, I was asked to sit in with the steering committee that is providing information to that delegation," he said. "Our information will be presented at Copenhagen but we don't have to go there and present it."

He said municipalities are key to reining in climate change.

"You can focus on business, you can focus on big government but one of your biggest immediate impacts are the local governments," he said. "We need to look at which ones have been successful and how we copy them."

Deputy mayor again

City councillor Mark Heyck was reinstated as deputy mayor after an unanimous vote by councillors at Monday's Priorities, Policies and Budget committee meeting.

The deputy mayor is appointed annually on the recommendation of the mayor, and Heyck has served as the deputy since 2006.

"I think everybody favoured having Mark as the deputy mayor, he was doing a good job of it," said Debbie Gillard, city clerk.

Time to commit to committees

Like fresh-faced students picking courses from a university calendar, the new city council got the chance to thumb through the vast and varied array of council committees they may like to sit on in the years to come during Monday's committee meeting.

Enemy to garbage everywhere, Coun. Paul Falvo was quick to put his hand up for the Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee.

"When you think of garbage, think of Paul," said Falvo.

"Is that your new slogan?" asked Coun. Lydia Bardak. "Is that a lawyer joke?"

Couns. David Wind and Cory Vanthuyne registered their interest in the Audit Committee while several councillors hinted at their interest in the Energy Plan Implementation Advisory Committee. The suggestion to shorten the name met with a chorus of support from councillors.

"I'd like to suggest that, in view of the ongoing usefulness of the committee, perhaps we want to look at the name of the committee and shorten it a little bit," said Wind.

"Perhaps it should just be the Community Energy Committee?"

Coun. Mark Heyck was on board with the idea, saying, "It's something that comes up again and again … It's a good suggestion."