SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With temperatures dropping and no emergency plan in place, city councillor Cory Vanthuyne is concerned for residents of Northland Trailer Park.

At Monday's council meeting, Vanthuyne asked Mayor Gord Van Tighem what will happen to the park's residents if there is another sewage line failure, like the one earlier this year.

In February, one of the park's underground sewage lines failed, leading to the installation of a 300-foot above-ground sewer line.

Van Tighem assured Vanthuyne Yellowknife residents are known for coming together in times of need, and suggested the focus needs to remain on funding for repairs.

The sewer line, which is part of a sewer and water system, is 15 years past it's expiry date and is the responsibility of the condominium corporation that owns the park.

There are 258 units in Northland, housing around 1,100 people, or five per cent of Yellowknife's population.

The entire underground infrastructure of the park needs to be replaced - a job estimated to cost $18 million.

The corporation doesn't have the money to pay for the project and is working with the city to come up with a funding plan.

19 Yellowknife organizations receive funding

Four of the 19 organizations receiving core funding in 2011 are new to the list.

The Yellowknife Golf Club will receive $15,000, the Aurora Arts Society and the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts will each receive $5,000 and the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT will receive $4,500.

The Grant Review Committee recommended city council increase the number of recipients to 19 from 16 for 2011. The list originally stood at 20, but the Snowking winter festival withdrew its application.

"We recommend you approve the applications we've given you," said city councillor Bob Brooks at city hall on Monday.

The core funding policy was adopted by council in 2000 and has since given annual funding to eligible organizations.

The St. John Ambulance and the Festival of the Midnight Sun each had their funding cut by $2,000.

"We're helping to make organizations independent by reducing funding," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

The Caribou Carnival, which has received funding since 2000, missed the application deadline and has had it extended to Dec. 31.

If the new deadline in missed, Caribou Carnival will become ineligible to receive core funding for 2011, and the unused $15,000 in funding will be added to the Special Grant Fund.

Councillors want continuity

City councillors are concerned about the structure of the Harbour Planning Committee.

"I think we want to reserve to council some control of the appointment to the committee," said Coun. David Wind.

Coun. Shelagh Montgomery agreed, saying committee members shouldn't be allowed to call up their friends or neighbours to show up at a meeting in their place.

"It needs to be clear that you have one alternate," she said.

There needs to be some sort of continuity, said Montgomery. The Yellowknife Harbour Planning Committee was established on Jan. 25 to assist the city in the formulation of policies, concepts and strategies as they relate to a regulatory framework and vision for the Yellowknife Bay.

The committee has increased to 17 from 16 members with the recent addition of Luke Coady, manager of tourism and parks from the GNWT Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Coady will begin his two-year term on Oct. 13.

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