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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Ndilo Chief Ted Tsetta says paving in his community will begin on Aug. 2 and the few weeks of delay were due to his fight to ensure band members had more jobs.

The project was originally scheduled to begin on July 15 but was delayed until Tsetta signed a deal with the City of Yellowknife on Tuesday, finalizing terms of the $1.4 million project.

He said the city was prepared to put the project out to tender to meet the mid-July deadline.

"Roy Erasmus Jr. (president and CEO of Det'on Cho Corp.) and I went down to city hall and told them, 'no, we feel it is really important for our own people to do the job; it's our land, after all,'" Tsetta said. "We want to give the money back to our own people."

Tsetta said numerous band members from the Yellowknives Dene who are employed with Det'on Cho will be working on the project but could not give specific numbers as of Thursday. He said he wouldn't know the number of jobs "until I see the first shovel."

Tsetta was under fire recently when band members in the community expressed frustration over the delays in the paving project.

Tsetta, who was involved in land claim negotiations in Edmonton last week, was criticized by some of his people for poor communication, but he said he has remained silent for a reason.

"I didn't want to talk to my people until I had proof from the city - a signed document and a guarantee that this project was going to get underway this summer. Now that the deal is signed, I have that proof, and I am more than willing to talk," he said.

He added that, in particular, the recent departure of John Carter, who was chief executive officer for Yellowknives Dene First Nation, had created a strain. However, even with the lack of staff in the office, he said with the help of Juanita Sangris, Dettah's acting senior administrative officer, as well as several other key people, he was able to follow through on his plans to get the paving done.

"Now that the new chief and council has been elected, and once they are sworn in next week, I will call a meeting to discuss a community update, health, business and housing, as well as any other concerns," Tsetta said. "I am sorry for the lack of communication with Ndilo residents, but all I can do is my best; every day I ask for support from my creator, and say a prayer for my community and my people."

The chief said he can't wait for the dust that plagues his community to be lessened by the pavement.

"We've been waiting for nearly 40 years for this to happen," Tsetta said. "We are eager to get things going now, and get the project underway. We are going to start by paving the original loop road through Ndilo, and in 2012 we will pave the end road in the community."

"We are looking forward to helping out with the project and seeing it completed," said Chris Greencorn, manager of public works for the city. "It will be nice to finally have proper asphalt in the Ndilo community."

Neither Sangris nor Erasmus Jr. were available for comment by press deadline.

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