Eight hundred thousand dollars.
ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 what it cost Northwest Territories taxpayers for give or take a month of work that resulted in the removal of Tu Nedh茅-Wiilideh MLA Steve Norn from office this fall, according to a CBC report, Dec. 10.
Consider instead that of the money spent on the inquiry, $500,000 went to Maurice Laprairie, lawyer of the sole adjudicator, while another $127,000 went to the adjudicator himself, Justice Ron Barclay. Both legal minds graced our territory with their expertise from Saskatchewan only to, as expected, advise to oust an elected member from one of the poorest regions in the Northwest Territories.
WeSA国际影视传媒檇 only be so lucky to see one red cent of that money circulating back into the NWT economy where it rightfully belongs.
South Slave residents may be tempted to roll their eyes and see the situation as another example of the NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 capital and the disconnect with the realities of the rest of the territory and the bottomless tone-deafness of our legislature. And theySA国际影视传媒檇 be right.
But as a thought exercise, it might be worth considering how far $800,000 could go in the South Slave based on recent demands in the community.
In the Town of Hay River, complaints about the need for funding are ever prevalent as 2021 comes to a close.
The Hay River Ski Club, a keystone organization of youth sport development in town, continues to contend that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs ought to provide a means for funding core services, even as the GNWT revised the NWT Lottery Act almost a decade ago. Chuck Lirette, trails supervisor and biathlon Coach has said that it would only cost between $40,000 and $50,000 per year to keep the trail lights and the power on.
Instead, like other youth sport organizations, the club is told to go fish and fundraise.
Perhaps also consider the Dec. 6 draft budget which again shows that the territory, by its own admission, shortchanges the Town of Hay River between $3 million and $4 million - a huge expense as the municipality attempts to meet its major capital expenses like roads, sewers and water delivery while keeping the cost of living balanced.
South Slave residents and their local government have the right to be concerned about tight budgeting and high costs in their communities.
Perhaps the Legislative Assembly should take notice and show some of their own fiscal prudence and do better to avoid such outlandish expenses.
