It's safe to say Norman Wells Mayor Frank Pope is not exactly pleased with the GNWT's response to his town's current state of affairs.
"Somebody's got to help us. We're going to lose our community. We're going to lose people, houses," he told SA国际影视传媒 on Thursday. "This is how serious it's getting. It sounds stupid to say, but nobody is helping us. Nobody can pay these costs. I can't pay them."
Pope provided NNSL with a letter which calls out the GNWT for knowing about rising fuel prices, as well as low water levels - which was the cause of barge cancellations - for some time before now.
"We have been asking GNWT for approximately two years to develop a funded resupply plan (and) nothing has been formulated to date," the letter reads in part.
Pope did note Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek's statement about the town earlier this month during session at the legislative assembly, as well as the GNWT increasing the monthly subsidy rates under the Senior Home Heating Subsidy for Norman Wells along with a $150,000 to the Norman Wells Food Bank.
"What we're saying is, 'Quit making plans without us,'" said Pope. "Come to the table and meet with us, and we'll work with you."
Pope said he's critical of the GNWT at large, as well as MLAs who didn't originally support MLA Danny McNeely's quest for a state of emergency in the first place, noting that he and McNeely went down to Ottawa together in early October, alongside Tulita Mayor Douglas Yallee, to advocate their situation to the federal government.
"We got all the advice we needed. Came back, did our part, the GNWT dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned," said Pope.
What Pope is looking for right now, he said, is to build a plan with the GNWT moving forward. In particular, he highlighter heating fuel costs resolved.
"We don't resolve that, we don't resolve anything," he said.
Fuel prices have not gone down much either since the town declared a state of emergency in early October, noting it was still hovering around $3.50 a litre as of Oct. 30.
For the town's future, Pope said he sees a lot of hard work and negotiation that would involve Imperial Oil.
"We're hoping they'll go ahead and go through it and get that repair job done," said Pope, noting that the company creates a lot of employment and the town's taxes on it helps run things. "We need them to stay in town. We don't want them to leave town. They're still a big part of Norman Wells."
