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3TuesdayFebruary252014HostedbyFineArtsCouncilofThebachaFACTFundraiserforFortSmithCircleofFriendsandtheFoodBankWISHESTOTHANKseriouslynorthernLTD.EnvironmentandNaturalResourcesFREUNDBUILDINGSUPPLIESMORRISfursFORTSMITHcurlingcentreFORTSMITHrec.centrestaffLauraineArmstrongKevinRitaAntoniakCraigBrowneRebeccaCabellGenCtJaneDragonKatieHicksJanieHobartAngelaLockhartBrittanyMcArthurNatalieMelnykDarlenePowderKenMarySchaeferMarnieVilleneuveandeveryonewhohelpedwithGoneWildContinuedfrompage1.Thecodeofconductexplic-itlyallowsGNWTemployeestofreelycommentonpoliticalissueswithoutusingtheirpo-sitiontolendweighttopublicexpressionoftheirpersonalopinions.Theyareadvisedtoexercisecautionwhenmak-ingcommentscriticalofgov-ernmentpolicies.EmployeesarealsorequiredtosignoathspledgingloyaltytotheGNWTastheiremployeraswellasagreementsbindingthemtocondentialityandincaseswhereconictsofinter-estariseimpartiality.DeputyministerofHumanResourcesSheilaBassi-KellettsaidensuringbothfreedomofspeechandloyaltytotheGNWTisadelicatebalance.Wedontwanttolimitouremployeesfreedomofexpres-sionjustbecausetheyrepublicservants.Thatscompletelyin-appropriateandthatsnotinourinterestatall.Butwhatwedoneedtodoissetsomereason-ablerestrictionstojustavoidBalancingloyaltywithfreedomofexpressiondifcultdeputyministereitherarealoraperceivedcon-ictofinterestshesaid.Aspublicservantswehavetobeseentobeimpartial.InthecaseofthefrackingpetitionBassi-KellettsaidthesituationiscomplicatedbythefactthattheGNWThasntspe-cicallycomeoutagainstorinfavourofthecontroversialoilandgasextractionprocess.Ourgovernmentrightnowhasntmadespeciccommentsonthissoforemployeestogetoutaheadissomethingtobeverymindfuloforcarefularoundshesaid.Thepointisthatthepetitionitselfisntcriticalbutitistakingastand.Thatsanissuewhereyouneedtostopandthinkasapublicservantassomeonewhohastakentheloyaltyprovisionsinthecodeofconductreallyseriously.Shesaidemployeesareen-couragedtotalktotheirsu-pervisorsaboutwhetherornotsigningapetitionwouldbeinappropriate.TheNWTsrstandonlyfrackingoperationcurrentlybeingcarriedoutintheSahturegionbyConocoPhillipsby-passedtheenvironmentalas-sessmentstagelastsummerjumpingdirectlytopermittingraisingconcernsintheregionandacrosstheterritory.Moreapplicationsforex-ploratoryfrackingintheNWTincludingonebyHuskyOilareexpectedinthecomingmonths.Thepointisthatthepetitionitselfisntcriticalbutitistakingastand.SheilaBassi-KellettDeputyMinisterofHumanResourcesPoliticsGNWTCabinetvotesdownmotiontosaveregionalboardsByMEAGANWOHLBERGMLAsdefeatedamotionlastThursdaythatwouldhavecreatedregionalofcestotaketheplaceofthosethatwillbelostwhenthefederalgovernmenteliminatesre-gionallandandwaterboardstocreateonesuperboard.ThemotionputforwardbyMLABobBromleyandsecondedbyDehChoMLAMichaelNadliaskedtheGNWTtoworkwithAborigi-nalgovernmentstoestablishandstaffregionalofcesasabasisforensuringmeaning-fulinputintolandandwatermanagementstructures.Bromleysaidthemo-tionwasputforwardinre-sponsetothecrystalclearandunanimousvoicesofourAboriginalpartnersnumer-ousnon-Aboriginalresidentsandtheadmissionofindus-trythattheregionalboardsareworkingwell.WithattemptstostopthefederallegislationinOt-tawaunsuccessfulBromleythoughtitwasimperativetotakemitigativestridesattheterritoriallevel.Wehaveasituationwhereweneedtotryanddosome-thingtomakethebestofabadsituationkeepingtheregionalcapacityinplacesthatallowtheboardstokeepangeronthepulseofeachregionandallowfordirectengagementwithpeopleineachregionhetoldtheassembly.Reallythismotion...urgesCabinettositdownwithourAboriginalpartnersanddis-cusswiththemwhatmitiga-tioncanbetakenwhatspe-cicactionscanbeputinplaceandstructurestoaddressthegapthatthiswillbeleaving.Seveninfavour11againstSevenMLAswereinfavourofthemotionparticularlyitspremiseofmoreconsultation.Thismotionasksthegov-ernmentoftheNorthwestTerri-toriestoworkwithourregionalgovernmentpartners.IfyouredoingitalreadywhyshouldwenotcontinueonandworkwiththemonsomethingwhichtheythinkissoterriblyimportantcommentedFrameLakeMLAWendyBisaro.ThoughRangeLakeMLADarylDolynnyagreedthatthedevolutionbillisnotperfecthevotedagainstBromleysmo-tionstatinghebelievesthein-cludedregulatorychangesareneededtomodernizetheNWT.Ibelievewearestrivingforaterritoryofgreaterefciencyputtingusinmyhumbleopin-ionatthesamelevelplayingeldasotherjurisdictionssuchasoursisterterritoryoftheYukonDolynnysaid.Thisnewconceptshouldallowustofocusonmoreefciencyandallthewhilehopefulthatweareabletoconcentrateandfurtherdevelopourlanduseplansandhavestrongcon-tinuednegotiationsforourunsettledlandclaims.DolynnyalongwiththreeotherregularMLAsandcabi-netvotedagainstthemotion.NewboardwillrepresentregionsPremierBobMcLeodar-guedtherewillbenolackofregionalrepresentationonthenewsuperboardwhichisanamalgamationoftheexistingregionalboards.Withrespecttorepresen-tationontheamalgamatedboardthereisaprovisioninBillC-15toallowthreepeopletobeappointedtoreviewtheapplicationincludingatleastonememberappointedfromanAboriginalgovernment.Thisprovidesforrepresenta-tionsimilarinproportiontothecurrentrepresentationonregionalboardshesaid.Thereisalsoaprovisiontoallowthechairpersontodesig-nateadditionalboardmemberstodealwiththeapplicationinadditiontothethreepeopledesignated.Thisprovidescon-tinuedrealrepresentation.McLeodsaidtheintergov-ernmentalcounciltobeestab-lishedwithAboriginalgovern-mentsthroughdevolutionwillprovidetheforumforcollabo-rationproposedinthemotion.InthiswaytheviewsofAboriginalgovernmentswillcontinuetobearticulatedandheardbythegovernmentoftheNorthwestTerritorieshesaid.Headdedthatmembersofthereviewboardsarenotmeanttorepresentregionsbuttotakeanimpartialstanceduringas-sessmentsastheydonow.TheviewsofAboriginalgovernmentswillcontinuetobearticulatedandheardbythegovernmentoftheNorthwestTerritories.NWTPremierBobMcLeodPhotoBillBradenAmotiontocreateregionalofcesreplacingthosebeingeliminatedthroughchangestotheMackenzieValleyResourcesManagementActwasvoteddown11-7lastweek.PoliticsRegulatory