SASKATCHEWAN NORTHERN LEADERS IN ALBERTA TO DISCUSS ISSUES

Saskatchewan Northern Affairs Minister Buckley Belanger is heading a delegation of northwest Saskatchewan community leaders to Alberta.

Belanger and northern leaders and officials are traveling to Fort McMurray for a two-day visit to raise awareness of mutual development opportunities for the two provinces. Belanger and his delegation will meet with Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, and MLA for Lesser Slave Lake constituency, Pearl Calahasen. The delegation will also meet with local representatives, tourism contacts and oil sands industry officials and will attend a reception with about 50 community and industry leaders.

At the top of the Saskatchewan delegation agenda is construction of the Alberta portion of a Fort McMurray-La Loche road.

"Northern Saskatchewan residents see the completion of that road as a means to achieve training and employment opportunities in the Fort McMurray oil sands," Belanger said. "On behalf of northwest Saskatchewan communities, it is very important to personally and collectively express to our Alberta colleagues, the desire to see that road become a reality."

"I am pleased to be a part of this trip and pleased that someone from the Saskatchewan government is with us for support," La Loche Mayor John Janvier said. "We hope to convince the Alberta side to support this link."

Northwest Saskatchewan Aboriginal and community leaders included on the Fort McMurray tour are John Janvier, Mayor of La Loche; Norman Hansen, Regional Area Director for Metis Nation–Saskatchewan; Isadore Desjarlais, Co-Chair of the North West Development Council; and Doug Eddy, CEO of Buffalo Narrows Local Development Corporation.

In December 2000, the Saskatchewan Northern Labour Market Committee created a subcommittee to meet with industry, federal government and Alberta provincial and regional government officials to bring forward northern Saskatchewan interests related to oil sands training and employment.

Ministers Belanger and Calahasen first met to discuss issues on February 12th, 2003 in Edmonton. The Ministers decided at that February meeting to have a follow-up meeting on oil sands initiatives that would include northwestern Saskatchewan Aboriginal and community leaders and be held in Fort McMurray.

The Saskatchewan delegation will be advancing a number of issues including Aboriginal issues, economic and tourism development issues, as well as jurisdictional and environmental issues. Ministers Belanger and Calahasen are continuing to work to develop a Memorandum of Understanding leading to greater co-operation on a wide range of issues.

"We want a more co-ordinated approach in achieving solutions on issues such as the de-isolation of northern regions and an expanded federal government role in improving north and western infrastructure," Belanger said.

-30-

For More Information, Contact:

John Charlton Northern Affairs Regina Phone: (306)787-5061