The transportation component provides compensation to communities relative to the value of the cost of return transportation between Yellowknife and Edmonton via air and/or road. The cost of living component provides compensation to communities relative to the average expenditures for a food basket of goods and services compared to Yellowknife. Yellowknife would be a base. We would be looking at the cost of goods or the basket of goods in every other community as part of the formula to determine what other communities are getting, but if we’re using Yellowknife as a base, we need to make sure that it is an appropriate cost, and that cost was negotiated between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the UNW. As I have indicated, the cost of transportation out of Yellowknife has actually decreased but they haven’t bothered to negotiate down the price.

Right now, we have a formula – it works – that we use, and the union is supportive of that formula.