Premiers to fly to Haines Junction after all, following weather delay

Canada's provincial and territorial premiers will be flyingto Haines Junction after all this afternoon, after plans to fly in to the community were cancelled this morning due tobad weather.

The premiers are in Yukon to begin three days of meetings.Theywere to meet in Haines Junctionwith leaders of five national aboriginal organizations, but those meetings weremoved to Whitehorse.

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This is the first time the Council of the Federation has met in any of the northern territories. About 400 delegates were expected in Yukon forthe conference. The plan was to hold meetingsin Haines Junction before moving to Whitehorse on Thursday and Friday.

The premierswere scheduled to fly to Haines Junction Wednesday morning, but were grounded in Whitehorse by rain and fog. The change of plans forced media and other officials already in Haines Junctionto quickly drive back to the Yukon capital, 154 kilometres away.

In Haines Junction, they were expected to be hosted by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and joined by leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, the Mtis National Council, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Native Women's Association of Canada.

Champagne and AishihikChief Steve Smith was looking forward to what hecalled a "historic gathering" that his community was proud to host, including acultural showcase.

As chair of the federation, Yukon's premier will lead various meetings and calls throughout the year, and oversee the Federation's working groups.

"It really acknowledges the ever-increasing role that the territories play in our Federation and how important the territories are to this country," said Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski, the current chair of the Federation.

"It's not just about hosting a meeting for three days, it's about all the responsibilities that come with that for the next year."

Yukon is footing the bill for the meetings, which are expected to cost close to $700,000.