K'atl'odeeche First Nation alleges N.W.T. Mtis Nation sign a 'safety hazard'

The K'atl'odeeche First Nation is alleging that an N.W.T. Mtis Nation territory welcome sign near Hay River, N.W.T. is "a safety hazard."

The sign went up last November at the junction of Highway 2 and 5, about two kilometres from the K'atl'odeeche First Nationreserve.

The First Nation previously voiced its disapproval of the sign, saying the surrounding area is K'atl'odeeche First Nation land while the N.W.T. Mtis Nation, which put up the sign, says the area is shared land.

In a press release dated Tuesday, K'atl'odeeche First Nation says the sign does not meet territorial guidelines: "The posts are metal beams rather than wood, do not have the proper breakaway system, and the sign is misaligned."

The sign does not match the design that was originally sent to the territory's department of infrastructure, said the release.

"I'm kind of shocked that they've taken [the infrastructure department's] job," Garry Bailey, president of the N.W.T. Mtis Nation, said with a chuckle over the phone from Vancouver on Thursday.

"There are some deficiencies with it, and we've been made aware of that."

Bailey said he wasn't exactly sure of all of the problems with the sign, but said one is that it's is not at the correct angle to the road.

The N.W.T. Mtis Nation has people taking care of the problems, and the territorial government has given the group until June 30 to fix them, Bailey said.

"Ground's frozen, you can't really do anything about it" right now, he said.

The K'atl'odeeche First Nation says the ground was frozen when the sign was installed.

CBC News sent questions to the department of infrastructure, but did not receive answers prior to publishing.