Don’t keep it all inside. You’re not alone. We have all lived through a summer for the history books. Dense smoke, online fire maps, evacuation orders, long drives and dealing with a quickly constructed relief program in Alberta or elsewhere.
Entrepreneurs and all businesses were forced to close again, just as they were recovering from the Covid pandemic retail regulations. Did the small-and medium-sized operations have a rainy day fund? How was cashflow and can it start up again after three-weeks? Will employees return from Alberta, a place also looking for workers? How many guests were ejected on Aug. 16 and then how many reservations for the fall were cancelled?
Many just hope genuine government aid will arrive in time to keep the bankers at bay. The summer started with Canadians holding record levels of household debt, how weak is the purchasing power now in the North after being out of home and on the road for weeks?
“It’s heartbreaking,” a business owner told local media. “I feel like in some respects I’ve failed, that somehow I haven’t been able to create an environment for the store to succeed through these times, and that’s really hard.”
Stress is a natural reaction to challenging or demanding situations, and how individuals react to it can vary significantly based on their personality, coping mechanisms, and personal experiences.
“For some evacuees, there’s going to be no home to return to,” Premier Caroline Cochrane said during a Sept. 8 media conference. “These fires have destroyed homes, businesses, workplaces and other infrastructure.
“The kind of tragedy is only made more difficult by the fact that some still aren’t able to come home to process their loss and … so that they can recover and rebuild.”
We have to pull together and prove just how resilient us Northerners really are. And a bit of education tailored for the moment and socialization afterwards certainly won’t hurt.
The NWT Chamber has pushed back the original date of its 50th Anniversary Conference & Dinner called Blueprint for Building a Stronger NWT one month to Oct. 27 at the Explorer Hotel. All the contracts are re-signed and we thanks our speakers and the Explorer Hotel for being so understanding.
Keynote speaker Dr. Lisa Bélanger will explain the most effective ways to manage short-term and long-term stress and provide practical exercises with a low investment of time, but significant gains in mental strength.
“Audiences will walk away with a science-based, personalized habit development plan, incorporating daily routines of small habits that can work for the busiest of schedules,” states the PhD holder in Behavioural Medicine’s biography.
“In this keynote, Dr. Lisa Bélanger draws on psychology, behavioural science, and neuroscience to empower the audience to take control of their behaviours and daily practices to help cultivate the best conditions to think clearly, make better decisions, be more productive, build resilience, and have more energy.”
Bélanger will explain the most effective ways to manage short-term and long-term stress and provide practical exercises with a low investment of time, but significant gains in mental strength.
Bélanger is a researcher at the University of Calgary and an instructor at the University of Alberta Executive Education. The 50th Anniversary Conference & Dinner’s speaker agenda also features:
• AI Machine Learning: Unleashing The Power of Intelligent Automation. Sarah Baldeo delves into the fascinating world of AI and ML, providing attendees with comprehensive insights into these revolutionary technologies and their implications.
• Indigenous Ownership: Inside the Powerful New Partnerships Reshaping Canada’s Major Project Landscape. Matthew Belliveau, senior research associate, will speak on the Conference Board of Canada’s Indigenous Ownership research series, which explores the challenges Indigenous communities face acquiring equity in major projects, and the implications that rising ownership levels could have for Indigenous self-determination.
• The Power of Indigenous Tourism: From Liidlii Kue and now an Indigenous tourism leader and youth advocate in B.C.’s Thompson Okanagan region, Greg Hopf will share his insights on how to successfully develop Indigenous tourism.
This is a key fundraiser for the NWT Chamber and tickets are available online at: nwtchamber.com. The Chamber has contracted Deneen Belliveau, formerly of the Yellowknife Chamber Commerce and now running Something Wild Strategy, to produce the event.
Consider it more than another business conference. It’s a great time to re-connect and recharge.