Federal funding for tourism

NWT - The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency will give Northwest Territories Tourism $170,000 for marketing and promotion campaigns across the country and the world. The association represents the territory's tourism operators and owners. "The ($170,000) of funding announced by Minister Strahl allows Northwest Territories Tourism to capitalize on post Olympic and Northern House opportunities to draw visitors to the North," said Jenni Bruce, chair of Northwest Territories Tourism, via e-mail.

Helicopter firm expands to Peru

NWT - Great Slave Helicopters has signed a one-year agreement to provide support to ongoing oil and gas seismic exploration activity with South American Exploration LLC's Peruvian operations in Peru. GSH, a subsidiary of Discovery Air Inc., will use five helicopters in the northeastern part of the country for at least six months, flying seismic equipment that will help detect possible oil and gas deposits in the ground. This initial project is worth slightly more than $5.1 million.

Nine more housing units

TIKIRARJUAQ/WHALE COVE - Nine affordable housing units will be built in Whale Cove by early next year. Construction will start on four three-bedroom single homes in the community once the material arrives by sealift this summer, while construction of a five-plex is expected to be completed by early 2011. "We are in need of housing," said Shawn Trepanier, senior administrative officer. Some five to 10 jobs will be created, he added.

Corporate challenge

IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - Teams of four people drawn from businesses, departments, agencies and organizations will participate in a series of corporate challenge, part of the Omingmak Frolics. During lunch from May 17 to 21, six teams of four expected to participate will compete in a backward piggy back race, four-on-four hockey, four-men sled, tug-of-war, new this year, will create a parade float, said Sarah Jancke, member of the Frolics planning committee.

Agnico-Eagle reports first quarter results

QAMANITTUAQ/BAKER LAKE - Agnico-Eagles Mines Ltd., owner of the Meadowbank gold mine, reported net income of approximately $21.3 million for the first three months of this year. This is an approximately 59 per cent decrease compared to the same time last year, as the company reported about $52 million net income for the first quarter of 2009. But the company's gross revenue increased in the first quarter of 2010, to about $71.3 million from about $46.7 million for the same period in 2009. The company said that was largely due to a higher gold production in the period compared to the first three months of 2009. The Meadowbank mine, located about 70 kilometres north of Baker Lake, began commercial production last March.

Sealskin line opens

ARVIAT - A new line of sealskin leather products, featuring jackets, purses, mittens, cosmetic bags, wallets, hats, backpacks, credit card holders, laptop covers and shopping tote bags will be rolled out late this summer or early this fall by Kiluk Ltd. Sherlyn Kadjuk, the general manager of the subsidiary of the Nunavut Development Corporation, said customers will be able to purchase the products online and in the Arviat store. She added there was a demand for the line. "Maybe we would have more sales on the sealskin leather," she said.

GNWT responds to regulatory action plan

NWT - NWT Deputy Premier Michael Miltenberger said it's good news the federal government has started acting on Neil McCrank's report on how to streamline the often criticized Northern regulatory regime. Ottawa announced an action plan to improve the system last week. The plan involves legislative changes to make the process more efficient and predictable. It also involves strengthening environmental stewardship, achieved by supporting community-based environmental monitoring. Those changes come almost two years after McCrank, a former chairman of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, recommended ways to streamline the Northern regulatory regime in his report tabled in July 2008. "The federal government has to be committed to not only look at the North, they have to look at what's happening in Ottawa," said Miltenberger. Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Chuck Strahl said legislative changes will respect land claim agreements and aboriginal people will be meaningfully involved in the regulatory process. Miltenberger said "without a doubt" the land claim issue will come up. But the main issue for them, he said, is the continued push for devolution and authority to make decisions in the North. He added he hopes the process will help them get there. "When devolution does take place, and inevitably it will, ... we want to hand over to the territories a functioning decision-making process," said Strahl. "In a sense, what you would end up with, is obligating the territory to fix a broken system or a less-than perfect system, that the federal government gave them and then say, now you fix it. We think that we do have to work with Northerners to fix it." He added the discussions with the territorial government on the subject are going "fairly well."