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Business Briefs Guy Quenneville Monday, November 24, 2008 Previous columns 
New name, same place J&D Catworks in Rankin Inlet was bought out by Brian Sigurdson this past summer and renamed Huka Services, according to Mike Frost, an employee with Huka. The garage, which repairs snowmobiles and trucks, has been busy since its opening, said Frost. It has one journeyman mechanic and two assistants. "There's lots of people coming in and out all of the time," said Frost. Catering to construction A bevy of construction projects in Gjoa Haven is keeping the Gjoa Haven Bed and Breakfast very busy, according to owner Charlie Cahill. The renovation and addition of a new gym to Quqshuun school by Carillion Canada, a Toronto-based construction company, has kept the bed and breakfast fully booked since work on the renovations began last summer. The construction of a new hospital, by Winnipeg-based NDL Construction, has also meant brisk business. "I'd say 2008 has been the busiest construction year for Gjoa Haven in 10 years," said Cahill. Bed and breakfast switch-up An Iqaluit bed and breakfast is being transformed into two-bedroom suites for people looking for a medium-to-longer stay. Ericka Chemko, daughter of By the Bay bed and breakfast owner Evelyn Chemko, took over the space when her mother quit the business in September. It will be renamed Raven Accommodations and be rented out to its occupants on a week-to-week basis. "It should be open Jan. 7," said Chemko. Exploring options North Slave region Avalon Ventures is about to embark on a first for the mining industry: it's going to offer, in collaboration with the Mine Training Society, the first course devoted to exploratory drilling. The effort is meant to help the industry but also beef up Avalon's exploration crew at its Thor Lake property in the North Slave region, host to rare earth minerals. "We're looking for a course instructor now," said Bill Mercer, vice president of exploration for Avalon. "We hope to have the course running in January." Mining spending down The amount of money spent by mining companies in the NWT on deposit appraisals and exploration has diminished considerably this year, according to statistics from Natural Resources Canada. While the current statistics for 2008 only go up to the end of September, the discrepancy so far between spending in 2008 and total spending in 2007 is great enough to cause concern, considering companies are most active during the summer. Up to the end of September, a total of $129 million was spent in the NWT, compared to 2007's total cull of $194 million. Spending in Nunavut so far this year - which stood at $317 million by the end of September - has dwarfed that of the NWT. New awards The Akaitcho Business Development Corporation will add a slew of new awards to its normal roster during its annual business awards ceremony next month. In addition to the Environmental, Aboriginal, Youth, Service Excellence and Business of the Year awards, the corporation will honour 14 companies in Ndilo, Dettah and Yellowknife that have received aid from the corporation and that have surpassed the five-year mark. "Only 20 per cent of Canadian businesses make it past five years, according to Statistics Canada," said Raymond St. Arnaud, general manager of the corporation.
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