The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), in partnership with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), has launched a funding program that will help the Northwest Territories tourism industry recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

ITI regional offices will start accepting applications for the Growth and Recovery by Investing in Tourism (GRIT) Fund, a $1.5 million, one-time program cost-shared equally by ITI and CanNor.  ITI will deliver the program on behalf of both governments.

Following a revision of the Mining Incentive Program (MIP) to enhance support and emphasis on public safety, the Department of Industry Tourism and Investment (ITI) has selected 20 mineral exploration projects to receive program funding for 2020-21. 

The 20 projects will benefit from the $1 million in total program funding. The successful projects were selected from 28 applications, which marks a continuing interest in NWT mineral exploration despite the significant challenges faced this year by the industry.

As the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment (ITI) continues to adjust its program delivery to reflect the COVID-19 environment, the Tourism Business Mentorships will be delivered virtually this year.

The Tourism Business Mentorship Program provides opportunities and resources for interested NWT tourism operators (Mentees) to learn and benefit from experienced industry professionals (Mentors). 

Changes to two laws governing activities in the oil and gas sector in the Northwest Territories are now in force.

Amendments to the Petroleum Resources Act and Oil and Gas Operations Act, including stronger transparency and accountability provisions, were passed in August 2019 by the 18^th Legislative Assembly after an extensive public consultation process.

With guidelines and communications materials now in place, these best-practice amendments took effect on July 23, 2020.

The Government of the Northwest Territories and the Business Advisory Council have agreed on Terms of Reference to guide the work of the Council moving forward.

The Business Advisory Council’s mandate will be twofold:

The Department of Industry Tourism and Investment and Tu Cho Fishers Cooperative have signed an agreement confirming their commitment to the revitalization of the Great Slave Lake Fishing Industry.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) was signed by Minister of ITI Katrina Nokleby and Cameron Beaverbones of the Tu Cho Fishers Cooperative.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) today released data it has gathered from a March 2020 survey of Tourism operators and a broader survey of NWT businesses in April/May as part of its ongoing work to better understand the effects of COVID-19 on the NWT and how best to respond to them.

The fire ban in effect for the Fred Henne and Yellowknife River Territorial Parks is lifted.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment reminds park users to remain cautious and follow all fire safety procedures.

Please use only approved fire pits; and ensure all fires are extinguished before leaving your campsite.

Information about fire bans and territorial park closures can be found under alerts on Industry, Tourism and Investment’s NWT Parks website.

To ensure the continued safe use of Fred Henne Territorial Park, including ensuring physical distancing measures are followed, the Government of the Northwest Territories, led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will be monitoring the capacity of the beach and public day use areas throughout the summer. 

Additionally, in an attempt to reduce crowding in the day use and beach areas, access to the upper day use parking lot will be restricted and the number of vehicles and boat trailers in the day use area will be limited.  

Due to very dry conditions with no forecasted rain through the weekend and into next week, the City of Yellowknife has implemented a fire ban on open air fires within the City’s municipal boundaries. The ban prohibits open fires, including the use of approved fire pits.

Effective immediately and until further notice, a fire ban is now also in place for:

•              Fred Henne Territorial Park

•              Yellowknife River Territorial Park