YELLOWKNIFE (May 24, 2017) - Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Wally Schumann issued the following statement regarding Government of the Northwest Territories support for tourism in Yellowknife today:

“A temporary location for visitor-information services in Yellowknife will be established at the Prince Of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.  A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Department of Education Culture and Employment (ECE) and the Northern Frontier Visitors Association (NFVA).

YELLOWKNIFE (May 8, 2017) – The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) is increasing the amount of funding that it provides to NWT entrepreneurs and small businesses under its signature Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) Programs.

The increased funding amounts come following an internal review of the SEED policy and in response to rising costs and feedback received from NWT Business owners.

Enhancements have been made to the Entrepreneur Support, Micro Business, and Business Intelligence and Networking streams.

YELLOWKNIFE (April 7, 2017) – The new Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) will make it easier for Northwest Territories (NWT) residents to do business across Canada while making allowances for the unique economic circumstances that exist in Canada’s North.

The new Agreement focuses on reducing barriers to trade, investment and employee mobility to promote economic growth within Canada. The CFTA will replace the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) on July 1, 2017.

YELLOWKNIFE (April 3, 2017) — This year’s biggest fur auction yielded strong results for Northwest Territories trappers as they will receive their largest payout in two years.

The annual Saga, American Legend and Fur Harvesters fur auction in Helsinki, Finland drew nearly half-a-million in sales for NWT wild furs sold under the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT)-managed Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur (GMVF) brand — nearly doubling the total from 2016’s auction.

YELLOWKNIFE (March 28, 2017) – A study will be released this week that reports new Kimberlite Indicator Mineral (KIM) Chemistry in the Central Slave Geological Province that has potential to benefit future exploration in the region to find the next diamond deposits.

This study is planned for release by the Northwest Territories Geological Survey (NTGS) on March 30, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. (MDT).

Delivered on March 15, 2017

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me here today to speak about oil and gas in the Northwest Territories.

It is my pleasure to be here this week – and to be joined by a number of representatives from both the NWT’s territorial and Aboriginal governments.  It was good to see many of you at last night’s Northern Oil and Gas open house, and to share in a number of the conversations that were held.  I encourage you to seek us out. You will discover that we share a great deal of common ground.

Delivered March 10, 2017

Mr. Speaker, our territory is a region of massive petroleum potential, and we have committed in our mandate to delivering a long-term strategy to capitalize on these reserves, and to bring oil and gas investment back to the NWT.

The need for this work was first identified during public engagements informing the development of the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy.  

Delivered on March 10, 2017

Mr. Speaker, the secret is out; or, to be more precise 150 secrets are coming out.  

They are the foundation of a Canada-wide promotion highlighting the many reasons our territory is a spectacular place to live and visit.  

From coast to coast, Canadians are learning about things like the Rabbit Kettle Tufa Mounds in Nahanni National Park, the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway, the Canol Trail, Ice Road Truckers and Fort Smith’s annual Paddlefest.

Delivered on March 9, 2017

Mr. Speaker, mining is the NWT’s biggest industry and the engine of our economy. For decades it has created opportunities for NWT businesses, provided Northerners with good, quality jobs, and contributed significantly to government revenues. 

Delivered on March 9, 2017

The Government of the Northwest Territories made a commitment in its mandate to increase exports by promoting NWT products to international markets. I rise, today, to update my colleagues on recent activities supporting this commitment.

I am pleased to inform Members that following a long and concentrated lobby by our government and its partners, the Inuvialuit have been formally recognized under the Indigenous exception to the European Union’s seal products prohibition.