Check Against Delivery

Thank you all for joining us today.  And, thank you for your interest in the Northwest Territories.

I will begin by recognizing that we stand on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

It’s a pleasure for me to be back at the Mineral Exploration Round Up – and to be joined by my cabinet colleagues. We have taken the extraordinary steps of attending Roundup this year to confirm our commitment to the mining industry. 

YELLOWKNIFE (January 19, 2017) –Continuing with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) commitment to diversifying the economy, a new funding program is now in place to help increase tourism in small communities. 

YELLOWKNIFE (January 11, 2017) – The Government of the Northwest Territories commitment to improving tourism across the territory continues to show success as the number of campers visiting Northwest Territories (NWT) Parks rose again in 2016 to its highest total since 2003.

During the 2016 camping season, there were 29,158 overnight visitors to NWT Parks – representing a 2.73% increase from the previous year. 

YELLOWKNIFE (DECEMBER 12) — A dynamic new entrant into the secondary diamond sector is poised to grow diamond manufacturing in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has approved Almod Diamonds Limited (Almod) as an Approved NWT Diamond Manufacturer.

Delivered on November 23, 2016

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am very pleased to be here this afternoon to provide the Committee with some perspectives from the Government of the Northwest Territories on areas where we believe the Northwest Territories can make significant contributions to the overall national objectives related to green energy, support for economic growth and development, and the knowledge based economy.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 10, 2016) —  Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Wally Schumann issued the following statement today:

“The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has terminated its Monitoring, Certification and Trademark Licensing Agreements with Deepak International Ltd (DIL). DIL is no longer an Approved Northwest Territories Diamond Manufacturer and no longer licensed to use Polar Bear Diamond ® or other GNWT trademarks.

Check against delivery

Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you for having me here to deliver the keynote address. I would like to congratulate you on the election of a new Board of Directors who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday. 

With a combination of new and returning board members, you have identified a strong mix of experience and enthusiasm.  The oversight and guidance this board will provide will be a key component to the continued growth of our tourism industry over the next year.  

Mr. Speaker, the tourism industry offers enormous potential to create economic growth and diversification in our regions and communities.  

In fact, while other sectors around the world are experiencing challenges, the Northwest Territories tourism sector continues to grow.

Between 2010-2011 and 2015-2016, the number of visitors to our territory has increased from 65,000 to 93,000. Visitor spending in this timeframe has also increased from $94.1 million to $167.1 million.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 2, 2016) — The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has introduced the Aboriginal Tourism Champions Program as an incentive to develop and expand authentic cultural tourism products in communities across the Northwest Territories.

The vision of the program is to develop a network of Aboriginal champions that will work to strengthen cultural tourism capacity within communities and motivate organizations to use tourism initiatives as a stimulus for economic development and cultural revitalization.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories’ economy is built on mining and exploration.  Today our mining sector is the largest provider of high paying jobs and the main driver of the territorial economy.

We have committed, in our mandate, to supporting mineral exploration and the NWT mining sector with actions and investments identified in the NWT Mineral Development Strategy. 

Our goal is to realize all the benefits of our mineral resources to support ongoing prosperity for NWT residents and communities.