YELLOWKNIFE (October 23, 2013) – To improve the safety of all boaters and make the boating experience enjoyable for tourists, a train-the-trainer course for Pleasure Craft Operating Certification (PCOC) will be held in Yellowknife from October 28-30 in preparation for the next tourism season.

Participants who successfully complete the course will become Transport Canada certified trainers with the ability to provide PCOC certification training to tourism operators in the NWT.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 21, 2013) - October 20-26 is Small Business Week across Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will help celebrate by hosting events and providing learning opportunities to assist small business owners and encourage future small business start-ups.

The GNWT supports small- and medium-sized businesses through various programs run by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and the NWT Business Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC).

NORMAN WELLS (October 9, 2013) – An NWT delegation has just returned from a tour of the Bakken oil formation in Saskatchewan and North Dakota. The trip stressed the importance of community and resident preparedness, the need to work closely with industry and community leaders to ensure development is done in an environmentally sustainable and safe way, and how other regions have dealt with rapid and profitable resource development.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 1, 2013) – The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has completed a redesign of its organizational structure to incorporate the devolving programs and services, Premier Bob McLeod announced today.  Some departments will be receiving significant new functions and new responsibilities as of April 1, 2014. This is when responsibility for managing land, water and resources transfers from the federal to the territorial government, in accordance with the NWT Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 1, 2013) - Northwest Territories talent will be on the big screen this week at the 7th Annual Yellowknife International Film Festival, which kicks off tonight with an opening reception and film screenings at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.

Running from October 1-6, the Yellowknife International Film Festival is an annual event put on by Western Arctic Moving Pictures. This year’s event is also sponsored by the departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and Education, Culture and Employment (ECE).

(September 19, 2013) - Good morning. I appreciate having the opportunity to speak today as part of the Alaska Oil and Gas Congress about how the Northwest Territories is working to find innovative solutions to getting our resources to market. This is a topic that is of great interest to us in the NWT, as it’s never been a question of having the resources, but how to get those resources from the ground to the marketplace.

WHITEHORSE (September 17, 2013) – Improving visitor access, marketing and tourism attraction development were central themes discussed at the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers’ Meeting last week.

Federal, provincial and territorial tourism ministers met in in Whitehorse from September 11-13 to discuss the impact that international growth markets are having on Canada's tourism sector and share perspectives on strategies for capitalizing on opportunities in global tourism.

(September 10, 2013) - (check against delivery)

Thank you for that introduction, and for the invitation to join you here today.

Chiefs, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by saying what a pleasure it is to have this opportunity to promote the economic potential of the NWT.  It is something I get to do a lot of – and it is one of my favourite things to do.

Yellowknife embodies, in my mind, some of the greatest attributes of living, working and investing in Canada’s Northwest Territories. 

YELLOWKNIFE (September 4, 2013) -- Nearly $10,000 was raised for the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation through a charity auction as part of the 2013 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference held last week in Yellowknife. 

YELLOWKNIFE (August 27, 2013) — Canada's energy and mines ministers today agreed to continue critical work to enhance Canada's position as a global energy and mining leader. The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable David Ramsay, Northwest Territories’ Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.