This weekend, Wally Schumann, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure and Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) officials will make their way to Toronto for the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention. The convention, which will run from March 3-6, is one of the leading international events for the mineral industry.

Building on momentum from AME Roundup, an event that took place in Vancouver in January, the GNWT will continue to work hard to improve the investment climate and support the responsible development of the NWT’s natural resources.

Participation at PDAC will also provide another opportunity for the GNWT to showcase the Northwest Territories, promote the importance of mining and the benefits mining brings to the residents of the Northwest Territories, industry players, and Canada. Efforts will also be made to continue to contribute to our goal of building new relationships, strengthening existing ones and attracting investment and exploration activity.

 Quotes:

“As the Minister responsible for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Department of Infrastructure, it is my responsibility to champion the NWT’s resource potential to investors and resource companies around the world and that’s exactly what we will be doing at PDAC. The mining potential in the NWT is immense and it’s important that we continue to send the message to industry stakeholders that we have a territory that stands united and are ready to work together to see responsible resource development projects come to fruition”
- Wally Schumann, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure

Quick facts:

• The PDAC Convention has attracted more than 25,000 people from 125 countries in recent years
• PDAC’s mission is to promote a globally responsible, vibrant and sustainable minerals industry. PDAC also encourages best practices in technical, operational, environmental, safety and social performance.
• The non-renewable resource sector in the Northwest Territories accounted for 32% of the NWT economy in 2017.
• Diamond mines have provided over 27,000 person years of employment to NWT residents and have purchased over $14 billion in goods and services from NWT businesses since 1996.
• Mining and exploration regularly directly contributes more than 20% of total economic activity annually in the Northwest Territories.

 Relevant links:

• PDAC Website
• Unlocking our potential: Invest NWT Event Description
• GNWT Roundup Video – Video demonstrates the importance of attending these types of events

Media contact:

Krystal Pidborochynski

Senior Cabinet Communications Advisor

Government of the Northwest Territories

Krystal_pidborochynski@gov.nt.ca

Phone: (867) 444 – 9684