(November 7, 2013) - Mr. Speaker, tourism is a vital industry here in the Northwest Territories.  Of all sectors, tourism presents the greatest likelihood of creating economic opportunities in each Region, especially in the smaller communities.  This is especially true of our Aboriginal tourism sector.  Through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, the Government of the Northwest Territories has been working with the Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council to advance and develop Aboriginal tourism in the NWT.

HAY RIVER (November 1, 2013) – Local fishers are breathing new life back into the industry, with nearly one million pounds of fish harvested from Great Slave Lake this season - an increase of 25% over last year.

(October 29, 2013) - Mr. Speaker, shortly after taking office – as we considered the economic opportunities, realities and challenges that lay ahead for our Territory – the 17^th Assembly highlighted the need for a comprehensive strategy to guide our economy though this time of unprecedented political and economic change.  Today I am pleased to inform Members that the Governance Committee has completed an Economic Opportunities Strategy for the NWT, which I will be tabling later today.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 29, 2013) – A new Northwest Territories (NWT) Economic Opportunities Strategy sets out a plan to connect NWT businesses and communities with economic opportunities by fostering a climate for growth, building on success in key sectors, investing in regional diversification and promoting opportunity readiness for people and businesses.

YELLOWKNIFE (October 24, 2013) – Recommendations to make Fred Henne Territorial Park beach safer have been released by the Lifesaving Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.  The Lifesaving Society performed a comprehensive aquatic safety audit on the unsupervised waterfront beach and unsupervised boat launch facilities at Fred Henne Territorial Park in July.

(October 23, 2013) - Mr. Speaker, responsible oil and gas development has the potential to grow and diversify the Northwest Territories economy, and help create a sustainable, prosperous territory. Nowhere has this reality been more apparent than in the Sahtu Region. There is a lot to learn when it comes to ensuring our residents are prepared for rapid development, and that any development continues to minimize environmental and social impacts.

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.