Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Nov 19/99) - Inuvik Mayor George Roach turned into a goodwill ambassador on his recent trip to Russia.

Roach made the trip to the Komi Republic and Moscow in his capacity as president of the NWT Association of Municipalities.

"The first step involved is getting to know one another better and exchanging ideas," he said, "and the next step will probably be a visit for people over there to come over to Ottawa and hope they'll also turn up in the North. Certainly we put out the invitation."

Roach spent much of his two-week trip in Komi, a huge republic northeast of Moscow, and in its capital Syktyvkar. He described the region as similar in geography and climate to here, but said he was impressed with the scope of development.

"The Russians have 12 cities with populations of over 200,000 North of 60," he said. "Like Inuvik, Syktyvkar is on a river system, but they seem to use their rivers a lot more than we do for transportation."

The mayor said the trip was organized and sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The delegation included Dawson Mayor Glen Everett and Yvette Gonzales, CEO with the NWT Association of Municipalities and an expert on Nunavut.

Roach said the trio spent time meeting with local and regional officials in Komi before heading off to Moscow and meeting up with Canadian Ambassador Rod Irwin, who provided moral support for their mission.

"We were sowing seeds more than anything else," said Roach.

"We discussed how municipalities work here and how we're working with (Municipal and Community Affairs) on making proposals to the new government to gain more financial and legal powers. We already have more responsibilities but not the authority."

Roach said he discovered that despite being economically depressed, Komi was in many ways more advanced than Inuvik.

"I was impressed with the education of the workforce and the dedication of the kids in the schools," he said. "They appeared motivated, particularly through the method of channelling them into specialized areas that interested them. Our education minister could use a trip over there to take a look."

Roach said his most interesting conversation was with Valery Makarov, deputy chairman of the Komi State Council; discussing Northern development and relations with the local Komi indigenous people. He added that while Syktyvkar Mayor Eugene Borisov was a gracious host, they kept the idea of twinning their towns on an informal level.

"Syktyvkar and Inuvik are just too unbalanced in size," he said, "and they're already twinned with Los Altos, California."

Roach stressed that while the trip was tightly run and the delegation never met up with any of the local political opposition, it remains a constructive experience. He said it also involved a little exercise.

"They're a poor but proud people -- and they don't waste a lot of money or have $50,000 to spend on a pickup truck -- and they just walked everywhere," he said. "I did more walking in Syktyvkar than I have in 10 years."