Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 05/00) - Northerners must take their place at the decision-making table when it comes to the nation's standards initiative, says the president of the NWT Manufacturers' Association.

"We see this new national strategy as a key policy initiative that has the potential to boost our Northern manufacturing industry," Karen Marshal said.

"Many times, our association has pointed out that market development is one of the central problems we face as Northern manufacturers. A carefully-planned, national strategy for dealing with domestic and international standards will help us access new markets, here in Canada and abroad," she said.

"We know our marketing potential is significant. We have manufacturers in the NWT that are right now using leading-edge technologies to make state-of-the-art products."

Marshall made the comments at the launch of the Canadian standards strategy. The strategy was announced simultaneously by satellite link at eight sites across Canada. In Yellowknife, dozens of people watched the presentation at the legislative assembly building.

The association wants to team up with the GNWT and the Standards Council of Canada to participate in the next stages of the strategy, Marshall adds.

The association's executive director agrees.

"We're intent on creating partnerships between industry and government to find a niche in this new strategy," said Bob Doherty.

"We're confident we can find a place in the strategy that benefits the North," he said.

Doherty believes if standards are raised then Northern-manufactured goods become more competitive because they have to handle a harsher Northern environment.

Northern goods cost more to produce, often making them uncompetitive with similar goods manufactured in southern Canada. But he adds, raise the bar and the North benefits.

So when decisions are made about what the standards are, the North must have input. Without that, southern interests might prevail and standards may reflect the wishes of the south, he explained.

"Standards are a significant marketing tool for our emerging Northern manufacturing sector," Premier Stephen Kakfwi said.

Rick Wilson, who gave a presentation as part of the day's events, says the role played by laboratories in the world of standards could be a business opportunity in for Yellowknife. Wilson is executive director and secretary of the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories.

"There are labs that are interested in opening offices in Yellowknife ... (they need to) identify the market and decide if there is the critical mass," he said.

"Canadian labs have followed the mining industry to other countries," he said. It seems "natural" that these labs would be interested in setting up shop in Yellowknife, he said.

Mining companies require lab work for environmental assessment and for work with contaminated sites in the NWT he said. Wilson suggest this could be a niche market waiting to be developed.

He said he could find only one Standards Council of Canada-accredited lab (Taiga Environmental Laboratory) in the NWT.