Hay River (Sep 25/06) - Transportation and logistics will be a major component for future Northern development whether its moving materials by train, plane, barge, truck or pipeline.

That was the main theme in Hay River at the inaugural Start Your Engines Transportation/Logistics Conference for oil and gas development and Northern industry.

Diggerz Power Sport owner Doug Bryshun, left, and Hay River resident Romek Sulatycki take a look at an Arctic Prowler with its special tread design. Bryshun said the display was one of 60 at last week's conference in Hay River. - David Ryan/NNSL photo

With 60 booths and 175 delegates, the three-day event attracted both industry and government officials, said Tracy Therrien, conference co-ordinator.

Companies need to be ready for the potential pipeline project and a setting like this conference will help them to get ahead, she said.

"Nothing can go forward without transportation," she said.

The Northern Transportation Company Ltd. (NTCL) is one of those companies that has a major role in the transportation of materials in the North, said president David Foster.

The company, which has 100 barges and 13 tugs, is positioning itself for a changing North, he said.

"There are new directions for shipping in Canada's North."

NTCL stays abreast of new and emerging industries in the North, he said, adding developing new barge configurations focused on marketplace needs will continue to push the company in new directions.

Moving materials and people in the territories is unlike anywhere else in Canada, said NWT Premier Joe Handley.

A transportation system is about moving goods from one point to another, and a full transportation system needs to be put in place to be effective, he said.

"It's time to look at a highway system all the way up (to Tuktoyaktuk)," he said.

Federal funding for more transportation-related projects needs to happen and Handley hopes to hear positive news in the 2007 or 2008 federal budget.

While funding for an expanded road network could take some time, Doug Bryshun and his company - Diggerz Power Sport - were trying to make as many contacts as possible during the conference.

He had two Arctic Prowler vehicles, one with modified mat tracks - which allow the off-road vehicle to traverse the tundra without hurting the fragile ecosystem - on display at the conference.

"I'm just trying to get my product and company name out there," he said.

With Hay River being a transportation hub of NWT, it made sense to hold the conference here, he said.

The Start Your Engines conference will be held on a biennial basis, said Hay River deputy mayor Mike Maher.

Hotels were all booked up and it was a big boost for the community, he said.

"There were a lot of people happy with the networking going on."