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IQALUIT
The hotels rooms are full, the restaurants are busy and traffic is picking up in the stores as Iqaluit is hosting a Nunavut-wide teachers' conference.

Iglulik's Ataguttaaluk High School principal Vince Pickett, left, and Grade 8 teacher Sylvia Gabriel share a laugh as they wait for the start of the pension workshop at the teachers' conference in Iqaluit in Feb. 16. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

From Feb. 13 to 17, some 650 teachers from across Nunavut were in the territorial capital to attend the Piliriqatigiinniq Teachers' Conference.

The Nunavut Teachers' Association is hosting the event and its president, Robin Langill, said the conference is going very well - and Iqaluit's economy is getting a little boost because of it.

"If you get almost 600 people in town and if they spend, say, $50 each, that's a pile of money," he said. "Many people coming in from some of the smaller communities, they're looking for things to take back."

If each of the 600 people spend $50, as Langill mentioned, that equals $30,000.

Some of the participants are staying at the Frobisher Inn where general manager Paul Sherman stated the conference is like any other function or large convention they have.

"Yes, it fills our rooms and it is a large piece of business but we have been booked and ready for this for over a year," he stated via e-mail. "Typically, February is a very busy month for us anyways with conventions. We have not increased staff, although like any other conference they may work longer hours."

Carvings Nunavut sells carvings, jewelry and other souvenirs in downtown Iqaluit.

Purchasing agent Allan Mullin said overall sales are the same but interest has picked up.

"We've had a lot of people come in and looking, which is good," he said. "We're very glad. We're very pleased. We've had some very colourful people in, very friendly. I think what will happen is this will generate sales for us."

Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern said this conference, like any other, has many benefits to retailers and service providers.

"Every conference we have here has economic impact because of the people staying usually are in hotels, going out eating at restaurants, purchasing our arts and crafts," she said.

The conference itself stirred up some excitement among organizers.

Mike Soares, a vice-principal at Peter Pitseolak School in Cape Dorset since 2010, was one of about 12 teachers who are part of the organizing committee. Organizing the schedule and choosing the thank-you gifts for the presenters were some of his main tasks, he said.

"I have a strong interest in organizing these sorts of things for teachers," he said.

The committee decided on the keynote speaker and tried to be as fair as possible for the registration, because teachers are spread across three time zones, said Soares. He added the committee also reviewed all costs and ensured the program was representative of all teachers.

"I looked at helping organize the schedule and also have been involved in thank-you gifts for our presenters," said Soares. "We are using things that are made in Nunavut to give to our presenters. People who come from the south will have a little piece of Nunavut to take south with them when they leave."

Soares, speaking the week before the conference took place, said he was excited to attend the sessions.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to network with other people and get new suggestions," he said. "It's sort of like recharging your batteries and I look forward to feeling energized at the end of the conference."

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