Chamber releases election wish list
Organization calls on potential MLAs to focus on economic issues
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, November 9, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The NWT Chamber of Commerce has come out with a wish list for prospective MLAs.
The document was released last week, ahead of the Nov. 23 territorial election. First on the list is a call to address the cost of electricity in the North. The chamber recommends using a new generator technology which essentially provides a battery bank with back-up power. The chamber believes this investment could reduce diesel consumption by 20 to 30 per cent, reduce maintenance and virtually eliminate blackouts.
Mike Bradshaw, executive director of the chamber said incoming leaders need to think of creative solutions to energy problems.
"But we have to start thinking outside the box. We can't afford to replace it so let's figure out how to make it work better," Bradshaw said.
The chamber's second priority is to improve government procurement practices so NWT companies are given a better chance of landing territorial government contracts. It also wants the procurement process streamlined so there is less paperwork for both the government and contractors.
The third priority deals with the 17th assembly's population growth strategy. The chamber points out the 2.1 per cent population growth in the NWT between 2006 and 2015 is largely due to the fact that the NWT has one of the highest birthrates in Canada. In reality, the chamber stated more than 4,200 people, or about 10 per cent of the population, left the territory over that ten-year period. It is calling on government to provide recent graduates with a $25,000 forgivable loan to be applied against student loans.
The chamber is also in favour of making conditional job offers at college and university job fairs, which it says would be proactive and eliminate advertising and recruitment costs.
The fourth priority is to increase the Northern Residents Income Tax Deduction. The chamber recommends the territorial government immediately undertake a concerted, focused initiative to convince the Liberal government to increase the Northern deduction not just once, but annually.
The fifth and final priority is for the GNWT to go after the federal government for critical infrastructure development. The chamber states projects like the Inuvik to Tuk Highway and the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line need to be pushed to the finish line, while projects like the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Whati all-weather road and the Ingraham Trail extension all need to get off the drawing board. The chamber wants the GNWT to tap into the Liberal government's commitment to double federal infrastructure spending over the next decade to $125 billion.
Bradshaw explained he believes the chamber wish list has a little more structure than what other interest groups are doing during the campaign.
"We've been meeting with senior members of cabinet and government over the past two years and presenting evidence surrounding business impediments. They range from the high cost of operating including energy costs right through the government procurement processes," Bradshaw said. "We put a document together that doesn't just demand answers, it provides context and recommendations to move things forward."
