INUVIK
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment's new REDI initiative, which stands for Resources and Energy Development Information, took up almost half of the show floor at the Arctic Energy and Emerging Technologies tradeshow room last week.

Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment representatives Mike Byrne, left, single window pathfinder and Angela Norris, ITI manager, launched the REDI program at the Arctic Energy and Emerging Technologies conference and tradeshow last week. The program is an information campaign to educate people about energy options in the territory. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"The Government of the Northwest Territories has heard from the people of the Northwest Territories that they want more information in order to be able to meaningfully participate in the discussion with regards to resource exploration, development and energy exploration and pursuit of research on energy in the North," said Mike Byrne, single window pathfinder with the department.

"What we've done is we've organized this venue, which has allowed us to bring to this particular conference and hopefully to other communities in the future, all of the subject matter experts who will have some role to play in the resource exploration and development process in the North. A big chunk of our economy is based on resources and non-renewable resources and we hope in the future renewable resources."

Several booths were set up in the tradeshow, including ones from the Gwich'in Land and Water Board.

The idea is that the campaign is a less formal way for people to engage in these discussions than during a presentation or speech. The REDI crew hopes to bring the experts into more communities in the territory.

"It's not a one-off thing," said Angela Morris, manager with ITI. "The intention is to take this into each of the communities in the NWT and then continuously share information."

Besides regular salaries for staff developing the program, the GNWT has spent about $25,000 on REDI, said communications manager Drew Williams.

With the GNWT refreshing legislation for resources post-devolution, Byrne said the goal is to help citizens be able to give their input on any changes from an informed perspective.

"In order for people to be able to give us meaningful feedback, we need to make sure that they've got information they can act on and they become a little bit more aware or a lot more aware," he said.

It's also important people realize the extensive set of rules and regulations that govern any resource activities in the territory, he added.

Morris said smaller communities will get a version of the REDI program shown at the tradeshow in Inuvik.

"We're responding to the public in public outreach just for sharing information," she said. "We're not trying to sway anybody."

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