Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 19/00) - Rumblings about the timing of an Edmonton conference about the North has led organizers to change the event dates, says the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce executive director.

Meet the North, Share a Vision will now be held in the first part of 2001 -- not November 2000, said Ellie Sasseville.

The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Edmonton and Edmonton Mayor Bill Smith had planned to hold the conference in November, which coincided with the Christmas shopping season.

"We weren't happy," Sasseville said.

"It was during our busiest time. We're trying to promote the Buy North campaign. I don't think it would do our retailers any good.

"Because of the timing, during the Christmas shopping season, we saw it as something that could have had a huge effect on our retailers." In an effort to get organizers to move the dates, the chamber enlisted support from the City of Yellowknife's economic development department and the NWT Chamber of Mines.

Meet the North, Share a Vision is the follow-up to the Meet the North, Build a Vision conference held in Edmonton in late November 1998.

In 1998, about 300 Northerners -- many of whom were from Yellowknife -- attended the conference which was held at the Shaw Conference Centre.

The event included entertainment from the NWT and Nunavut as well as an exposition of Northern goods and services.

Sasseville added the chamber and the City of Yellowknife would like to see this event rotated between Yk and Edmonton. Meeting the North should mean coming North, she said.

But for the 2001 edition, Ykers were primarily interested in getting the dates moved to anywhere but during Christmas shopping season.

"We don't know what we would have done (had Edmonton gone ahead and kept the November dates) but we certainly would have made an issue of it."

In a letter distributed Monday, Jim Andrais, project manager with the office of the mayor in Edmonton, said organizers decided the conference will be held March 19-21.

Andrais said he received several calls and letters from Northern individuals and organizations recommending more convenient dates.

He added organizers agree "wholeheartedly" with the suggestions they received and subsequently rescheduled.

Conference organizers plan to send out registration information this September.