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Promoting Inuvik
'Adventure of a lifetime' - Desjardins

Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 27/00) - Working here for the past year has been the adventure of a lifetime.

So says Brian Desjardins, who became the first tourism/fund-raising co-ordinator for the Town of Inuvik in November 1999.

"The major personal reward for me was to come to the North, just to come north of the Arctic Circle, to experience Northern Canada," Desjardins explained.

"To be able to come to Inuvik, end of the road, end of the Dempster, north of the Arctic Circle, (is) the adventure of a lifetime for me."

Desjardins, originally from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, said that his position was created following a strategic workshop held in October 1999. He said many concerns brought up at the meeting included the need to promote tourism and the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, as well as a need to focus on fund-raising.

"I was given a brief job description," Desjardins said, confessing that in many ways, "I'm creating the position."

Desjardins spends a lot of time doing public relations activities, such as dealing with inquiries from people interested in visiting or setting up residence in town.

"It's very important that tourism operations or businesses specifically in the tourism industry, utilize me and know I'm here, because I'm ultimately here to promote them," Desjardins said.

"Community beautification, that is another big project that I'm very involved with."

Desjardins explained the community beautification committee has been dealing with various projects in an effort to both clean up and promote the town, thus making the area more attractive to tourists.

He has also been making the town's Web site more attractive.

"I'm a novice Web site designer, and one of the biggest rewards of getting up here too is being able to edit and create Web site," he said.

"One of my biggest personal rewards, it's related to my work up here, definitely, was driving the Dempster Highway. I thought it was very important for me to experience."

All in all, Desjardins said, "it's a fantastic job. Town council up here has been very receptive to my ideas."

He said, "It's been very challenging, and that's what I came up here for."