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Tourism takeover

Members do not want government to take back service delivery

Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 30/00) - Nunavut Tourism feels betrayed by the Nunavut Government.

Senior bureaucrats in the Department of Sustainable Development have recommended to Minister Peter Kilabuk that government take back tourism delivery from Nunavut Tourism and set up a five-person advisory board, said Paul Landry, who has been involved with Nunavut Tourism since it was created five years ago.

"The (opinion) paper came out of nowhere. It came as a real surprise," said Landry, who is also co-owner/operator of North Winds, an Iqaluit-based adventure tour company.

"If we were truly a partner, they should have consulted with us," he said.

The board of Nunavut Tourism has since held meetings -- in three Nunavut regional centres -- to get membership reaction and has met with Kilabuk.

Nunavut Tourism also asked Landry to spearhead a committee to handle what the organization sees as a threat.

"The number one issue: the membership does not want government to take back service delivery," said Landry, who will be sending Kilabuk a letter by Nov. 1, outlining the organization's position.

He adds Nunavut Tourism wants to evolve from an association into an authority governed by a legislative act, which means changes would be discussed and voted on at the legislative assembly level.

Buried in red tape

In 1997, Nunavut Tourism, with the GNWT's Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development Department, studied the delivery of tourism services in Nunavut. Landry said the study research pointed toward an authority.

At the 1997 Nunavut Tourism annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut Tourism passed a motion to move toward becoming an authority.

But the board knew the GNWT would not be passing any related-legislation prior to division, adds Landry.

The issue was put on the backburner, but now the membership is saying, "that is still where we want to (to an authority) today. Let's get there."

Landry says if Nunavut Tourism is taken back by government, program delivery could get buried in red tape.

Nunavut Tourism gets $1.1 million in funding from Nunavut Government.

Nunavut Tourism, under current conditions, also receives about $400,000 in additional funding from third parties.

Discounts from airlines, restaurants, and hotels are examples of some of the benefits, he said.

If government was running tourism, they would be paying full-price for services like air travel. Another fear is that government would close up shop at 5 p.m., said Landry.

While outside government, Nunavut can remain "highly responsive and make decisions quickly," he said.

Landry said he did not know why government would want to take back tourism delivery.

He said that maybe the government thinks they can run it better, but government delivered tourism in the past and, "it was terrible."

If members wanted government to deliver tourism, they would have said so at the recent meetings, said Landry.

Pat Best, Kilabuk's executive assistance, said Thursday the minister will respond after he receives the report from Nunavut Tourism.