Conference brings North to South
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 13/01) - It may be an odd venue, but to hear those who attended the second Meet the North Conference it was well worth the travel.
"I think it was very informational," said Rocky Norwegian of the Tulita District Land Corporation.
"It was the first conference I've been to," said Norwegian. "There were a lot of people there I wanted to meet, all in one place."
Organizers estimate the conference included 600 participants and more than 400 delegates.
For the NWT, the highlight of the conference was a gala hosted by the NWT Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development last Tuesday night.
The brainchild of Edmonton Mayor Bill Smith, Meet the North is aimed at giving Northern businesses and governments exposure to prospective southern, particularly Albertan, business contacts.
"It's their show in a lot of ways," said NWT Economic Development Minister Joe Handley, adding it was also an opportunity for Northerners to meet other Northerners.
Handley said the conference compares to the Yellowknife-hosted Prospects North conference, but is larger and has less of a business focus.
The territorial government spent about $50,000 to attend the conference. All but one cabinet minister, five MLAs and about 20 staffers took part. Some of the MLAs took in the conference on the way to or from other meetings elsewhere.
The $50,000 was a drop in the bucket compared to the economic benefits the city of Edmonton reaped from the event. Economic Development Edmonton spokesperson Jason Darrah said no estimates were available of the economic impact of the conference on the city, but added, "Any big meeting of this sort is going to have a big economic impact for any community it's held in."
Handley said some day people might be invited North to meet the North.
"I think Prospects North will become more and more Meet the North, just in Yellowknife," said Handley. Right now, the minister said, the NWT capital does not have the hotel space to accommodate such an event.
