Yukon businesses and government officials visit Inuvik
Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Jun 01/01) - Nearly 50 delegates representing Yukon businesses put their best networking feet forward last week in Inuvik.
Business people paid $600 each for air fare and accommodation to attend the Yukon Trade Mission May 23 and 24. They came to schmooze with people involved in the oil and gas industry and seek out spin-off business opportunities here.
"It has always been our position that there will be two pipelines in the North and between our two jurisdictions we can supply jobs for both," explained Scott Kent, a Yukon MLA.
The Yukon government helped organize the event, described by Kent as a "business meet and greet" along with the Yukon and Inuvik chambers of commerce.
"We are hoping there will be a lot of co-operation at the chamber level now," he added. "It's a mutual benefit to work together."
Kent explained that NWT businesses like Matco Ltd. and Dowland Construction are also operating in the Yukon.
Carl LePrairie, vice-president of LePrairie Group Contractors, a company that owns and operates cranes in the Yukon, B.C. and Alberta came to the conference to try and work in more business in the NWT.
"I can't remember if we have been up to Inuvik in the last couple of years," he said. "We are a Yukon-based company, we are involved in the oil and gas business and we just wanted to see what is developing here."
Presentations were made by NWT organizations such as the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, municipality of Inuvik, Gwich'in Tribal Council and Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.
RWED presented a document at the trade mission that said $1 billion has been invested in the NWT toward exploration at this point.
