Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 07/02) - Entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the North. Chambers of commerce from Iqaluit to Inuvik and south to Hay River have been busy planning strategies for the new year.

NWT Chamber executive director Maria Matthews says road tolls and improvement are still on the chamber's plate as well as a plan to work with other committees to study a $27-million airport expansion.- Thorunn Howatt/NNSL photo

The Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce is focusing efforts on this year's annual Nunavut Trade Show. The show has been moved to a later than usual spring date of May 2, 3 and 4 to avoid conflict with the Arctic Winter Games. Usually the symposium is scheduled in March. The venue is Iqaluit's newest meeting facility, the AWG Arena.

The Baffin chamber deals with issues throughout the Baffin region. The board is without a president but, "The trade show will be our big event of the year and so the plans are rolling along for that and it is working fine. We now have a full compliment on our board of directors," said secretary treasurer Bob Long.

One of the issues the Baffin chamber is working on is the Nunavut government's business incentive plan. "There have been some concerns raised as to the current policy that the government has developed and also the appeal process. We are very interested in having input into any revisions that may take place in that," said Long.

The chamber has also put in its two cents toward a strategic planning process headed up by the government of Nunavut's Department of Sustainable Development. "They will be going to a full consultation process in the next few months and we intend to be involved in that," he said, referring to Nunavut economic development strategy.

Qurluqtuq Chamber

Tourism will be the main course for the board in Qurluqtuq.

"We are actually hoping to see two cruise ships come into Qurluqtuq this year," said manager Ruth Palmer.

Although there is nothing confirmed yet, the group is negotiating with Nunavut Tourism.

A Web site is under construction for the chamber that will incorporate all the businesses in the community, promote tourism and support the community.

Last December Palmer and a group of carvers and others led by the chamber toured Ekati diamond mine, northeast of Yellowknife. Another trip is planned in January.

Hay River Chamber

With a force of 80 members, the Hay River Chamber of Commerce is considered on of the strongest in the North.

The organization sponsors a fall trade show every year in September as well as an annual golf tournament. The golfing corporate challenge is the largest tournament in Hay River, supporting 35 teams. The two-day September trade show houses 60 booths and last year 1,500 people per day toured through the displays.

But fun and games isn't the chamber's only function.

"We are putting forward positions on behalf of the private sector business people to the government," said the chamber's past president Duane Morgan.

One of the mandates of the Hay River branch is to influence the government where taxation is concerned -- less is better.

"One of the things that is up and coming is the change in personal income tax," he said, referring the government's task force set up to put out a discussion paper on changes to the structure of personal income taxes in the Northwest Territories.

"The chamber, from the private sector side, is not in support of any new taxes," said Morgan. "We are looking for innovative ways for our government to be a bit more efficient." Last year the chamber influenced issues including hotel tax, tourism tax and road toll tax.

"The chamber of commerce has always supported the entrepreneurial spirit," he said. The Hay River business community has watched a recent move from businesspeople and band members from the nearby Hay River Dene Reserve. That group has opened a oil and gas-related centre and has plans for a grocery store. "We welcome them on board," said Morgan.

Yellowknife Chamber

The Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce is tackling some big issues in the coming year.

This chamber represents 512 of the city's businesses, among the most per capita in Canada.

One of the focuses for the Yellowknife group is a stronger supporting role for home-based businesses. There are approximately 900 home-based businesses in the city.

The spring trade show has been a financial success for many years and after its second year, the fall show looked like it would also grow into an annual event.

Plans are in the works for the national chamber president to visit the city. The Yellowknife group wants to enlist help with lobbying the federal government for increased infrastructure money.

A project the chamber plans to take on is the city's housing shortage. The diamond industry will also be a target for the group with a new focus on cutting, polishing and appraising.

"Cutting and polishing is just a small portion of it. We would also like to see an evaluation centre in Yellowknife, which is a great big step," said chamber president David McPherson.

Also on the agenda for the Yellowknife group is a challenge to create a higher profile. McPherson hopes government will consult with the organization before embarking on new initiatives.

NWT Chamber

One of the main drives for the western territorial chamber is to further include chambers from communities outside of the capital.

"There needed to be a lot more unity," said the chamber's executive director, Maria Matthews. "We are committing our chamber to participate more closely in all of the other AGMs. The territorial AGM will be holding its meeting back to back, in Inuvik, with that town's AGM in mid-April.

"We are working closely with the Edmonton and Alberta chambers of commerce on trying to identify and solidify our relationships and the alternate dates for Meet the North," she said. Meet the North is a conference which was last held in Edmonton and is meant to promote Northern businesses to southerners. The next Meet the North could be held in 2003.

The chamber is targeting early spring for its lobbying coalition effort. The group is looking for infrastructure investment money from potential future revenues.

Road tolls and improvement are still on the chamber's plate as well as a plan to work with other committees to study a $27-million airport expansion.

"One of the mandates I had coming in as an executive director was to try and broaden the awareness of the North south of 60," said Matthews. For the upcoming year, the chamber plans to make more announcements about the non-renewable resource potential and get more southerners looking at the North. "Whether it be for investment opportunities or employment opportunity. I think that it's a very important initiative to try and educate everybody south of 60 about what the struggles are, and what the advantages are, and what the resource potential is here in the North.

Inuvik Chamber

After dissolving about five years ago the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce has re-emerged with big plans.

"Come Feb. 1 we will be in our second year," said chamber spokesperson Derek Lindsay. "A bunch of us got together and revitalized it."

With the dominating gas industry, the group plans on being a strong participant in the annual oil and gas show.

The chamber's own AGM was moved from February to April so it can accommodate the territorial AGM.

There are about 50 members in Inuvik.

One of the group's mandates is to protect businesses that have been in the town for a long time. The town is experiencing a boom as a result of gas exploration and Mackenzie Valley pipeline talk.

"There are so many new businesses starting up here," he said. The chamber wants to support local businesses and discourage newcomers from taking their business south, he said.

The Inuvik chamber is making a bid for the next Prospects North, a conference that showcases Northern businesses.

"We feel we have the base to host it here," Lindsay said. The midnight sun recreational conference could act as a convention centre and the Arctic Star barge camp as accommodation, he said.