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Rankin Inlet Mayor John Hickes, far right, sees off Manitoba trade delegates after their visit to three Kivalliq communities this month. The delegates included, front row from left, Erica Vido of Manitoba Transportation, Kyle Harris of Harris Transport Ltd., Sunny Munroe of NTCL, John Stockwell of Umingmak Supply, Churchill Mayor Mike Spence and Mark Cool of Braden-Burry Expediting, and back row from left, assistant to the minister of Northern Affairs David Chadwick, special assistant to the minister of Trade Greg Merner, Walter Toews of Hanover Doors, Deputy Minister of Northern Affairs Harvey Bostrom, Dennis Engel of Gardewine North, Trade Minister Andrew Swan and Darryl Balasko of the Churchill Gateway Development Corp. Missing from photo is Grant Cool of Kivalliq Marine. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

KIVALLIQ - A group of Manitoba trade delegates made stops in three Kivalliq communities earlier this month.

The delegates visited Arviat, Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet to encourage more trade, training opportunities and general business development between the Kivalliq and Manitoba.

Rankin Mayor John Hickes said the delegates' visit closely paralleled the topics of interest discussed at Manitoba Round-Table gatherings.

He said Manitoba is still working to better understand the growth and development of Nunavut, and how that impacts the province as a long-term supplier of many products needed in the territory.

"Manitoba Trade Minister Andrew Swan came as part of this delegation to have a first hand look-see at the Kivalliq," said Hickes.

"He probably heard enough about the Kivalliq-to-Manitoba road and the requirements for the railway to haul heavy commodities from the south to Churchill for dispersement to the North, for him to decide it was time to talk to the people here.

"The minister now has a bit of hands-on experience when asked questions in the House, or when he wants to relay to the Manitoba government that good things are happening in Kivalliq and across Nunavut.

"From Manitoba's perspective, it's the probable gateway to Nunavut and there's good growth potential for its businesses in the Kivalliq."

Hickes said there were no surprises or big announcements during the trip.

He said the delegation's visit continued the communication process started years ago between the two areas.

"The country is opening up in terms of transportation modes and corridors.

"You couple that with the demand of mining companies and communities such as Baker Lake, and Manitoba is looking at the flow of commodities coming in from Quebec and realizing that represents a loss of a lot of dollars to the province.

"Another part to all this is continuing to establish links with operators such as the M&T's of the region, or the fuel companies in Baker Lake.

"There are options now and Manitoba realizes it has to be competitive with those options, especially with Quebec gaining a foothold in Nunavut."