IQALUIT - The announcement of a new office for the chamber of mines and more new exhibitors attending the trade show were some of the highlights of the 14th annual Nunavut Mining Symposium in Iqaluit last week.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada employees Steven Schmidt, left, and Derrick Moggy talk to Amanda Hanson from the Nunavut Impact Review Board. Georgina Williston, also from DFO, joined in the conversation at the 14th annual Nunavut Mining Symposium in Iqaluit. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The three-day symposium went "very well," as attendance was up, close to 450 delegates took part and there were more new exhibitors at the trade show this year, said Keith Morrison, a member of the symposium's steering committee. He attributes this to the "growing interest" in the territory.

"There's a lot of optimism about the potential for the territory since we have proven we have one mine working," he said.

The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines will open an Iqaluit office on April 28, it announced.

The chamber recognizes Nunavut is its own territory with its own set of legislations and regulations, said Pamela Strand, the chamber's vice-president for Nunavut.

"The membership, who are very active in Nunavut right now, have been encouraging us to open an office here with the increased activity in exploration and mining. We need a dedicated office to handle everything that we're working on in Nunavut," she said.

Iqaluit was chosen because they can get access to the regulators and politicians, said Strand, as lobbying and promoting the industry is going to be a priority.

Elizabeth Kingston will act as general manager in the chamber's Iqaluit office, it was announced. She said the chamber's sole office in Yellowknife previously handled all the industry requirements for both territories.

"There was some encouragement to open an office here that would represent the interest of Nunavut mining," she said.

Three companies -- Venture Healthcare, Hemmera and Fire Prevention Services Ltd. -- were first-time exhibitors at the one-day trade show during the symposium.

Venture Healthcare, a Winnipeg-based private placement agency specializing in health care professionals, has worked with the territorial government for more than nine years, said executive vice-president Koren Kines. She added the company wants to collaborate with mining companies and build on their employee assistance programs. This would mean, for instance, having more than a nurse or paramedic on site, said Kines.

"You would have an occupational health nurse, perhaps a nurse practitioner. You would have mental health counselling. You would have nutrition education," she said. "It's a completely different way of looking at supporting employees, whether they're flying in and flying out in a mining camp or they're right there in the local community."

Kines said they received a lot of interest and good feedback. If they land contracts fairly quickly, she added they will consider it a success.

The Vancouver-based environmental consulting firm Hemmera exhibited at the trade show as some of their clients want the company's services in the North, said Scott Weston,

"They asked us to go up North and help them manage the environment for their projects," he said.

Robert Doherty of Fire Prevention Services Ltd., a Yellowknife-based company providing fire suppression, detection, sprinklers and alarms, said his company would like to double its presence in the territory.

"We're bidding on more jobs and we would like to just expand into this area," he said. "We've met some potential partners and clients here.

"There is a tremendous unmet need here for good quality special services."

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