IQALUIT - Carrefour Nunavut is in the final planning stages for a facility they hope will help new entrepreneurs and people wanting to enter the territory's tourism sector.

Daniel Cuerrier from Carrefour Nunavut is planning a multipurpose centre for Iqaluit. It would include a conference centre, tourism training centre and a business incubator, where new entrepreneurs can benefit from low overhead costs as the business develops. - photo courtesy of Carrefour Nunavut

In January, Carrefour Nunavut announced it received $140,000 in funding from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) to support the planning and design of a new multi-service centre slated to be built in Iqaluit.

The 40,000-square-foot facility would be spread over four floors and would include a conference centre, a training centre and what they are calling a business incubator.

"One thing we felt we needed is a space where new businesses can get started and get a foot in the door," said Daniel Cuerrier, director general of Carrefour Nunavut. "It doesn't matter if they are francophone or not, we want to help support all entrepreneurs."

He said the business incubator will be a place where new businesses can access basic services like legal, reception and accounting services while paying a low rent for office space.

"You know, office space is outrageously expensive in Iqaluit, and we know how frustrating it can be for entrepreneurs operating from a home office. So we wanted to do this to give businesses a chance to get started," said Cuerrier.

The multipurpose centre will also include a tourism training centre to help people in the region learn the basics of the tourism services industry.

"We previously had been inviting tourists to stay in local Inuit homes so that they can get the full experience of our cultural events. From there, we decided we wanted to improve on the training side of things which is where we got the idea for this training centre," said Cuerrier. "We will start them off with the basics of the tourism sector and from there they can decide if they would like to study it further at the college."

Cuerrier said the next step is to find a company who can handle the construction and design for the facility, which he estimates will cost from $18 million to $20 million to construct.

"The next step is to partner with a construction company that will set it up," said Cuerrier. "In the North things can take time, but hopefully we will have it built in the next two years."

Cuerrier said Carrefour Nunavut had three design plans for the facility, but they didn't match their vision and were scrapped.

"We want it to be a landmark in the community and draw attention. We are also wanting it to be carbon neutral," said Cuerrier.

Hal Timar, executive director of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he supports the idea of a tourism training centre.

"Tourism is an important pillar of our economy and it's an area with tremendous potential, so anything more that can be done to support the industry is great," said Timar. However, he said the facility should be a part of a larger strategy.

"With the business incubator, I hope it is a part of a larger strategy. The danger is that if they get used to working in a situation with lower overhead costs that that is the only way they are viable. So it is important that they evaluate the business and its prospect for growth," said Timar."

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