Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK
Communities in the Beaufort Delta region will have a stronger future if they work more closely with each other to address issues and implement economic initiatives, said Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland.

Creating a business plan tailored to the Beaufort-Delta region is a first priority for Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland, who wants projects identified so communities can collaborate for the benefit of everyone. - NNSL file photo

The first step, he said, would be to create a business plan tailored to the region. From there communities, including Inuvik, could identify ways to collaborate on projects to the benefit of everyone involved.

"The better planning, the better future," Roland said. "When somebody comes up and decides, 'Should we open up our doors of business here?' They can look at the town's economic development strategy, the regional one and say this is a good place to invest. They've lined up their ducks and they're getting ready to be a big economic driver."

Roland stressed the importance of collaboration between the communities during the Beaufort Delta Regional Council meeting, which ran from Jan. 14 to 17. Later in the week, Roland sat down with the Inuvik Drum to further discuss the topic.

Since being elected, Roland has been looking at ways to bring more jobs to the area.

"(The economic situation) is going to turn around again but I'm saying let's diversify, let's invest now and not be so dependent on one resource or one part of the economy," he said. "We can't afford to do nothing, we need to do something and we need to keep people busy in this community."

Currently, Roland's main focus is on expanding tourism, which he said is something he is willing to work with other communities to achieve. With a little effort, he said, the region could see a big boost in outside visitors.

Going forward Roland is hoping to negotiate better prices with local airlines to help with the effort.

"We're planting seeds all around the community with our own staff and with businesses to say, 'Would you be interested in supporting this work and be apart of what our future can be?'" he said.

Roland has also travelled down south to encourage organizations and groups to make Inuvik their next conference destination. In particular, he has zeroed in on groups that do research in the North.

It doesn't make sense, he said, for the mayor of Inuvik to be travelling down to places such as Vancouver to hear about research being done by organizations in the North.

Alfred Moses, MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake, said he is in support of Roland's push to expand tourism in the area.

"Looking at our stats, right now in the Northwest Territories our biggest return on investment in terms of biggest bang for the dollar is tourism ... We need to look at how we can support that more and look at innovative ideas and unique ideas. The economy is bad right across Canada and we've got to find ways to sell the North to places outside of Canada," Moses said. "We need to start working together and helping one another out."

Roland said he also wants the leaders in the Beaufort-Delta region to come together and create a regional approach for dealing with growing electricity costs.

Energy projects shouldn't just be based on Inuvik's customer base or Tuktoyaktuk's customer base, it should be about servicing the region and beyond, he said.

The Mackenzie Valley pipeline project has faded away but perhaps some ideas can be farmed from the initiative, he said. The plan was to ship the raw fuel down south, but how about working with partners to build plants here and export power, he said.

"We've got the gas. Running transmission lines and power lines is a well-known process. There is a reduced concern on the environment. So I would say let's focus on the next thing," he said, adding small nuclear energy could be another option. "Let's talk big picture now. Let's see what options are real."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.