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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Developing and maintaining a useful workforce was the forefront of discussions during an economic opportunities meeting in Fort Simpson last week.

Wilbert Antoine, left, directs some to the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy advisory panel during a lunch meeting on Feb. 18 in Fort Simpson while Lindsay Waugh, Colin Munro, Ivan Simons and Dave Walsh listen. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy advisory panel was in the village on Feb. 18 gathering public input.

Eighteen members of the business community met with the panel in the afternoon during a meeting organized by the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce. Approximately 18 people attended a similar public forum in the evening.

"Our education system is failing us," said Owen Rowe during the afternoon meeting.

Students are not being given opportunities to get into trades, he said. Workers will have to be imported to fill skilled positions unless more emphasis is put on the trades.

Students also have to be provided with work experience opportunities to show them why they need to pass their courses and finish their education, he said.

"You have to give experiences that mean something," said Rowe.

Additionally, there has to be incentives, possibly related to taxes, for people to stay in the North or move to the North to work, he said.

"We can't entice or keep the kids here," said Rowe.

The region has all sorts of potential including a fantastic geographic location, phenomenal natural resources and a clean environment to live in, said Chuck Blyth. The community needs to be developed to the point that people will want to come and stay here and also retire here, he said.

Fort Simpson needs services such as improved recreation facilities, paved streets and better-quality housing, Blyth said.

Preparing people for economic opportunities and maintaining the workforce are concerns the advisory panel has heard in many of the communities it has visited, said Joe Handley, the panel's chairperson.

Common themes have included providing people the training and experiences to be able to do a job as well as instilling work ethics. In the past, children learned work ethics from their parents but in too many cases today parents aren't working or their children don't see the work they do, said Handley.

"A whole generation of kids are not ready to work," he said.

The panel has also heard concerns about cost of living. It's very expensive to live here and hard to keep young people here, he said.

A third common theme has been infrastructure. Whether it is tourism or mining, you need the proper infrastructure to make it successful, Handley said. That message was particularly strong in Fort Simpson.

The panel has also heard other wide-ranging issues. Handley asked participants what the region's opportunities are and what needs to happen to stimulate the economy. Answers included settling land claims, more assistance for entrepreneurs, fostering entrepreneurial spirit and making the business arms of First Nation's competitive.

The panel's challenge is to take all the comments and tease out the themes, said Handley. These themes will be incorporated into the strategy, which will help draft a blueprint for how the territorial government should invest its money to promote economic development, he said.

For instance, residents keep talking about tourism potential, but the territorial government doesn't spend as much money in that area as the Yukon government does, said Handley. Handley said he suspects the advisory panel will call for more support for that industry.

The draft and final copy of the strategy will be created between April and the fall of this year. Handley said he believes the strategy will be a useful document.

"I believe we can do something that will make a difference," he said.

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