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Bonanza for tourists Parks Canada now at visitor centre
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 6, 2013
INUVIK
Tourists and visitors to the Western Arctic Visitor Centre will be in the know this summer.
Diane Wilson, Parks Canada Western Arctic superintendent and Don Craik superintendent with the Department of Industry, Trade and Investment celebrate a new partnership June 4 at the Western Arctic Visitor Centre. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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That's due to a new partnership struck between Parks Canada and the GNWT's Department of Industry, Trade and Investment (ITI).
The agreement will see Parks Canada personnel posted to the centre to help deal with questions about the region's national parks and heritage.
It's a partnership that's been brewing for several years but never came to fruition, said Diane Wilson, Parks Canada Western Arctic superintendent.
"This is an agreement for Parks Canada to have a display as well as a staff presence at the centre for this summer," she said. "This is the first time we've actually had one of our employees be part of the team to welcome visitors to Inuvik at the visitor centre. So it will be a great new relationship focused on really promoting Inuvik as a gateway to the Western Arctic, highlighting the amazing geography and rich culture of the region."
Don Craik, the superintendent for ITI, said "it's very exciting."
"It's a win-win situation. For years Parks Canada has had a presence in the area but hasn't really had a facility to promote themselves, and this gives them that opportunity. While we're aware of the national parks in the region, we don't have the insight into all of the amenities and attractions they present, so this gives us that opportunity to have the personnel here who have that knowledge.
"I think it's going to be a benefit to visitors and community members who are interested in the parks and who just want some more information on them. I think it's a great agreement."
Craik said the entire process has been delayed by the slow nature inherent in having departments in two different levels of government talking to one another.
"We've sort of discussed for the last several years, but it never seemed to fall into place," he said. "Now we've got a little more serious about it and it's going to be a great opportunity for the departments."
The staff members will be able to provide detailed information on the three national parks in the delta region as well as the pingos around Tuktoyaktuk, which are a national heritage site.
"We're looking for a team approach between the territorial staff and the Parks Canada staff, and they'll be providing information on the entire region," Wilson said. "They'll be able to approach someone in a Parks Canada uniform and receive far more detailed information than they've ever been able to receive in the past."
Wilson said she wasn't sure why the partnership had been arranged earlier.
"That's a really good question. I don't know, but I think the important thing is that we're doing it now. I think it's a win-win situation for Parks Canada and for the territory and for the Town of Inuvik as well."
Four different Parks Canada staff members will rotate through the centre during the summer. Allison Baetz is one of those seasonal interpreters. The Inuvik resident is in her second year working for Parks Canada.
"I'll be talking to visitors and getting interested in travelling to the parks," she said. "And just giving them information on things to do in the parks."
"One of the really neat things about Allison is that she actually started her relationship with Parks Canada while she was in high school," Wilson said. "Now she's part of the team while she's going to university."
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