NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Vi Bartlett describes herself as a people person, and as such she has a perfect job.

Vi Bartlett greets visitors at the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre on Highway 1 at the NWT/Alberta border. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

This tourism season, Bartlett greets travellers at the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre on Highway 1 at the NWT/Alberta border.

She enjoys meeting a wide variety of people as they enter the NWT – either visitors or northern residents returning from the south.

"I love the people. I've met people from all over the world," she said, noting she has greeted visitors from Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, Iceland, Mexico, Italy, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, and elsewhere.

Bartlett noted she often asks visitors why they come to the North and everyone has a different reason.

However, she recalled one German lady, who responded, "We come to hear the quiet."

Bartlett's job involves providing travellers with information about the NWT.

"I guess this primarily is to inform people of what is in the North and what activities are happening," she explained.

In her job, the 61-year-old often hears similar questions from travellers – about activities, the condition of roads, where gas is for sale, and where camping is available.

Another common question is about the distance to the waterfalls along Highway 1 and another is about the certificate that travellers receive for the first time they cross the 60th Parallel into the NWT.

"Probably the strangest is, 'Can we see the northern lights?'" she said. "And I go, 'No, it's daylight. You don't get dark right now.' That's probably the most often asked question."

People are also asking about the forest fires in the NWT, especially whether they are impacting highway travel.

Bartlett, who is originally from Saskatchewan, knows a lot about the NWT, since she has lived in the North for 22 years. Currently, she resides in Enterprise, but has also lived in Yellowknife.

"That gives me an advantage," she said of her new job.

Plus, Bartlett noted she has another advantage because she and her husband have travelled in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico by motorcycle, camper and motor home.

"We kind of know what people are looking for, what they like to see," she explained.

Bartlett is working with her husband, Eric Bartlett, at the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre and the associated campgrounds, which together make up the 60th Parallel Territorial Park.

The couple was hired by the contractor who operates the park for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Together, they greet travellers, register people for the campgrounds, and maintain the visitor information centre, campgrounds and facilities.

"For me, I suppose some would call me a perfectionist because everything's got to be in order," said Bartlett. "I like things neat. I like things clean. I love my flowers."

Her husband does the grounds work and maintains the campground, while she looks after the visitor information centre and facilities.

"We work very well together," she said, explaining that included two previous businesses – landscaping in Yellowknife and a pilot truck service in Enterprise.

Her husband also spends two days a week in Enterprise to look after the yard at their home.

Bartlett will basically work 12 hours a day, seven days a week at the border for the whole tourism season, which began when territorial parks opened on May 15 and will end on Sept. 15. The only exceptions are a day off to attend a wedding in Hay River and a five-day long weekend in August.

"I don't mind it at all," she said, noting she and her husband live onsite.

Bartlett doesn't find it lonely outside of the 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. that the visitor information centre is open.

"I love it," she said. "It's almost like camping all year long. At least I look at it that way."

Her husband prepares supper and they eat at about 9 p.m. each evening, she noted. "Then it's either watch TV or I get on the Internet and do my emails and Facebook and that kind of stuff, and play a few card games. Then it's time for bed."

Between May 15 and July 5, the number of people dropping into the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre was 6,553 – an increase of 1,754 from the same time last year.

The total included 4,328 visitors to the NWT.

Bartlett said she is not sure if the number of visitors will level off and be close to the 14,000 counted over the four-month tourism season last year.