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Trade mission comes to town
Eleven Francophone entrepreneurs from Alberta talk business in the North

Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 25, 2015

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Francophone business owners and entrepreneurs may think of Quebec and France as the first places to go to network and form partnerships.

But a group from Alberta recently came up to Yellowknife on a specific trade mission to pursue new opportunities in and out of the city's French-speaking business community.

NNSL photo/graphic

Marc S. Tremblay, left, president and CEO of Conseil de développement économique de l'Alberta (CDEA), chats with Sylvie Francoeur, president of Ayni, at the opening reception for CDEA's trade mission to Yellowknife on March 18. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo

"They want to make money and help others make money," Entrepreneur Sylvie Franceour told Yellowknifer, adding she was excited and felt lucky the group from the Conseil de developpement economique de L'Alberta (CDeA) chose to come here. "Whether they do that in English, French or Chinese, it doesn't matter, as long as there's a business relationship being established."

Organized by Conseil de developpement economique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest (CDETNO), the trade mission saw 11 entrepreneurs from Alberta. The backgrounds and industries in the group included construction, management consulting, engineering and machining, corporate social responsibility and video production.

Franceour said attendance at the opening night reception seemed to mark a turning point for the local Francophone trade group. "When it comes to investment and recruitment, I think the broader Yellowknife and NWT community is realizing CDETNO can have positive impact for all businesses up here," she said, "I think barriers are finally starting to break down."

Michel Boivin, key account manager at Atlas Copco, said that he was able to make some recommendations to Alberta entrepreneurs in regard to mining reclamation sites.

"As an original equipment manufacturer, we are looking for possible avenues for partnerships or strategic alliances but it has to be right for everyone," he said.

However, Boivin advised caution so that business owners and entrepreneurs meeting at similar trade missions in Yellowknife don't have unrealistic expectations and get burned. "People want to see sustainability in their business or they going to be around for the next 10, 15 years?" he said. "Are you just here for a money grab?"

"If business people think they'll be cultivating business or revenues in the immediate term, you won't get that."

However, Boivin also pointed to larger challenges in the city's infrastructure that make it difficult to attract investment and further partnership.

"The high cost of electricity in the North does distract or detract from businesses coming up North and opening," he said.

"I used to be a small business owner; I'd be reluctant to invest in buildings in the North because of the high cost."

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