SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
All tourists visiting the city will be gifted the popular fur-lined, goose-down jackets that insulate many Yellowknifers in winter months as part of a $7.4 million federal and territorial investment into tourism.
A joint venture between the feds and the GNWT aims to increase tourism in the city by offering up a Canada Goose parka to every visitor. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo illustration |
Combined funding from both levels of government will enact a five-year plan to attract tourists from Asia, Europe and North America. In Yellowknife that funding is going solely toward Canada Goose jackets.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) has proposed a partnership with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) to offer complimentary Canada Goose parkas to every tourist visiting the city between October and March.
The initiative is a pilot project that, if successful, could be rolled out across the North, CanNor Minister Leona Aglukkaq stated in an unwritten memo obtained by Yellowknifer. Since it was established in 2009, CanNor has put more than $200 million into economic development projects across the three territories - that's a lot of jackets, said Aglukkaq.
The announcement, on April Fool's Day, follows the recent investment of $2.8 million into tourism in five smaller communities in the NWT. The pilot project proves that, this time, Yellowknife is not being left behind.
Seeing the move as an investment into the tourism industry, ITI representatives said the project could not be a more appropriate allocation of department funds.
Both parties have agreed on the suitability of the initiative, dubbed "Flying V," but there are some areas where the project is drawing dissent.
With bright blue parkas already the signature of Aurora Village clients in the city, the purchase of white jackets was considered to increase visibility of tourists - both for their own safety and so they are not confused with actual Yellowknifers. However, the likelihood of snowstorms forced the Colour Selection Working Group to reconsider white. While black and dark blue stand out against the snow, the group found extended hours of darkness might also create safety problems.
Green is being optioned, as are reflective patches that read: 'Please break for tourists, as well as ptarmigans.'
The "Flying V" partners have also hit an impasse on what style of jacket would be most appropriate to adorn the cold bodies of southerners and foreigners alike. While ITI is taking a hyper-local approach - noting that windchill is a thing in Yellowknife - a hard outer shell over various layers of goose down is a must.
CanNor indicated that it is certainly down with down, but seeing the potential for broader application of the "Flying V" project across the North, it suggested that a hard shell would limit the breathability of the jacket, causing tourists who trek out into the bush to perspire. This can cause both discomfort and heat loss, leading to hypothermia.
With temperatures recently climbing above zero and spring easing in, there is still time to make the hard decisions before the project takes flight in October - just in time for territorial and federal elections. The venture is a win-win for tourists and the local economy, Aglukkaq stated. You'd have to be an April Fool not to agree.
