CALL FOR GOLF TOURNEY SPONSORS ON NOW!

Response from members to the return of the NWT Chamber's golf tourney has been fantastic. In fact, several sponsorships have now been spoken for, but there are many others! Please consider helping the NWT Chamber out to ensure a successful return the links.

CANADIAN NORTH'S BOSS LANDS IN YELLOWKNIFE NEXT WEEK FOR OPEN HOUSE

NWT Chamber members will have their questions brought to the attention of Canadian North's President and CEO Michael Rodyniuk at an Open House one week from today.

While the airline's new Yellowknife to Calgary jet service has been very well received by many in the business community and leisure travellers alike, there are concerns from people in the Sahtu over a recently announced reduction of flights into Norman Wells.

In particular, the Town of Norman Wells advised in a public notice it only heard of the cuts through the media and had no advance notice.

Canadian North has stated its new schedule gains efficiencies and adds more than 8% capacity overall into and across its network.

Rodyniuk's decision to fly through the turbulent comms skies into NWT to potentially face some tough questions over the airline's ability to provide service is to be applauded.

Chamber President Newton Grey and ED James O'Connor are confirmed attendees at the After Hours event organized by our friends at the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

The federal government recently signed off on changes to the terms and conditions of Canadian North's 2019 merger with First Air, reported CBC, which allows the airline to reduce service to northern communities to as little as one flight per week. 

So does this provide an opportunity for another airline? Or is there simply not enough traffic to fill aircraft every day? Should government subsidies be brought forward to cover those half-full flights? Are there not enough pilots available at the moment?

Have your say: Bill 84: An Act to Amend BDIC Act

The GNWT's Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment is seeking input regarding Bill 84: An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act.

The Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC)'s primary role is promoting and maintaining economic development and employment. Bill 84 will change the name of BDIC to 'Prosper NWT'.

Bill 84 will also give the minister responsible the authority to modify Prosper NWT's non-financial support programs, enabling it to provide NWT businesses with non-financial supports and assistance that are not part of established programs.

A plain language summary of the Bill can be found here.

How can you provide feedback?

• Speak to MLAs in person or virtually on Wednesday, May 10 at noon at the public hearing taking place at the Legislative Assembly. Contact: Committees@ntassembly.ca to register.

• Or, submit a letter to the Committee containing your concerns, thoughts and perspectives via email to Committees@ntassembly.ca (Deadline May 17, 2023)

AND THE CHAMBER SAYS:

Question: Is your Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) awareness evolving into action in your business?

• Yes, we're fully diverse, equal and inclusive 40%
• I respect the concept, but have other priorities at the moment 10%
• It gets complicated across sectors, I need to learn more about it 10%
• No, I plan to continue hiring who I want to without outside influence 40%

NORTHERN QUOTE(S) OF THE WEEK:

"At Kasteel, we have a bigger purpose than ourselves. We're not on this Earth just to put money in our pockets. I believe that we're on this earth to make a difference and help people and put smiles on people's faces when they're going through the toughest times of their lives."

— Kasteel Construction owner Trevor Kasteel speaking at a virtual employee recruitment session organized by Yellowknife Immigration Partnership. We'll have a full report on the outcome of this novel attempt to fill some gaps in the NWT labour force after the second part of the program wraps up in late May. He continued:

"In order to help people, everybody's treated equally, everybody's treated with respect. If we can spread as much goodness and kindness as quickly as possible, and hearing this from somebody that's running a construction company, might seem a little weird. But, we want to use this company in this tool, be as effective as possible, as quickly as possible to help people that are hurting."

"It's going to be a slow recovery. But we're still open. That's the most important thing."

— former NWT Chamber Director Joe Bailey, owner of North Star Adventures, in a CBC North story that reported our post-pandemic tourism sector is drawing more visitors from places such as Australia and the United States.

SOCIAL POST(S) OF THE WEEK:

Friday Futures:

If you know of someone who might be interested in joining our organization, ask them to have a look at our website to find out more about us.

To celebrate the NWT Chamber's 50th anniversary this year, a major one-day conference and evening reception is being planned for Sept. 29. Stay tuned for information.

The next NWT Chamber Board Meeting is May 17 at 11am in-person or Zoom

THE NWT CHAMBER RECOGNIZES ITS SPONSORS

Inquire with the NWT Chamber's Executive Director about sponsorship and newsletter advertising opportunities. We also offer limited numbers of EBlasts to members each month and promoted social media posts can be arranged.

Follow your NWT Chamber on social media