Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will follow up on my remarks yesterday about Weledeh small businesses with a specific example of Weledeh enterprise and success.
From his home workshop in Detah, David Giroux is the owner, inventor, manufacturer, marketer and driving force behind Arctic Fire Stoves. The stoves are constructed of recycled fuel drums and salvaged steel, an environmentally sound repurposing of existing materials. This is the Cadillac of barrel stoves, and experienced people say they have never seen anything like them. It is the only model that can be used for heating as an oven, a barbeque and a smoker. The stoves are produced in a number of sizes for use not only at homes and businesses but at bush and exploration camps.
One hundred fifty stoves have been marketed thus far, all made and sold in the Northwest Territories. Product development is proceeding. Mr. Giroux is going for Canadian Standards Association certification, which would make the stoves an approved unit for insurance purposes for use in private and public buildings. He is working with CSA on installation of a membrane, and damper and door seals. Once model improvements are completed, a prototype must be supplied for testing, which takes five to six months. That is at a cost of about $10,000.
Mr. Giroux will be looking for departmental support to attend the technical conference. I will naturally be backing that application. With CSA certification, David will be looking for wider markets here, across Canada and perhaps even internationally.
Here is a man who has looked around his home community, spotted an opportunity and ran with it. Who hasn’t seen him on the Detah ice road selling the stoves from the back of his truck or at winter events displaying the various models? David Giroux is going forward. I congratulate him and look forward to opportunities to help with his business success. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
