Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
I understand the conference bureau initiative is already underway. Can the Minister describe what the conference bureau hopes to achieve? Mahsi.
Thank you Mr. Nadli. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This was part of our Economic Opportunities Strategy. Stemming from that, it’s an office that is set up in the Northwest Territories Tourism Marketing Destination Market Agency here in the Northwest Territories. Its goal and purpose is to attract people and meetings to the Northwest Territories, and I understand they have had some early success in trying to attract meetings and conventions here to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Can the Minister discuss any early results so far? He has indicated that they are tracking visitor information. Mahsi.
Thank you. I know they are in discussion with a large national organization on hosting a conference here next year in the Northwest Territories. Because we have a dedicated person in that position, as well, they are familiarizing themselves with services and opportunities around the Northwest Territories. It isn’t just a Yellowknife Convention Bureau it is a Northwest Territories Convention Bureau and if something fits in a community, if a community can host a convention or a group of business leaders or a meeting, certainly those things will be looked at. We believe very highly that this bureau is going to be very successful in attracting conventions and visitors to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
The Minister has indicated that one of the functions of the conference bureau is to track visitor information but at the same time ensure that there is indeed a list of meeting places that are quite possible that could be made for references for people that come up north.
Is the Minister willing to direct the conference bureau to consider adding some of the facilities in small communities, such as the Sandy Creek Lodge, to an inventory of venues for meetings and events? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, that is part of the role and the function of the Convention Bureau, is to identify lodges or places that could host meetings and conventions, and I would give the Sandy Creek Lodge a ringing endorsement. I know we’ve had meetings there ourselves and it certainly is a very nice facility and a facility that could host a meeting of a substantial size on the Hay River Reserve. It’s something I am sure the Convention Bureau is aware of, but if they are not aware of it yet, they will be after today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for his reply.
What assistance is available to the owners and operators of facilities in our communities to successfully host conferences and other events, for example, hospitality training, facility maintenance and administrative needs? Mahsi.
Again, through the EOS, we have identified some money for training, and in the case of Sandy Creek Lodge on the Hay River Reserve, I will go back to the department and see if we can get some staff to contact the reserve and the folks that are operating the lodge to see where it is we can best help them and we’ll try to get them the help that they need. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Ramsay. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
