Board of Directors welcomes Finance Minister, Deputy Minister for discussion
February 19th, 2009
Directors of the NWT Chamber of Commerce had the honour of welcoming special guests Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger and Deputy Minister of Finance Margaret Melhorn at today’s Board meeting.
“In general the NWT Chamber supported the territorial budget when it was released earlier this month, but we did desire clarification on several items,” said Ann Marie Tout, President of the NWT Chamber. “Today’s appearance at our Board meeting certainly demonstrates a tremendous level of openness and accountability within the Finance Department that is very much appreciated.”
The Chamber prepared five questions in advance for the Minister. These questions were related to:
- General infrastructure spending
- Highway and airport spending
- The immigration pilot project
- The new retail bag levy
- The resource property tax rate increase
The questions and the Minister’s responses are available for download as a PDF document for members of the NWT Chamber and members of the community chambers of commerce around the NWT within the Members Only portion of the Chamber’s website, www.nwtchamber.com.
During the course of discussions, Chamber Directors also asked additional questions related to the budget, the economy and development in the Territories. Acting NWT Chamber Director Darrell Beaulieu, took the opportunity to renew calls for the completion of the all-weather Mackenzie Valley Highway.
“I’m hearing that if the GNWT and our aboriginal governments make it a priority, then Ottawa will commit to the highway,” said Beaulieu.
Minister Miltenberger responded that certainly the highway is a priority for the territorial government and he hoped that the negotiations between Ottawa and the Mackenzie Gas Project proponents could potentially jumpstart the highway’s completion.
In association with the network of community Chambers of Commerce in Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Norman Wells, Fort Smith, Hay River and Yellowknife as well as the Northern Aboriginal Business Association, the NWT Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of more than 865 members. For more than 35 years, it has been the only pan-territorial voice of businesses across all sectors of the Northern economy.
