NWT Chamber Vice President to speak at Edmonton transportation conference
June 15th, 2009
NWT Chamber of Commerce Vice President Eitan Dehtiar will be the opening speaker at the upcoming Cold Climate Transport & Logistics Conference in Edmonton.
“In general the message I will bring on behalf of the Chamber will focus on the current state of our transportation infrastructure and the regulatory regime as well as helping participants understand what improvements we in the NWT are looking for going forward,” said Dehtiar.
Specific speaking points to be covered during the presentation will include:
- Examining the federal economic stimulus package and its effect on infrastructure in the North.
- How will the stimulus package benefit oil, gas, power and mining industries operating in the North?
- Reducing regulatory barriers for future development: Lessons learned from the Mackenzie Gas Project review process.
- What improvements to infrastructure will help development of projects in the North?
“We’ll definitely take the opportunity to remind everyone in attendance about our 13 priorities for regulatory reform, which were developed in association with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and the NWT Construction Association,” Dehtiar added.
These 13 shared priorities are:
- Completing land use plans
- Clarifying consultation requirements
- Ensuring board capacity
- Setting performance measures related to timelines
- Introducing water quality and effluent standards
- Defining triggers for environmental assessment
- Clarifying of enforcement responsibilities
- Commissioning a second NWT environmental audit
- Introducing surface rights legislation related to land access
- Ensuring timely board appointments
- Clarifying problem policy areas for boards
- Developing a defined protocol for ministerial reviews
- Coordinating federal responsibilities through a Made-in-the-North equivalent of the Major Projects Office
The Cold Climate Transport & Logistics Conference is presented by the Canadian Institute and will take place on June 22 and 23 at the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe in Edmonton. For more information about the event or to register, call 1-877-927-7936.
For members not attending the conference, the Chamber will post a PDF version of its presentation on www.nwtchamber.com in the Members Only Documents section following the event. If you require a username and password, please contact the NWT Chamber office.
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.
