NWT Chamber of Commerce Echoes Support for Federal Budget’s $11 Million Commitment
March 8th, 2010
NWT Chamber of Commerce Echoes Support for Federal Budget’s $11 Million Commitment Streamlining the Northern Regulatory Regime
The NWT Chamber of Commerce shares the positive reaction of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines towards the $11 million commitment to streamline the northern regulatory regime announced within the Federal Budget March 4, 2010. As stated by Mr. John Kearney, President of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, “the initiatives ... to improve the Federal regulatory system and to accelerate the review process for resource projects in the North have been long awaited by the minerals industry”. President of the NWT Chamber of Commerce, Ann Marie Tout, stated “the expense, time commitment and complexity associated with the current regulatory regime has been one of the biggest barriers to exploration and development across the NWT for both the mining industry and the oil/gas industry. The uncertainty of the current regime has deterred investors, resulted in the loss of employment for northerners and adversely impacted many northern businesses and communities. At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM held in the fall of 2009, delegates from across the nation unanimously supported a resolution calling for reforms to the resource development regulatory regime in the NWT. We are very encouraged by the Federal Government’s budget announcement to move forward with improvements. This is a clear acknowledgment of the concerns of northern Chambers, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the resource industries and the residents of the NWT and we certainly look forward to the increased activity that a clear and timely regulatory process will encourage.”
In association with the network of community Chambers of Commerce in Inuvik, 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.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Ted Savelle
Executive Director
NWT Chamber of Commerce,
867-920-9505, admin@nwtchamber.com
