Advocacy Update

Dear Members,

Spring is now upon us. It has now been just over a full year of all of us dealing with the pandemic. We are very much looking forward to better times ahead.

We've been very busy on the advocacy front and I wanted to share a quick update with you. I also want to thank all of you who have been in touch over the last couple of weeks to ask questions and to share your suggestions and challenges. It's great to hear directly from you.

Federal Government
NWT Tourism continues to advocate along with our colleagues across all provinces and territories on the national front. Most recently, we have been advocating with the federal government to call for urgent action in the federal budget which is coming up. I met with our Member of Parliament, the Honourable Michael McLeod, and I feel that the concerns of the tourism industry have been heard at this level. It is our collective goal to keep the tourism industry top of mind in the upcoming budget process.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC)
You may be aware that TIAC has a new president and CEO, Beth Potter. We, through TIAC, continue to advocate for our industry. We are part of the Hardest Hit Coalition, as well as the Provincial and Territorial Tourism Association, and in our collective work we ask for solutions for the industry that are more than solvency - they include plans for opening borders and keeping Canada globally competitive. All of the provinces and territories in Canada have shared challenges, and we are working together to find a way forward. 

GNWT - Covid Secretariat
NWT Tourism is meeting regularly with the Covid Secretariat as we work to advance our goal of a clear path forward out of the pandemic and into the recovery of our industry. The members of the Covid Secretariat are important partners for us in achieving our goals. They have been open to meeting with myself and Harold, the Chair of our Board of Directors, and I continue to work with them on a very regular basis. We will update members as new information becomes available.

According to recent news articles, the NWT "Emerging Wisely" plan will be updated sometime in April. We look forward to seeing what changes are implemented, and will communicate with members when the plan is updated.

GNWT-Other departments
NWT Tourism has been advocating on behalf of our industry on many fronts, working with the GNWT department of ITI, as we work together on a plan to address resident willingness to welcome visitors when the time is right. We’ve also been doing some work with the Office of the Fire Marshall, and we are involved in the upcoming review for potential changes to the Liquor Act. 

I wanted to pause for a moment to give you this update to reassure you that we are continuing to try to advance the needs of our industry. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or through the office number listed below. I welcome calls from members, and appreciate hearing directly from you. We continue to be stronger together. 

Donna Lee Demarcke
Chief Executive Officer
NWT Tourism
executive@spectacularnwt.com 
867-873-5007 Ext: 1005