NWT Tourism advocates for an exemption for Frontier Lodge

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2021, NT

Northwest Territories Tourism, as the advocacy association of the tourism industry in the Northwest Territories, is extremely concerned with the bureaucratic hold-up of the lodge permits required by the Government of the Northwest Territories to enable the opening of Frontier Lodge in Lutsel K’e.

It is our understanding that the bureaucratic hold-up is related to a change that occurred in the Tourism Act in 2007. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognized in 2013 that there were issues with implementing the 2007 change, and again in 2017 the issues with the implementation of the act were raised. This has been a long-standing issue that remains unresolved, without a policy in place for remote lodges.

Creating and implementing policies is the responsibility of the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is incumbent on the GNWT to ensure their licensing and permitting processes are clear and that they support business to succeed and thrive in the Northwest Territories. If there are issues in the bureaucracy, it is the responsibility of the territorial government to work collaboratively with industry to fix the issues. It is unacceptable to expect any business to wait 12+ months for a clear path to obtaining licenses and permits, and for the government to expect a business to remain closed until they sort out their own permitting process.

This change in the interpretation and implementation of the policy which was flagged in 2007 could not come at a worse time for the tourism industry. It is no secret that the tourism industry was the first affected, the hardest hit, and will take the longest to recover from the global pandemic. Our tourism industry needs many things, and the support of the Government of the Northwest Territories is critical. An urgent and missing support is a focus on planning for the safe reopening and eventual economic recovery of the industry. What our industry does not need is more red tape and more bureaucratic blocks to the operation and recovery of our tourism industry operators.

NWT Tourism is in complete agreement with Chief Marlowe-- an exemption must be issued to Frontier Lodge while the GNWT resolves their own internal policy issue. This is the only way that the lodge can position itself for economic recovery.

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Harold Grinde
Chair of the Board of Directors, NWT Tourism

For more information please contact:
Julie Warnock
Communications Officer
NWT Tourism
julie@spectacularnwt.com
867-873-5007