N.W.T. government spent $75K to send 30 people to Vancouver mine show

The N.W.T.'s minister of industry, tourism and investment says cabinet made the decision together that all seven members would travel to the Association for Mineral Exploration's annual Roundup gathering in Vancouver.

That decision came under fire earlier this week from some regular MLAs, who noted the government is supposedly in a period of fiscal restraint.

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ITI Minister Wally Schumann said it's important to have the entire cabinet on hand to answer questions from mining company executives and investors who attend the event.

"A lot of these people are looking at the whole gamut of what it takes to do business in the N.W.T.," he said. "Having all the ministers and the premier and myself, we can answer all these questions and try to attract new mining potential companies to come to the N.W.T."

$2,500 a head

According to Andrew Livingstone, a senior cabinet communications advisor, the trip is estimated to cost about $2,500 per person.

That means cabinet's bill for seven people would come to about $17,500. The final cost will be published in the quarterly ministerial travel report.

In all, the delegation, originally said to be 34 but now confirmed to be 30, is estimated to cost about $75,000.

The delegation included Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne, who chairs the standing committee on economic development and environment.

It also included 22 staff members: three executive staff, 13 people from the department of Industry Tourism and Investment, one person from Lands, three people from Transportation, one from Executive and Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations and one from Finance.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

For Schumann, the cost is worth it, especially as mining in the territory is on a downswing.

"The way I look at this is, if we don't do this, we're not going to attract new investment to the N.W.T. and have new mining jobs," he said.

"This is about our economy. We can't just be a social state. We have to keep looking at how we're gonna bring people, bring jobs and investment to the N.W.T.and mining is our number one industry in the N.W.T."