Working Together

The Sahtu regional office of the Government of the Northwest Territories' (GNWT) Industry Tourism and Investment Department (ITI) has conducted three of four Economic Development Officer (EDOs) Workshops in Norman Wells. The workshops, entitled Capacity Building for Economic Developers in the Sahtu (CBEDS), were funded in part by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) under the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) initiative.

Community Economic Developers in the Sahtu recognize that because of a lack of capacity and co-ordination, local companies and organizations may not be benefiting from the current and potential development in the region.

“By bringing together people from different communities and organizations who have similar roles, we are establishing the foundation for an organized, collaborative approach to community economic development in the Sahtu,” explains Nazim Awan, Manager, Business Development, ITI, Sahtu Region. During the workshops, local government and business representatives spoke to the group about a variety of issues relevant to community economic development such as: education and training needs; resource exploration; tourism initiatives; and services for small business. Staff from the Economic Developers Association of Alberta (EDA) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) also covered a range of topics including: strategic planning in economic development; marketing, business and investment attraction; opportunity identification; and community planning.

The EDOs gained the background knowledge and theory necessary to help them understand their roles as economic developers and had the chance to work together to identify and achieve common goals. “I think the skills and information gained in the CBEDS workshop helped to boost everyone's confidence and competence and increased our enthusiasm and job satisfaction,” says Leonard Kenny from Deline.

The EDOs came away with practical tools and techniques that can be used to evaluate potential clients and assist them with feasible business idea development. In addition, different training methods, such as role-playing, small group work and interactive group exercises encouraged teambuilding and created relationships among the participants that they took back to their workplaces.

Working together, improving regional capacity and strengthening the lines of communication will allow EDOs in the Sahtu to better support and service local businesses and regional initiatives. This will result in stronger economic growth and business opportunities in the region and ensure that all Sahtu residents benefit from shared resources and economic growth.