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My Priorities and Solutions 

Image by Emily Hon

Priority #1

A STRONG ECONOMY

POPULATION GROWTH AND SMALL BUSINESSES

The NWT is the only jurisdiction in Canada with a declining population as reported by Cabin Radio. 

Every other jurisdiction is attracting more people and new investment. Population growth is a key driver of the economy and comes with competition, innovation, investment and labour supply. The current government has struggled to deliver on that promise. We cannot continue to be last 

 

The current structure and policies of the department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) are drawn down from government systems thinking and do not encourage business investment and development

 

Government departments like ITI are susceptible to political interference and may not always have the expertise on investment knowledge. This only disincentivizes new entrepreneurs and limits existing business growth and investment   

        

Our government must work to attract new investment in projects that will spur economic growth and position the NWT as a great place to live

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Solutions

POPULATION GROWTH AND SMALL BUSINESSES

  • Increase immigration to the territory by 20% over four years. This can be achieved by creating targeted immigration streams that address the territories needs ranging from healthcare to labour to new capital investment and working with partners in the diaspora to ensure that the NWT is the best place for new Canadians and permanent residents to put their skills, education, and experience to work 
     

  • Eliminate the Labour Market Impact Assessment Process (LMIA) that is clearly limiting businesses and bring more foreign workers to help with labour shortage in the territory 

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  • Advocate for accountability and equal opportunity and support for small businesses including for transparent procurement processes 

 

  • Review the ITI Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy and eliminate the market disruption clause in regional centres. This discourages competition and encourages monopoly

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  • Invest in research into creating an innovation incubator and accelerator arms length organization to help attract and inspire disruptive new market ideas in the tech and knowledge economy sectors while helping to accelerate existing business in these sectors.  See Tech Yukon  and Alberta Innovates 

 

  • The GNWT can look at offering renovation and remediation grants specifically to businesses or nonprofits that want to do something with an underused building. We can partner with the city to offer grants for projects in identified priority growth areas with potential for high foot traffic and expand that model to the rest of downtown.   

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  • Review eligibility criteria for BIP. Find ways to change the emphasis so that points are awarded for literal hours of work completed by northern residents. This can be another approach to incentivize and support local businesses. This is as much about keeping money circulating in the north as it is about encouraging companies to move their people up here and help build a more vibrant and competitive economy on a level playing field.

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