[1. Opening Statement]
[00:00:04]
AND I WILL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2025 TO ORDER AND FIRST, WE HAVE THE OPENING STATEMENT. THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE ARE LOCATED IN CHIEF DRYGEESE TERRITORY.
FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, IT HAS BEEN THE TRADITIONAL LAND OF THE YELLOWKNIVE´S DENE FIRST NATION.
WE RESPECT THE HISTORIES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF ALL OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, INCLUDING THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS AND ALL FIRST NATIONS MÉTIS AND INUIT, WHOSE PRESENCE CONTINUES TO ENRICH OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY.
[2. Approval of the agenda.]
NEXT, WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. ACTING CITY MANAGER, ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE AGENDA? NOTHING TO ADD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.NEXT WE HAVE DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF.
ANY MEMBER HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST TODAY? SEEING NONE. NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION REGARDING ECONOMIC IMPACT ON MINE CLOSURES.
[4. A presentation regarding Economic Impact on Mine Closures.]
AND WE HAVE SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES HERE THIS MORNING.OR I GUESS, THIS AFTERNOON NOW. FROM INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS.
AND SO I'D WELCOME YOU UP TO THE PODIUM. I BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHICH ORDER YOU'RE PRESENTING IN, SO I'M NOT SURE WHO'S GOING FIRST, BUT YOU'RE WELCOME UP TO START THE PRESENTATION.
YOU GET ALL OF US. YOU GET ALL. I'M VERY DELIGHTED TO HEAR THAT, MR. GRUNER. AND JUST AS THEY'RE COMING TO THE PODIUM, JUST REMEMBER, COLLEAGUES, THIS IS A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS, TO HEAR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM THE PRESENTATION TODAY, TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THEM, AND TO THINK ABOUT AND REFLECT ON ALL THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO HEAR.
AND I HOPE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY DO TOO. AND IT WILL, I'M SURE, RAISE A LOT OF THOUGHTS GOING INTO THE REST OF OUR WORK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR. BUT, MR. GRUNER, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU.
RIGHT. THERE WE GO. EVERYBODY CAN HEAR ME OKAY? FANTASTIC. SO I REALLY JUST WANT TO, HEARTFELT THANK YOU, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MEET WITH US TODAY.
SO TYPICALLY, THERE'S FOUR OF US. ABOUT A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO THE FOUR MAIN INDIGENOUS CORPORATIONS IN AND AROUND YELLOWKNIFE STARTED COMING TOGETHER TO MEET ON A SEMI-REGULAR BASIS. YOU KNOW, MEETING WITH GNWT, NOW THE CITY, ETC.
THAT IS QUITE MONUMENTAL. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT'S REALLY HAPPENED.
AND THAT'S TLICHO INVESTMENT CORPORATION, DET'ON CHO, NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS, AND DES NEDHE.
DO I HAVE A CLICKER? YEAH, I DO. THIS IS IT, RIGHT? LOOK AT THAT . SO YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO DO A QUICK INTRO.
ALL OF US ARE GOING TO DO A QUICK UPDATE JUST ON THE BACKGROUNDS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WE REPRESENT.
THE STATE OF THE DIAMOND SECTOR WHERE WE'RE AT.
WHAT'S IMPACTING IT? WHAT STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TODAY TO PRESERVE AND THEN SORT OF ANY QUESTIONS.
I THINK WE'VE GOT ACTUALLY A SLIDE IN THERE AS WELL AROUND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY. SO MAYBE WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL PASS IT OVER TO MARK TO INTRODUCE DET'ON CHO. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO DO A COUPLE OF MINUTES ON DENESOLINE AS WELL, RIGHT? PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANKS, PAUL. SO YEAH, MY NAME IS MARK LEWIS.
I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO FOR THE DET'ON CHO GROUP OF COMPANIES.
WE'VE BEEN IN OPERATION FOR JUST ABOUT CLOSING IN ON 40 YEARS, I GUESS, 1988.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, DIAMOND MINES HAVE BEEN, OR SINCE THE START, DIAMOND MINES HAVE BEEN A BIG ECONOMIC DRIVER FOR THE CORPORATION AND ALLOWED US TO KIND OF BUILD TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
CURRENTLY NOW WE ARE 100% OWNERS OF EIGHT DIFFERENT COMPANIES IN DIFFERENT SECTORS, FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT TO HOSPITALITY TO CATERING, LOGISTICS, ENVIRONMENTAL, BROAD RANGE.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, AND THIS IS A FEW YEARS IN THE MAKING NOW, IS, AS WE'VE RECOGNIZED, THESE DIAMOND MINES ARE COMING TO THEIR SUNSET IN THE NEXT 5 OR 6 YEARS, AND CLOSER FOR SOME, IS LOOKING AT DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CORP.
SO IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE PURCHASED TWO COMPANIES, BOUGHT OUT A PARTNER OF OUR LOGISTICS COMPANY, AND WE'VE GOTTEN INTO REAL ESTATE QUITE HEAVILY IN THE YELLOWKNIFE, PRIMARILY DOWNTOWN AREA AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO MAINTAIN OUR BUSINESS ONCE THESE MINES SHUT DOWN AND TO CONTINUE TO GROW THAT BASE FOR THE YELLOWKNIFE DENE AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS JUST QUICKLY.
LEANNE POULTER, WHO COULDN'T BE WITH US TODAY.
SHE IS THE CEO FOR THE DENESOLINE CORPORATION.
SO THAT'S THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARM OF THE THAT'S OKAY DENE FIRST NATION.
[00:05:05]
SO SHE'S BEEN THERE, I THINK JUST OVER A YEAR NOW OR A LITTLE BIT MORE.SO AGAIN, CONTINUING TO TRY TO MAKE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT RIGHT NOW.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MARC. THANK YOU, YOUR WORSHIP AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TODAY. AND THERE'S OBVIOUSLY.
WE HAVE A LOT TO DO BEFORE US ANYWAY. THE NORTHLAND MEDIA ALLIANCE HAS [INAUDIBLE] AND A COUPLE OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE ECONOMIC ARMS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH.
AND BASICALLY WE'RE NOT BIG LIKE THESE GUYS ARE, OBVIOUSLY.
BUT ANYWAY WE'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE 1998 WHEN WE INCORPORATED AS NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS HOLDINGS AND THEN CHANGED IT OVER TO [INAUDIBLE]. DIAMOND MINES ARE CRITICAL. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
SO BASICALLY, THOUGH, WE WERE INVOLVED IN CEMENT PRODUCTION AND, YOU KNOW, TRUCKING AND THE LIKES LIKE THAT, THESE WERE MAINSTAY ITEMS THAT WE´RE DOING.
BUT WE'RE BRANCHING OUT NOW INTO A MORE REMEDIATION.
SO THESE ARE JUST THINGS THAT WE WERE INVOLVED WITH NOR PROUD, OF COURSE.
SO WE'RE NOT BIG, BUT WE ARE FOCUSED AND WELL AHEAD AND READY TO MEET THE CHALLENGE FOR TOMORROW. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, AND ALREADY OBVIOUSLY MARK HAS ALREADY COVERED FOR LEIGH-ANNE, AND THAT'S GREAT. SO I'M GOING TO TURN THIS BACK TO PAUL, ALWAYS CHOSEN AS OUR LEAD SPEAKER.
AND SO I LEAVE YOU IN HIS VERY, VERY GOOD HANDS, OKAY? THANK YOU. THANKS, MARK. SO TO TLICHO INVESTMENT CORPORATION.
FOR COMMUNITIES, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS FOR THE NATION.
AND WE SORT OF REFERRED TO AS TIC. TIC IS ABOUT 400 EMPLOYEES, OF WHICH ABOUT 60% OR 250 ARE TLICHO MEMBERS. SO IT'S A MAJOR EMPLOYER OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND VERY RELIANT ALSO ON THE DIAMOND MINES.
IT CAME AT A VERY INOPPORTUNE TIME. SO GOLD WITH GIANT MINE IN PARTICULAR, HAD COME TO AN END.
SO IN 91, YOU REALLY SAW A LOT OF EXPLORATION BEGINNING.
AND VERY QUICKLY, THEY WOULD TURN THAT INTO AN OPERATING MINE.
OVER THE LAST BASICALLY 35 WHATEVER YEARS YOU'VE HAD FOUR MINES, ONE OF WHICH IS NOW SHUT DOWN, WHICH IS SNAP LAKE, AND YOU'VE GOT THREE REMAINING MINES.
SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, DIAVIK PLANNED CLOSURE IS MARCH OF NEXT YEAR.
AND THEN YOU'VE GOT GAHCHO KUE, WHICH DISAPPEARS IS 2031.
EKATI, WHICH ON THE BOOKS FOR THEIR MINE PLAN IS 2028, BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO PROVE THAT OUT.
WE SAW A RECENT ARTICLE OUT TO 2040. WHEN WE LOOK AT BY THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE OFTEN LOOK AT THE DIAMOND MINES, YOU KNOW, BEING SORT OF THE CLOSEST PROXIMITY BEING YELLOWKNIFE, BUT IT REALLY IS IMPACTFUL FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE TERRITORY.
SO EVEN TODAY, WITH SOME OF THE REDUCTION OF DIAMOND MINING AND SOME OF THE DIVERSIFICATION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE FOR THE TERRITORY'S ECONOMY, IT STILL REPRESENTS OVER 20%. I THINK IT'S ABOUT 22% OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, OR GDP.
[00:10:06]
I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY IS IT'S 1000 PLUS NWT RESIDENTS THAT ARE EMPLOYED.AND WE LOOK AT THAT THROUGH SORT OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT THE DIRECT BEING BY THE MINES THEMSELVES, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THROUGH SUBCONTRACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO BE ON THE MINE SITE.
SO A FITTING, FOR EXAMPLE, OR EVEN A TICK TO THE INVESTMENT CORPORATION HAS GOT LABOR SUPPLY.
WE WANTED TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. SO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, YOU'LL REMEMBER PROBABLY A GRAHAM CLINTON REPORT THAT CAME OUT, I BELIEVE IT WAS CALLED EYES WIDE OPEN AND THAT REALLY LOOKED AT SORT OF THE IMPACT AND GRAHAM'S.
WE WANTED TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE AND SAY, OKAY, WHAT IS THE DIRECT IMPACT NOW TO THE INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS, OR AS WE CALL THEM, IDCS? AND SO WE BROUGHT AND DID A BIT OF A STUDY WITH GRAHAM AGAIN TO LOOK AT WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT ACROSS FOR THE COMMUNITIES, THERE'S ABOUT 20 MILLION OF DIRECT REVENUE THAT'S GENERATED, OKAY? AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THINGS LIKE IMPACT BENEFIT AGREEMENTS, TAXES COLLECTED, REVENUE SHARING, ETC. IT'S A CRITICAL AMOUNT BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT IS GOING TO BE WHAT WE CALL CORE FUNDING.
SO IT'S A REQUIREMENT TO KEEP ADMINISTRATION, PROGRAMING ETC.
FOR TLICHO, YDFN, ETC. AGAIN, A CRITICAL PIECE OF THIS IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FULL TIME JOB EQUIVALENCIES OF ABOUT 350+, WHICH IS VERY MEANINGFUL IN TERMS OF. FOR TLICHO, I THINK IT WAS 230, 240 AND THEN YDFN AND NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS. SO A VERY LARGE NUMBER THAT ARE COMING IN FROM THOSE COMMUNITIES.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MARK TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPACT FROM A REVENUE PERSPECTIVE.
WE LOOKED AT IT SIMPLY FROM THE REVENUE THAT WAS REALLY SORT OF CORE DIRECT RIGHT, AS OPPOSED TO, SAY, A FUEL HALL WHERE WE MIGHT RECOGNIZE 1% OF THAT OF $100 MILLION CONTRACT.
WE REALLY WANTED TO GET DOWN INTO SOME OF THAT ABOUT MORE MEATY REVENUE AND WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE, RIGHT? AS YOU CAN WELL IMAGINE, WITH A LOT OF THOSE JOBS, THE 350 PLUS JOBS AND THE THOUSAND PLUS, BUT CERTAINLY THE INDIGENOUS ONES, OFTEN THOSE ARE GOING TO BE SIX FIGURE TYPE JOBS.
THESE ARE HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS WHO ARE DOING OVERTIME, ETC.
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW MUCH MONEY THEN IS SPENT IN AND AROUND YELLOWKNIFE, AND AGAIN, BACK TO THAT TERTIARY PIECE, RIGHT? RESTAURANTS, GROCERY STORES, ETC. SO WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ROUGH CUT DIAMONDS AND WHY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A LOT IN THE PRESS AROUND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND DOWNWARD PRESSURE. THE CHART ON THE LEFT REALLY SHOWS THE REAL PICTURE, RIGHT? YOU'VE SEEN ROUGH CUT DIAMONDS BASICALLY FALL OFF A BIT OF A CLIFF HERE IN THE LAST, PROBABLY ABOUT THREE YEARS, RIGHT? YOU SAW A BIT OF A SUGAR RUSH DURING COVID.
THERE WAS A PHRASE COINED, IT WAS CALLED REVENGE SPENDING, WHICH BASICALLY, YOU'RE LOCKED UP, YOU'RE UNHAPPY, YOU CAN'T TRAVEL. SO I'M GOING TO GO BUY ITEMS THAT MAYBE I WOULDN'T NORMALLY DO THAT.
SOME OF THAT WAS LUXURY GOODS, RIGHT? BEING NATURAL DIAMONDS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT BLIP IN AROUND 21-22. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT DROP OFF FROM THERE.
SO THOSE LARGER GEMSTONES HAVE HELD THEIR VALUE GREATER THAN, YOU KNOW, THE SMALLER ONES CAN BE SORT OF A CHARACTER LESS, RIGHT? WHY IS THAT HAPPENING? WELL, WE'VE CERTAINLY SEEN LAB GROWN DIAMONDS HAVE BECOME A REAL THING.
WE'VE SEEN IMPACTS AROUND, YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN COST OF LIVING.
SO FOLKS HAVING LESS MONEY TO SPEND ON LUXURY GOODS.
AND THEN ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT'S REALLY HITTING US HERE CLOSE TO HOME IN NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, AND KEEPING IN MIND THAT CANADA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES BEING THE ONLY PLACE IN CANADA WITH NATURAL DIAMOND PRODUCTION.
WE'RE STILL THE THIRD LARGEST PRODUCER OF NATURAL DIAMONDS IN THE WORLD, BECAUSE OF THOSE DIAMONDS.
BUT WE FACE A HIGHER COST HERE TO PRODUCE DIAMONDS THAN, SAY, OTHER JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
SO YOUR INFLOWS ARE DOWN, YOUR OUTFLOWS ARE UP BECAUSE OUR COST OF PRODUCING IS HIGHER.
[00:15:07]
RIGHT? SO IT'S A BIT OF THAT PERFECT STORM. SO WE'VE ALL BEEN HUSTLING.WE SAW THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT BY A [INAUDIBLE] WITH POINT LAKE.
SO THERE'S OPTIMIZATION EFFORTS. THERE'S REDUCTIONS ON SCOPING MINE PLANS.
AND WE SAW THE RELIEF PROGRAM THAT CAME OUT, I GUESS EARLIER THIS YEAR, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE TAXES AND EMITTERS FUND, ETC. THE IDC'S HAVE BEEN IMPACTED GREATLY. SO WE'RE REDUCING OUR HEADCOUNT, OUR MARGINS, AS WE TRY TO REDUCE THERE AROUND PARTNERSHIPS, SOME OF OUR DIRECT SERVICES, WE'RE GETTING IMPACTED AROUND THAT. WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN TO HIRE AT A LOCAL LEVEL TO DO THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, TO DO THAT DIVERSIFICATION. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR THAT OUT IN THE GREATER BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD THAT AS CITY COUNCIL, AROUND JUST SMALL BUSINESSES.
THEY'RE DOING THE BEST THEY CAN. THEY'RE SEEING REDUCED REVENUE AND MARGINS.
THEY'RE SHRINKING AS WELL, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE SEEING THAT GRADUAL JUST THE SUCKING IN OF ALL BUSINESSES, ALL KEY STAKEHOLDERS. RECOMMENDATIONS. YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD WE SAY AT THIS POINT? WELL, LISTEN, THE PIE ISN'T GETTING BIGGER. WE'VE GOT TO PRESERVE WHAT WE'VE GOT, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT A MATURE ECONOMY LIKE ALBERTA, YOU'VE GOT ABOUT A THREE TIMES MULTIPLE OF EVERY DOLLAR SPENT, RIGHT? SO IF YOU SPEND A DOLLAR, YOU GET ABOUT $3 BACK.
IT'S CIRCULATING IN THAT ECONOMY, RIGHT? THAT'S YOUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY PIECE.
IN NWT, DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS. I THINK IT'S AROUND 0.6 WHEN YOU LOOK AT, SAY, YUKON NWT UNSURE ABOUT NUNAVUT, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO TO PRESERVE AS MUCH AS WE POSSIBLY CAN? AGAIN, WE'RE COMING AT YOU FROM AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE.
SO YOU KNOW THAT FOCUS ON THE IDC'S PREDOMINANTLY, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE KEEP THAT CIRCULATING WITHIN THE LOCAL ECONOMY HERE IN AND AROUND YELLOWKNIFE? WE'VE SEEN SOME INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT POLICIES BEING CREATED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
I CAN PROUDLY SAY THAT I WAS PART OF THAT WHEN I WAS IN YUKON, AND WE LAUNCHED THE FIRST OF WHAT WE CALL THE YUKON FIRST NATIONS PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH IS NOW BEING PUT INTO EFFECT AND IS BEING QUITE, I THINK, EFFECTIVE.
YOU KNOW, OUTSOURCING OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE CITY COULD PURSUE FOR INDIGENOUS GROUPS TO PARTICIPATE IN, WHETHER THAT BE FROM A CONTRACTING STANDPOINT, WHETHER THAT BE EVEN JUST SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE, ETC. AND THEN, YEAH, SO PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITH INDIGENOUS GROUPS ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE.
SO JUST THIS MORNING I SAW AN ANNOUNCEMENT WITH THE GROUP I WAS WITH BEFORE JOINING TLICHO, WHICH IS [INAUDIBLE] INITIALLY CAME TOGETHER IN NORTHWESTERN BC.
AND THEN WITH A INDUSTRY PARTNER, THEY'VE ACQUIRED THE PORT IN STEWART AND NOW WILL BE AN INDIGENOUS LED PART OF THE KEY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CRITICAL MINERALS COMING OUT OF THAT PART OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. SO I THINK THERE'S SOME AMAZING EXAMPLES THAT WE'RE SEEING NOW ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE INDIGENOUS GROUPS, WHETHER IT BE PIPELINES, PORTS, ROADS, ACCESS INFRASTRUCTURE, BUILDINGS, ETC.
WHAT CAN WE BE DOING HERE AS A TERRITORY? WHAT CAN WE BE DOING AS A CAPITAL CITY HERE AS YELLOWKNIFE? AGAIN, OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN INDIGENOUS AS PARTNERS.
OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT.
AND I THINK WHAT YOU'VE SEEN FROM THE NUMBERS HOW DO WE PRESERVE EMPLOYMENT, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S IT IN TERMS OF A FORMAL PRESENTATION, MAYBE GET YOU GUYS BACK UP HERE IF I COULD.
AND WE'LL ANSWER ANY SORT OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. AND I HAVE COUNCILLOR COCHRANE FIRST AND THEN COUNCILLOR WARBURTON. THANK YOU SO MUCH., YOUR WORSHIP. THANK YOU PAUL. THANK YOU MARK.
I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. ALL THESE ARE FAIRLY WELL KNOWN BUT YET NOT ADVERTISED ENOUGH EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING ON TO BE ABLE TO HOW WE ADDRESS THIS ONCOMING CALAMITY. A FEW QUESTIONS THOUGH.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT I HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN COME TO FRUITION, IS RETRAINING EFFORTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORKING WITHIN THE MINING SECTOR TO BE ABLE TO GO INTO OTHER INDUSTRIES.
ARE YOU SEEING ANY OF THAT HAPPENING CURRENTLY? SO MAYBE I'LL START IF THAT'S OKAY. OKAY. SO GREAT QUESTION, RIGHT? I THINK NUMBER ONE, YOU CAN RETRAIN. WHAT ARE YOU TRAINING FOR, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO A CHUNKY NUMBER OF 1000 LOCAL JOBS, 350 REPRESENTED RIGHT HERE WITH THESE THREE GROUPS FROM AN INDIGENOUS STANDPOINT, WHAT ARE YOU SLOTTING THEM INTO, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO RETRAIN FOR.
THE SECOND PART OF THAT. AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE A BIT OF THAT GOING BACK TO GRAND CLINTON,
[00:20:01]
EYES WIDE OPEN, IS WE OFTEN HAVE TO BE VERY MINDFUL ABOUT WHAT THOSE JOBS ARE THAT THOSE MEMBERS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CURRENTLY HAVE, RIGHT? I.E. BEING IN THAT SORT OF SIX FIGURE TYPE RANGE WHERE THEY'RE SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES, QUALITY OF LIFE, ETC. SO NOT ONLY IS IT THE NUMBER OF JOBS THAT WE HAVE TO BE, QUOTE UNQUOTE, RETRAINING FOR, SO WHAT ARE THOSE THEN? IT'S THE QUALITY OF THE JOB THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING TO RETRAIN FOR AS WELL, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S A TRICKY PART, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO THREAD THE NEEDLE, QUITE FRANKLY, FOR THE NEXT PROBABLY 8 TO 10 YEARS.GIANT MINE BEING ONE OF THOSE ANCHOR OPPORTUNITIES, RIGHT? SO HOW DO WE BRING FOLKS IN. BUT EVEN GIANT MINE HAS GOT SOME INHERENT CHALLENGES WITH IT.
WHY? WELL, THAT'S GOING TO BE A SEASONAL JOB CONTRACT.
SEVEN, MAYBE EIGHT MONTHS BEST OF THE YEAR, RIGHT? DO YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT? OH. HERE WE ARE.
WELL, IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JUST COME OUT OF WHAT PAUL HAS SAID IS, YOU KNOW, THE TYPE OF JOBS. EVERYBODY'S USED TO HAVING A REALLY HIGH END JOB.
THEIR MINE PAID WELL, THE MINESET PAID TRADITIONALLY VERY, VERY WELL.
AND WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A SERIOUS FINANCIAL DOWNSHIFTING.
YOU'RE GOING TO GO FROM MINES THAT HAVE HIRED PEOPLE.
FOR WHAT? 80, $90,000 TO DRIVE A TRUCK? WELL, YOU DON'T MAKE THAT HERE IN YELLOWKNIFE.
OKAY, SO THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THAT IS NEGATIVELY GOING TO AFFECT THE WORKFORCES.
AND THE ONLY THING IS THE OTHER THING IS THAT HOW MUCH OF THIS AREA CAN THAT ABSORB, YOU KNOW, THESE THESE MINES ARE SERIOUS, SERIOUS EMPLOYERS OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE AND THAT WHEN THEY SHUT DOWN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A DEARTH OF PEOPLE THAT ARE OUT LOOKING FOR JOBS THAT ARE, NUMBER ONE, FAR LESS FINANCIALLY LUCRATIVE TO THEM. AND THE OTHER PART SIMPLY WON'T BE THAT JOBS, THOSE JOBS.
SO THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT, I HAVE TO SAY, MAYBE I'M A BIT OFF TOPIC HERE, BUT NEVERTHELESS, THAT'S WHAT I SEE IN MY WINDSHIELD. VERY, VERY CLEARLY FOR US HERE.
BUT NONETHELESS, WE GOT TO GET AROUND THAT. PAUL HAS MENTIONED THREADING THE NEEDLE.
YES. AND THAT HOLE IS PRETTY TIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT.
AND WORKING TOGETHER, WITH THE INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT.
SO. YEAH, I THINK I'LL JUST KIND OF ADD ON TO MARK'S POINT THERE TO ABOUT KIND OF THAT.
AND PAUL'S TOO, ABOUT THREADING THE NEEDLE. WE'RE SEEING A THOUSAND JOBS.
A LOT OF THESE, AS PAUL MENTIONED EARLIER, LIKE YOU SEE THEM IN HEAVY EQUIPMENT, WHETHER THAT'S OPERATORS, MAINTENANCE, WHATNOT. THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES POTENTIALLY COMING TO THE TERRITORY AS YOU LOOK AT SLAVE GEOLOGICAL OR ARCTIC SECURITY CORRIDOR, YOU'VE GOT MACKENZIE VALLEY, [INAUDIBLE], GIANT MINE.
AND IF, AS WE SEE WITH DIAMOND PRICES AND SOME OF THE MARKET RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT LOOKING GREAT.
SO IF THESE MINES DON'T PROGRESS OUT TILL THE END OF THEIR TIMELINE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT A GAP AND POTENTIALLY LIKE A BRAIN DRAIN FROM THE TERRITORY OF THESE EXPERTISE THAT WILL BE NEEDED FOR THESE LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN, I FULLY CONCUR. TRAINING FOR THE SAKE OF TRAINING DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. THREADING THE NEEDLE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT HERE, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. THE ONLY THING THAT, OF COURSE, COMES TO MIND IS RETRAINING INTO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FOR SOME OF THESE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS. BUT THAT'S ALSO GOING TO TAKE A LARGE PART OF INVESTING, NOT ONLY THROUGH US, BUT ALSO WITHIN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. DIVERSIFICATION WILL BE HIGHLY NECESSARY.
AND I KNOW YOU ALL THREE ARE TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS AS WELL.
WHAT WOULD THAT INCLUDE? I'M ASSUMING SOMETHING LIKE ADVANCED NOTIFICATION, ETC..
I'LL TAKE THE FIRST ABOVE. THAT'S OKAY. SO I JUST WANT TO GO REALLY QUICKLY BACK TO YOUR FIRST POINT, GARRET. I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT WE HAVE TO BE CLEARLY AGAIN, EYES WIDE OPEN ON IS WE'VE GOT A TIMING ISSUE, RIGHT? SO EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT OUR TECH SECURITY GRID OR MACKENZIE VALLEY, ETC., ASSUMING THAT THOSE PROJECTS EVEN GO FORWARD, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE GOING SHOVEL READY INTO CONSTRUCTION FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT A TON OF BASELINE WORK.
YOU'RE PROBABLY MINIMUM 5 OR 6 YEARS, RIGHT? SO THAT'S A REALLY BIG GAP IN TIME.
WE'RE GOING BACK TO MARK'S POINT. NOW YOU'RE FACING BRAIN DRAIN AND YOUR TALENT LEAVING ELSEWHERE, RIGHT? SO IN TERMS OF YOUR NEXT POINT AROUND WHAT IS AN INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT POLICY LOOK LIKE.
[00:25:01]
IOC QUALIFY CONTRACTS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S POINTS THAT ARE BROUGHT IN.SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SORT OF ADVANCED NOTIFICATION.
I THINK IT'S ABOUT QUALIFYING AND OPPORTUNITIES WHERE HAVING THAT INDIGENOUS INCLUSION OR INDIGENOUS MANAGED OWNED COMPANIES WHERE THERE'S ACTUALLY A POINT ALLOCATION TOWARDS THAT WITHIN YOUR BID. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT EXAMPLES, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT BE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL OR EVEN MORE REGIONALLY IN NORTHERN JURISDICTIONS THAT WE CAN SORT OF LOOK AT AND SAY, DOES THAT REALLY APPLY, RIGHT? I KNOW EVEN THE CITY OF TORONTO, WHEN WE WERE DEVELOPING THE ONE IN YUKON, WE DID LOOK AT TORONTO UNDER THEIR PROCUREMENT POLICY.
I THINK WE'VE GOT EXAMPLES THAT ARE NOT JUST FROM A TERRITORIAL PROVINCIAL LEVEL.
YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THE MUNICIPAL, ALBEIT TORONTO, BEING A BIT OF A LARGER CENTER, RIGHT? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? EXCUSE ME.
THE ONE THING I'LL JUST ADD IS KIND OF WHEN YOU LOOK AT ANY PROCUREMENT POLICY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE INDIGENOUS AND MAINTAINING THE LOCAL IS NOT HAVING EVERYTHING BASED ON PRICE. MAINTAINING THAT LOCAL PRESENCE IS GOING TO BE MORE COSTLY IN SOME CASES THAN BRINGING PEOPLE UP FROM THE SOUTH.
WE'VE EXPERIENCED THAT OURSELVES RECENTLY, LOOKING AT PRICING AND WHERE IT'S COME IN.
AND MAYBE WE CAME IN A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT THE LOWER BID STILL WON.
THAT WOULD BE KIND OF MY ADD TO IT. ALL RIGHT.
WELL, HERE WE GO. NOW, WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS THE SITUATION, OF COURSE, AS MENTIONED THAT WE WANT TO HAVE MORE OF A LOCAL TYPE OF POLICY THAT ENCOURAGES US TO HIRE NORTHERN.
AND, AS BEING MENTIONED, YEAH, WE MAY HAVE TO PAY A FEW MORE BUCKS IN IT.
BUT THE BIGGEST THING, I GUESS FOR ME IS THAT, YES, I'M AN INDIGENOUS PERSON IS NO DOUBT.
BUT IT'S MORE THAN THAT FOR ALL OF US HERE. REMEMBER, WE'RE ALL HERE AS CITIZENS OF OUR CITY AND A NUMBER OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED AS WELL BY THE CLOSURE OF THESE MINES, UPCOMING CLOSURE AND DOWNSIZING AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ENSURE THAT ALL OUR CITIZENS, INCLUDING OBVIOUSLY WITH A GOOD FOCUS ON INDIGENOUS PERSONS, ARE HIRED AND BUILD IT INTO THE PROCUREMENT POLICIES SO THAT WHEN WE ARE PUTTING OUT A CONTRACT FOR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, THAT THERE'S ROCK SOLID GUARANTEES IN THERE THAT OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THAT CONTRACT AND INDIGENOUS BUSINESSES, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE.
AND NOT SO MUCH. A FLY IN FLY OUTS. THE MINES ARE CLOSED.
SORRY. IT'S TIME TO TAKE CARE OF US. AND IT'S TIME TO TAKE CARE OF OUR PEOPLE HERE, NOW.
THAT'S WHAT I GOT. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT WHITFORD.
AND THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN. I FULLY CONCUR WITH US FOLLOWING SUIT ON IMPLEMENTING AN INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT POLICY, AT LEAST FOR CONSIDERATION. I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR OWN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS COMING SUIT HERE, THAT I THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO NEED YOUR CURRENT WORKFORCE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.
NEXT WE HAVE COUNCILLOR WARBURTON. THANK YOU.
AND THANKS, GUYS, FOR THE PRESENTATION. HE MOSTLY ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT IS THERE ANY LIKE, WE SEE YOU MENTIONED PARTNERSHIPS OR INDIGENOUS COMPANY, LIKE TERRITORIES, LIKE ROADS AND PORTS.
AND IS THERE ANYTHING OF SCALE A CITY DOES THAT YOU FORESEE ANY KIND OF PARTNERSHIP ON INFRASTRUCTURE ON? BECAUSE WE DON'T OPERATE AT THOSE MASSIVE TENS AND HUNDREDS OF TENS OF MILLIONS WE DO.
BUT NOT THAT SCALE OF THE TERRITORY DOES. WHAT KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD YOU FORESEE BEING SOMETHING THE CITY COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK AT PARTNERING WITH FOLKS ON? I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT WAS YOUR INDIGENOUS INCLUSION ON THE POOL? NO ONE HAS THAT ANSWER OFF THE TOP OF OUR HEAD UNLESS ADMINISTRATION DOES.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE JUST THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT? BUT I THINK WE ARE SEEING MORE, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT, THE CITY AND THEN IDC OR INDIGENOUS GROUPS AROUND, YOU KNOW, HOUSING.
ANY SORT OF NET NEW BUILDS, ETC. LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO BE OF SCALE POTENTIALLY COMING UP, A WATER TREATMENT PLANTS, I THINK THERE'S A PIPELINE REPLACEMENT, ETC.
[00:30:03]
THE AIRPORT YOU KNOW, TO BUILD THAT UP SERVICES, ETC.SO I THINK LOOKING AT YOUR ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS OF INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, OKAY, WELL, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN START BRINGING IN SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS, WHETHER THAT BE FROM A CONTRACTING STANDPOINT, LABOR, ETC., RIGHT? BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE HERE TO MAYBE LOOK AT THE POOL AS AN EXAMPLE.
TAKE THAT BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TENS OF MILLIONS THAT WAS.
WHAT WAS OUR INDIGENOUS STRATEGY, IF ANY, THAT INVOLVED THE POOL AND WHY AND WHY NOT? WE'RE SEEING BOTH FROM THE GNWT. WE'RE SEEING IT FROM THE CITY SIDE.
THERE'S ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR THEM. SO THERE CAN BE CREATIVE WAYS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT.
SO LOOKING AT THE INTAKE PIPE, AND WE KNOW THAT THE COST OF THAT HAS GONE UP.
THERE'S AN INDIGENOUS GROUP COMES IN, BUILDS IT.
RENTS IT BACK TO THE CITY. AND THEN IT'S OFF TO CITY AS A CAPITAL COST.
AND IT'S AN OFF COST. SO THEN IT'S BRINGING A BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION TO BOTH THE CITY AND HELPING LOCAL INDIGENOUS GROUPS AND OTHER COMPANIES KIND OF CONTINUE TO GROW AND MAINTAIN. I GUESS I'LL ADD TO THAT REALLY QUICK.
IT'S A GREAT POINT BY MARK. WE'VE DONE IT. WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT IN THIS TERRITORY, RIGHT? SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE ALL SEASON ROAD, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST OF ITS KIND AROUND AN INDIGENOUS 3P TYPE MODEL COMING IN.
AND TO MARK'S POINT, YOU CONVERTING THAT FROM CHUNKY CAPITAL COST.
YOU SPRUNG THAT OUT I THINK IN THAT CASE IS 25 YEAR AMORTIZATION PERIOD.
WITH OBVIOUSLY STRONG NOT ONLY INDIGENOUS INCLUSION BUT INDIGENOUS OWNERSHIP.
ALL RIGHT. I'M GOOD. YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY. AWESOME.
THANK YOU. AND YOU DID MENTION SOME OF THESE OTHER PROJECTS WHICH EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT.
IS IT HAPPENING AT A CONCEPTUAL LEVEL AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, OR ARE THEY ACTUALLY TALKING TO YOU FOLKS ON THE GROUND? BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HOW IT HAPPENS. IF FITS HAVE GREAT IDEAS, THEY COME HERE, THEY DON'T LAND WELL. SO JUST KIND OF A READ THERE. YEAH, I THINK IT DEPENDS, ROB ON THE PROJECT ITSELF.
AND I THINK IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH YOU KNOW, THE IDC'S WE DO NOT SPEAK FOR, FOR THE NATIONS THAT, THAT OWN US, RIGHT? SO A LOT OF TIMES THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE DIRECTLY WITH THE INDIGENOUS GROUPS THEMSELVES.
RIGHT. ARE WE BROUGHT INTO THAT? ABSOLUTELY. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S REALLY WHERE THOSE CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE, BECAUSE THE RELATIONSHIP EXISTS. GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? BUT IN TERMS OF OF THE ARCTIC SECURITY CORRIDOR, YES. THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE ABSOLUTELY TAKING PLACE. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SEEING CONVERSATIONS EVEN AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE FOR IDC'S OVER THE LAST 12, 18 MONTHS COMING TOGETHER, THAT'S A REALLY POSITIVE, STRONG SIGNAL, NOT JUST FOR THOSE FOR IDC'S, BUT FOR YELLOWKNIFE, FOR THE TERRITORY, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT COLLABORATION, MORE OF THAT COMMUNICATION. HOW DO WE DO AND COME TOGETHER.
AND THERE'S STRENGTH IN NUMBERS AND DOING THAT, RIGHT? THANK YOU. GO AHEAD MARK. YEAH. VERY SIMPLY PUT IN WITH THESE LONG TERM PROJECTS.
AND THESE ARE SORT OF LONG TERM PROJECTS RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S JUST AND OF COURSE, THERE'S SHORT TERM ONES TO SHORT TERM STOP THE IMMEDIATE BLEED.
AND THAT'S BY CHANGING CONTRACT PRACTICES, ETC..
BUT THE LONG TERM ONES ARE TO BE ABLE TO VISIT THESE LONG DESIRED, THESE LARGE PROJECTS THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ALSO DEFENSE CANADA AND ALL THIS OTHER STUFF THAT'S LOOKING LIKE IT COULD COME OUR WAY.
SO WE'VE GOT TO PREPARE OURSELVES. THE CITY'S GOT TO PREPARE ITSELF.
AND WE'VE ALSO, AS INDIGENOUS BODIES, HAVE TO GET TOGETHER FOR A CHANGE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES TOGETHER.
THAT'S WHAT I SEE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT WE HAVE COUNCILMAN FEQUET.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION, GUYS. A COUPLE THINGS.
I WAS LOOKING AT OUR TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR OUR TASK FORCE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND I NOTED THAT ONLY YELLOWKNIFE´S FIRST NATION AND DET'ON CHO HAVE A POSITION ON THERE AMONGST THE MEMBERSHIP. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER NOW, BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COLLECTIVE IDC'S COULD TAKE BACK AND THINK ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, AND IF IT'S APPROPRIATE TO HAVE THE WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE THAT YOU GUYS BRING COLLECTIVELY ON THAT COMMITTEE TO
[00:35:01]
HELP THE CITY, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE TOOLS THE CITY HAS IN ITS TOOLBOX TO HELP GUIDE US AND HELP PRIORITIZE OUR ECONOMIC INITIATIVES.SO THAT IS, I GUESS, A QUESTION THAT IF YOU COULD TAKE BACK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND WE JUST TALKED ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AND AGREED.
I WAS ON THE FIELD HOUSE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE BACK WAY BACK BEFORE 2010.
SO MAYBE JUST A QUESTION FOR ADMIN ABOUT IF WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANY CRITERIA IN ANY OF OUR RFP PROCESSES TO GIVE POINTS OR SERVE PREFERENCES TO ANY LOCAL OR NORTHERN INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES.
MR. [INAUDIBLE]? I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
DIRECTOR PANDOO, HE MIGHT. DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. IT'S A YES AND NO ANSWER.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY POLICY THAT'S SPECIFIC TO INDIGENOUS, BUT WE DO HAVE OUR LOCAL PROCUREMENT POLICY.
SO THAT WOULD CAPTURE SOME OF THE INDIGENOUS COMPANIES AS WELL.
THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THAT ANSWER. AND YEAH, I DO RECALL HAVING THAT CONVERSATION, THAT REPORT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO US JUST A MEETING OR TWO AGO, AND WE DID HIT OUR 85% LOCAL MARK.
AND OFTEN SOME OF THE CURRENT [INAUDIBLE] CLAIMS, AND SELF-GOVERNANCE AGREEMENTS AND TREATIES THAT ARE BEING NEGOTIATED ARE TALKING ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A LOT MORE. SO I THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ONE PAGE LOCAL PROCUREMENT POLICY IS CLOSER TO [INAUDIBLE] 28 PAGE INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT POLICY. SO THAT'S JUST TELLING WHEN I LOOK AT THE PAGE NUMBER ALONE.
SO I'M DEFINITELY IN SUPPORT OF US UPDATING THAT AT THAT NEXT OPPORTUNITY.
BECAUSE YEAH, PARTNERSHIPS AT THE GROUND LEVEL AND OPPORTUNITIES. AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE YOU GUYS ON OUR TASK FORCE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THOSE KIND OF DISCUSSIONS HAPPEN AND BRAINSTORMING HAPPENS. AND IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT.
A QUESTION FOR YOU, THOUGH. SO WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AND MAYBE A MISSED OPPORTUNITY THERE AND TRYING TO DO BETTER THROUGH POLICY MOVING FORWARD. ARE THERE ANY OTHER OBVIOUS OUTSOURCING, LIKE WAVING OF THE MAGIC WAND, THINGS THAT YOU THINK THE CITY CAN DO OTHER THAN THOSE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE MAYBE DISCUSSED OR OR SHARED ON PREVIOUS TIMES THAT MAYBE WASN'T.
NO TRACTION WAS GAINED, BUT THAT COME TO MIND? WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH THE CITY A LOT MORE BECAUSE THERE IS THE ECONOMIC MOU BETWEEN THE ONLINE STANDING AND THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE.
AS I SAID, LOOKING AT CREATIVE WAYS TO TRY TO UTILIZE THAT TO BE A BENEFIT OF BOTH IN THE END, BECAUSE AS I THINK WE'VE ALL STATED OR MARK STATED EARLIER, WE'RE ALL PART OF THE CITY, NO MATTER WHAT, INDIGENOUS, NON-INDIGENOUS OR WHATNOT. EVERYBODY'S HERE.
YES, SIR. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU, RYAN. I THINK TO ME THE CITY HAS DONE A LOT.
AND WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE FUTURE IS GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF NAVIGATION.
WE'VE NEVER REALLY BEEN QUITE IN A SITUATION.
WELL, MAYBE WE HAVE, OKAY. AND I'M JUST GOING TO GO BACK TRY TO GO BACK IN TIME TO 1988, 89, WHEN THE GOLD MINES WERE CLOSING HERE AND WE WERE ALL THERE.
[00:40:05]
THE CITY WOULD PROBABLY BE ABOUT 10%, 15% LESS SIZE, IF THAT OR BETTER THAN THAT, HAD THE DIAMOND MINES DON'T COME. THIS IMPACT, UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN'T SIDESTEP THIS ONE.YOU KNOW, IN 1991, WE WERE FORTUNATE. PEOPLE WERE SITTING OUT BY THE CLAIMS OFFICE THERE REGISTERING DIAMOND CLAIMS SITTING THERE ALL NIGHT AT 30 BELOW. AND THAT WAS A GOOD NEWS ARTICLE, BUT NONETHELESS THE FACT IS, WE DON'T HAVE THAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO ANYMORE, FOLKS.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE US IN THE CITY. AND I MEAN US AS INDIGENOUS BODIES TOGETHER HERE.
THE FOUR OF US WORKING TOGETHER CLOSELY WITH THE CITY IN ORDER TO TRY TO STABILIZE AND TO TRY TO ENHANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US HERE. AND THAT'S WHAT I SEE.
SO WE WE GOT TO LEAN INTO THAT. AND RYAN, THANK YOU, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT YOU'VE SAID.
YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THERE I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT IF THERE'S ANYTHING THERE, ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK THAT YOU NEED ANYTHING IN TERMS OF SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU AS A COUNSELOR WOULD BE OPEN TO.
AND I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL TABLE HERE WOULD BE VERY, VERY MUCH AN OPEN TO.
SO WE GOT TO WORK TOGETHER CLOSELY. THERE'S NO DOUBT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HOLD HANDS.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD ALWAYS BEEN ANYWAY.
AND THIS, YOU KNOW, GO INTO IT AND TRY TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, WHICH MEANS ADJUSTMENTS AND POLICIES.
IT MEANS ADJUSTMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES AND UNDERSTANDINGS IN THE WAY THE FOR INSTANCE, LAND IS AVAILABLE FOR EXPANSION. ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT TRADITIONALLY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT ASIDE BECAUSE WE HAD THE MINES THERE TO FALL BACK ON IT. THESE DAYS ARE DONE.
SO IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO MOVE FORWARD AND KEEP DEVELOPMENT GOING AND KEEP ESPECIALLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I SHOULD SAY IN THE CITY GOING WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
SO WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY WILL, I HOPE, ENHANCE THAT FOR ALL.
SO THAT WAS A WELL-TAKEN THING. THANK YOU, RYAN. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU GUYS ALL HERE AS A COLLECTIVE. I THINK THAT'S WHERE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES, FUTURE ECONOMIES OF SCALE WILL HAPPEN.
GREATER PARTNERSHIPS. AND YEAH, I THINK THE TONE OF THIS COUNCIL, I OBVIOUSLY CAN SPEAK FOR MYSELF.
BUT EVERYBODY SAID THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY AWARE OF THIS REALITY THAT'S ALREADY HERE AND, YOU KNOW, WILLING TO HEAR AND BRAINSTORM AND WORK THROUGH IT.
AND I FELT LIKE IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO SHARE THAT IN CASE ANYBODY THOUGHT FAT LAKE MEANT LIKE BIG LAKE, IT'S [INAUDIBLE] BECAUSE IT MEANS FAT, LIKE CARIBOU FAT.
AND SO THERE WAS VEINS IN THE ROCKS AROUND LAC DE GRAS THAT REFLECTED CARIBOU SINEW AND THE FAT.
SO THAT'S WHY THEY CALLED IT FAT LAKE. CARIBOU FAT, THOUGH.
COOL, THANKS, GUYS. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW THERE.
NEXT WE HAVE COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANKS FOR COMING IN THE PRESENTATION. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE JOBS NUMBERS.
YELLOWKNIFE IS LINKED TO THE TERRITORY BACK AND FORTH FOR SURE.
BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE DIRECT JOBS ARE YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS? OR HOW MANY OF THOSE JOBS ARE INDIRECT YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS? ACTUALLY, I THINK WE DO, JUST NOT HERE. THE MAJORITY.
SO, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY THAT IS MOST IMPACTED IS ACTUALLY DET´ON CHO.
AND THEN YELLOWKNIFE, RIGHT? SO TLICHO UNFORTUNATELY IT'S GOT THE MOST EXPOSURE OUT OF ANY OF THE INDIGENOUS GROUPS AND I THINK ANY OF THE QUOTE UNQUOTE, MUNICIPALITIES. AND OBVIOUSLY, THE CHALLENGE THEN THAT YOU'VE GOT WITH THE TLICHO COMMUNITIES IN PARTICULAR IS GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW UNDER THOSE IMPACT BENEFIT AGREEMENTS, YOU'VE GOT A CHARTER THAT COMES IN, PICK FOLKS UP. YOU KNOW, THOSE FOLKS IN DETON CHO ARE TRAVELING DOWN TO YELLOWKNIFE.
THAT TAKES PLACE. IT TAKES CARE OF THAT. THAT.
THAT'S ANOTHER LAYER OF CHALLENGE THAT COMES WITH THAT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING CREATIVE. SO, YOU KNOW, GARRET YOU KNOW, THIS I'M VERY PROUD OF THE FACT IN THIS CASE,
[00:45:04]
DET'ON CHO AND TLICHO CAME TOGETHER ON GIANT MINE DEMOLITION.SO FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING EN MASSE, FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITIES, AGAIN, MAJORITY BEING DET´ON CHO THAT ARE COMING IN TO WEEKEND TO WEEK OUT SHIFT FOR GIANT MINE WORKING WITH [INAUDIBLE] FOR TEMPORARY CAMP SPACE.
SO LOGISTICS CAMP AND THEN BACK. THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, RIGHT? SO I THINK WE'RE, YOU KNOW, FINDING WAYS TO AGAIN COLLABORATE, GET CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE MOVE PEOPLE, HOUSE PEOPLE, ETC. IT'S NOT PERFECT. IT'S NOT IDEAL, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE, RIGHT? BUT YELLOWKNIFE, GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PART OF YOUR QUESTION, SORRY.
IT DEFINITELY HAS GOT A HIGH IMPACT, RIGHT? AND I THINK WHERE IT GETS A LITTLE BIT FUZZIER IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EASILY DETERMINE THE DIRECT.
IT'S THE INDIRECT THAT BECOMES MORE CHALLENGING, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE EVEN COMING UP FROM THE COMMUNITIES THEY'RE SUPPORTING, AGAIN, THE SERVICE SECTOR, RESTAURANTS, ETC., YOU KNOW, THOSE JOBS ARE THE ONES THE FOLKS HAVE DISPOSABLE INCOME AND THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THEN THAT HAVE THAT TERTIARY SORT OF LEVEL, RIGHT? SO ALL OF THAT HAS THAT TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT.
SO I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER THOUGH I APOLOGIZE.
NO, NO FOR SURE. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND THEN I THINK, YEAH, YOU'RE SORT OF GETTING RIGHT AT MY LEAD ON QUESTION, THERE WAS, HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE CITY AT ALL OR ANY THOUGHTS YOU COULD PASS ALONG ON THAT HOUSING SPACE? IF THERE'S A BUNCH OF EXACTLY WORKERS COMING IN FROM BRCKO OR COMMUNITIES TO DO TWO AND TWO AND TWO ON IN YELLOWKNIFE.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CONVERSATIONS OR OR COULD YOU LOOK AT HAVING ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH.
IF WE'RE REDOING THE COMMUNITY PLAN ABOUT CAMP HOUSING BUYING AND BUILDING AN APARTMENT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. ANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS? YEAH, WE CERTAINLY LOOKED AT IT. AGAIN, IT'S A COST FACTOR, RIGHT? SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE FIRM CONTRACTS, WHAT HAVE YOU? HOW DO YOU BUILD A BUSINESS MODEL THEN? YOU KNOW, THAT BECOMES OVERHEAD OR FIXED COST THAT YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR.
IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT NOW TO BUILD A PLAN AROUND THAT FROM A FINANCING STANDPOINT TO ACCOMMODATE AND MANAGE RISK, RIGHT? SORRY. THAT'S THE [INAUDIBLE] COMING OUT.
IT'S A TERRIBLE DISEASE. BUT SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE FOUND THAT TEMPORARY SOLUTION.
IS IT IDEAL, PERFECT? NO, BUT THE REALLY NICE THING ABOUT IT IS IT'S VARIABLE, RIGHT? SO WE CAN VERY QUICKLY SCALE UP AND DOWN TO MEET THE DEMAND OR THE OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT? AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU GET INTO SOME OF THAT SORT OF FIXED THAT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT MORE CHALLENGING, RIGHT? NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, CREATIVE WAYS, WHETHER THAT EVEN BE AROUND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT FOR SOME OF THEIR NEEDS, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY AT THE CITY, ETC. BUT AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO BE THAT CREATIVITY THAT COMES INTO IT, RIGHT? AND IT'S MANAGING RISK. IF I'VE LEARNED ANYTHING PERSONALLY AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FOURTH INDIGENOUS CORPORATION LOOKING AFTER IT, I ACTUALLY LOOKED AFTER ONE IN YUKON AND ALASKA, WHICH IS WHY I KNOW THAT JURISDICTION WELL AS WELL.ONE OF THE AREAS THAT TYPICALLY I THINK INDIGENOUS CORPORATIONS AND GROUPS GET A BIT CHALLENGED WITH IS AROUND THE CONCEPT OF RISK MANAGEMENT, RIGHT? ONE, UNDERSTANDING WHAT RISK IS. AND ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND IT, THEN IDENTIFYING IT AND THEN MITIGATING AGAINST IT.
SO I THINK WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE SOPHISTICATED AROUND THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE YOU START SEEING THE LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT ARE COMING OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE THAT'S ALL PART OF HOW DO WE WORK WITH INDIGENOUS GROUPS TO HELP THEM MANAGE THAT? I'LL JUST ADD, THE ONE THING ADD TO THAT TOO, IS JUST AS WE'RE SEEING, WE'VE GOT THREE OF THE FOUR HERE IS LOOKING CREATIVELY TOGETHER INSTEAD OF BEING JUST COLLEGIAL, LOOKING AT IT FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE OF HAVING TO BRING PEOPLE IN. BUT LOOKING AT IT FROM ALL FOUR GROUPS TO PAUL'S POINT, TO MANAGE THAT RISK WHEN YOU'VE GONE FROM 1 TO 4, IT REDUCES THAT RISK INDIVIDUALLY PER PER GROUP AND THEN ALLOWS YOU TO TAKE MORE CREATIVE MEASURES AND LOOK AT MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOLUTIONS TO THESE ISSUES.
YES, I AGREE. WORKING TOGETHER IS BETTER. THERE'S NO DOUBT, OKAY? IT'S JUST. YOU KNOW I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON THE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST THE INDIGENOUS GROUPS HAVE SORT OF NOT WORKED AS WELL OR AS THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE TOGETHER. BUT I THINK THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE.
THAT WE'LL SEE, WITH THIS COMMON THREAT THAT FACES US ALL THAT I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN CHANGE THAT DYNAMIC AND WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AS ONE COHESIVE GROUP IN THE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL BE
[00:50:01]
PRESENTED AND ESPECIALLY FROM ANY CITY PROJECTS.THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, THE MINES. I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW THE MINES OPERATE.
THESE BEAT YOUR FACE OFF. AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS, SADLY.
SO THEY'LL DRIVE PRICES DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. SO THERE'S NOTHING LEFT ON THE TABLE.
IN THE CASE, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT HERE IS THAT WE WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND THE CITY WANTS, SHOULD WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO LOOK OVER ANY OPPORTUNITY THEY PRESENT FOR ANY CONTRACTS OR WHATEVER AND SAY, OKAY, HEY, HOLD ON HERE.
YOU KNOW, LET US MAKE SURE THAT THE INDIGENOUS CORPORATIONS AND NOT JUST THEM, TOO, BUT RATHER OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE COMMON AND OWNED HERE IN YELLOWKNIFE BY ITS CITIZENS, HAVE A CHANCE TO TAKE A GOOD PART IN CARRYING OUT THESE CONTRACTS. SO THAT'S JUST ONE TINY FACET OF THIS VERY LARGE DIAMOND.
SO ANYWAY. I WANT TO ADD I WANT TO ADD SOMETHING THAT TO WHAT MARK WAS TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF HE'S TALKING ABOUT MARGINS, RIGHT? AND I THINK WHAT'S RELATABLE TO THE CITY, AND I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO MY EXPERIENCES IN WHITEHORSE.
ONE OF THEM WAS A CIVIL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THAT DID UNDER UNDERGROUND UTILITIES, HAD AN ASPHALT DIVISION, ETC. SO THE CITY WAS DOING A NEW HOSPITAL, RIGHT? AND SO A LARGE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER CAME IN TO OVERSEE IT.
AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WAS DONE AROUND THE SUBCONTRACTOR SUB TRADES, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, IN THIS CASE, THE COMPANY THAT I WAS OVERSEEING.
AT THE END OF THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT 70% OF THE WORK WAS DONE AT A LOCAL LEVEL, RIGHT? WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY GREAT NUMBER, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE DOING THINGS LIKE A HOSPITAL OR A POOL OR WHAT HAVE YOU, RIGHT? BUT THE REALITY OF IT WAS, I MEAN, WHITEHORSE AT THAT TIME YOU KNOW, TEN YEARS AGO OR SO WAS FACING WHAT YELLOWKNIFE IS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, RIGHT? AND THAT WAS EFFECTIVELY REALLY A LOW INDUSTRIAL POINT.
THEY HAD NO MINES OPERATING. THEY WERE VERY RELIANT ON GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? AND IT WAS A PRETTY SCRAPPY WORLD. AND SO THAT PROJECT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 70% OF THE VOLUME OF WORK WAS DONE AT A LOCAL LEVEL, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROFIT WAS RETAINED BY THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER.
THAT WAS A SOUTHERN BASED COMPANY. SO EFFECTIVELY A LOT OF THOSE LOCAL COMPANIES, INCLUDING THE INDIGENOUS, WORKED FOR CASH FLOW TO KEEP THEIR PEOPLE WORKING, BUT WERE NOT ACTUALLY FROM A PROFITABILITY STANDPOINT.
IT'S ALSO ENSURING THAT WE'VE GOT PROFITABLE, SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES, WHETHER IT BE INDIGENOUS OR NOT, AT A LOCAL LEVEL, BECAUSE THAT RISK IS VERY REAL. AWESOME, YEAH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE ANSWERS. AND YEAH, IF THOSE PROJECTS MOVE AHEAD.
ARCTIC SECURITY, THOSE BIG ONES. YEAH. THEY NEED TO HAVE A LONG TERM POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE NORTH.
YEAH, NOT JUST SORT OF OPERATING FOR CASH FLOW.
LIKE YOU WERE SAYING THERE. AND THINK ABOUT THE LAND USE HOUSING AND HOW THAT CAN BENEFIT COMMUNITIES LONG TERM, NOT JUST AS THE PROJECTS GOING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MCLENNAN.
COUNCILLOR FOOTE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I'M HAPPY TO SEE YOU STANDING TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY.
THERE'S A LACK OF PLUG AND PLAY LOCAL JOBS FOR GUYS LIKE PROCESS PLANT OPERATORS, HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS, SITE SERVICE PROFESSIONALS. SO RETRAINING IS HUGE, OBVIOUSLY.
BUT LIKE PAUL TOUCHED ON, IT'S WHAT JOB IS. ARE WE PLUGGING THEM INTO? WE JUST CAN'T CREATE THEM OUT OF THIN AIR. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS MORE FOR PAUL HERE, BUT ANYBODY CAN CHIME IN.
[INAUDIBLE] SHARE PRICES ARE UP. WHAT'S THE EXCITEMENT LIKE IN TLICHO NATION ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF PARTNERSHIPS THERE? IT'S ALMOST SHOVEL READY. SO 50KM PER ROAD WOULD BE IMMEDIATE WORK FOR SOME OF THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES.
SO ANY THOUGHTS THERE? YEAH. NO, GREAT QUESTION, ROB.
I CAN ACTUALLY GIVE YOU AN ANSWER. SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IDC'S, WE'RE THERE TO EXECUTE BASED UPON THE DIRECTION PROVIDED TO US BY OUR NATIONS, OR IN THIS CASE, TLICHO GOVERNMENT OR CHIEF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO DANCE AROUND IT, BUT THAT IS A MORE APPROPRIATE QUESTION.
[00:55:03]
I CAN'T SPEAK ON THE BEHALF OF WHAT THE NATIONS DESIRE OR, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF WORKING ON THE [INAUDIBLE] PROJECT, BUT AGREE, SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY. WE'LL SEE WHAT WHAT TRANSPIRES IN THE FUTURE.I MEAN, THEY CERTAINLY GOT A BIT OF A CAPITAL INJECTION FROM US DEFENSE.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AND I BELIEVE SOME OF THAT WAS MATCHED BY CANADIAN. SO, YOU KNOW, FOREIGN PARTIES ARE OBVIOUSLY INTERESTED IN THE PROJECT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE THEM WITH A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR SORT OF CONTRIBUTION.
BUT THAT'S WHAT ALL I CAN SORT OF PUT TO THAT.
OKAY. THANKS FOR THAT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND ANYONE FOR SECOND ROUND? I KNOW COUNCILLOR FEQUET HAS ONE QUESTION AT LEAST.
BUT ANYBODY ELSE AFTERWARDS? COUNCILLOR FEQUET.
THANKS, ONE QUESTION. I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THAT WHITE HORSE PROCUREMENT POLICY, AND A LOT OF THE THINGS YOU WERE SAYING KIND OF RESONATED AND STRUCK ME ABOUT THEY HAVE A PRINCIPLE AND THEY'RE CALLED BEST VALUE. AND SO IT'S NOT ABOUT COST, RIGHT? IT'S ABOUT LONG TERM. LIKE, SURE, WE'RE WE'RE COUNCILORS UNTIL NEXT OCTOBER.
BUT YELLOWKNIFE IS GOING TO BE HERE A LOT LONGER.
AND THE DECISIONS WE MAKE HOPEFULLY ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT MUCH LONGER RUNWAY.
SO THE BEST VALUE PRINCIPLE IN THEIR PROCUREMENT POLICY IS, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT IT MIGHT COST MORE NOW, BUT IF IT'S GIVING OWNERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIPS AND SERVICES THAT ARE GOING TO BE ONGOING FOREVER, AS LONG AS THE CITY EXISTS, I MEAN, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IN A POLICY OF OUR OWN.
SO MY QUESTION WAS JUST. I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CAPITAL FUNDING FROM THE GOVERNMENT FOR INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT CORP'S $0.75 ON THE DOLLAR FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. ARE YOU GUYS AWARE OF ANY OF THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL JUST KIND OF FOLLOWING UP FROM COUNCILMAN WARBURTON'S EARLIER QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S THESE MASSIVE PROJECTS, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE'S BEEN ANY EXAMPLES OR EXPERIENCES WE CAN LEARN FROM THAT YOU GUYS MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH ABOUT LEVERAGING THAT, THOSE GRANTS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR INDIGENOUS CORPORATIONS TO HELP MUNICIPALITIES KIND OF FIGHT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE CRISIS THAT EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE IN.
75, 25 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR, ETC. NOT SO EASY.
I MEAN, EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT INFRASTRUCTURE BANK OF CANADA, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAMS, ETC, REALLY WHAT THEY ARE IS IT'S NOT CAPITAL, RIGHT? IT IS ACCESS AND BACKSTOPPING DEBT IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
SO THE REASON WHY YOU'RE SEEING THINGS LIKE EQUITY POSITIONS BEING TAKEN ON, SAY, PIPELINES AND CORRIDORS, ETC, BECAUSE YOU CAN PLAN 20, 30, 40 YEARS ON YOUR RATE OF RETURN OF.
TRANSMISSION LINES ARE ANOTHER PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT, RIGHT? AND THEN REALLY ALL YOU'RE DOING IS GETTING THE ARBITRAGE BETWEEN YOUR RATE OF RETURN AND INTEREST PAID, YOUR LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAMS BASED UPON TRIPLE-A RATING BY THE FEDS.
AND WHEN YOU START GETTING AND SAYING, WELL, YOU KNOW, CAN YOU HELP US STAY ON THE INTAKE PIPE AT 150 MILLION, WHATEVER THE ESTIMATED VALUE IS. AND INDIGENOUS DON'T JUST GET TO HAVE 75 MILLION FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
BUT I THINK WHERE THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY.
IS LOOKING AT THE INVESTMENT BY D&D, RIGHT? SO AND I'M ASSUMING THE CITY IS MET WITH D&D AROUND THEIR INTEREST, AROUND DEVELOPING THE AIRPORT AND INUVIK, ETC.
WELL, D&D ALSO HAS A HISTORY OF NOT JUST INVESTING DIRECTLY WITHIN THE PROJECT ITSELF, BUT WHEN THEY'RE GOING INTO A COMMUNITY TO SORT OF BUILD UP THEIR PRESENCE. THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE THEY MIGHT BE INVESTING WITHIN THOSE JURISDICTIONS AS WELL.
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE A MASSIVE PROJECT GO IN WITHOUT ALL THE PERIPHERY OR SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG WITH THAT, INCLUDING HOUSING, ETC. I WOULD SAY IT HAS PROBABLY THE LEVER THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WHERE INDIGENOUS PROBABLY CAN COME IN.
AND FROM A PARTNERSHIP STANDPOINT, ALTHOUGH AGAIN, CAUTION YOU THAT D&D DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT POLICIES AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES, WHERE THEY'VE GOT A 5% ON ALL CAPITAL SPEND ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, RIGHT? SO NOT THE EASIEST OF CONVERSATION SOMETIMES IN NUANCED, BUT I THINK THERE'S STILL OPPORTUNITIES THERE THAT COULD BE EXPLORED.
COUNCILLOR COCHRANE? THANK YOU, MISTER CHAIR.
KIND OF TO EXPAND UPON WHAT COUNCILLOR MCLENNAN WAS GOING ON.
I KNOW YOU GUYS FIRSTHAND OR FROM MY FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, ARE INCREDIBLY TALENTED AT PIVOTING.
HAVE YOU ANY STRATEGIC CONSIDERATION ABOUT GETTING INTO GENERAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT NOW THAT NOVA AND HOLMES NORTH HAVE PULLED AWAY, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, AS OF LATE, OR IS THE RISK MITIGATION WITHIN THAT INDUSTRY JUST TOO HIGH? YEAH, I THINK THE RISK IS HIGH. IT'S. AGAIN, GOING.
[01:00:06]
YEAH. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT RISK AND YOU LOOK AT OPPORTUNITY, I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT NOT ALL INDIGENOUS GROUPS OR CORPORATIONS ARE THE SAME, RIGHT? SO I KNOW DET'ON CHO FAIRLY WELL, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.THAT'S A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD THAN, SAY, TLICHO, RIGHT? AND EVEN FOR ME, I'M HAVING TO RESHAPE SOME OF THE THINKING AROUND SOME OF THAT, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHEN I WAS AT [INAUDIBLE] AT NORTHWESTERN B.C, WE EFFECTIVELY HAD A 0% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, RIGHT? LIKE, YOU COULDN'T HIRE PEOPLE. IT WAS AMAZING.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MARK. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT YELLOWKNIFE DENE FIRST NATIONS AT APPROXIMATELY 15, 16 HUNDRED PEOPLE CENTERED IN OR AROUND YELLOWKNIFE, THEY HAVE A MUCH LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THAN, SAY, TLICHO WOULD, RIGHT? AND THAT'S THE NUANCE.
THAT'S THE CHALLENGE, RIGHT? SO WHEN, YOU KNOW, MARK MIGHT BE LOOKING AT COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A LONG TERM RATE OF RETURN. YOU KNOW, PAUL IS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT SAYING, OKAY, WE'VE GOT 4500 PLUS TLICHO MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR PROFILE ABOUT 1000 BEING IN YELLOWKNIFE, 2500 IN THE COMMUNITIES AND 1000 OTHER.
WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE LESS PASSIVE, LIKE REAL ESTATE AND MORE ACTIVE, WHERE YOU CAN SUCK UP A LOT OF PEOPLE AND WITH GOOD PAYING JOBS, RIGHT? SO IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE GROUPS OR CORPORATIONS, WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE GOING TO BE. SOMETHING LIKE HOUSING, FOR EXAMPLE.
YOU KNOW, LOW RATE OF RETURN, HIGH RISK VERY ACTIVE, LOW EMPLOYMENT GENERATOR, ETC.
DOESN'T CHECK A LOT OF BOXES. A LOT OF WAYS. IT'S A VERY CHALLENGING SPACE TO BE IN, RIGHT? WITH A PROPERTY MANAGER, MAYBE IT'S A BIT OF A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION, BUT THAT'S WHERE YOU NEED TO HAVE AN ANCHOR, LIKE A GNWT, LIKE A CITY OR WHATEVER ELSE. YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT LOOKS AT TO GO OUT THERE AND SIMPLY BE A LANDHOLDER AND HAVE, YOU KNOW, 30, 40, 50 TENANTS IN DEALING WITH EACH ONE LIKE DIRECTLY.
THAT'S A TOUGH ONE, RIGHT? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MY COLLEAGUES? NO? IT'S ALWAYS NICE BEING AT THE END BECAUSE YOU GUYS GET TO DO ALL THE HARD WORK THAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO NOW.
NO, I HAVE NOTHING ADDITIONAL. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TODAY. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN, WHAT, ABOUT A YEAR, YEAR AND A HALF SINCE [INAUDIBLE] CAME? SORT OF YOU KNOW, SET THE STAGE FOR NOW, THIS CONVERSATION CONTINUING.
THIS IS A REAL REALITY, AS YOU ALL SAID, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME, AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE PEOPLE FINALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU CAME TO SPEAK ABOUT IT, AND ALSO GAVE US SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON WHAT WE AS A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION CAN MAYBE BE DOING AS WELL. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING TODAY, FOR HAVING THIS CONVERSATION PUBLICLY.
WE'LL BE IN TOUCH. LOTS TO DO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANKS. ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, [INAUDIBLE], THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TODAY.
TRULY APPRECIATE IT. THANKS VERY MUCH GUYS. AND NEXT WE HAVE TWO
[Items 5 & 6]
IN-CAMERA ITEMS. SO IF I CAN GET A MOTION TO GO IN-CAMERA, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE, SECONDED BY DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON.AND WE WILL GO IN-CAMERA. AND FOR BUSINESS ARISING OUT OF IN-CAMERA, WE HAVE ONE APPOINTMENT FOR A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NON-GOVERNMENT HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS,
[7. Business arising from In Camera Session.]
INCLUDING HOSPITALS OR OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION, FOR THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD ON HOMELESSNESS.AND THAT WILL BE MR. [INAUDIBLE]. SO WE WILL APPOINT HIM AT OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.
AND WITH THAT, WE COME TO THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION FROM DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON, SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR FEQUET.
AND WE WILL SEE YOU THIS EVENING FOR OUR COUNCIL MEETING. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.