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10TuesdayNovember262013PoliticsFinanceIndustryLabourByMEAGANWOHLBERGDecisionmakersintheNorthwestTerritorieshavealottoconsiderinplan-ningoutthefutureuseoftheirforthcomingresourcerevenuesafterdevolutionbutiftheresonethingtheyshouldagreeonitsthattheHeritageFunddeservesmorethan5percentsayActionCanadafellows.PolicyplannersfromacrossCanadajoinedNWTMLAsWendyBisaroandNormanYakeleyaandrepresenta-tivesfromtheRevenueWatchInstituteandInternationalMonetaryFundlastFridayinVancouvertodiscussbestpracticestheNWTshouldincorporateinthedevelop-mentandimplementationofitsownHeritageFund.ThedialoguehostedbysixActionCanadafellowsaskedacademicsandthegen-eralpublictohelpimaginearoadmapfortheNWTsrecentlyestablishedfundmodelledoffsuccessfullyimplementedfundsinotherjurisdictionsworldwide.ThoughthediscussionopenedupalotofquestionsSarahDaitchanActionCan-adafellowfromFortSmithsaidtherewasstrongagree-mentonatleastonearea.ByMARIACHURCHThesearchforskilledworkershassenttwoNWTorganizationsoverseastoEu-ropeanjobfairswheretheyhopetheallureofCanadasNorthwillattractpotentialapplicants.TheConseildedvel-oppementconomiquedesTerritoiresduNord-OuestCDETNOandtheYellow-knivesDeneFirstNationsDetonChoCorp.arerep-resentingtheNWTatDes-tinationCanadaajobfaircurrentlybeingheldinParisandBrussels.SpeakingtoTheJournalfromParisCDETNOexecu-tivedirectorAnne-ChristineBoudreausaidherjobistodrawanhonestpictureofwhatlifewouldbelikeintheNWTforanewEuro-peanhire.Wedrawthebestportraitwecanforthecandidatestoknowwheretheyareapply-ing.SomeofthemarereallyknowledgeableabouttheNorthalreadybutalotofthemhavenocluewhattheweatheriswhatlifeislikesowehavetoexplainthatshesaid.ExpertsplanroadmapforNWTresourcerevenuesPolicygroupsays5percentnotenoughforNWTHeritagefundNWTorganizationslookforworkersoverseasAlotofpeoplearesurprisedthatwehavealotofservicesthatwearenotatotallyisolatedcommunitywithnothingjustavillage.WhenIsayWehaveaWalmartinYellowknifetheyarelikeWhatArmedwithatranslatedtourismbrochureandmapslocatingtheterritoryanditscommunitiesinrelationtotherestofCanadaBou-dreausaidtheyhavebeenappealingtotheEuropeansadventurousside.HonestlyweredenitelylookingforsomepeoplethathavethatsenseofadventurebutalotofpeopleinFrancehavethatsenseofadven-turesoitsalreadyagoodplacetostarthereshesaid.TheyarereallylookingforthatNorthernvastplacesexperience.ThisistheseventhyearCDETNOhasgoneabroadtojobfairsinEuropetollskilledlabourpositionsonbehalfoftheNWTcompa-niesitrepresents.Boudreausaidthefairal-lowscompaniesandorgani-zationslikeCDETNOtomeetpotentialapplicantsinpersonandhandpicktheresumestosendbacktocompaniesintheNWT.Thisyeartheywentwith76positionstollfromseveralcommunitiesintheterritory.Openingsrangeacrosseldsbutthemajorityareinthetradesincludingengineersbakerswebdevelopersandtechnicians.TheNWTisfacingade-cliningpopulationandase-vereshortageofskilledlabourBoudreausaid.Thismeanscompaniesneedtogetcre-ativeintheirhiring.Atsomepointwehavetolookelsewhereshesaid.WithEuropefacinganun-employmentcrisisfromanoverpopulationofqualiedworkersshesaiditstheidealmarkettohirefrom.Boudreausaidsherecog-nizesthathiringneedstohap-penwithintheNWTaswellandthateducationiskeytohavinglocalskilledworkersbutatthispointcompaniesarefacedwithnotmuchchoice.OurbigcompetitorisAl-berta-theyarelookingforlabourtoo-sothisisoneoftheoptionsforemployersintheNorthshesaid.RetentionratesfornewhiresfromtheDestinationCanadajobfairhavebeenremarkablyhighBoudreausaidanencouragingsignthatkeepsthemgoingbackyearafteryear.PeoplewhoarecomingfromDestinationCanadaarecomingandarehappy.Peoplearestayingtooshesaid.SometimestheyhaveabetterretentionrateintheNorththanCanadians.OnceanapplicantfromDestinationCanadagoesthroughtheinterviewpro-cessandsecuresajobintheNWTCDETNOprovidesthenewimmigrantswithassis-tancetoacclimatizethemtotheirnewlives.Someofthemreallyhaventexperiencedthewin-terthatmuchandthatkindofstuffsowedohelpthemwiththatandthesocialin-tegrationBoudreausaid.Itseemsthatalmostev-erybodyagreesthat5percentisnotreallygoingtoamounttoanythingshesaidrefer-ringtotheNWTdepartmentofFinancescurrentproposalwhichrecommendssplittingresourcerevenuesondebtre-paymentandinfrastructurewith5percentgoingtotheHeritageFund.Thetopicofwhattodowiththeapproximately42millioninannualresourcerevenuesisstillunderdiscussion.BothBisaroandYakeleyatoldthegrouptheydliketoseebe-tween25and100percentofresourcerevenuesgoingintothefundwithpublicdiscus-sionsinFortSmithandYel-lowknifeechoingthesame.PeopleinHayRiveragreedthat5percentwouldbeagoodstartingpoint.Daitchsaidthegovern-mentsplanshouldreecttheintentionofthefundbutthatsofartherelacksaclearlystatedobjectiveforsaving.Whatourpanelistshavetoldusisthatitreallydependsonwhattheobjectivesofthefundare.IsitforstabilizingthebudgetIsitforsocio-economicdevelopmentOrisitbeingsafeguardedSoitdepends.OnethingthatsneededisacleararticulationoftheobjectiveofthefundandIdontthinkanythingweveseenyetintheNWThastoldusthatshesaid.Regardlessofthereason-ingbehindthefundDaitchsaidparticipantsatFridayssessionagreeditneedstobesafeguardedfrompoliticalin-terferenceonceestablishedwhichshouldseeitmadeex-ternalfromthedepartmentofFinance.Onethingthatthereisaclearconsensusonistheneedfortransparencyandoversightthepotentialforanexternalbodythatcanman-ageitprofessionally.Theresdifferentoptionsforhowtodothatbutthereseemstobeconsensusthatmanag-ingitwithinthedepartmentofFinanceposessignicantrisksshesaid.Thegroupoffellowswillbecompilingtheirfindingsandgivingrecommenda-tionstothedepartmentofFinanceandtheGovern-mentOperationsCom-mitteeonthebestwaystomanagetheHeritageFundbasedoninternationalbestpracticesinthefirstweekofFebruary-coincidingwiththelegislatureswin-tersitting.FellowJesikaBrioneofTorontooneofthesixwhoparticipatedinFridaysdia-loguesaiditsimportanttohavesouthernersengagedinlookingataNorthernissueliketheNWTsdevolutionespeciallyasNWTpolicy-makersseekguidancefromotherregions.JustbeingawareofthismomentinCanadianhistoryinalldifferentregionsofCanadabringsgreatvalueandhelpsusbecomeawareofsomeoftheissuesthatNortherncommunitiesarefacingshesaid.ActionCanadaisana-tionalfellowshipprogramdesignedtoengagepromis-ingyoungCanadiansinun-derstandingCanadaspolicychoicesandbuildanetworkoffutureleaders.PhotoUniversityofVictoriaPhotoCDETNOCDETNOsAnne-ChristineBoudreaurespondstoquestionsduringapresentationonNWTemploymentopportunitiesattheDestinationCanadajobfairinParis.ActionCanadafellowSarahDaitchofFortSmithsaystheGNWTneedstoarticulatetheobjectivebehinditsHeritageFund.Onethingthatsneededisaclearartic-ulationoftheobjectiveofthefundandIdontthinkanythingweveseenyetintheNWThastoldusthat.SarahDaitchActionCanada