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PoliticsMunicipal21TuesdayDecember172013PropertyownersareadvisedIfyouhavequestionsconcernsregardingyourassessmentpleasecontactasebertfortsmith.caSecretaryMunicipalBoardofRevisionTheTownofFortSmithAssessmentRollisavailableforpublicinspectionTownofFortSmithPublicNoticeofAssessmentYellowknifeaddseducationtoitseconomicquiverCityprepsforexpiringmineswithpossiblepost-secondaryschoolByJACKDANYLCHUKWhatadifferenceayearcanmakeYellowknifeMayorMikeHeycksaidlastweekasheweighedthendingsandrecommendationsofacon-sultantsreportonthefutureofthecityanditseconomy.GovernmentdominatesbutminingisthehistoricheartthatcontinuestodrivetheNWTcapitalseconomyandayearagoYellowknif-erswerecontemplatingtherapidlyapproachingprospectoflifewithouttheEkatiandDiavikdiamondmines.Itsinterestinghowquicklythingscanchangeinthere-sourcesectorsaidHeyckreferringtodiscoveryofanewkimberlitepipethatcouldextendthelifeofEkatibyadecadeormorebeyondthepreviousclosingdateof2019.Immoreoptimisticaboutthemedium-termsustainabil-ityofthediamondminingin-dustrythanIwasayearagoHeycksaidinaninterviewwithTheJournalafterthereleaseofthereportbyCalgaryconsul-tantsMiller-Dickinson-Blais.TherenewedleaseonlifeforEkatiandthepromiseofmoreminingandgovernmentjobstakesomeoftheurgencyfromthereportbutthecitystillintendstotakeupits38recommendationsoverthenextthreeyearsHeycksaid.Weneedtoprepareour-selvesforthatdaywhenthoseminesshutdownandYellow-knifeknowsaswellasany-wherewhatimpactclosingminescanhaveonacommu-nity.Weneedtoplanttheseedsforthoseinitiativestoday.Reectingwhattheyheardininterviewsandhundredsofwrittensubmissionstheconsultantssaidthecitycanbuilditspopulationthroughgovernmentjobsattractingentrepreneursandminersboostingtourismandper-suadingresidentstoretiretoYellowknife.ButwhatstoodoutmostforHeyckwererecommenda-tionstoexpandtherolepost-secondaryeducationcouldplayinthecityseconomy.ThatcanbecomearealfoundationalpieceandcrucialtothefutureofthecitysaidHeyckwhoseesthedriverofdowntownrenewalinanewcampusforAuroraCollegeorthebranchofasouthernuniversityorboth.Initslatestbudgettheter-ritorialgovernmentshelvedaproposalforanewbuildingforAuroraCollegeinYellow-knifeandHeycksaidhefullysupportsreplacingcrumblingschoolsinothercommunities.Butatthesametimeweneedtoseeasignthereisanappetiteforthecollegetodorightbyitsstudentsandtomeettheneedsoffuturegenerationshesaid.Heycksaidthecityhasal-readylookedatvacantofcespacethatcouldbetrans-formedintoaninstantcam-pusornewspaceforAuroraCollegeandheldinitialdiscus-sionswithYellowknifeMLAsabouttheneedsofthecollege.OurpreferencewouldbetoseeAuroraCollegeexpanditsprogrammingandinvestinastand-alonecampushereinYellowknifehesaid.Butifthatcantgetpastthepoliticalhurdlesattheterritoriallevelthenwestillneedtolookoutfortheinter-estsofourresidentsandthatmightmeanreachingouttootherpost-secondaryinsti-tutionstoseeiftheyhaveaninterestincomingNorth.Thereportalsoprovidesaclearsnapshotoftheterri-toryseconomyandcouldbereadasapoliticaldocument.YellowknifeisthelargesteconomyintheNorthwestTerritoriesandequallycontributestoandbenetsfromtheeconomicactivi-tiestakingplacethroughouttheNorthSlaveregionifnottheentireterritorythere-portobserves.TheeconomiesofthecityofYellowknifeandtheNWTaresocloselyconnectedthatthecityshouldconsideritseconomicdevelopmentre-sponsibilitiesbeyondthemunicipalboundariesandbecomeastrongvoiceinthedevelopmentoftheterritorialeconomyiturges.Whilethecitydoesnothaveadirectsayintheem-ploymentandspendingdeci-sionsoftheGNWTthereportstatesthecityisaffectedbyterritorialdecisionsmorethananyotherNWTcommunity.Thereportrepeatsthecityscomplaintthatitisbearingthecostsandstressescreatedbypeoplemigratingfromsmallerisolatedcom-munitiestothecityshiftingthesocio-economicmakeupofthepopulation.ThecitydoesnotholdjurisdictionoverthenaturalresourcesbeingexploitedorthosebeingadvancedforfuturedevelopmentyettheimpactsandbenetsoftheseprojectsarefeltinYellowknifemoresothananywhereelse.PhotoJackDanylchukYellowknifeMayorMarkHeyckbelievespost-secondaryeducationcouldboostthecityseconomyinthewakeofdiamondmineclosuresoverthecomingyears.NWTscientistoptimisticaboutdevolutionScientistsgatherinHalifaxforArcticresearchconferenceByMARIACHURCHOneoftheNWTstopArcticscientistssaysde-volutioncouldbeapositivefactorforscienticresearchintheterritory.DuaneSmithco-chairoftheArcticNetandpresidentoftheInuitCircumpolarCouncilbasedinInuviksaiddevolutionin2014willnotaffectscientistsmandatesandhasthepotentialtoboostresearchefforts.Hopefullydevolutionwillenhanceandcompli-mentsomeoftheresearchwithintheNorthwestTer-ritoriessincetheGNWTwillbetakingovertheman-agementofmostofthelandandaregoingtohavetostartgatheringthatdataaswellhesaid.SmithwasinHalifaxlastweekalongwithhundredsofNorthernrepresentativesin-dustryleaderspolicymak-ersandstudentsforCana-daslargestannualArcticresearchgathering.PutonbyArcticNetanarms-lengthnetworkofCa-nadianresearchersaimedatstudyingtheimpactsofcli-matechangeinthecoastalArctictheninthannualcon-ferencegaveArcticscientistsavenuetopresentstheirlat-estresearch.TopicsthisyearincludedArcticsovereigntyandsecurityclimatevariabilityInuitedu-cationandcommunityhealth.Everybodysheretosharetheirinformationandtolearnfromeachotheranditdevel-opsnetworkingwithdiffer-entresearchersandcreatesabroaderunderstandingastohoweverythingisinter-relatedSmithsaid.Throughouttheweek-longconferencetheArcticwastoutedasthenewfrontierSmithnoted.Inthepastre-searchintheArcticwasnotdoneonaconsistentbasisbutclimatechangeisdrawingsci-enticattentionNorth.Becausetheiceisreced-ingandmakingthespringsummerfallseasonsalittlebitlongeritsallowingotherinitiativeswithlongertimeperiodstogointotheArcticandconducttheiractivitiesifitsresearchorexplorationforeconomicpurposeshesaid.ClimatechangehasbeenagrowinginterestfortheGNWTaccordingtothoseintheterritorialgovernment.BrianSiebenclimatechangespecialistwithENRtoldTheJournalinaninter-viewlastmonththatclimatechangeadaptationstrategiesarenowbeingconsideredandimplementedacrossseveraldepartments.Arcticresearchhasbroadimplicationsforbothindus-tryandconservationeffortsSmithnotedregardlessoftheendgoal.Themoreinformationthatsgatheredthroughre-search...providesabetterunderstandingforeverybodytomakemoreinformeddeci-sionsonwhatevertheirob-jectiveishesaid.EnvironmentResearch