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8 Tuesday May 12 2015 INDUSTRY COMMUNITY-BASED Congratulations There are lots of decisions to make after graduation. We hope that coming back to the NWT after college or university is one of them. C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Journel 2015 grad small.pdf 1 572015 52714 PM By MEAGAN WOHLBERG Organizers behind the first Localizing Our Economies forum this month in Yel- lowknife are hoping the gathering will foster greater environmental social and economic sustainability in communities through the Northwest Territories. The three-day forum set for May 21-23 in Yellowknife is being co-ordinated by Ecology North and will focus on land energy and for- est resources food security and community empowerment with discussions exploring the practical applications of how to create local economies that benefit and are driven by communities. The cost of living is such an issue across the NWT and the environmental issues that we have are becoming so dire that theyre closing down options for people over time and also increasing our costs for our fami- lies and communities and governments said Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley who brought the idea forward to Ecology North with NWT MP Dennis Bevington earlier this year. Were just hearing so much about other better ways to go that can start to reduce those things and at the same time provide a local capacity to lower the cost of living Bromley said. Research done by the Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology shows that the number of jobs per million dollars of investment in smaller-scale local sustainable economies is between three to five times that compared to those generated by large resource extrac- tion projects where techniques are becom- ing more automated. Bromleysaidfocusingonwaysbywhichcom- munities can generate their own food and en- ergy resources will support peoples economic livelihoods outside of the boom and bust cycle that characterizes the resource sector. We all need a healthy economy and yet its got to serve the environmental and social side. So we see a huge opportunity through localizing our economies to contribute to all three of those he said. The forum will include sessions on building localized economies with guest economists Diana Gibson and Dave Thompson from the Parkland Institute. Other sessions will take a look at whats already being done in the NWT thats of- fering solutions. One on food production harvesting and distribution will include the Northern Farm Training Institute the Yel- lowknife Farmers Market commercial fish- ers and Aboriginal harvesters. Another on alternative energy will include talks from local engineers the Arctic Energy Alliance the Diavik wind project biomass company Energy North and other renewable energy businesses. Municipal leaders will also be speaking along with Bevington and Bromley and members of the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board Dene Nahjo Tides Canada Canadian Boreal Initiative and the Lutsel Ke Dene First Nation. Bromley hopes to see recommendations emerge from the forum that can be shared with territorial community and Aboriginal governments. Were trying to focus on the positives Bromley said. Theres some real opportuni- ties here that we need to be following up on. The event will take place at the Tree of Peace friendship centre. Efforts are being made to livestream the forum online to allow for dis- tance participation. Local economies forum to focus on sustainable NWT communities PhotoKimRapati The Northern Farm Training Institute in Hay River will be one of the many presenters at next weeks local economies forum in Yellowknife May 21-23 at the Tree of Peace centre.