The GNWT spent more than $250,000 in taxpayer money to send 31 people to a Vancouver-based mining show for three days.
That trip was this year's AME Roundup, a networking event that promotes mining. Various MLAs and GNWT bureaucrats were there from Jan. 20-23. The total expense was approximately $262,646, according to Melvin Leonard, a spokesperson for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
That cost, Leonard explained, is broken down into two parts. About $120,000 covered logistical expenses, such as passes, trade show fees, room rentals and catering expenses. The other half, approximately $140,000, paid for travel and accommodation.
The cost to attend AME Roundup seems to be steadily climbing. In 2017, the GNWT spent $195,684 on this excursion. In 2020, the GNWT budgeted at least $210,000 for the trip, specifically for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
It's taken awhile to get these figures. Part of the reason, according to Leonard, is because of tariffs.
"The tariff situation has certainly delayed the information," he said.
MLAs who attended the mining show in Vancouver included Premier R.J. Simpson, Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Caitlin Cleveland, Finance and Infrastructure Minister Caroline Wawzonek and Environment and Climate Change Minister Jay Macdonald.
Two regular Yellowknife MLAs also travelled there: Yellowknife Centre's Robert Hawkins and Range Lake's Kieron Testart.
Hawkins represented the legislative assemblySA国际影视传媒檚 Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment, said Leonard. Testart went independently, he added.
That is notable because in 2018 Testart declined to attend this costly expedition. Testart was then a member of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment. At the time, he said that without having a formal role in AME Roundup, it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 the best use of his time.
In fact, Testart said back then that he hoped to scrutinize the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 spending of public dollars on the event.
Asked what changed his mind, the Yellowknife MLA said the future of the NWT is crucial, as is the need to seize opportunities on critical minerals.
"2018 might as well have been the stone age compared to the urgent needs of today," he said. "My constituents are asking me to meet the moment and bring real prosperity back to the NWT. I'm not hesitating to do whatever I can to build the connections we need to ensure the NWT is open for business."
During AME Roundup, the GNWT was teetering on the brink of reaching its then $1.8-billion debt limit, which was increased to $3.1 billion a short while later. Asked how the GNWT can justify spending this way, director of cabinet communications Jeremy Bird said the territorial government's participation in Roundup is a strategic investment in the territory's economic future.
"Mining and exploration generate thousands of jobs for Northerners, millions in contracts for NWT businesses and revenues that help fund essential government programs and services," said Bird.
He added that, given NWT diamond mines nearing closure and demand for critical minerals rising, it's now more important than ever to promote the territory as a destination for resource development.
"AME Roundup provides a key platform to connect with industry leaders, secure new partnerships and facilitate investment opportunities that will drive economic growth and long-term stability for the territory," Bird said.
