SA国际影视传媒淭he money is gone. The building is gone. The Association is gone.SA国际影视传媒�

That's how Yvonne Quick, ex-bush pilot and founding member of the now-defunct Northern Frontier Visitors Association, describes the conclusion of the organization and its efforts. What's left is an empty Northern Frontiers Visitors Centre sinking into the water by Frame Lake.

The Association started in 1983, at first operating out of a SA国际影视传媒渟mall, dinky officeSA国际影视传媒� in the library's basement, Quick said. SA国际影视传媒淲e decided as an Association and group of associations that we could do a better job advertising our own tourism facilities and why you should come to NWT than the government.SA国际影视传媒�

In under a decade, it would help build the Visitor's Centre.

Designed to spur the territory's tourism industry, the new building sat on piles of heated rock. Inside, an open-concept floor plan greeted visitors to skylight views of the North and surrounding scenery. Construction finished on the Centre in 1992.

Public and member fundraising from its managing organization, the Northern Visitors Centre Association, spent $2.25 million on the building.

"They had a very strong organization at the time," architect Gino Pin, who designed the new building, told Yellowknifer at the building's 20 year anniversary in 2012.

However, there was an issue. SA国际影视传媒淭hey never hit bedrock,SA国际影视传媒� Quick said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey thought they did.SA国际影视传媒� No one looked after the piles, she added, and over the course of decades, permafrost and deep structural issues emerged in the building. In parallel, the Association was facing its own challenges.

SA国际影视传媒淚t's a pretty extensive undertaking,SA国际影视传媒� Tracy Therrien who served as the Association's executive director until it dissolved, told Yellowknifer. The organization had to cover operation and maintenance on very minimal funding, she said. SA国际影视传媒淎s a result, when the building got in trouble, of course the Association couldn't handle the amount of repairs.SA国际影视传媒�

When Therrien got involved in 2011, she said the organization was in a deficit and facing departures of senior leadership. She said good management nudged the organization back on course.

Colin Dempsey, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, entered the organization two years prior to Therrien.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I ran the organization, the first year was when the writing on the wall became very clear that things were very bad,SA国际影视传媒� he said. Over the previous six years, deficits saddled the organization, he added.

Dempsey said he implemented a plan where non-essential spending, especially around travel, had to be approved. Members SA国际影视传媒渨ould go on these elaborate, pointless trips that were of no benefit to the Northwest Territories,SA国际影视传媒� and spend thousands of dollars, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 cut all of that,SA国际影视传媒� said Dempsey, adding the organization was running $50 to $60 thousand year deficits. After reorganizing expenses and management, the association's finances began to improve.

But it didn't end there SA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒渢hen the building started to fall apart,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

After years, permafrost caused structural damage and significant repairs were needed to keep the building up.

SA国际影视传媒淚 was working with an engineer, and we were doing some Red Green-style stuff, but we were keeping 'er safe, and we were keeping 'er afloat,SA国际影视传媒� said Dempsey.

He said they were bringing the sinking structure back to level, SA国际影视传媒渁nd that it was working,SA国际影视传媒� which was the SA国际影视传媒渃razy thing.SA国际影视传媒�

He said other members of the organization SA国际影视传媒渉ad a kamikaze attitudeSA国际影视传媒� of letting the building go in hopes of getting a new space.

However, Tracy Therrien said there was no clear path to fixing the building over the long term.

SA国际影视传媒淓very year you could be looking at anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 to level the building,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭here was no clear engineer that came in and said we can guarantee we can bedrock this, and you'll never have shifting again.SA国际影视传媒�

Yvonne Quick, meanwhile, said that there was enough money to fix the building, but it was instead spent on internal repairs, including glass and heating. She also said the government hadn't fulfilled its responsibilities to provide visitor services in the city.

The decades-old building also faced interior damage from the shifting foundations as broken windows and cracks sprung up along the walls. On top of hundreds of thousands spent on stabilizing the building SA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渢here was a question mark if that was even possible,SA国际影视传媒� Therrien said SA国际影视传媒� there was also interior repairs. The quote to repair the windows alone was $500,000, she said.

She said it would be SA国际影视传媒渄elusionalSA国际影视传媒� for a non-profit to consider fixing it.

SA国际影视传媒淲e were forced out of the building for structural reasons. It was unsafe,SA国际影视传媒� she said. The organization had already closed the back half of the building for the last six months, and there was little support to move into a new space. SA国际影视传媒漌e had no choice but close our doors,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Facing financial issues, the Northern Frontier Visitors Association voted to disband in October 2017 and visitors services were moved to City Hall, where they remain. Meanwhile, the old $2.25 million building slowly sinks into its slough.

SA国际影视传媒� with files from Brett McGarry