Current ads
Jobs
Tenders
Notices
General

Click below

Manitoba's deputy premier, Jean Friesen, and Manitoba's minister of aboriginal and northern affairs, Eric Robinson, visited Nunavut's legislature when they were in Iqaluit last week.

---

(PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

---

Manitoba forges closer ties with Nunavut

Manitoba's northern development strategy focuses on Nunavut.

JANE GEORGE

A high-powered delegation from Manitoba touched down in Iqaluit last week to forge closer links between their province and Nunavut.

Senior officials in departments responsible for tourism, transportation, hydro-electric development, community economic development and northern development accompanied Manitoba's deputy premier, Jean Friesen, and Manitoba's minister for aboriginal and northern affairs, Eric Robinson, on the visit to Iqaluit.

Friesen said strengthening ties with Nunavut is a priority for Manitoba, which has adopted its own "northern development strategy."

"Nunavut is the context for that," Friesen said.

Last year, Manitoba's premier, Gary Doer, signed a memorandum of understanding with Nunavut's premier, Paul Okalik, in which they agreed to work more closely together.

The two leaders sat down together in Winnipeg recently to discuss ways of combining efforts in such areas as transportation, mining, energy, health and trade.

"It's not just roads and development," Friesen said. "It's education and cultural issues, too. You've got government-to-government contact, and you also have community-to-community contact."

In August, mayors from Manitoba and Nunavut's Kivalliq region also met in Churchill to discuss common issues and projects.

Robinson, who is also Churchill's MLA, said Churchill and Rankin Inlet want to promote tourism and other joint efforts.

The two communities are working on a pilot project to help clean up Rankin Inlet, by filling empty barges returning to Churchill from Rankin Inlet with derelict vehicles.

Health officials from Nunavut and Manitoba are also discussing how services at Rankin's future health centre can complement existing services at Churchill's hospital.

Robinson said the history of cooperation between the Kivalliq and northern Manitoba is long - many Kivalliq residents were born and educated in Churchill.

During the Manitobans' recent visit, the GN formally invited Manitoba to share in the 2002 Arctic Winter Games, co-hosted by Iqaluit and Nuuk, Greenland in March 2002.

Manitoba, in turn, extended an invitation to the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards in March 2002, and to the North American Indigenous Games, July 2002, both to be hosted by Manitoba.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra would like to tour Nunavut communities in 2002. The orchestra would offer music workshops and perform concerts, introducing its original concerto that includes throat-singing.

Advertising
Specs, rates,
& maps
Multi-paper
buying services
About the market
E-mail ad dept

More Information