For years, the shortage of qualified labour has been one of the top priority concerns for our members in the North. With the economy in NWT slowly emerging from the recent recession, governments need to re-focus their efforts on developing meaningful, long-term solutions.
The Government is currently considering new legislation (Bill 10) to create a new government Heritage Fund. We are watching development of the Fund closely to ensure it meets the future needs of the small businesses and citizens of the North.
While there is no silver bullet solution to the labour shortages facing small business in NWT, one part of the solution is for all levels of government to commit to reducing the burden of red tape so owners and staff have more resources to dedicate to the business and customers.
A general election for the 17th Legislative Assembly of the NWT was conducted on October 3, 2011. Once the new premier and cabinet are chosen by the members of the new Legislative Assembly, we will be pressing them to pursue a more small business-friendly path.
No doubt, small business owners in the North are a hard-working and resilient bunch. Unfortunately, confidence levels among small business owners in the North continues to page behind the rest of the country.
