More MLAs ditch Vancouver mining conference

Two more MLAs have opted out ofthe territorial government's trip to a mining conference in Vancouver later this month.

Yellowknife North MLA Cory Vanthuyne and Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart have decided not to attend theAssociation for Mineral Exploration's annual Roundup, which runs from Jan.22 to 25.

Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly announced he wasn't going earlier this week, saying the government is spending too much money on too little.

It's estimated to cost more than $236,000 to send government employees, MLAs, all cabinet members exceptHealth Minister Glen Abernethy, Indigenous government representativesand the NWT Chamber of Mines to the conference.

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Last year, the territorial governmentspent$193,000 to send all seven cabinet members and 24 officials to the conference; in 2016, itspent $137,000.

"I'm not sure if every member of cabinet needs to go," said Testart.

"I think cabinet works as a team and they can have one lead, you don't see this in other governments."

Testart is a member of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment. He says the committee had planned to hold meetings about whether the money being spent on this conference was being used effectively, but those meetings were cancelled. He addedhe felt he could be more productive in Yellowknife.

Testart has never attended the conference, but believes it is valuable for the N.W.T. government to be there. However, he wants to know if it's making enough of an impact on the territory's mining industry to justify the growing cost.

"I think if the Government of the Northwest Territories wants to send a clear signal to industry that the North is open for business, they need to do so on a policy level, by investing local resources such as the mining incentive program," he said.

"That shows industry that we want them here, we want to get moving on this, and that does a lot more good then just attending an annual conference."

Testart says the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment plans to review how much this year's trip costs to assess whether the government is getting enough value for its money.

Vanthuyne, who chairs the standing committee, says he supports the conference, but is not going for personal reasons.

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