International Trade committee  As well, if we're getting increased foreign investment coming into Yukon, the TPP has to cover off that they are following Canadian principles in responsible development. Any investment coming into Yukon will benefit us in terms of jobs, social issues, first nations development, and other aspects.

International Trade committee  Thank you. My name is Rick Karp. I am president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce. Also here is Stan Thompson, who is the CFO for NorthwesTel, where we're being hosted today, and chair of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce. First we'd like to thank the committee for including the north, and in particular the Yukon, in these consultations.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not sure if it's been clear during the day today, but Yukon of course with devolution and Yukon with 11 of 14 first nations who have settled their land claims creates a unique situation in trying to achieve economic development and partnerships among all of those partners. I think in the provinces it's probably...well, I shouldn't say it's easier, but we're dealing with 11 separate governments in the first nations plus the Yukon government, plus the federal government, plus municipal governments.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Is that a rental you're talking about?

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I'm not sure what the $14,000 refers to.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The average rental for an apartment right now is $775 a month in the Yukon, if you can get one. The occupancy rate is very low. That's another thing. We're working with the Yukon government on bringing back the act that deals with the apartments and the rentals. So we'll see what happens with that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The tourism season starts at the end of April, very beginning of May, and it goes to the middle of September, the end of September at the very latest. So May, June, July, August, September, five months in tourism.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The construction industry, again, as soon as they can get in the ground. So here, for example, we don't put any flowers in the ground until the middle of June. Otherwise the ice is still there. But the construction industry will start up in April and they'll go as long as they can.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  On EI? A little over 1,100.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  In social assistance, of the approximately 850, we know that about half of them are unemployable and need to have social assistance. Of the other half, we know that about 20% to 25% are employable, and that's our target--to work with that population. Where EI is concerned, it is primarily because of the seasonality of our workforce up here, with tourism and with the ebb and flow of mining, so I'm not sure how much we can do.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No. I think the people working in INAC--CanNor now--have a strong desire to understand and do understand our needs. For example, we have traditionally had three programs supported by INAC, now CanNor, to the tune of about $400,000 a year. The frustration comes out locally when trying to deal with Ottawa, in that the applications at that level have to get certain approvals and there are delays.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We have partnerships with at least five different departments of the Yukon government and we consult and share with them on an ongoing basis. So we do have partnerships. But to us government is government, and it's difficult for us at our level to really deal one-on-one with government.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, we've heard from them.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  When we were moving towards having the Canada Winter Games, there was the creation of a pan-northern tourism strategy. We've made recommendations that the pan-northern strategy be brought back into effect to assist the tourism industry across the north. So that's one recommendation that we would put forward, to have a pan-northern tourism strategy, and also to have special funding for tourism.