Many Iqaluit businesses unaware of Arctic Council ministers’ meeting

“Huh, that’s news to me”

By THOMAS ROHNER

Sam Mullin, who manages Carvings Nunavut Inc. in Iqaluit, says the Arctic Council meeting April 24 will likely mean more business for the gallery and Nunavut artists. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER )


Sam Mullin, who manages Carvings Nunavut Inc. in Iqaluit, says the Arctic Council meeting April 24 will likely mean more business for the gallery and Nunavut artists. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER )

The meeting of top ministers from the Arctic Council’s eight member states that takes place at the Legislative Assembly April 24 comes as a big surprise for many Iqaluit businesses.

“Huh, that’s news to me. Thanks for letting me know,” one business manager told Nunatsiaq News April 22.

For local businesses and entrepreneurs in Iqaluit, a big gathering should mean an influx of customers from around the circumpolar world.

But many Iqaluit businesses Nunatsiaq News spoke to said they were unaware of the meeting, which involves high-ranking officials like the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, and hadn’t thought of the business potential such an occasion offers.

Their lack of awareness might not come as a surprise, since a survey released on April 22, suggests that only one in three Canadians — and about 45 per cent of Nunavummiut — even know the Arctic Council exists.

Sam Mullin, manager of Iqaluit’s carving gallery, Carvings Nunavut Inc., located at the town’s Four Corners, said she was unaware of the meeting, too.

But Mullin said the gallery and store attract a lot of customers whenever big events are held in Iqaluit.

And for the many Nunavut artists who sell their pieces to the gallery regularly, the meeting will come as good news, Mullin said.

“The more we sell, the more we buy from artists,” she said.

Mullin said that in her experience, some art lovers shop at the carving store to put beautiful objects in their home.

“But others want to learn about the artists, where they got their material from, stuff like that. Hopefully, we’ll get some customers like that and we can help educate them.”

On the other hand, hotels and restaurants have known about the April 24 meeting for months.

And, if you’re looking for a hotel room or a car rental in Iqaluit this week, you’re out of luck.

On the other hand, if you’re eating out in Nunavut’s capital over the new few days, you can at least be confident that restaurants are up to current health and safety regulations.

That’s because while hotels are fully booked, car rentals are maxed out, health inspectors, both territorial and federal, met by Nunatsiaq News, are making their rounds in Iqaluit restaurants ahead of the international visitors who will arrive for the April 24 ministerial meeting.

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