Government of Nunavut launches new staycation website
“A one-stop-shop for all various products and services available in the territory”
ShopNunavut.ca is meant to connect Nunavut businesses with residents looking to take a staycation in the territory. (File photo)
The Government of Nunavut has launched a new website aimed at encouraging residents to shop and vacation locally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Called ShopNunavut.ca, the website was developed in partnership with Destination Nunavut, Travel Nunavut and the Nunavut Economic Developers Association.
“ShopNunavut.ca aims to help Nunavut small businesses and the tourism community through the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a one-stop-shop for all various products and services available in the territory,” said David Akeeagok, the minister of economic development and transportation, during the Government of Nunavut’s COVID-19 briefing on Monday.
Currently, the website has a staycation guide produced by Destination Nunavut and a link to staycationnunavut.com, a new website developed by Travel Nunavut, which provides much of the same information as the guide.
ShopNunavut.ca will later include a space for Nunavut tourism operators to showcase and advertise new packages that are tailored to locals, says Akeeagok.
“I encourage all residents to take advantage of this opportunity to use ShopNunavut.ca to buy local, eat local, and take part in local tourism activities,” said Akeeagok.
According to the announcement, the website will be active until the end of the year.
I for one will be foregoing any time off this summer in favour of as much overtime as I can muster the energy for. I’ll just take a rain check on this years vacation in favour of a longer one when I’m allowed.
I have an idea.
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The GN is paying Canadian North to fly the planes around Nunavut almost empty. The hotels are almost empty. Those of us on Social Assistance are not allowed to save enough money to pay for an airline ticket.
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So how about the GN support the airline and the hotels — by forcing Nunavummiut who are living on Social Assistance to go on GN-paid-for “Nuna-stay-cations”.
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It would be a win for everyone.
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Nunavummiut who otherwise would never get to travel would see another part of Nunavut.
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Canadian North’s bankers would be assured a return on their investment.
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Nunavut’s hotels and their employees would receive money.
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What’s not to like about this idea, unless you believe that unemployed Nunavummiut should be punished for being born into a community that lacks entry level jobs.
You have no control over where you’re born, this is true. It is a lottery.
However, why do you stay? I hear this so much, that there’s no jobs in the communities. Yet very few ever seem to pack up and go where the jobs are.
Why not? Seriously, it is one of the great mysteries of Nunavut society to me.
Nunavut has been my home for going on 12 years, and I still can’t understand why healthy young people, with no spouse or children, don’t go where the jobs are.
Don’t give me the ‘family’ argument, cause two of the individuals I’m thinking of can’t stand most of their family and try not to have anything to do with them, yet they stay in dead-end communities and complain.
Give it a rest! No one is interested. This is just distracting us from the fact that the GN continues to deliberately violate the constitutional rights of Nunavummiut on the basis of poorly developed directives that are neither evidence-based nor sound public health policy.
I agree with you. I am tired of the governing elite coming up with dum ideas then sticking with it. Look at South Korea, they use masks and contact tracing. We have seen how contact tracking is down here, with the way a very small bit of coVid 19 got into the mines.
Im a southerner(born and bred in Canada)..visited us states south of our border and overseas tropical desitinations…we are handling the situation very well down here,If you take the necessary precautions and follow government orders? There is no excuse to come down here and visit us with our balmy summers..open beaches pools..shops..cafes..restos and bars and open air green spaces…we have ample supplies and services available at affordable rates..come and see us☀