Water safety will take centre stage tonight in Yellowknife as the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) holds its annual symposium. 

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) are co-sponsors of the event, which begins tonight at 6:30pm at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, with the symposium continuing until September 24. 

Assistant Deputy Minister of Economic Development Kelly Kaylo will be on-hand to deliver remarks and ITI staff will be taking in lessons throughout the weekend. 

Promoting Water Safety

The CSBC works to increase awareness about boat safety across the country; partnering with public organizations like the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) along the way. 

The GNWT's Department of ITI partners with the organization to offer numerous Personal Craft Operator Card (PCOC) courses, and other specialized water safety courses to improve safe boating skills — particularly targeting tourism operators, who require them to do business if their offerings include use of pleasure craft. 

Partnership For Sustainability, Self-Sufficiency

In October of 2013, ITI began a partnership with CSBC through the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron, to deliver a boat safety train-the-trainer for the Pleasure Craft Operator Card Certification (PCOC) course.  

Through this partnership, the territory now has a competent network of certified trainers across the Northwest Territories to provide PCOC certification training to our tourism operators/guides.

The Department of ITI supports these initiatives as part of its commitment to build tourism capacity in the Northwest Territories in pursuit of broader economic horizons for the territory. 

The Department of ITI is working with the CSBC to offer cold-water immersion training September 25 and 26. Learn more here.