November 20, 2017
For Ulukhaktok’s David Kuptana, navigating the land is in his blood.
His father was a polar bear hunter and worked as a guide for those with the gumption to give the northern hunt a shot. David grew to love hunting and mastered the art with his father’s help.
He would later follow in his footsteps and began guiding for a wilderness outfitting company —using the skills he gained on-the-land to share his land with visitors from all over the world.
But his ambitions didn’t end there: he wanted to strike out on his own.
“I thought starting my own outfitting company would mean a better life for my family,” he says. David accessed the SEED program for funding to get Kuptana’s Arctic Adventures off the ground. The government investment paid off, with the outfitting business growing to include sightseeing and Arctic Ocean marine excursions.
“I’ve had people from Japan, the USA, all over Canada; it has been awesome!” says David.
But he didn’t stop there.
When the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok was looking for a contractor to handle taxi services for the small settlement, David jumped at the opportunity once again accessing SEED funding to get it going.
His taxi business’ big break came when the Crystal Serenity — the largest cruiseship to visit NWT waters — made its stop in Ulukhaktok. He worked with Crystal Cruises to organize phased transportation for shore excursions. “I really enjoyed working with the Crystal Serenity crew,”David says. ”It was very busy with lots of long hours, but we did really well!”
David is proud his business contributes to his community. “I love being able to hire local people,”he says. “Being able to give a job to those who don’t have one makes me really happy. I really hope to continue to do that.”
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) has released the first Performance & Measures Report for the 2013 NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy. It includes formal performance measures of the Strategy’s goals and objectives alongside success stories about NWT residents whose work and investments are contributing to the economic strength and prosperity of their communities and the economy.