REDI Made Info for Inuvik!

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October 26, 2022

After a nearly three-year hiatus due to social gathering restrictions, ITI’s REDI initiative returned October 4th in Inuvik.

REDI is an acronym for Resource and Energy Development Information. 

REDI events were invented in 2017 to respond to an expressed public need for increased transparency and access to balanced information surrounding resource and energy development projects and opportunities within the territory. 

Lillian Elias (Inuvialuktun Interpreter) and Winston Moses (Gwich’in interpreter) joined ITI’s REDI team to provide translations as needed.

 

Staged as “information trade shows”, REDI events centre around making fact-based answers and material available to the public from a wide variety of subject matter experts.  The tradeshow format enables residents to seek out specific topics or information according to their individual interests or concerns and have their questions addressed in a more-discreet one-on-one conversation. 

The primary value of the REDI initiative is the collaborative approach it takes to ensuring a full scope of information and expertise is on hand in each community.  Participants include the Departments of Education Culture and Employment, Environment and Natural Resources, Industry Tourism and Investment, Infrastructure, and Lands, as well as the regional Regulatory Boards, Mine Training Society, Mining Matters, among others.

 

Through promotion and advertising leading up to each event, the public are encouraged to “Get REDI” to attend, ask questions, and engage subject matter experts in conversation surrounding ongoing or proposed resource and energy development projects, policies, and regulations in the NWT.

ITI’s Angela Balsillie (L) and Darlene Allen welcomed Inuvik residents to the event.

 

Students are also an important target of the REDI initiative and teachers are commonly invited to bring their students to the REDI tradeshows and to use the community events as a stimulus to discuss resource and energy development in their classrooms. 

REDI events have been held in all five regions of the NWT.  The next REDI visit is being planned for Fort Providence in the new year.