The Gwich’in Development Corporation is growing its own trucking company and exploring the reopening of a gas station as means of helping residents save money.
Delly McEwan, the new boss of the Gwich’in Tribal Council’s economic wing, said its existing operations are financially “strong” and the GDC is now “exploring new business opportunities.”
McEwan, who has a transportation background, said the trucking and logistics operation had one vehicle and has just acquired two more.
“We were able to find local strong candidates to drive the trucks through the very challenging terrain, that know the area,” he told delegates at last week’s Gwich’in Annual Assembly in Aklavik.
Those trucks will help the GDC to bring new modular homes to the Gwich’in Settlement Area, he said, and will also be put to use in a bid to keep community members’ freight costs down.
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“Currently, there’s much material around in the Edmonton area, which is a consolidation point, obviously, because of where it is in comparison to the communities in the North,” McEwan said.
“We’re looking to expand on that and have our own consolidation point where participants, community members can advise that they have material coming up to the area and – rather than paying extremely inflated amounts to put it on a less-than-truckload load that will often cost four to five times what it should – we will consolidate that material.
“Our intent is to bring it up at a much-reduced rate, basically at cost, to ensure that the community is supported by the delivery of material to where it needs to go.”
The GDC is also looking at the “reopening of a retail fuel station where we would control the cost, to the best of our abilities, of bringing fuel into the community of Inuvik,” he said.
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“That would give us the ability to sell fuel at what we hope would be a more affordable rate, allowing people to use that to not only travel, but to go out onto the land and do those types of things without it being quite as cost-prohibitive.”
First 30-day healing camp planned
Over the course of last week’s assembly, delegates were also told that the recently opened Rachel Reindeer Wellness Camp is preparing for its first 30-day healing camp.
Gwich’in leaders said they have been impressed by the response to online advertising for the camp, which begins on September 23 and will be led by experienced Indigenous facilitators William Greenland and Donald Prince.
“This is our first 30-day event. We’re hoping to learn from it,” said tribal council chief executive officer Jamie Koe.
“We could potentially have these up to six months of the year if we’re successful in getting federal funding. We’re looking at a 60 or 90-day camp in the winter [but] this 30-day one will really be key in getting this going.”
The camp will explore Gwich’in values, addictions and substance use, trauma, relationships, loss, grieving and self-awareness.
Koe said the camp has already seen plenty of rental business, not least from the TV show Alone as it filmed in the region, and it has also staged the likes of fish camps in recent months.
“The camp is pretty busy and it’s good to see that asset put to work,” he said.
“But we need to keep in mind the main reason for the camp being renovated was to really help our people find their way through life, and all the things that are thrown to us.”
