There are at least two new developments on the horizon for the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The first was the announcement last month that the first Aqsarniit Trade Show and Conference will be held in Ottawa from Feb. 17-20, 2025, at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa.
The second and most recent event to be announced from the BRCC is the appointment of Tony Rose as executive director, replacing veteran Chris West, who announced his retirement at the Nunavut Trade Show in September.
"Chris will be staying on till the end of February to help me get through the [Aqsarniit Trade Show], said Rose. "Thank goodness, because every day I'm learning about how much it takes to put this thing on, so I'm very thankful for Chris's ongoing support and exceptionally pleased he's going to be with us throughout the next show."
Rose, however, brings his own unique set of skills and experiences to the role as a former local business owner and lifetime Nunavummiuq.
"I have lived my entire life in Nunavut. I grew up mostly in Iqaluit. I went to high school here and completed the Environmental Technology Program at Nunavut Arctic College... I worked for the legislative assembly in the early 2000s, and then spent 17 years running a business called Nunageek Solutions Inc., which offered IT support across the territory. We actually had clients in every single community in Nunavut.
"I decided I was ready for a new challenge about a year-and-a-half ago, so I wrapped [Nunageek] up, and spent most of last year working with Elections Nunavut. My contract with them ended... and this opportunity became available.
Rose feels he can offer a lot in his new role.
"There are, of course, a lot of things in play there. I have experience working in government, I have experience working in the private sector and I've always been interested in working in the NGO sector. So this felt like a good match because I do have skills that come with running a business for a long period of time, and this is an NGO that focuses on business... Nunageek also used to provide AV (audio/visual) support for events here [in Nunavut], and that's one of the big things the BRCC does — put on trade shows, conferences. So I've had experience working with the BRCC on organizing the tech side of these conferences. So this seemed like a natural next step for me, to take on the entire shebang."
The first order of business was filling the void left by pulling out of the Northern Lights Conference and set up a new event in its place.
"It's a brand new event — similar to, but not replacing [the Northern Lights Conference and Trade Show," says Rose. There are 1,000 or more delegates expected to attend, with about 150 exhibitors. There's going to be a very specific focus on attendants from Inuit Nunangat," he said, "to establish partnerships with all the various regions in Inuit Nunangat to ensure sure that we've got participation which is very reflective of all those regions. We're very focused on the business needs and opportunities in that region."
Nunavut's participation in the Northern Lights Conference was cancelled earlier this year due to a conflict between Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the organization representing Inuit in Canada, and the NunatuKavut Community Council in Labrador.
"Those are all things that happened before I was on the picture, so I'm dealing with the reality of what we're putting together and trying to retain a really positive focus and putting on the best possible trade conference that we can," Rose remarked. "The old Northern Lights Conference would happen every two years —we're proceeding basically on the same schedule. I think there would have been a vacuum had we not decided to proceed with the [Aqsarniit] conference."
Rose also explained that, in practice, that means partnering with Nunavuik's Makkivik Corporation, collaborating with contacts in Nunatsiavut and cultivating relationships with other organizations in the Canadian regions of Inuit Nunangat.
"I'm bringing those people together, so the focus will be on business," said Rose. "We'll be putting together conference sessions, panel discussions, there will be presentations, there will be an art market and performance opportunities for artists. We'll be hosting a number of meet-and-greet and gala sessions, as well as keynote [addresses], luncheons and gala at the end of the show."
"I'm very excited to take on the position," Rose concluded. "One of my things I did when I was running my business is I really liked to hear from my clients to understand what their viewpoints were, and what their needs were, and that's pretty much the same viewpoint I'll be taking as the incoming executive director of the [Baffin Regional] Chamber of Commerce. My ears will be open to the membership and other people in Nunavut so that I can better understand the needs and desires of the businesses here, in addition to advocating for them."
