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Northwest Territories |
NORTHERN FRONTIER REGION: Yellowknife, the Territories’ capital, is a small city perched on the pre-Cambrian shield, which adjoins the Great Slave Lake. The city’s main industries are government/service industries and mining. Two major gold finds were made here in the 1930s, followed more recently by the discovery of diamonds north of Yellowknife. The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre showcases northern Canadian culture and wildlife, with temporary art exhibitions. Boats and canoes can be hired for trips on the Mackenzie River and the Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes. These tours often follow old trapping and fur-trading routes. An experienced guide is essential. Near the capital are the Dene (aboriginal) settlements of Dettah, Rae-Edzo and Wekweti, or Rock Lake (formally known as Snare Lake), where a largely traditional way of life is still maintained.
DEH CHO REGION: Two highways serve the Big River Country to the west of Yellowknife and visitors may view this area from the road or fly deep into the interior. In the far southwestern corner of this territory lies Nahanni National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mackenzie Mountains. Access to the park itself is by air from Fort Simpson, Fort Liard (BC) or Watson Lake (Yukon) as there are no roads in the wilderness area. Several operators offer boat and raft tours on the river taking in the magnificent 100m high (312ft) Virginia Falls (twice the height of Niagara).
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SOUTH SLAVE LAKE REGION: Wood Buffalo National Park, south of the Great Slave Lake, is a noted centre for naturalists and birdwatchers. The Waterfalls Route, a 325km (203 mile) driving route beginning at the NWT/Alberta border on Highway 1, links the traveller with more than seven unusual territorial parks and waterfalls. Twin Falls Territorial Park, just north of Enterprise, has two waterfalls, Louise Falls and Alexandra Falls, which are linked together by a 3km- (1.9 mile-) hiking trail along the spectacular Hay River Canyon.
INUVIK REGION: The Arctic coastline and islands of the territory have a spectacular landscape and fascinating history. The cliffs and valleys of Tuktut Nogait, the Territories’ newest National Park, harbour birds of prey and offer lush habitat for caribou and musk oxen. Inuvik, in the far northwest, sits on the majestic Mackenzie River Delta and is accessible by road from Dawson City in the Yukon (at limited times of the year). Cruises on the Delta and the Inuvialuit and Dene settlements such as Aklavik are the main attractions. Aulavik, on Banks Island, includes archaeological sites dating back more than 3000 years. Much of this rough and forbidding terrain is best visited as part of a package tour or with other experts. |
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Gross Domestic Product , 2005
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Statistics Canada recently released preliminary 2005 estimates of provincial income and
expenditure accounts, and estimates of provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by industry, for
Canada, the provinces and territories.
Table 1 presents constant dollar GDP at market prices in chained (1997) dollars for Canada, the
provinces and territories for 2004 and 2005. Movements in constant dollar GDP reflect changes in
the quantities of goods and services produced, not changes in their prices. In this way, constant
dollar GDP is a better, more representative measure of economic growth.
The Northwest Territories experienced economic growth of 1.0% on a constant dollar basis in
2005, which was the fourth slowest growth rate in Canada. Among provinces and territories,
Alberta had the highest growth in 2005 with 4.5%, while Nunavut was the only jurisdiction to show
a contraction, recording a -0.5% decline for 2005. Overall, GDP for Canada increased by 2.9% in
2005. |
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Table 1
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Gross Domestic Product at Market Prices, 2004 and 2005
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Canada, Provinces and Territories |
Millions of chained (1997) dollars |
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| |
| |
Canada |
1,157,446 |
1,124,428 |
2.9 |
Northwest Territories |
3,876 |
3,838 |
1.0 |
Nunavut |
858 |
862 |
-0.5 |
Yukon |
1,247 |
1,206 |
3.4 |
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British Columbia
|
144,028 |
139,205 |
3.5 |
Alberta |
141,992 |
135,837 |
4.5 |
Saskatchewan |
34,213 |
33,168 |
3.2 |
Manitoba |
36,073 |
35,136 |
2.7 |
Ontario |
483,253 |
470,026 |
2.8 |
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Quebec |
239,532 |
234,445 |
2.2 |
New Brunswick
|
20,967 |
20,867 |
0.5 |
Nova Scotia
|
25,553 |
25,271 |
1.1 |
Prince Edward Island
|
3,431 |
3,365 |
2.0 |
Newfoundland and Labrador
|
15,302 |
15,248 |
0.4 |
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The low level of real GDP growth in 2005 was largely due to the net exports component (exports,
less imports). While business and government capital expenditure increased by 20.5% in 2005,
this was almost entirely offset by a 35% decline in net exports - exports declined by $133 million
(4.3%) and imports increased by $175 million (8%), resulting in a $308 decline in net exports.
When the net exports component of GDP is removed, the result is Final Domestic Demand; Final
Domestic Demand increased by 8.2% in 2005.
Table 2 presents GDP at market prices in current dollars for Canada, the provinces and territories
for 2004 and 2005. This measure of GDP includes the impact of both volume and price changes.
For the NWT, Statistics Canada estimates the value of all economic activity at $4,083 million
during 2005, which represents a decrease of 2.2% over 2004.
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Table 2
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Gross Domestic Product at Market Prices, 2004 and 2005
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Canada, Provinces and Territories |
Current Dollars ($ millions) |
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Canada |
1,367,726 |
1,290,185 |
6.1 |
Northwest Territories |
4,083 |
4,174 |
-2.2 |
Nunavut |
1,101 |
1,055 |
4.4 |
Yukon |
1,522 |
1,412 |
7.8 |
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British Columbia
|
168,011 |
157,241 |
6.8 |
Alberta |
215,858 |
187,152 |
15.3 |
Saskatchewan |
42,490 |
39,999 |
6.2 |
Manitoba |
41,933 |
39,990 |
4.9 |
Ontario |
537,604 |
517,407 |
3.9 |
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Quebec |
274,863 |
265,063 |
3.7 |
New Brunswick
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23,727 |
22,976 |
3.3 |
Nova Scotia
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31,451 |
29,879 |
5.3 |
Prince Edward Island
|
4,142 |
4,023 |
3.0 |
Newfoundland and Labrador
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21,534 |
19,433 |
10.8 |
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The decline in current dollar GDP is largely attributable to the significant decrease in exports and
increase in imports in 2005. Exports decreased by 10.0%, or $307 million, while imports
increased by 9.8%, or $234 million between 2004 and 2005. The export decline is closely linked
to a decline in diamond production in 2005 - the value of diamond production declined by over
$400 million in 2005 relative to 2004, directly impacting exports.
Table 3 presents GDP by industry, measured in chained (1997) dollars. The largest industry in
the Northwest Territories in 2005 was mining, oil and gas extraction at $1,874 million, or 49.8% of
total GDP. Despite a 19.7% decline in the value of production in 2005, the diamond mining
accounted for $1,835 million or 48.7% of total GDP. Public Administration was the second largest
industrial contributor to GDP in 2005 at $366 million, or 9.7% of total GDP.
It should be noted that the difference in the chained (1997) estimates in Table 1 (presented at
market prices, where the value is $3,876), and Table 3 (presented at basic prices, where the
value is $3,766) relates to 'taxes, less subsidies, on products', which is the difference between
market price and basic price estimates. |
Table 3
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Gross Domestic Product at Basic Prices by Selected industry, 2004 and 2005
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Northwest Territorries
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Millions of chained (1997) dollars
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All Industries |
3,765.6 |
3,727.0 |
1.0 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
|
17.9 |
18.0 |
-0.6 |
Crop and animal production
|
2.3 |
2.2 |
4.5 |
Forestry and logging
|
0.7 |
0.7 |
- |
Fishing, hunting and trapping
|
1.4 |
1.6 |
-12.5 |
Minning and oil and gas extraction
|
1,873 |
1,994.4 |
-6.0 |
Oil and gas extraction
|
135.2 |
158.0 |
-14.4 |
Diamond Mining
|
1,834.6 |
1,906.7 |
-3.8 |
Construction |
391.7 |
383.2 |
21.2 |
Residential building construction
|
.. |
27.9 |
.. |
Non-residential building construction
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.. |
69.2 |
.. |
Oil and gas engineering construction
|
77.9 |
63.9 |
21.9 |
Repair construction
|
25.0 |
25.4 |
-1.6 |
Utilities |
39.7 |
39.2 |
1.3 |
Manufacturing |
.. |
7.5 |
.. |
Wholesale trade
|
47.5 |
44.3 |
7.2 |
Retail trade
|
66.7 |
63.1 |
5.7 |
Transportation and warehousing
|
144.3 |
141.2 |
2.2 |
Information and cultural industries
|
93.9 |
91.5 |
2.6 |
Finance and insurance, real estate, etc.
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368.2 |
355.6 |
3.5 |
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
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44.1 |
42.1 |
4.8 |
Administrative & support, waste management, etc
|
32.6 |
32.5 |
0.3 |
Health care and social assitance
|
130.1 |
129.2 |
0.7 |
Education |
110.9 |
108.3 |
2.4 |
Accommodation and food services
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47.7 |
46.8 |
1.9 |
Other services (except public administration)
|
59.2 |
58.7 |
0.9 |
Public administration
|
365.9 |
362.4 |
1.0 |
Defence services
|
17.2 |
17.3 |
-0.6 |
Federal government (except defense)
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100.4 |
99.6 |
0.8 |
Provincial and territorial public administration
|
201.9 |
196.8 |
2.6 |
Local, municipal and regional public administration
|
45.6 |
47.2 |
-3.4 |
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