b'REGIONAL SPOTLIGHTKatrina Stiopu is one of many Indigenous tradespeople building a construction career in the North. Photo courtesy of Deton Cho Management LP/billbradenphotomajor part of the puzzle that businessesitself and then in nearby communities in the North have to solve. But unlike theandNations. weather, its actually within their control. Retention is important and something Mark Lewis is the president and CEO forLewis can personally attest to. Originally Deton Cho Management LP Services.fromNewfoundland,hecameto Headquartered in Yellowknife, he is onYellowknife for work 15 years ago and the frontline when it comes to attractinghas remained to this day. Its an attrac-tradespeople to the North. Deton Chotive place to live, theres lots of opportu-is dedicated to the economic self-suffi- nities, the pay is good, and the commu-ciency of the Yellowknives Dene Firstnity is great, Lewis says. Once people Nation and wholly owns six subsid- get here, theres a lot of retention within iaries and 12 joint-venture partnershipsthe community. employing over 300 people. With its roster of companies active in explora- SEEKING SOLUTIONStion, construction, hospitality, transpor- The labour shortage in Canada is very real. tation and logistics, tradespeople areJust recently, the 2022 Canadian Survey the lifeblood of Deton Cho. on Business Conditions reported that recruiting skilled employees was expectedSKYALYNE.CA/FACTTradespeople are integral to the busi- to be an obstacle for nearly two-fifths (38.5 ness that we do, Lewis says. A lot of ourper cent) of the countrys businesses, while businesses rely on tradespeople fromretaining skilled employees was expected constructionheavy equipment opera-tors and maintenance people,to chefsto be an obstacle for 30.4 per cent. and cooks. Pretty much all of our busi-nesses rely in some shape or form onThe construction sector has been hit tradespeople.particularly hard, especially in the North. In Yellowknife, construction makes up 14 Attracting people to work in the Northper cent of all businesses, tied for second has always been a challenge, adds Lewis,place with mining, quarrying, and oil and so Deton Cho looks to build capacitygas extraction. These are the most prom-within its own community before lookinginent employment sectors in the region south for workers. While the populationaccording to the City of Yellowknifes of the North is much smaller, recruitmenteconomic development strategy for 2020 still starts locallyfirst in Yellowknifeto 2024.Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT 17'