Pictured above: The Northern store in Norman Wells, NWT
Our Community Promise
The North West Company Inc. is proud of the active role we play within the communities we serve, striving to make a positive, progressive difference. Our contributions within the community of Norman Wells, NWT, are a testament to our commitment.
Norman Wells is home to about 800 residents (as per the township’s website) who speak North Slavey and English. The community’s main industries are tourism and natural resource extraction, established in the 1900s to extract the oil seepages that traveled along the Mackenzie River. To this day, Norman Wells serves as a source of non-renewable energies and as a strong regional business centre.
Given its location 684 km northwest of Yellowknife and 1370 km north of Edmonton, the community can be accessed by daily flights connecting it to Edmonton, Yellowknife and Inuvik. The Mackenzie River also serves as a major barge route during the summer and turns into an accessible winter road when frozen, connecting to Mackenzie Highway 1.
Did you know?
North West is proud of the positive impact we have on the community.
1. Employment: We are one of the most prominent employers in Norman Wells, with our Northern store employing 12 individuals. Our commitment to local talent is demonstrated through our workforce consisting of 42% Indigenous employees.*
2. Capital Investment: Northern has made a $5,194,454 capital investment in the Norman Wells store over a 10-year period.*
3. Annual Economic Impact: Northern is making a positive impact in Norman Wells, with $614,011 annual economic impact in the community.*
Norman Wells’ Northern Store Manager, Peter Jirjis, and his team are dedicated community supporters.
“The people at Norman Wells have a really strong sense of community,” says Jirjis. “Even though it’s only been a little more than a year and a half since I arrived here, my store has been involved with the Township, the local RCMP, the Sahtu Search and Rescue and the Mackenzie Mountain School. It’s amazing how the community has banded together amidst the pandemic, and I’m thankful for these opportunities to help them out.”
*For the year ending 2020