Bob McLeod

Well, that’s obviously incorrect. I’ll ask the deputy to clarify what we’re spending. We spent $740,000 in prior years to build a visitors centre. In 2011-2012 we are proposing to spend $60,000 to complete the work at the centre. So through you, Mr. Chair, I’ll ask the deputy to clarify that.

I did go and visit the Sixtieth Parallel Visitor Centre and I know the construction was completed this year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

On the protected area side, we work very closely with aboriginal governments. We have been approached by a number of regions to sponsor some protected areas and we have looked very seriously at the proposals and very recently we’ve agreed to sponsor the Five Finger Lakes proposal out of Jean Marie. Also, through the Gwich’in Territorial Park Master Plan we met with the Nihtah Gwich’in Council and the Gwich’in Tribal Council to discuss their views on the future of the park, and we’ve hired a consultant to prepare a revised plan to address the future operation and maintenance of the park. We’ve...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On my left I have Peter Vician, deputy minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment; on my right I have Doug Doan, assistant deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories has a very bright future. The economic opportunities our Territory possesses in tourism, mining, oil and gas and more are significant.

Mr. Speaker, one of the key priorities of the Government of the Northwest Territories is training and employing our people. But we also know that our population is not large enough to fill all the positions that will be available in the future. That is why in April, the Government of the Northwest Territories launched a major initiative to address that challenge, the Come Make Your Mark Campaign.

This...

I’m not sure what the Member is looking at, but in 2011-12 we are putting the finishing touches to the visitors centre at the border. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess there are two parts to this project. One is improving the outside exterior part of the Sixtieth Parallel Visitors Centre, the facilities that people see on the outside; and then we are also, on the inside, it’s our plan to have interior displays. I think we are moving a large part of the equipment that we had at Canada’s Northern House that we will be moving inside, those types of displays so that people that come into the centre will be able to see a lot of these visual displays inside the visitors centre. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Basically, we are focusing on marketing and also we have been doing work to maintain our parks with utilizing more O and M money and it is a matter of when you have a limited amount of resources to work with, you have to prioritize your investments and focus on those areas that are the most…to do the work that’s most required. I think it must be working because our preliminary statistics 2010 camping season show that our camping permits are up by around 2 percent overall across the Territory and all regions have recorded an increase in camping permit numbers. We have done...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What this project will do is it will allow us to streamline our administrative processes through fixing the foundation as part of our 20/20: A Brilliant North, the NWT Human Resources strategic plan. This will allow us to reduce the significant inefficiencies of people and manual-based shift scheduling.

With the software based shift scheduling, services will be used to maximize resource usage. This will include having the right qualified staff in the right place at the right time, monitoring rules for overtime to maximize regular hours versus overtime, and utilizing...

Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.