Bob McLeod

I understand the regional staff have a copy. We have just completed a staffing competition to hire a new economic development officer for Aklavik, so we’ll have somebody on the ground working to begin to implement some of the recommendations with some support from here in headquarters. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Public Utilities Board of the Northwest Territories 2009 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Right now we currently have the NWT Film Commission, which acts as a liaison and provides advice to prospective filmmakers. This year we’ve responded to 215 e-mail inquires and 303 phone inquiries. We also are having NWT Film Week at Canada’s Northern House, which will run from March 15-19. As the Member indicated, we have contracted Western Arctic Moving Pictures to help with those who are interested in doing films and we think that through the exposure to Canada’s Northern House that there will be a lot more interest in filmmaking in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think this Member is trying to win an Oscar. The department has provided some limited funding through its SEED program for filmmakers and other larger projects. In the past, we’ve dealt with on an ad hoc basis, depending on the benefits that would accrue to the Northwest Territories. Otherwise, we would direct them to the National Film Board of Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My ITI staff are reviewing the document and will be providing me with some recommendations on what is in the report. In the meantime, we’re also working to provide for more longer term capacity. We will be working to have somebody from the community work with the EDO position so that we can have longer term workers in the community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Aklavik project was quite a novel and creative approach to economic development. I think that it’s an approach that could be used in other communities and was done largely at the initiative of the local people from Aklavik who want to see economic development occur in this community. As we speak, our department of ITI is reviewing the report with the direction to come back and give me some indication of what areas we can implement and what areas we can advance further. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Those are all the elements that we would look at in the review and also in developing recommendations. I think we have to be careful if we start trying to get into a race to the bottom with B.C. or Ontario with regard to tax incentives, but again, I think that with specific benefits to the Northwest Territories and we can look in those areas and, certainly, we’ll probably try to focus on existing NWT filmmakers. Thank you.

We’re committed, as a department, to undertake a review of the possibilities for expanding into NWT filmmaking. I made a commitment to your colleague Mr. Bromley the other day that we will be undertaking a review and we will be reporting back this spring. I have asked the Department of ITI to provide us with some recommendations. I think that other provinces and territories do provide incentives and we’ll see how they’re doing. Here in the Northwest Territories, as well, my colleague, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, does have programs through the Arts Council. There is $500...

We’ll keep the Member involved and also the people that have been the lead on this project from day one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There is a directive that lays out the criteria for which would apply to direct appointments, and we do provide assistance to the different departments as to format, and it has to be approved by the responsible Minister, and all direct appointments have to go through Cabinet. Then once a decision is made and if that position is approved, then the Department of HR is the lead on implementation of the decision. Thank you, Mr. Chair.