Bob McLeod
Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t know for sure whether anybody from ITI was there or not, but we followed up and we would certainly want to work closely with the community to continue to develop the harvest opportunities.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. With regard to the Sahtu hydro assessment, last year in 2009-10 we budgeted $100,000 for the assessment of hydro resources in the Sahtu region. This year, 2010-11, we budgeted $500,000 to work on specific hydro projects and, as the Member indicated, there is a Sahtu symposium being held in Deline this week and what we’re expecting out of the workshop is it would review the findings of the Sahtu hydro assessment. I should point out, and as the Member knows, there are multiple sites in the Sahtu region that are technically feasible to develop such as there are a number of...
As part of our Managing This Land Strategic Initiative we are developing a land use framework for the Government of the Northwest Territories which will look at all of the different interests in Northwest Territories lands. As part of that we will ensure that morel mushrooms harvesting is included. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We would certainly appreciate the Member’s support and all the Members’ support to get the federal government to speed up the cleanup of the land so we can turn it into a territorial park. We’re also spending up to $50,000 on signage for the trail. I know the Member is inviting some of the Ministers to go on a constituency tour with him, so I’d be prepared to do that and talk about parks with the communities. Thank you.
My understanding is there have been discussions to connect the new Public Works and Services office building. The total cost is $1.5 million. Certainly, we’re interested in all of these kinds of residual heat projects. My understanding is that NTPC has been in discussions with the project managers and I would certainly be interested in these types of projects.
We all know that when there are forest fires, usually a year later there’s a growth of morel mushrooms. In the past, as a government, we made this information available and provided some equipment. I believe we even had some training sessions. As far as licensing and certification, that would be something that if we wanted to do that we would have to check the legal requirements to do so. But it was mainly like picking berries. You don’t need to be licensed to pick berries.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In the Sahtu region, we’re working very hard to see the introduction of one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the Northwest Territories, the CANOL Trail Park, and we certainly want to work with the Sahtu region to get the federal government to speed up its remediation of the land before it can be transferred so that we can have the area designated as a territorial park. I think no one knows better than the Member, who has walked every step of the way of the CANOL Trail. I think it will be a major attraction for tourism not only in the Sahtu but in the Northwest...
This office helps coordinate the activities throughout the government and is also responsible for coordinating with community governments and aboriginal governments. So they have been travelling to the different communities to update them on what’s been happening with the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.
Mr. Speaker, the Summer Student Employment Program is a crucial part of this government’s commitment towards the people of the North and the development of a skilled and knowledgeable northern workforce. The 2010 Summer Student Employment Program is underway and applications for summer student employment are being accepted.
I ask all Members, residents and parents that if they are aware of any students seeking summer employment, to encourage them to register as early as possible with the Department of Human Resources at @email.
Mr. Speaker, each year the Government of the Northwest...
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think those are all very important questions. I think that with the environmental assessment the rationale and logic is that there’s a very tight business case. It will be a function of the power purchase agreements and how the financing would be arranged. I think that it will all hinge on the environmental assessment and negotiations with the diamond mines. That’s where the regulated/unregulated difference is and I think that hydro power is a very important part of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.