Bob McLeod

The hamlet advised us that they needed to make some drainage improvements along one of the streets near the school, and they see it as an opportunity to make some further enhancements to allow for some off-street parking. The total cost for the drainage improvements including creating a leveled area for parking is in the order of $32,000. This work will be done by the hamlet, and the hamlet has infrastructure money to do that. Our Public Works and Services will contribute surplus gravel for the angled parking area and they will contribute something in the neighbourhood of $3,000 worth of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a government and the Department of ECE takes the concerns raised by the school representatives very seriously, and of course, our children and our students’ safety is of utmost concern. For that reason, we are working closely with the Aklavik DEA as well as Public Works, and certainly, we will facilitate that work gets done to deal with this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jackson Lafferty will be absent from the House today to attend a funeral. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have been working with a very large group in developing this draft plan, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to anybody. We’ve reached out and had a number of meetings with the Chamber of Mines, Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. Also, we have to keep in mind that settling the land claims is very important. We want to do it as quickly as possible. There’s 144,000 square kilometres of land as part of the interim land withdrawal, and once those land claims are settled there’ll be additional land available. As I said, it’s a draft document and it’ll be a transition document and it...

The appropriate term is “balanced development.” We’ve always said that we would have development while protecting the land and environment at the same time. With the draft Conservation Strategy, it allows for up to 80 percent for development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we often talk about the people of the NWT as being our greatest resource. I think it’s fair to say that our Government of the Northwest Territories’ public service is made up of many of those remarkable people who dedicate themselves to public service. Today I would like to acknowledge one of those public servants who has dedicated 25 years to this government and the people of the NWT.

On December 4th Hilda Camirand will retire.

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During her career she has supported many Premiers and Ministers. All of them, including myself, have benefitted from her wise counsel, expert...

We have quite a number of strategies. We finished the Economic Opportunities Strategy, Mineral Development Strategy that the Member is referring to. We also have a Land Use Strategy Framework, and the Member knows that the lack of investment or the downward turn in mineral exploration is something that’s happened across the world. It’s an international problem.

I have said many times that we will have balanced development. A priority is to settle land claims, and there will be up to 80 percent of land available to development when it is all said and done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a Member, he’s been around a long time and should know we have had a Protected Areas Strategy that was developed in the 1990s. When devolution occurred, we devolved and evolved and we’ve taken that Protected Areas Strategy and reviewed it and served our northern priorities. It is a draft document and those have been put out for discussion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Cabinet Operational Guidelines During a Transition Period.”

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “2014-2015 Status of Women Council of the NWT Annual Report.” Thank you.