Brendan Bell

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The renewable resource officers in each community are responsible for the administration of the program. They work with local trappers to ensure that they’re there to take in furs as trappers come off the traplines and then get the furs to market for those trappers, and also providing them with their advances and their bonus if the fur comes in at a level that warrants a bonus and we’re fairly certain that it will fetch a high price at market. So it’s the renewable resource officers. I’ll certainly provide contact information for the Member, but I know that at the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think we have had a discussion about a specific forum only for the trapping industry at this point, but we have been involved in financially supporting and helping a group through our regional staff and have provided money to a group that was interested in conducting an oil and gas workshop in the region. We have been talking about prospective dates. I don’t have the latest information at my fingertips in terms of the dates that we have identified, but we are obviously providing support already to that and will continue to do so. I will pass on the thoughts...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think our most effective tools for consulting with trappers and people who use this activity for their sustenance is our renewable resource personnel in the regions and in the communities. I have had discussions in the Member’s riding on our most recent trip to Norman Wells with the regional office. They were certainly encouraged. Obviously the price of furs; this winter we have had indicated that numbers were up and things were looking good. But they have ongoing discussions with trappers in terms of discussing their needs, their thoughts on the season and the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We haven’t had any of that type of discussion because we are really not there yet. I want to give the assurance to everybody out there listening, we are not talking at this point about a reduction in tags. So I think it’s premature to start talking about what we do if the industry fails. We are not there. I want to give that assurance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are going to sit down now and talk to the planning committee that put this document together about the next steps forward in terms of public consultation. Obviously we have had many discussions. The groups involved with the planning committee are those charged with management of the herd, but there are many more stakeholders who have an interest in the management of caribou and need to be consulted. We need to have that discussion with them prior to anything taking place in terms of changes to the plan or, as I have indicated before, adoption of the plan. None of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The grubstake program that’s available at the beginning of the season for trappers who harvested a certain number of pelts the previous year -- I can’t remember exactly what the number is, but I think it’s around 20 -- those who have met that threshold are eligible for the grubstake amount of money and I think it's in the neighbourhood of $5,000 to help them get their equipment up and ready for the season. So if they want to do repairs to their snow machine or purchase additional traps, that’s what that money can be used for. We have had a program in past years in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These programs that we set up some couple of years back, I believe two years now running, continue on. What we are seeing is an increased uptake and an increase in the level of trapping. I think that much of it has to do with the prices that these furs are fetching at auction. The market has been particularly good. The Asia Pacific market is opening up for our furs, along with the traditional interest we have seen from the European trading area. So this is all good news for our trappers. I think in addition, anecdotally, we have noticed that people who are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s no short answer to this, but I do understand what the Member is talking about. In terms of communities’ ability to intervene and the environmental impact statement process for the pipeline, they are challenged. There are reams of information to sift through. I’ve been discussing that with my colleagues, most specifically with the Minister of MACA, but also with the social envelope Ministers. We had a meeting this morning to discuss some of these challenges. We are looking to provide some help and looking to come up with a framework that will have some answers...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t, for the Member, indicate what the exact arrangements are in Wrigley and Jean Marie River in terms of EDO support. I can get that information for the Member, but we do have a couple of different arrangements that vary by community and vary depending on what the community’s interests are. In some communities, in some regions, we have RWED staff that fill that role and through the community transfer initiative some time back, RWED was able to transfer funding to communities to have them provide the service for the community and on that community’s behalf. So it...

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we believe it’s the most effective tool. It will build on many of the access agreements that are being negotiated right now. I think it will fill gaps and it will provide some certainty for all NWT residents and all businesses, beneficiary and non-beneficiary in the NWT, and that they will, in fact, see tangible benefits and opportunities from this pipeline development. That’s important. We want to make sure that there are benefits that stay here in the North because that really is what will make this development worth it for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr...