David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Pathways to Mineral Development: Report of the Stakeholders Engagement Panel for the NWT Mineral Development Strategy, April 2013.”

That is certainly something I believe the department will be looking at. It makes perfect sense to allow the funding to flow when it’s needed, and not on a financial calendar or a bureaucratic calendar, but instead with the true growing season in mind so that we can make the most out of the money that we have. The good news is we are going to be spending another $6 million in the area of agriculture over the next five years, and that’s some good news.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m familiar with the community garden in Ndilo. I had the opportunity a couple weeks back to have a tour of the garden itself and get into K’alemi Dene School. Talking to one of the contractors down there, she had mentioned that there was some work required on that community garden. This is the first I’ve heard of wrong supplies being ordered, but we will certainly look into what transpired in this case and make sure that the necessary goods arrive in Ndilo so that the garden can proceed.

Mr. Speaker, mining has a long and rich history in the NWT. For more than 60 years, our vast resources have made us a land of great potential, and we need to make the most of that potential. One of the main priorities of this government is to have an economy that is strong and diversified, and we identified the need for a comprehensive, environmentally sustainable Mineral Development Strategy.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the Mineral Development Strategy Panel’s report, titled “Pathways to Mineral Development.” This report represents stakeholders' opinions and offers a...

Mr. Speaker, we have competent staff in the regions. We have competent staff here at headquarters. If the Member has some examples of, as he mentioned, staff not giving other folks the right type of information, I would be more than happy to have the Member write to me or write to the deputy minister and advise us of such occurrences. We have a big program to deliver and the staff that we have are trying their best to deliver the programs that we have. Thank you.

There is obviously a need to get this work done, and I will give the Member the commitment that I will go back to the department and try to find out exactly what is happening and how we can continue to move the community garden project forward in Ndilo, without hesitation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize in the gallery our Advisory Panel on the Mineral Development Strategy. I will start with the chair, Mr. Angus Robertson. Next to him is Dr. Murray Duke and we also have, from Yellowknife, Mr. Rod Brown. I would also like to recognize Allan Twissell from Northways Consulting, who helped pull it all together, and the folks from the NWT Nunavut Chamber of Mines, Ms. Cathie Bolstad and Mr. Tom Hoefer. Thank you very much for all your help. Also in the gallery is our director of minerals, oil and gas, Mr. Tim Coleman. Welcome...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, this is the first year that we’re going to be trying the Cardinal, extending the season in the region, and our engineers and our folks at DOT marine believe that the Cardinal has the capability to perform. We’ll see how it does this fall.

Failing that, with an investment of $1.5 million on the engines, the Merv Hardie is a very capable backup vessel for us system-wide. So we do have that at hand as well.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department set out and did a thorough analysis of whether or not they could move the Merv Hardie there. It was determined that a better economic fix was to retrofit the Louis Cardinal. It is less expensive to operate the Louis Cardinal.

On the Mackenzie River, the best way to explain this is we had the Merv Hardie run up until December and sometimes even into the first week of January, while the ice road was being put in. Sometimes it could operate until the ice road came in. That extended service to the North Slave region until the end of December or beginning of...

It is anticipated that the Louis Cardinal will be able to perform in ice similar to the Merv Hardie. The other thing I should mention, as well, the Merv Hardie would have required a big retrofit and replacement of some engines on the vessel. That would have probably been another $1.5 million in one-time capital costs immediately. Again, that was all factored in. I think Minister Miltenberger mentioned the use of a backhoe on the Cardinal to clear ice. It will perform and we look forward to the Louis Cardinal working well into December this coming fall in the Mackenzie Delta.