David Ramsay

Avalon has gone out. I know they have an IBA in place with the community of Fort Resolution. For us, it’s through the socio-economic agreements and, again, we are negotiating an agreement with Avalon that would see maximized benefits for local businesses and people on jobs and business opportunities associated with both the operation at Thor Lake, the mine itself, and the hydromet facility south of the lake. We’re working on that and we will continue to try to get the best deal for Northerners. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Member for his concern and his questions regarding the secondary industry. In my time as a Member of this House, I’ve always had the belief in the industry. The bottom fell out in 2008-2009. We went from having factories to having nothing, and certainly, with the sale of these two factories, we’ve got an agreement on the polar bear, we’ve got somebody who is very passionate about rebirth of the industry and reviving this industry in Deepak International. We are very excited about the future of the secondary industry here in the Northwest Territories, and...

Thank you. We’ve done a number of things. In the South Slave ITI office, we’ve looked at a feasibility study for a limestone quarry in the south part of the Northwest Territories that would help in supplying limestone to the potential hydromet facility at the old Pine Point mine site. We continue negotiations, as I mentioned, on a socio-economic agreement. We’re looking at the establishment of a special economic zone in the old Pine Point mine site. I know the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline preparedness office or petroleum planning office now in Hay River has also done a preliminary examination on...

I thank the Member for the questions. I guess, first off, it just holds tremendous promise for the region and for the territory. Again, we can’t afford to mess this up. It has to be done right. We’re going to take our time, we’re going to get those guidelines together, and we’re going to work with the communities. There is so much opportunity there. If more wells are drilled and this resource is proven up and gets to a stage where it’s going to be commercially sent somewhere, there’s the existing pipeline south from Norman Wells. In discussions with experts and industry, if the volumes are...

We’ve done a number of things. We’ve had a number of meetings in the communities in the Sahtu. We’ve taken the Members from the Economic Development and Infrastructure committee on a fracking tour. There have been leaders from the Sahtu attend a fracking tour in Calgary as well. Sometime in April I’m hoping to get a group of business leaders from the Sahtu down to southeast Saskatchewan and into North Dakota to talk to Aboriginal leaders in Bakken about what has happened there, and how Aboriginal governments and leaders here in the Northwest Territories can translate what is happening in the...

As evidenced through this budget that was just presented to the House, we are taking very seriously what is happening in the Sahtu, not just on the economic side but also the social side of policing, education, things like that. In my department we’re looking at adding a business development officer in Norman Wells to help address the issues surrounding business development and opportunities for people to get into business in the Sahtu. So we are answering the call when it comes to what is happening in the Sahtu. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have with me to my left, Mr. Peter Vician, deputy minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. To my right is Ms. Nancy Magrum, director of shared services, finance and administration, Industry, Tourism and Investment and Environment and Natural Resources.

I do, Mr. Chairman, thank you. I am pleased to present the 2013-14 main estimates for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The department’s main estimates propose total operational expenses of approximately $50 million for the coming fiscal year, which is an increase of 1 percent over 2012-13. This includes sunsets of nearly $2.5 million, specific initiatives of $1.2 million and forced growth of $1.9 million.

The mandate of ITI is to promote economic self-sufficiency through responsible development of the Northwest Territories natural resources and the promotion of tourism, trade...

If the Member wants to get us a list of exactly what it is he requires, the contract has been signed. We’re more than happy to provide him with whatever information we can provide him with. On Appendix B, it speaks to the company’s ability to do the work. It talks about who they would bring in as their subcontractors. It talks about their ability to get the job done in dollar values. That’s proprietary information and that’s not something we would normally share with anybody. That’s how they won the contract, that’s how they are going to do the work. Certainly, we can provide it, but we’d have...

Madam Speaker, we want to ensure that there is a fair process. Certainly I’m not saying that the Member is correct or incorrect. I am saying that the process was followed. The contract was awarded. If the Member wants other information, I’ll do my best to get him whatever information that he needs to satisfy his requirement that Appendix B was filled out and that all the proper steps were taken in the award of this contract. Thank you.