David Ramsay

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.

Madam Speaker, the GNWT public tender process was followed. Three compliant bids were received and evaluated. Those bid prices ranged from $1.149 million to over $4.1 million. The lowest acceptable bid was deemed suitable and the award letter was sent out at the end of January. To my knowledge, that was followed.

If the Member would like further details, he is able to see, through ATIPP, whatever he wants to view. We provided the Member with whatever we could provide him with. Thank you.

That is something that we could do. Perhaps the Member could also get the EDI committee to write to us. I’d be more than happy to work with my colleague Mr. McLeod with MACA to get a better understanding of how this would work, and I look forward to a letter from committee, and the commitment of the Member to take a look at this and put some tangible things in place so that we can make a difference here.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe composting can play a very big role. We were just down in Hay River this fall opening the egg grading facility there. I had an opportunity to tour the chicken barns that are there, and the amount of manure that is produced from those barns and how that’s going to be used as compost into developing other types of agricultural development in the South Slave. It was something that was very interesting.

I think there is a role for composting in communities that can take a look at it, and it is something that I know we have an agreement with the federal government...

Thank you. Any chance I get. Today it was at least three times. Any opportunity we get to let our federal colleagues know about what is happening in the Sahtu. Again, we have the National Energy Board here today. I met earlier today with the BDIC through my department at ITI. We really are getting the word out about what is happening there.

There’s going to be close to $700 million spent in the Sahtu in the coming few years. So we need to ensure that we are answering that call and we intend to do just that.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We continue our work on developing guidelines for hydraulic fracturing here in the Northwest Territories and we are going to make sure that we get it right. We’ve engaged a number of experts in the area and, in fact, even today had a meeting with the National Energy Board here in our Legislature. Also, last week we were speaking to the Government of Alberta through Minister Ken Hughes, the Minister of Energy in Alberta.

There are a lot of folks out there that want to help make sure that the Northwest Territories gets this right. We’re also following developments out...

I do, thank you.