David Ramsay

I believe that things are going to continue to progress. Those types of discussions will undoubtedly take place with the federal government. We are still relatively in the early days of the development in the Sahtu with the shale oil and the large volumes of gas that would come out of that as well. I do believe it’s good to start talking about these things. It’s good to get out in front of them, but certainly as the resource is proven up, if it’s going to get into commercialization, those are discussions that need to happen. They need to happen with the federal government and our government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ITI is leading the Government of the Northwest Territories in the preparation of current and future oil and gas development in the Sahtu. We’re working with other departments on advancing on a government-wide approach. We’ve done that.

We’ve also helped coordinate the preparedness session that both the Member and I attended in Norman Wells in September. We certainly are looking forward to working with other stakeholders in the Sahtu to advance the interest of the communities there and the opportunities that are going to come. Thank you.

Thank you. We need to celebrate the opening of this bridge this month and we’ll do that. As to whether or not not having a phone on the bridge and operating some temporary lighting this coming winter will impact our insurance premiums that we pay, that is information that I’d be happy to get for the Member and other Members of the House. Thank you.

We’ve been doing all of this on what amounts to a shoestring budget. Certainly, if we are going to move forward, we’re going to start talking about positions. We certainly need to look at finding some additional funds to make us get to where we need to go.

I’d like to, again, chart that course for Members, work with Members, and we want to make sure that we do this right, that we take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.

Again, the Member mentioned Omni Films. That’s been a company that’s done work here in the Northwest Territories. We need to keep getting the positive message out...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I share the Member’s enthusiasm when it comes to the future of the film industry here in the Northwest Territories. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has gone a long way to getting us where we’re at today. We’ve established the website. We’ve established the Film Commission here.

The Member talked about his participation in the NWT Filmmaker and Producer Forum that was held earlier this month. We had helped out with hiring a facilitator for that event. The report and the Member talked about a number of ideas and issues that came up through that forum. We...

Again, we are working toward that. We will continue to work with the folks at the Department of Finance. We will get that information. It’s a work in progress.

I appreciate the Member’s enthusiasm about the film industry here in the Northwest Territories and its importance to our economy here. We’re going to make sure that we get this right and continue to work with both Finance and Education, Culture and Employment.

I think we’ve done a lot with the website. We’ve got a number of times on there. We’ve affiliated ourselves with the Association of Film Commissioners. It’s an international organization that gives, when we use their logo on our website, us instant credibility to the industry world-wide.

As I mentioned earlier, we are working with and we have worked with ECE. We’re working with Finance. We’re trying to find a path forward. We believe that once we do get the report from the consultant that took part in the producer forum, we will be able to chart a course forward and identify areas where we feel...

Mr. Speaker, the oil and gas industry has been at the heart of our economy for many years. As one of our enduring industries, we have always recognized the need to work not only with the companies that want to tap into our vast resources but also with those who live and work in the regions so that the economic benefits remain exactly where they should: in the North.

This past September, representatives from industry, government, Aboriginal organizations and corporations, community leaders and small business gathered together in Norman Wells for the Sahtu Exploration Readiness Session. The two...

The money is coming from the GNWT Giant Mine Liability Fund, which was established in 2005. There was $17 million in that budget for the realignment and it’s expected that the project costs will come in under that figure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, construction has started on the realignment of Highway No. 4 past Giant Mine. The work is being performed by Det’on Cho Corporation. They are in partnership with a number of local companies they have brought in to partner with them on the realignment project. Det’on Cho/Stantec, Det’on Cho/Nahanni Construction, Aboriginal Engineering, CJ Construction, Tli Cho Landtran, and also NWT Construction. They have a number of partners.

The project came within budget. The negotiations were concluded in early October. Construction is anticipated to carry on until close to...