Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, I will move that Bill 62, An Act to Amend the Coroners Act, be read for the first time.
I give notice that on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, I will move that Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Victims of Crime Act, be read for the first time.
I give notice that on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, I will move that Bill 64, An Act to Amend the Co-operative Associations Act, be read for the first time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “NWT Oil and Gas Annual Report 2014.”
Our South Slave regional office is currently reviewing our subsidy program. Of course, they are going to continue to engage with the Fishermen’s Federation. Now that we have developed a business plan with the Fishermen’s Federation, we will have to bring that plan and the fishery into the 21st century by dramatically changing all the fundamentals that have been in place for well over four decades. This plan proposes new ownership, new responsibilities, new markets, a new commitment and, finally, the plan will bring along a new, long overdue vision, as I mentioned earlier, that will support the...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The federal government has been very good supporters of economic development here through the CanNor office here in Yellowknife and across the North. We continue to discuss, with the federal government, an opportunity to invest in a commercial fishery on Great Slave Lake, and we do need about $5.5 million to put in an export grade fish plant in Hay River. We have earmarked $1.5 million. We’re going to need some partners. We have to continue to put the question on the table to the feds. I had the opportunity last year to meet with Minister Shea in Ottawa. We’ve invited...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The proposed park, of course, follows the now defunct Canol Pipeline built during World War II, of course. It includes several waste sites with abandoned buildings. I know the Member and I have toured some of those abandoned buildings, equipment and vehicles interlinked with an old roadway. These sites present hazards to human and animal health, including oil spills, exposed asbestos, structurally unsafe buildings as well as almost 650 linear kilometres of copper coated steel telephone wire. There’s a lot out there that needs to be remediated, needs to be looked at.
I...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; the federal government has made a commitment to remediate the area. They say it’s going to take five years. Sometimes they say one thing and it may take, in fact, longer than the five years that they’ve committed to. But the other issue here is we had wanted them to take the class 1 sites – there are four of them to be remediated – but the fact remains that they have that entire stretch of 222 kilometres, one kilometre on either side of it. It’s a big area and it’s going to require a lot of work to remediate.
We continue to look at that as an...
Having served on the other side of the House for eight years, the department did get the message loud and clear about the Auditor General’s report and the steps that we need to take in the area of wilderness camps. We are moving forward; we’re going to get a fit; we’re going to make it happen; and I’ve impressed upon the department to do just that. Thank you.
I’ve given that commitment in the past and I’ll give it again today, that we are committed to seeing the wilderness camps established here in the Northwest Territories. We’re going to continue to work with folks to ensure that that happens.
We had intended to issue an RFP this month, but after the expression of interest process and the discussions that we’ve had with respondents to that process, further changes to the design of the program is what are needed and what are required, and we’re currently working toward that. From the discussion with interested groups, we concluded that the...
Where there’s access to a campground with facilities, contractors can charge a fee to use the facilities in the campground. I think that’s up to the contractor. The services are there. People need to pay for those services. Pickers who are in the area can utilize those services, and the contractor is going to be making more revenue as a result of that. Thank you.
Judging by the success of the workshops that we’ve put on with 1,200 residents taking part, we’re going to see a much greater number of local people in the Northwest Territories participating in the harvest this coming summer. You know, good ideas. I heard a good idea from Mrs. Groenewegen, another good idea with the surveys from Mr. Bouchard. We’re just moving into this. I think ideas like that, we can hopefully take those and incorporate them in our planning.
As far as whether or not we are planning a survey, I’d have to go back and see if the department has any plans to survey pickers on...