Statements in Debates
Mr. Speaker, NWT businesses keep our economy strong, employ local residents and supply us with goods and services.
Several NWT businesses have been recognized for their success lately and I would like to take this time to highlight some of them.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment partnered with the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce to host the Small Business Awards last month. I would like to congratulate Beaufort Beauty, Inukshuk Catering and the owners of Alestine’s and Cloud 9 restaurants, who all received awards. These businesses continue to provide excellent products and services...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 42, An Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act, be read for the first time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Government of the Northwest Territories Contracts over $5,000 Report for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2014.” Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are other programs that trappers can avail themselves of. Of course, there is the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program and the Grubstake Program that gets folks out. Based on the amount of fur that they think they are going to get, we can advance them some money before they go out and get to the trapping.
We have programs, but if the Member is calling on us to have a look at those programs and the level of support, that’s something that maybe, perhaps in next year’s business plans we could have a look at this and the level of funding that we do provide. Of course, like...
Thank you. We do have programs available on a regional basis, as well, and I’d encourage community leaders in Enterprise to contact our office in Hay River. We could have somebody in the community to discuss funding options for the community, but I think before we move too far down that road we really do need to satisfy the land tenure issue on the former weigh scale site. That’s something, as I mentioned earlier, that will help the Member and the community to try to sort out in due course. Thank you.
Thank you. I understand the community was and had made application for several large parcels of land in and around the community, and that is something, as I mentioned to the Member in my previous response, that I’d like to help the community and the Member out with in trying to understand better how that former site could go to the community of Enterprise if their intent is to have a visitors centre there. I’ve talked many times in this House about the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the role tourism plays here in the Northwest Territories.
At some point in time, I certainly would like to...
Thank you. I know last week I made a statement in this House about how our government supports trappers in the Northwest Territories. We’ve just handed out a number of awards again this year. The fact that we’ve put 1,700 children in the Northwest Territories through the Take a Kid Hunting and Take a Kid Harvesting trapping programs that we have, it’s very important to the Government of the Northwest Territories to continue to support trappers.
Again, I understand the Member’s concern about gas prices and the fact that trappers are spending a lot of their help and their funds on getting gas for...
Thank you. Where the funds are administered and handled by local organizations at the community level, the money would be given to communities and it would be up to the community, in my estimation, on what they spend that money on, and if it’s fuel to get out for a community hunt or a community harvest, that’s what that fund could be used for and that’s what communities could be putting that money toward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome to the Assembly this afternoon a constituent, Mr. Deneze Nakehk’o. Welcome. Also, former Premier, mayor of Inuvik. Great to see you back in the House, Mr. Roland. Also, to all the other visitors that have come from far and wide to be with us this afternoon, welcome to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.