David Ramsay

We want to make sure we get things right and the Member is correct; we want to maximize opportunities. If changes to policy are going to allow us to maximize opportunities for people and it’s in the best interest of the territory and the sector, that’s something we are very much interested in doing. Thank you.

If there are changes that we could look at that would have an immediate impact – and I know the Member is very much interested in beginning to plant seeds here – we will take a look at that. I can give the Member every assurance that we will look into this matter and if we need to adjust the policy to allow funding applications to be approved, we will do just that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the work of the EOS, it was identified that the territory does need to do some work in the area of policy when it comes to developing the agricultural industry here in the Northwest Territories. We are moving forward with development of an Agriculture Strategy for the Northwest Territories, which will include work towards a policy base, as well, for agriculture here in the Northwest Territories. We continue to work towards that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I have committed to looking at a readiness session in the Sahtu sometime in the very near future. Perhaps as part of that readiness session, we could also look at an information session on devolution, what it means, how things are going to work, and that would be perhaps very beneficial for residents in the Sahtu.

I know our government has done a tremendous amount of communications, getting word out in newspapers, on radio and through town hall meetings that we’ve had. Certainly, if there is more of an appetite out there for information on devolution and how it works, that’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, there’s been some significant advancement in the Sahtu because of the activity that’s taking place there. In Tulita, for example, we’ve seen a number of Aboriginal-owned businesses in Tulita, be it six in 2010. Last year we had 28 Aboriginal-owned businesses in Tulita and I think that says a lot.

We’ve seen grocery sales go up 200 percent, vacancy rate at the hotels in Norman Wells are up around the 90 percent mark. We’ve seen a number of people be employed. You can also look at a figure like 150 percent in the amount of gas that’s been purchased. Grocery...

If we were to expand that type of discussion, that certainly would involve other departments. I know when we’ve had the readiness session in the Sahtu in the past, other departments were involved. From the social side of things, we could look at including other departments again in discussions in the readiness session that will be held in the Sahtu again in the near future. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, certainly that is our goal going forward, is to have an integrated approach to resource management here in the Northwest Territories involving the departments of ITI, ENR and also the new Lands department. That’s something that we’re very excited about. We believe we can strike a balance. We believe we can protect the environment, have sustainable development and also see the economy grow, providing the much needed jobs and opportunities for the people that live in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of visitors from out of town. I’ve got Mike Pearson from London, England, and Jack Bertini from Toronto. Welcome to the House. I also want to recognize Mr. Mark Salvor. He’s a senior policy analyst with ITI and I know Mark has done a great deal of work on devolution and getting us closer to April 1st. Thanks, Mark, for all your good work on devolution. Also, I’d like to recognize Mr. Charlie Furlong and Joanne Deneron. I’ve got a Page that I wanted to recognize, Gianna Debogorski from the good riding of Kam Lake. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly look forward to the discussion. With all that is happening in the Sahtu, it is very important that we get on the same page and that opportunities that are there are acted upon and that the investments are made in the region so that the people of the region can benefit. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the programs and services that ITI provide across the territory and specifically in the Sahtu, we’ve seen the number of especially Aboriginal-owned businesses increase exponentially in the Sahtu over the past three years. We continue to provide support in this area. Through this budgeting process recently concluded, we’ve added a business development officer at the Sahtu regional office in Norman Wells and we continue to look for opportunities to work with land owners and business owners and Aboriginal leaders in the Sahtu to ensure that money is available and...