Herbert Nakimayak

Mr. Speaker, I believe that, you know, having an RV park or some sort of infrastructure like that should fall on the departments of the GNWT and ITI and maybe other departments within the government. I think it's only fair, given that Tuktoyaktuk used a lot of their capacity to do what they can to ensure that they did their best, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if I got a solid answer there.

Mr. Speaker, my second question is: will the GNWT fund a full-time tourism coordinator so that additional capacity can be provided?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize Mr. Terry Testart as well. He was in a senior administrator office in Tuktoyaktuk for many years. So, welcome, Terry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It's good to see that the department is going in that direction, where they are consulting with communities and their needs.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Tuktoyaktuk is also dealing with the issue of a funded GNWT economic development officer, the EDO. This position was set up through the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk and there are some uncertainties as we speak. Mr. Speaker, the contract is on a year-by-year basis. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is: can this position come directly through the Government of Northwest Territories like other surrounding communities rather than through the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier, I spoke about the tourist boom in Tuktoyaktuk, and my questions are for the Minister of ITI. Mr. Speaker, to make sure that the community of Tuktoyaktuk can continue to provide essential services that are required for the 2019 tourist season, my question is: will the GNWT commit to an RV park or visitors' centre or other infrastructure that is crucially needed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of our biggest challenges this summer was trying to accommodate the big boom of tourism in Tuktoyaktuk. However, the community has stepped up with whatever capacity they had to work with. The GNWT did offer some support with small pots of funding, but the community is looking for something bigger, like an RV park and a campground within or close to the community.

Mr. Speaker, both the federal and territorial governments have marketed the new highway to Tuktoyaktuk, connecting three oceans from sea to sea to sea. This marketing has caused a mad rush to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I won't be long. Earlier, in the opening comments, I mentioned that I wouldn't support this, and I think all of us who sit here, our time up in this Assembly is done in 2019. I think we need to look beyond that.

Earlier, I mentioned that, if the government is in control, it is something that could be controlled by the government and the government can take responsibility for. If we look at something like this that is being proposed, it would become the wild, wild west, and I don't think that's the right way to go. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak a little bit about my region. Mr. Speaker, this project hired hundreds of people from Nunakput as well as the Mackenzie Delta region. A project like this will likely get audited, like the Deh Cho Bridge, like the Yellowknife Hospital. I think, seeing my colleagues here who put this motion forward, to me, looking from the outside in, it questions the integrity of the contractors and it questions the integrity of the Department of Infrastructure, the Department of Finance, and all the moving parts for something like this.

Mr. Speaker, when...

It's good to see that the Minister is looking into opportunities for Nunakput and the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, Tuktoyaktuk now has a highway, and, to me, it's an obvious candidate for a deep-sea port in the Arctic. Mr. Speaker, I am wondering: has the Minister of Infrastructure considered the construction of a deep-sea port in the western Arctic Ocean?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week I spoke about the widespread use of heavy fuel oil in vessels transiting the Arctic and the severe dangers that it poses in comparison to other types of fuel. I also highlighted the fact that, unlike Antarctica, the use of heavy fuel oil is not regulated in its northern counterpart.

Mr. Speaker, in February the International Maritime Organization approved a new two-way route in the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait, after accepting proposals by the United States and Russia. These routes take effect on December 1st. The approval of these routes...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I won't reiterate too much of what everybody said. I think we've all heard it so much in this last hour that we need to look at other things.

Being from a small community perspective, like my colleagues Mr. Nadli and Mr. McNeely, drugs have been in the small communities for quite some time. I remember growing up and going to school in Inuvik when there was a lot of cocaine coming down through the Dempster Highway. With the new highway to Tuktoyaktuk, we are going to kind of see some of that, you know. Every time there's an opportunity for a highway or other avenues to...