Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my statement today, agriculture has become a significant growth sector in the NWT economy in the last few years. It also has the added benefit of reducing food cost by substituting imported food. More growth is possible, but one of the limiting factors is the availability of the land. My question for the Minister of Lands is what plans the government has to make more land available in the NWT for agriculture and food production. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. As we turn to considering our economic supports and infrastructure spending, let's target our money where it will do the most good, producing the most durable jobs for dollars spent, and producing the most social good with the least environmental harm. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I take the point of the Member for Nunakput, that some of our most contaminated sites were established at a time when environmental regulation was not as rigorous as it is today. Having said that, however, there are still a number of sites that are being established now that are not fully secured financially against future liability, and given the cost of operating in the North and the cost of remediating contaminated sites often in remote places, it's essential that we have the means to provide clean up in the event of the company leaving or going bankrupt. I do not...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 25, 2016 I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 25, 2016 it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 29, 2016. And further, that any time prior to February 29, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment the Speaker may...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Yesterday in the House the Minister said that there were a total of 259 individuals who would need long-term care beds in the next 10 years and he said that the cost of each bed was $130,000 per year. But his total figure for that investment was $200 million, so I didn't really follow the math on how he got to $200 million. I wonder if he could explain that figure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I beg your pardon, Mr. Speaker. My question for the Minister is: If somebody wanted to grow food that they would later sell at the successful Yellowknife Farmers Market, how would they obtain land outside of the city to do that?

What I heard is that land will not be available in some areas until all land claims are settled. I’m wondering how we can sustain the growth of the agriculture sector if there is going to be no additional land available for the production of food.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also wanted to acknowledge Nancy Vail, a tireless volunteer in our community working on a number of different files to improve our lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the government has sounded the alarm about the impact of weakened markets for non-renewable resource products and the need to broaden the base of our economy. The Commissioner's Opening Address referred to the need for strategic investment, diversification, and modernization of the economy in its growth sectors. I agree. The growth of sectors outside of non-renewable resources is impressive. Tourism contributes over $100 million and has good potential in every region. The contributions of the forestry, fishing, and agriculture sectors, while small, have...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to make one more reply to Mr. Nakimayak. The mineral staking and the negotiation of impact and benefit agreements is at the other end of the spectrum in mining development: It's the front end. What we're talking about here is the back end. When the ore is done and the mine is closed, we're talking about what happens next, so there's no reason that this policy would stand in the way of anyone staking a claim, or in fact developing a mine if the claim was proven to be beneficial. Thank you, Mr. Chair.