Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Thursday, February 7, 2013.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is in the works is a territory-wide, community-based water monitoring system that we are in the process of setting up with the ENR and the communities and the Aboriginal government so that, in fact, we can start addressing some of those very concerns that his constituent Mr. Manuel raised.

I understand that in some cases the Aboriginal governments, the Dene Nation or other Aboriginal governments would negotiate their own rate, be it with airlines or with hotels where they are patrons on a steady basis, or in some cases, up north where they actually buy and own the hotels, they have that advantage. If the Member is suggesting that we somehow partner up, I’d be glad to get the information and review the issue with Finance and the Member to see what’s possible in terms of that kind of arrangement. I don’t know if there’s any kind of group rate that the First Nations or Aboriginal...

Gobbledy-gook implies that it’s unintelligible and no one can understand what I’m saying. I think the Member can understand what I’m saying, he just doesn’t like it. So let me repeat the issue. We have a process in the Northwest Territories and across the land. There has been pressures on the herds. There have been decisions made by the management boards that we have agreed with, that have put restrictions on almost every herd. Some of them there are total bans, way up north. On some they’ve, like the Bathurst, there was a requirement from myself as Minister three years ago to make a decision...

I apologize to the Member. I didn’t clearly understand the question. In terms of the unlimited resident harvest, the most that we’ve ever had, that I’m aware of, is five tags per resident hunter. The voluntary harvest that was in place for the Bluenose-East was in the neighbourhood of about 2,800 animals a year.

I’m more than willing to lavish praise where it’s due, with exception, possibly, of his work in progress of his Movember efforts. I know he will keep at it. He’s got a few days yet to fill in all the blanks.

In my statement I laid out a process, and we’re going to follow that through with the Wek’eezhii board and the unsettled claims areas and work through to lay out the management plan. We know it’s good for the current year. The broader issue of coming up with the same type of management plan that the Porcupine Caribou Management Board has developed, I think that is something that all the...

If we look at the Bluenose-East, the numbers went from 60 to roughly, our best estimate based on the information we do have in terms of cow/calf recruitment and such, to we think up to 100,000 in a relatively short period of time. The Bathurst, one of the biggest impacts was, of course, the harvest. It’s one of the most heavily populated areas of the Northwest Territories. It was a herd that was used by all the folks around Yellowknife, all the folks in the South Slave, some from Deh Cho. In addition to that, there were clearly some issues with warming temperatures and such that were affecting...

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to update the people of the Northwest Territories on the status of the barren ground caribou and the condition of the various herds.

During this past summer we were able to complete full surveys on the Cape Bathurst, Tuk Peninsula and Bathurst herds. A partial survey of the Bluenose-West herd was also done. Surveys of the Bluenose-East and Porcupine caribou herds could not be done due to weather conditions. Surveys are planned for both these herds next summer.

Preliminary results indicate the Cape Bathurst herd has increased to about 2,400, from 1,900 in...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, entitled NWT Power Corporation 2012 Annual Report, NWT Hydro Corporation 2012 Annual Report, and List of Interactivity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 for the Period of April 1, 2012, to September 30, 2012. Thank you.

We’re working on this initiative with the communities, the territorial government. We have a lot of interest by a number of very committed NGOs, as well, that are very interested in this whole idea of community-based water monitoring to establish the baseline of information to be able to make the determination in the area that the Member, once again, has raised as a concern that have been brought to him by his constituents.