Robert C. McLeod

The building has been completed for a couple of years now, and we are starting to see more and more researchers with the climate change making their way up to the Beau-Del. We would like to see this as a beginning of the University of the North, and we are better to have it than in an area where you have a lot of everything as far as scientific research and that goes. I think the term I heard was that Inuvik was geographically gifted for this type of work, and we hope we continue to build on that and see this program expand to where it may become a University of the North in the North. Thank...

The Member is correct. Traditional knowledge plays a large part in some of the work that we are doing, and I think we see that all across the Northwest Territories in the Mackenzie Delta, and you have just seen in the news in the last few days, some of the slides that they are having on the river just down from Inuvik. As far as opening a research centre, if the federal government is willing to put a lot of the money into it, and we can put some contribution towards it, we would be glad to look at a research centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to advise the House that the Government of the Northwest Territories has fulfilled its mandate commitment to complete the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link, a project that will help modernize the economy and enable growth in all economic sectors. The Mackenzie Valley fibre link is an important part of the 18th Legislative Assembly's commitment to strategic investment, diversification, and modernization towards a high-tech future.

The completion of the nearly 1,200-kilometre fibre link brings affordable high-speed telecommunications to six...

Not really. We will just continue to move forward and try and access money, and continue to work with the federal government to actually try and access all pots of this money. One of the reasons we have gone through the exercise, we have gone through in the last couple of years, is to put ourselves in a position where they come to us and say, we have 75 cents on the dollar. Are you able to match it? I would like to be able to tell them that we are, and I think we have positioned ourselves very well to make our contributions to any capital projects, or any funding from the federal government...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I believe we are exploring some of the federal funding pots and trying to get some of the criteria for there to see if the project would fit under any one of those programs. I believe it does, but I will confirm that. If it does fit under one of their programs, there is usually a cost shared. I think it is 75 per cent federal dollars and 25 per cent territorial contribution, but I can assure the Member and all Members of this House that, if we get some indication of some funding from the federal government, this territorial government would be willing to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We can't give him all he wants right away. We'll give him half of what he wants for now, and when we are discussing the terms of the business plans, or capital plans, and that is what I should have said before instead of business plans, then we can make the determination there as to whether we included it into the capital planning document. I am sure we will get some feedback from committee, and we will take that into consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, my understanding is the new officer for the community of Tsiigehtchic is going to be starting by the end of October.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently, we have two wildlife officers from Inuvik in the community with a live bear trap trying to trap the bear that has been wandering around there. As well, we have another wildlife officer from Fort McPherson, I believe, who is going to be stationed in the community for a couple of nights. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. The tenders have closed. We are reviewing the offers, and once a decision is made, then I will update committee.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. We will be more than glad to send the Member an invite to hold one end of the ribbon. Thank you.