Statements in Debates
The Marine Training Centre doesn't follow under the Government of the Northwest Territories, but they are leasing space from us in our facility in Hay River. The Member from the Sahtu and myself actually had a chance. I took him there and gave him a little tour of the facility, met a number of students who are there.
I have said earlier in my Minister's statement around Marine Transportation Services they have delivered hundreds of courses through there. A number of people have been picked up by MTS for employment this year, as well as Canadian Coast Guard that also picked up some people. As I...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 2019 sailing season is actually on schedule right now as we predicted going forward, even with the low water levels that have been on the Mackenzie River. We have already been to every community once. Presently, two tugs are northbound out of Hay River. They are going to be going to Norman Wells, Tulita, and Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. From Tuktoyaktuk, there is also going to be another tow going north to look after the Arctic communities. When we are finished that, if sailing allows, we are going to help with the North Warning defence system to do their deliveries...
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member from Yellowknife South, that Bill 37: An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Mackenzie Valley fibre link is the very first one the Government of the Northwest Territories took on, and I think that, when you look at it and the challenges that were around that whole project, and I think the Finance Minister will concur with me, it definitely buffers the Government of the Northwest Territories. P3s are on the back of industry going forward, and they face the challenges, and they take the risks, and they do this, and it gives us some assurance to the Government of the Northwest Territories that, when we enter into these contracts, we are going to get what we paid for.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not have that level of detail, of course, at my fingertips here on something like that, but this is something that the department took as an initiative under this P3 project, that we want to be able to capitalize as much as we can for northern opportunities for businesses and people in the region. I think our staff did a great job in implementing that, but I can certainly get all of the details and supply that to this House.
As to my previous answer, same thing. If the Member wants me to get him that information, we can compile that information for him before the end of session.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to the Member's question the other day, he did ask me, and this will clarify it a little bit more. Assuming that the full bid is 100 percent Northwest Territories and local content, the contractor would need approximately $16 million to max out the $500,000 bid adjustment. On the majority of contracts, there are a number that are under $1 million. Those contractors can receive a bid adjustment up to $200,000, which represents about 20 percent of the bid adjustment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Historically, the rivers are at a 10-year low right now from the last time I got an update from our staff. The one thing that MTS did this year was factor in the possibility of that. The way we operated this year is we adjusted our loads for shallower draft. The low-water levels on the Mackenzie River haven't hampered our schedule. The other nice thing was, I have talked about it in this House, with the Steam River bridge that was on fire and the fuel company picked up the slack and delivered the fuel to Hay River by truck. It actually got there earlier than anticipated, so that helped assist...
Mr. Speaker, early in the life of the 18th Legislative Assembly our government made a commitment to secure funding for the advancement of new strategic infrastructure corridors. It is a commitment that we made in Connecting Us, the Northwest Territories 25-year Transportation Strategy, as well as in our government's mandate.
The three priority transportation corridor projects our government is pursuing are the Tlicho All-Season Road, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, and the Slave Geological Access Corridor. Each of these projects will help connect communities, support employment and training...
Thank you. I am pleased to introduce Bill 37, An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act. The purpose of this bill is to address critical first-step changes to the Oil and Gas Operations Act. Its aim is to enhance transparency and public accountability and address administrative and technical issues with the current legislation.
To enhance transparency and public accountability, this bill proposes extended authorities and requirements for both the Minister and the regulator related to oil and gas activities in the Northwest Territories.
For the regulator, the bill would allow them to...