Wally Schumann

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I've answered this question a number of times already, this is a pan-territorial position that represents all citizens of the Northwest Territories. We have reallocated the position in Hay River that was presently there, away from agriculture, to look after the fishing and agriculture industry to help facilitate that in the South Slave. The position that the Member opposite is referring to is based out of Yellowknife, and it needs to be here to look after the whole Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When we looked at this, the big part of the improvement fees and landing fees for the Yellowknife Airport is to help turn around the operating costs of running the airport. We presently subsidize the airport by $4 million annually, which comes out of general revenue that could help support other initiatives in this House that we believe that we need to move forward; but the big thing with introducing this revolving fund to the Yellowknife Airport, it's also the largest airport in the Northwest Territories. It has 58,000 flights a year that land and come and go from this airport. There are a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have that level of detail at the top of my head, so I'll have to get back to the Member with that number. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly for 2016 under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I've also answered this question today already and I said I'm not committed to moving that position out of Yellowknife. It belongs here and it needs to be here to look after the broader people of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason the superintendent from the South Slave is going to the Mackenzie Delta to help them on how to move their fishing industry forward is because all the experience that he has dealing with the Freshwater Fishing Corporation and Tlicho Investment Corporation, and he deals with the fishermen on a day-to-day basis as problems come and arise, and helps them move their businesses forward. Why wouldn't we send someone with that amount of experience to help introduce a new industry into the Mackenzie Delta?

There are a couple of things I want to say. First of all, Norman Wells grew 9,000 pounds of potatoes. That's not some small, little community garden we are talking about. There is a region at looking at extending their agriculture. I have had conversations with people in Fort Good Hope who want to do commercial agriculture in their region as well.

As much as the South Slave is maybe thinking they are the agricultural hub of the Northwest Territories, there are a number of communities that are already reaching out and doing it. Gameti is another good example, with what they have been able to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, he's asked a couple of questions there; I'll answer the last one. The landing and the improvement fees are going to change a south-bound ticket by 3 to 4 per cent. On a north-bound ticket it's going to change it by 1 to 2 per cent, which is very minimal. The upside of this whole thing is the economic opportunities that this is going to bring to the City of Yellowknife in particular and to the residents of the Northwest Territories, and the economic potential outweighs any negative effects that I believe will happen to the citizens of the Northwest Territories.

These are agreements that are presently in place. When they were signed back in the early 90s and later 90s, we never had the regulatory authority over this; this was done under the federal government, the system that was in place at that time, and we have to live up to what was taking place then. When we move forward, as we try to attract new mining companies to the Northwest Territories, we will try to enshrine the stuff that's important to Northerners and the Northwest Territories and ensure we get the best deal for the people of the North.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll pass that on to the deputy minister, please. Thank you, Mr. Chair.