Hay River South

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

No, I can't guarantee that. As I said in the House the other day when the Member asked me these questions, this is a very challenging situation for us, and I might not even be the Minister of ITI after September 1st. Who knows who is going to be here trying to deal with this situation, but I said we are doing our winter strategy review and we are having to look at the situation and trying to come up with a solution to deal with this. As I said before, if the Members across the House want to get behind me and they ask for more money for this initiative, please do so.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

Mr. Speaker, ensuring Northwest Territories highways are a safe place for all road users is a top priority for the Government of the Northwest Territories. The challenges we face in regard to road safety are constantly evolving, and these challenges must often be met with unique and innovative solutions. In addition to the work undertaken each year to maintain and upgrade the engineering component of our highways, the Department of Infrastructure is also committed to staying up to date on policy and legislative initiatives aimed at making our roads safer. This afternoon I would like to share...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 572-18(3), Safety Issues on the Dempster Highway." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

There are probably three things that we are going to concentrate on, for sure, when we look at this review, and one of them is: how well did BDIC achieve its objectives in the last five years? That is one thing we are going to be very critical of. We have also done an environmental scan and had a look at other jurisdictions and what's going on. We are also looking seriously at the future challenges we have as a territory, the market conditions that are out there, as the economy is always changing, and considering what services and programs BDIC should have in place in the future. At the same...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, there have not.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

As I have said, we are looking at a number of things. The strategy is in front of committee, and if the Member would like to make a comment on that when committee makes their recommendations back to us, I strongly recommend that he have a strong look at that section, but we are looking at this complete strategy to try to figure out how to bring more economic opportunities to the manufacturers of the Northwest Territories.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To be honest with you, I can't answer that exact question, because this policy goes all the way back to the 1990s when the manufacturing policy was brought forward. That is exactly why this government has decided to come up with a new strategy and sit down with the Manufacturers' Association to have the discussion around how we can make our strategy and how we can make this policy better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

I think the Member is getting a little ahead of himself here. As I have said, we are trying to find a solution to this. Money is not just going to clean up the border, I will tell you that. I told this House there is no power out there. That is the first big challenge around this whole issue in the middle of winter. We are looking for solutions and we will continue to work with that and, if Members want to work closely with me on this issue, I will be glad to take their input.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 66)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I like how the Member is trying to spin his Facebook problems back on to the department, but the answer is no.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 65)

As I have said, the Evrim Resources project is an exciting one. That was supported by the strategy and the incentives that we supplied through the MIP program. There are also people like Danny Yakeleya, who is in his riding, who has been successful with some gold prospecting efforts that he has done up in that area, and he has also accessed some prospector training and funding through our program, as well. The other one that we are working on to market is the Cantung project. Along with the federal government, we don't just want to get our money back from this project; we want to be able to...