Wally Schumann

No, that is not the case. As I said, we are trying to put this thing as efficiently and as fast as we can for the residents, particularly in his home community. We have made the unprecedented step where we put the Arctic Red River in first now so the community can actually get out of there sooner and cross over to go to McPherson. We can actually pull that, maybe, and put that money towards the main crossing if the Member wants us to spend in his community. That is going to mean that they are going to have to wait a lot longer to get out of there. I have committed in this House that I will...

I am going to look into this as the Member has stated. The one thing that people know in this House is we have escalated our time of putting in the snow crossing. The big controversy in this Assembly two years ago was us shutting down the winter road ferry program. When we did that, the department made the commitment that we would put in the crossing as fast as possible, which we have. It is from freeze-up to actually having 5,000 kg capability has been very minimal days now, I believe, less than two weeks for both crossings.

We have involved new technologies and lighter pieces of equipment...

I am not aware of them coming here anytime soon. They will probably get a hold of me if they are going to come here and have a discussion. The last thing that I left on the conversation on the table with them when we were meeting with them was about the community engagement. I strongly suggested that they involve the residents of the Sahtu in their project, to keep them updated, not on a day-by-day basis but on a very regular basis, so they get an idea of what is going on out there.

I continually stress that, particularly in Sahtu, because that has been an oil-driven and gas-driven resource...

This is early in the ball game with these guys, but, the exciting news release that they put out, that was right when we were all down at the mineral roundup. It was very timely because we actually had a meeting set up with them, with Evrim and Newmont, and had some discussions about what they are planning on doing and, as I said in my earlier comments, how they got to where they are. They are going to do a drill-test program. I think it was in their news release, but, if it wasn't, they are going to do one this summer, which is hopefully going to take place earlier on in the summer. The one...

That is getting into the content of the bill, and the bill has not reached the floor of the House. If the Member wants to ask me that question when I am sitting in the Committee of the Whole, have at ‘er. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 34, Mineral Resources Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I said, I stated that I met with the Akaitcho, and the Deninu Kue were there, represented by their leadership, and I had a conversation with all the leaders of the Akaitcho First Nations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When you start looking at the whole electrical grid system across North America, which is not connected at this point, actually, the federal government is having a serious look at how they can do that to help make a more stable grid right across the country and share renewables, but the situation with Alberta and Saskatchewan the Member does not bring up is they are on an extensive amount of coal. Both of these provinces have coal generation that they need to get off there to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Both provinces are clearly at the odds right now with the federal government...

For those of you who have read the energy strategy very, very closely, in there it clearly states that the Northwest Territories needs to reduce our GHGs by 517 kilotonnes by 2030 to meet our targets for the 2030 pan-Canadian framework that we have signed on to. Of this, 290 kilotonnes can be achieved through a variety of models, reducing diesel generation in communities, industrial efficiency, renewable heating in communities, transportation, et cetera. That leaves us a gap of 227 kilotonnes which is in there. The 240 from the Taltson Project, which it would generate, would be sufficient to...

Yes, the funding, the GNWT source, is from the existing O and M budget, just to answer the Member's question. This project is premised on the fact that the federal support is required for the project and that it will become a driver for clean growth for the people of the Northwest Territories. A preliminary business case will be prepared for this fiscal year. Work is still under way to find high-level costs for the transmission component.