Wally Schumann

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to alleviate any concerns that the Member has, we just did these exact same replacements up in the BeauDel on an existing ferry up there. The biggest lee time is to get to procurement and get these engines delivered, but I don't believe it will interfere with the sailing season at all, for the Member's concerns. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This has been an ongoing issue. We know that. We already know the concerns that we have around the tourism industry in Yellowknife, but I could have the staff have a look at if there's a way to expedite this and get back to committee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just for the Member's information of the funding for the engineering on this is done from within, so we are working on that presently. We are looking at possibly maybe moving on this, depending how things go with ITI and stuff, but moving this for the next capital planning session after this one, so it would be 2020-2021. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our intention is that we have to see what the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board has to say first, concerning next steps for us. As I said, the bridge is our priority going forward in the next coming year. We believe that is the number one priority, and we will continue to work with the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, Indigenous governments, and other stakeholders to figure out how we are going to do Mount Gaudet going forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think the Member offered to buy me supper, so I'm coming. I can make time to meet with the MLA and the community leader after session today. Well, we have a meeting after session, but this evening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is there are still some outstanding issues with the Willow River Bridge; there is still some engineering work that needs to be completed, environmental approvals and permits that need to be put into place. What I can tell the House is, when the Premier and I were in Inuvik a couple of weeks ago, we took the time to meet with the Mayor and the regional director that we have for the northern region, to sit down and have a conversation about the challenges with getting this bridge completed. We've committed the regional director to sit down with all the...

Mr. Speaker, the sustainability and growth of the NWT economy requires strategic investment and diversification. The mandate we set for our 18th Legislative Assembly highlights the importance of investing in renewable resources, agriculture, arts, fisheries, forestry, manufacturing, tourism, traditional harvesting, and the knowledge economy.

The foundation of much of this work was set out in the 2014 NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy with its goal to establish an environment in which NWT businesses and entrepreneurs can take the lead in identifying, pursuing, and realizing economic...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I stated in the House when we were talking about this earlier in the week, Department of Infrastructure staff has been meeting with the regulatory boards, including the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, to discuss next steps. Those discussions are ongoing.

We are trying to figure out a way to proceed in terms of the environmental assessment, considering that we don't get funding for the whole road. I have stated in the House that the bridge is a totally separate and permitted issue, so that is outside of the scope of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Those...

I will gladly sit down with the Member and make sure that the engineering work and the environmental approvals and permits are in place, but it's not Infrastructure's place to fund the completion of this bridge. We're going to have to figure out where we are going to get this money. I know from our bilaterals that we signed that there's a possibility that we can actually use something out of the bilateral around community funding with the Minister of MACA. We might have to have a look at that and what is going forward. We will continue to help support this initiative moving forward. If this...

The arts sector has also surged with a 78 percent growth in artists registered through the Northwest Territories Arts Program. Registered film and media practitioners, in particular, have increased by more than 150 percent. They are contributing to a film industry now worth around $6.7 million, a 38 percent increase spurred in part by an investment plan recommended by the strategy.

The centre of our commercial fishery is also on the upswing. Compared to four years ago, we have issued 27 percent more commercial vessel licenses. Harvests for our fishers are up by 42 percent, and they are...