Wally Schumann

As the House is well aware, with our application for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, that is not only going to open up the region for communities and transportation of goods; it's going to be able to open up an area that has a vast wealth of natural resources, be it bitumen petroleum reserves or the mineral potential that is unexplored in the area. So we are working hard to advance that along with the Sahtu secretary, who has been a great partner in us trying to advocate the federal government to put some federal dollars into this.

We are also finishing up the Canyon Creek road, which a number of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let's talk about what we have done just lately in the Sahtu region. We have installed a biomass heating installation, as well as complete energy retrofits in the Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita and the Chief T'Selehye School in Fort Good Hope, as well, and we have installed a 400 kilowatt boiler in the new health centre that is going to be opening in Norman Wells shortly. The federal government is also going to be helping us with a program where we are going to do a wind monitoring tower in Norman Wells to re-examine the wind energy in the region and the resource...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I have stated in the House, there are some deficiencies that needed to be carried over from this year. The section that the Minister of Finance just talked about was not completed due to the cold weather. We were not able to get up there to do the compaction, do the necessary work that needed to be done because of the weather, but, as I stated in the House, we have deficiencies around bridges, signage, embankments, and the completion of these gravel sections that we are currently working on. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Northwest Territories Manufacturing Strategy: What We Heard, January 2018." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Looking back in my notes, we have done a significant amount of brushing over the last few years through the Building Canada Innovation Program money, through the provincial-territorial infrastructure component of our allocation. We are continuing to forecast brushing for this fiscal year of kilometres 161 to 168, and in the future 2020, we are looking at 168 to 175. What I can also say on that is, we also have the new bundle three approved for the new Building Canada plan, and we are looking at spending another $22.5 million on the Dempster. I suspect, going through our...

One other thing I want to clarify around this letter is that it is posted on the web site. It is a clear, open document. It is available for everybody to read. As far as the Project Assessment Policy goes, that is the Department of Lands' responsibility. It is not my responsibility, and I am not aware of any criticism around the environmental assessment towards our department. I can look into that, but I am not aware of any criticism towards us, and I am going to remind all Members that Lands is the lead on the policy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to clarify something. I think the Member said that I sent the letter. I didn't send the letter; the regional superintendent sent the letter on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure. This was done as a formal correspondence on this file. It was a required course of business through the environmental process, and the letter was sent respecting the firewall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, May 31, 2018, I will move that Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development Investment Corporation Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have stated, I know the two sections going forward between now and 2020, with Bundle 3 approved now, we will have to have a look at, as I say, conducting the surveys with our crews going forward, and I suspect, I've been up there. I've lived in that region. I know what the willows are like on the side of the highway, and I'm almost certain that brush cutting is going to be part of our reconstruction going forward until the end of 2024 until our fiscal funding runs out with the federal government.

I want to comment that I know what is going on with this file. We know what is going on. I am staying away from the firewall side of things. I don't need to be involved in that. That is Lands' role. We are the proponent. We are proposing the road. We are going through the environmental process. The environmental process allows us, as the proponent, to ask questions, and that is what we are doing. That question has been posted on the web site.

This Cabinet is committed to a fair and open and comprehensive process. We believe that has been followed through the environmental process that is laid...