Wendy Bisaro

I guess what I’m looking for from the Department of Transportation is if they are arranging that lease, I want to know certainly whether or not they’re doing it under any kind of an overarching GNWT policy. I guess I have to assume from the Minister’s answer that there is none. Whether or not it’s an attractive dollar amount for the lease, I guess that can be debated. I’m not so sure that the lessee considers it to be attractive. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That’s all.

Mr. Speaker, I am not talking about the whole pot of money. I am talking about a piece of that pot of money. I only said I want five million reasons. I don’t want the whole 60. My problem is that the process as outlined by the Minister -- and I don’t even think there is a process -- is not fair. It does not allow the opportunity for all communities to apply for a diverse number of things. They can’t apply for small things like a feasibility study for a project. They can’t apply to do things like field tests because that is going to get overridden by something like a wind energy project. I...

I guess that begs the question why, if he could advise me of that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to address a few more questions to the Minister of Finance with regard to an NWT green fund. I have to ask the Minister if lowering greenhouse gas emissions is a priority for this government, which I hope that it is and I think I’ve heard the Minister say that. It also seems to be a priority for our communities to develop community energy plans, because we have assisted them in doing that. Community energy plans have goals and they have objectives. So, in my estimation, we should be involving our communities in all of the activities that we do and we should be...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is all I have. Thanks.

I thank the Minister for the information. Again, I have to agree to disagree with him, unfortunately. I’d like for him to answer for me how a community can get to be one of the many projects which he’s mentioned. I give the government credit for the wind energy, for the recycling, all those things that we have done, but those are government projects. I would like to know how any community can access those funds. What is the application process? What are the guidelines, et cetera, et cetera? Can he explain that, please? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Neudorf. I didn’t hear any reference in Mr. Neudorf’s answer to, basically, commercial businesses. I guess I would like to know, when he’s referencing things like the combined services building and so on, those are basically government buildings, so is there an intent to use the land that’s now been opened up with the bypass road? Is there an intent to allow for commercial enterprises, private businesses to establish themselves out there and, if that’s the case, how is the department evaluating the disruption to the Yellowknife market that that may cause in general? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Finance. I spoke in my Member’s statement about the possibility of establishing an NWT green fund and referenced the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund. That fund has proved extremely successful for communities across Canada. It’s been used for sustainable community activities and, as I mentioned in my statement, some of those are sustainable community plans, feasibility studies, field tests and implementing capital projects. I’d like to ask the Minister whether or not we have legal or procedural...

Thanks to the Minister. I would agree with his assessment. I don’t think there would be a lot of buy-in. I guess I would just ask, at this point, if that report is dusted off and some of the recommendations are going to be put in place, if the Minister would be sure to involve Yellowknife Members and the City of Yellowknife.

I have another question in regard to the Yellowknife Airport as well. There’s a reference to commercial land development in the airport environs here in Yellowknife. I wondered if I could get an update on where that is at as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s no secret that the well-being of communities holds a special place in my heart. My time spent in local governance as a school trustee and city councillor laid the groundwork for that. So when considering GNWT activities I often see things through a municipal lens, and I did just that yesterday as I pondered the Environment and Natural Resources’ budget and listened to the government’s plans for climate change and greenhouse gas targets.

In order to meet an aggressive greenhouse gas target -- one that we don’t yet have, I must admit -- this government...