Denny Rodgers

Thank you. Okay, thank you. I appreciate that. It's unfortunate certainly given that likely anything we do with petroleum, particularly around obviously as this House has heard me say, around the trillions of cubic feet of natural gas we have in our region, the fact that we have a natural gas production facility getting ready to come on stream in the next couple of years in our region, certainly would be great if we felt that ITI had beefed up the staff in that region as well to coincide with this work being done and hopefully to look at work that's going to be done in the future as this...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So just to clarify, because I know there was no reduction of full-time positions in the Beaufort Delta region, so I guess that obviously was likely amalgamated in the previous year, and did that result in a reduction of a position at ITI in Inuvik, or is that position still -- the manager's position is now filling that role?

I guess -- thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess specifically, I mean, I know a lot of research is being done around permafrost degradation in my region around the -- as the Minister said, around the geoscience, around the knowledge economy, and around the mineral and petroleum potential in that region, particularly around the petroleum potential. So I guess my question is does the Minister feel that that will have a negative impact on the amount of research programs now happening -- ability for research programs to happen at the Aurora research institute, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my question's around the Great Northern Arts Festival. I know the Minister knows how important this festival is to the community of Inuvik and to the Northwest Territories. I note that I believe the answer is that the funding was deferred, but I just wanted to get -- sorry, moved to another department. I just wanted to get that on record, Mr. Chair, that the $25,000 for the Great Northern Arts Festival is still available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the committee wishes to consider Minister's Statement 4-20(1), Minister's Statement 5-20(1), Minister's Statement 17-20(1), Minister's Statement 24-20(1), as well, Mr. Chair, the committee would like to consider Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2024-2025, and Tabled Document 93-20(1), 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Housing Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am, but you don't necessarily have to pull it up now. It's something I can get from you. I'm just interested on the policy, whether or not how I understand if Wood Gundy is managing the fund, then obviously they would manage it based on our policy and whether that we're looking at if how it's tied to the indices, whether or not we look at ethical/unethical investments, so on and so forth, I assume that would be in the policy? And, yeah, if the Minister could commit, I would if it's a document I can see, I would absolutely love to see the investment policy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just because I'm new and I'm interested, on the heritage fund, the $62 million, who manages this fund?

Thank you, Madam Chair. No further questions on this initiative or activity, sorry.

I wish we had some clean natural gas somewhere near Inuvik we could access. That's not my question, I apologize. It's late, it's been a long week.

I'd like to ask the Minister, the $70,000 for the ARI energy projects. Is that a sunset clause, or are we just done studying wind in Inuvik given the magnitude of our last windmill project up there?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, the committee wishes to consider Committee Report 220(1), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on Bill 2: Missing Persons Act, as well as Bill 2, Missing Persons Act, and Tabled Document 9320(1), 20242025 Main Estimates, the Departments of Infrastructure and Finance. Thank you, Madam Chair.