Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve often criticized this government for gloom and doom. It’s good to hear hope from the other side of the House. Can we get a commitment, though, rather than just hopes? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In our previous discussion, the Mining Incentive Program we have kind of a hard number: $400,000 is given out, but I think it’s $1.2 million that it’s oversubscribed by. That’s like the total amount of activity it could contain. That’s kind of the figure I’m looking for, just a sense of how many dollars are trying to access this fund and flow out of it. I take it that might not be readily available so I’m content to receive that from the department at a later date. My last question is about the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre. The infrastructure of that building is...

I can review the report, Mr. Chair, thank you. I note one of the complaints I guess or criticism of our otherwise spectacular and ever growing tourism market is there’s not enough things to do in our communities. I think this contribution could bear a lot of fruit in developing our tourism market by having more attractions and drawing more people in. Has the department taken a look at how to use this funding to kind of produce more tourism draws in our communities and get more people coming? For instance, just going back to the convention bureau, our convention space is rather limited; we don...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For clarification, does the convention bureau also do work in Yellowknife or is it primarily focused on the communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I asked the Minister some questions about the Mining Incentive Program the other day. We have heard in several statements it is a great program that generates a lot of economic activity in the exploration sector. I also asked if this amount would be increased. I note that it is staying the same in this budget, and the ministry indicated that the long-term plan for the Mining Incentive Program is to expand it. Can the Minister just confirm that that is the department’s perspective of this very successful program? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, it would appear the Minister doesn’t have a lot of these details readily available for Members of this House and for members of the public. I would strongly encourage that we resolve this with a real plan for what this research centre is going to look like and communicate this new resource to the public. In fact, when we’re looking for efficiencies perhaps we could find them, but how much money is this going to save in the end, Mr. Speaker? It seems like there’s still a lot of details, but how much money will closing the library save? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the department indicates that it will be replacing the library with a new research centre. Can the Minister give us more detail about what this research centre is going to be all about? Are we talking about a few surplus computers in a dimly-lit room or is this something more substantial? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in almost every province and territory, organizations have been set up to provide essential legal information to the public at large. These nonprofit and nongovernmental groups believe that citizens cannot fully understand, much less exercise their legal rights unless they are informed and understand the laws that affect them. These groups differ from a lawyer’s office or a legal aid clinic by providing general information on the law rather than legal advice for specific problems. Mr. Speaker, I was curious about public legal information in the NWT, and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the Minister for his comments. Can I get the total amount that it’s subscribed by in dollar figures, if the department has that handy? Thank you, Mr. Chair.