Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 476-19(2): Enforcement on Reserve Lands." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Officials from ENR have done a field assessment of the flooding and have confirmed that there is some impact on the beavers, martens, and their habitats. Loss of beavers and martens due to flooding occurs periodically, and it's a natural part of the ecosystem. This will release nutrients into the environment and provide a source of food for scavengers, including insects, fish, birds, and other mammals. It is not possible to get an accurate count of the number of muskrats and beavers affected, but this event is not expected to have a large or long-term impact on their population. As such, ENR...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I would like to thank the Member for the question. He has been doing his due diligence. He has been phoning me throughout as this has been coming out there. Again, I thank him for that. I know he is very passionate about it, and he is working for his residents.

ENR has received data both from Water Survey of Canada and NWT Power Corporation, and we are assessing the situation. The Taltson River has experienced high water levels since the summer. High snowfall and rainfall, including two very large rainfall events in mid and late August 2020, have caused the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to speak about the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to the community of Fort Liard. As I've heard numerous times, now more than ever we need to come together to support each other. I am proud to say that the community of Fort Liard, local government and residents, the GNWT, and the residents across the NWT have done this with so much class. The response to the COVID crisis has made a positive impact within their community and shows the true spirit of all Northerners.

Being respectful of time and realizing that I cannot do justice to...

I can guarantee the Member will be knocking on my door, asking me more questions, so I greatly appreciate that as we try to educate each other and the public. ENR's hunters and trappers disaster compensation program can assist the traditional harvesters who suffer losses or damage to their equipment or assets because of natural disasters, including floods. The program is available to the NWT harvesters who possess a general hunting license and/or are a land claim beneficiary actively engaged in renewable resource harvesting activities and whose harvesting provides at least 25 percent of their...

The GNWT uses data from the hydrometric gauges operated by Water Survey of Canada. The Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations are part of the national network of stations that have been operating following standardization methodology over their 100 years. Gauges in the Taltson River basin have been operating since 1962. ENR assessment includes an analysis of Water Survey of Canada data and data provided by NTPC.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Securities have been transferred dominion to the new company in the same amount and with the same insurance companies and banks. With the cash required for the purchase, it would have been a detriment to ask the company to replace the securities with irrevocable letters of credit or cash in closing. Sureties are an acceptable form of security and our due diligence on the Ekati sale included an assessment of the financial health of the surety providers. There is an agreement in place for the company to replace the securities with cash over time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to highlight some of the work the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission is doing to support employers and workers in the Northwest Territories during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission acted swiftly to put in place financial relief measures for employers who were unable to make their assessment payments. These measures extended the deadline for the first instalment of 2020 assessment payments to August 1st and gave valuable time to employers to adjust their payroll estimates and to make their payments later...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would also like to recognize Eleese Scott, Chief Governance Officer, and Debbie Molloy, President and Chief Executive Officer for WSCC. I greatly appreciate the work that these ladies do. They're very responsive, and they do great work and so does WSCC. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

As I have told the Member here in the House, we need to work with the federal government, and we need to respect the jurisdiction of both the federal government and the territorial government. We are trying to work with them. The Member has been very clear on some of the challenges that they face with ENR and with Lands, so we are trying to work with this. It is a process, and we need to be respectful of the process. Again, it involves EIA, as well.