Shane Thompson

Right now, they are meeting as a board independent of their roles as deputy ministers. They are taking on the task of trying to govern the NWT Power Corporation as best they can with the information that they have. Again, right now, it's not costing us anything to pay them. We're not paying them to do that job. Right now, they're independent. Yes, they are DMs who were appointed, but they are going as individuals, not as DMs.

In your speaking notes, you talked about the DMs who were removed or replaced. We're fixing that. We're specifically talking about those people to do those positions right...

Thank you, and I thank the Member for telling me exactly where this quote was from. It's 2005 that they talked about best practices in moving forward. I have read the briefing on it. I can't tell you how the previous government made that decision. I can tell you what we are doing.

Right now, I am trying to make a decision based on a whole bunch of information. I have directed the board to come back with the governance model. Whether we stay where it is; do we go independent; do we go half-and-half; right now, we're working at trying to get the answer and get this information to us as best we...

Indigenous governments and organizations are involved in NWT-wide, community-based water quality and monitoring programs, which includes 21 partner communities across the territories. Regular engagement meetings include the annual water strategy implementation workshops with water partners across the territories; seeking input on the monitoring program and aiming to build capacity for communities to take an active role in the water monitoring.

Just to make it real short and simple, we engage with Indigenous governments and communities. They are a part of this whole process. It is just not the...

I can't talk about another Minister's department, but what I can do is talk about what ENR is doing. We are committed to protecting the caribou population by making sure that our decisions consider any potential impact on caribou herds and their habitat. We make sure we understand that, and make sure we present the information to the boards and everybody else like that. We have a strong regulatory system in place. It ensures all projects are reviewed before permits and approvals are granted, and the department actually does have comment on these projects moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can't tell why that information is not on somebody else's board, but we did submit it to them, so we're working with them on that. So that the Member is aware, we are looking at the scientific and the traditional knowledge before we make a decision. We've looked at it. We've heard rumours -- not rumours, but we've heard from traditional hunters that wolves may not be as abundant as they are right now, so that may have an impact on it. We're hoping that the traditional hunting and harvesting will be done, and we will never have to use the aerial; but, if it needs to be done, that will be the...

I actually met with the chair, and we've been having communications, and we are working on a flow chart of what we're doing. We're going to try to have that shared with committee as soon as possible; we're hoping by spring we will have this information to committee to be looked at so we can make an informed decision together.

Yes, we will share that information with you. I've already, like I said, reached out to the chair and the president and asked for that information to be tabulated so we can share it with committee moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are not giving them bonuses, and we're not giving them extra money. This is just part of their duties that they're being paid for, but they are doing work on weekends and evenings to do the job, because they have another job that they are doing right now. It would be no different than any other board; they would actually do weekend and evening work. To the Member, we're not giving them any bonuses and we're not giving them any extra pay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the deputy mayor, Cathy Kotchea, who is on her way up to the NWTAC meeting. She is from Fort Liard, and I think it's the first or second time she has been here, so I would like to thank her for being here. Thank you.

I may not have heard the question correctly, but I think we are talking about: do we have money that ENR helps with getting Indigenous governments involved? We do. We have funding for participants that includes honorariums, travel for the participants to engage in meetings, training sessions, and hands-on training opportunities. ENR involves community members in water monitoring programs as much as possible, including co-development of some programs, for example, the fish monitoring program for the Slave River.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. Does that answer it because it makes everybody happy? Sorry. What benefits? We have a relationship with the Alberta government, and we are able to work with them. We have the ability of first response on these issues. Again, when the quality, quantity, or the biology is an issue, we have to get the information first. We get that information, and we are able to work with the people of the Government of Alberta, to make sure this is it.

We have also been able to have correspondence and work together. I have already reached out to the Government of Alberta and the...