Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure is pleased to provide its report on transition matters and commends it to the House.
As the 16th Legislative Assembly draws to a close, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure continues to monitor several ongoing issues and initiatives with long-term implications. The intent of this report is to make the public and Members of the 17th Assembly aware of work in progress and highlight areas we believe will require the continued attention of our successor committee in the 17th Assembly.
The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure includes five Regular Members of the Legislative Assembly. The committee’s role is to consider the following matters with respect to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations; Environment and Natural Resources; Industry, Tourism and Investment; Municipal and Community Affairs; Public Works and Services; Transportation; and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation:
review multi-year business plans and budgets, bills, boards and agencies, including the Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation, and the Public Utilities Board;
review departmental performance, including that of boards and agencies; and
consider any other matter referred by the House.
A new NWT Wildlife Act was a major 16th Assembly initiative. After extensive public consultation and deliberation, committee reported the bill as not ready for consideration in the Committee of the Whole. Reasons for this decision are outlined in the committee’s report. Members encourage the 17th Assembly to build upon the work that was done in developing this legislation to bring forward a new Wildlife Act that has the support of the majority of Northerners.
August 2011 amendments to the Territorial Parks Act contain significant regulation-making authority. The committee’s view is that the public consultation and input from Regular Members would be valuable in developing these regulations.
The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission renewed its safety regulations in 2009-10. There was public concern with the short consultation period, given the extent of the new regulations and their implications for northern workplaces.
During public consultations on amendments to the Dog Act, the public expressed the need for broader animal welfare protection legislation. The committee encourages the 17th Legislative Assembly to consider this initiative.
The federal government has proposed extensive amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. Members encourage the successor committee to discuss this issue with representatives of the northern review boards forum at its earliest convenience.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to pass the reading of the report now on to the deputy chair of the committee, the MLA for Nunakput, Mr. Jackie Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources represent the Government of the Northwest Territories as participants in the National Energy Board’s Arctic Offshore Drilling Review. The NEB has scheduled a roundtable meeting in Inuvik for mid-September 2011. It anticipates that phase three of its review, the public report, will be completed by the end of December 2011.
ITI has worked extensively to ensure three diamond mines to increase the number of NWT residents working at the mines and develop capacity among local workers. The committee encourages expanding these initiatives to other industrial developments.
In December 2010 the National Energy Board issued a certificate of public necessity and convenience for the Mackenzie Gas Project. In July 2011, Shell announced the sale of its shares in the project. Members have expressed concern about the pipeline readiness and additional costs to the GNWT should the proponents announce a decision to construct in 2013.
Industry, Tourism and Investment released its finalized Diamond Policy in 2010. Implementation is a challenge. The committee strongly encourages the reinstatement of the diamond division within Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Members suggest that the successor committee monitor the following mining developments:
Avalon Rare Metals,
Fortune Minerals,
Tamerlane,
Selwyn Chihong,
Prairie Creek,
Gah Cho Kue.
The committee received briefings on these developments either from the Minister of ITI or the company itself.
In June 2011 over $500 million in work bids were awarded to oil companies to develop land in the Tulita district. Members suggest that the successor committee monitor these developments:
Canadian Zinc Corporation is reaching its final stages of negotiating a socio-economic agreement for its Prairie Creek mine. The SEA is similar to one they negotiated with De Beers and Snap Lake project. ITI has identified the agreement as a transition issue and Members have asked that a briefing be provided to the successor committee.
The 16th Legislative Assembly has made a $60 million in investment in a range of projects in the areas of energy policy, development, plan and supply, conservation and efficiency, alternative energy, and emerging technologies. This funding expires in 2012-13. Many issues and opportunities remain in this area and the committee strongly recommends the funding be reinstated in the 17th Assembly.
The GNWT has released a draft Hydro Strategy in 2008 that has yet to be finalized. A discussion paper has been distributed to stakeholder groups. The committee believes that many elements of the Hydro Strategy still need development, such as setting realistic targets and creating a vision that includes new projects.
Construction costs for a new dam at Bluefish Lake hydro plant are expected to reach over $37 million with a direct rate of impact at 2.42 cents for customers in the Snare/Yellowknife system. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation provided information on the cost to the committee in the summer of 2011.
Throughout the 16th Legislative Assembly the committee urged MACA to work with the Department of Transportation and community governments on dust control and main street paving initiatives in small communities. The committee hopes a new program to address this issue will be developed in the 17th Assembly.
This policy framework is a MACA initiative to address problems with squatters in the Yellowknife River watershed and the Inuvik Airport Lake areas. MACA has completed the technical research required for the policy. Recreational leasing is frozen in both areas. The committee’s main concerns with the policy are the need for meaningful consultation with Aboriginal organizations and the delays in the schedule.
Concerns with funding to Sport North and its relationship with the Sport and Recreation Council were brought to the committee’s attention shortly before the dissolution of the 16th Assembly. Members see an organizational shift taking place, and suggest that MACA undertake a review of the SRC and consider ways to reduce duplication in the programming.
I’d like to hand this back to the chair of the committee of Economic Development, Mr. Ramsay. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Over the life of the 16th Assembly ENR invested heavily in the development of the Northwest Territories Water Strategy. The federal government is not upholding commitments to water stewardship, and suspended water quality monitoring at stations across Canada in August 2011. Transboundary negotiations, water quality monitoring, and cumulative impact monitoring programs remain serious concerns for the committee.
Two members of the current committee monitored climate change initiatives as Members of the 16th Assembly’s Joint Committee on Climate Change. A significant portion of the renewed NWT Greenhouse Gas Strategy is tied to energy priority investments. The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning has identified carbon pricing as a transition issue for the 17th Assembly.
The 2008 Auditor General’s report of the NWT Housing Corporation led to significant restructuring within the corporation. In 2010 the public housing rental subsidy was transferred from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment back to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Many clients fell into arrears during the period that the subsidy was calculated separately through the Income Support Program. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has initiated debt repayment plans. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is currently undertaking the Shelter Policy review which includes evaluations of its housing choices program and public housing rent scale. The 17th Assembly will be asked to make decisions on the outcome of these evaluations.
Both the Business Development and Investment Corporation and the NWT Housing Corporation have fallen behind in their statutory review and reporting requirements.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure Report on Transition Matters. Members respectfully suggest that our successor committee consider requesting updates on the above matters from committee staff and government, and wish them the utmost success in fulfilling their mandate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
