Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Starting this evening in Inuvik they’re having their annual IRC native hockey tournament. This is a tournament that started some 20 years ago and with a small group of teams. It has grown into a fairly big tournament today.
On Friday night they will be honouring one of the founding fathers of the IRC Cup, who unfortunately passed away on Boxing Day. They will be dedicating the arena to Roy Ipana, who was a huge supporter of hockey in Inuvik. He was one of those guys who was just larger than life and you just expected to be around forever. You don’t appreciate how much these people bring into the communities until you no longer have them around. I want to commend the Town of Inuvik for acting very quickly in renaming the arena after a well-deserving individual.
I’d like to wish all the folks up in Inuvik and Mackenzie Delta the best of luck this weekend. Be very safe when you travel and honour Roy’s memory by playing hard and playing fair.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome Ms. Weslosky to the House. Ms. Weslosky is the executive producer of CNBC weblog DealFlow that has a viewership of 88 million people. She is in the capital working on a series which will focus on the aboriginal business partnerships. She is joined by Mr. David Connelly, president of Ile Royale Inc., a management consultancy firm in Yellowknife. Welcome.
The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize David Connelly, a resident of Weledeh.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Colleagues, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our Pages that have been working in the Legislative Assembly for us this week and I’d like to mention two from Hay River North, Scott Burrows and Jenna Aitken and Colleen Burros has come over to chaperone for them.
Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Item 9, written questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I should look at you when I lift my hand so you know I’m looking at you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.
What kilowatt hour rates has the NWT Power Corporation charged to Northland Utilities in each of those communities where Northland Utilities provides the services within the community, from the year 2000 to present?
What kilowatt hour base rate has the NWT Power Corporation charged to residential customers in each of its NWT communities from the year 2000 to present?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Take-a-Kid Trapping Program, April 2007 to March 2009 Report.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Supplementary Appropriation (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 4, 2009-2010.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Return to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was so busy reading. I would like to thank Rhea Klengenberg and Ronald Oliktoak who have been here all week paging for us, for all their hard work and long hours they’ve been putting in with us.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS Rule 85 requires that Members be appointed to the standing committees of the Legislative Assembly,
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the appointments to standing committees of the following Members be revoked:
Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River South, from the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure;
Mr. Jackie Jacobson, Member for Nunakput, from the Standing Committee on Government Operations; and
Mr. David Krutko, Member for Mackenzie Delta, from the Standing Committee on Government Operations;
AND FURTHER, that the following Members be appointed to standing committees:
Mr. Norman Yakeleya, Member for Sahtu, to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, and the Standing Committee on Government Operations;
Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River South, to the Standing Committee on Government Operations;
Mr. David Krutko, Member for Mackenzie Delta, to the Standing Committee on Social Programs; and
Mr. Jackie Jacobson, Member for Nunakput, as an alternate member to the Standing Committee on Government Operations.
There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question
Question has been called.
---Carried
The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 18, 2010, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 22, 2010;
AND FURTHER, that any time prior to February 22, 2010, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order and ask what the wish of committee is. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We would like to continue with Industry, Tourism and Investment today and then move on to the Department of Justice. And if time permits, we would like to also perhaps call up the Speaker and the budget for the... I’m sorry. Okay. So conclude Industry, Tourism and Investment, Public Works and Services and then, if possible and time permitting, we go on to the budget of the Legislative Assembly.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. I’d like to ask the Minister if he would like to bring in some witnesses.
Yes, I would, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. If we could please have the Sergeant-at-Arms escort the witnesses in. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee.
I would like to welcome Minister Bob McLeod, Mr. Vician and Ms. Magrum to the proceedings this afternoon in Committee of the Whole. We are continuing on with ITI’s main estimates. We are on page 12-29, economic diversification and business support, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question to the Minister with regard to the whole mandate of the development corporation and the whole establishment of facilities such as the Fort McPherson Canvas Shop, the fur shop in Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, now we got Fur Clouds. We have all these different ventures throughout the Northwest Territories, but the whole initiative of the government back then was to generate employment in communities where we have high pockets of unemployment. I think especially with the recession that we’re in, that’s something we should be seriously considering looking at and possibly formulating partnerships with aboriginal corporations or other organizations to find ways to generate employment.
One area we have to look at is dealing with the forest sector potential we have. I noted yesterday looking at home markets in communities. We need to formulate that partnership or relationship. I know the Fort McPherson Canvas Shop has been in McPherson going on over 30 years, yet there is no community ownership of that business. For a company to be in a community for 30 years, we should at least try to make arrangements to get some community buy-in through share equity or a partnership between a local business, the community development corporation or the co-op. I would like to ask the Minister if we are looking at expanding that type of mandate and formulating those important partnerships especially in our communities where job creation is key. We have to be able to expand these enterprises and find unique products that we can produce out of those facilities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The BDIC’s mandate is to provide for business opportunities to create jobs. We have a subsidiary program which operates on the premise that it’s better to have people working, even if the business operation is losing money. So if you can create jobs and if the government or if the corporation has to provide a top-up so that jobs are created, we are prepared to do that. We are mandated by the Financial Management Board, so for every job created, we can top up the contribution up to a maximum of $25,000 per job. So we have a number of subsidiaries that operate on that basis. Also I’m pleased to say that we have a number of businesses that have been started up on that basis and were repatriated to either Aboriginal Development Corporation or an aboriginal band controlled corporation, so they take over ownership and full operation.
We also have the mandate to issue preferred shares in participating business development. In the cases that you mentioned, the Fort McPherson Canvas Shop has been operating for a long time. It has products that are renowned for how well it’s constructed and so on. Again, it’s a subsidiary of BDIC. We have approached some of the development corporations and they have seen fit not to invest at this time up until now, but we would be quite prepared to approach them again to see if circumstances have changed so that they are now interested in investing in these kinds of corporations.
We are always looking for opportunities and if there are opportunities in the forestry section, we are prepared to examine them. We have, as a corporation, been involved in forestry in other communities, so we have some experience in that sector as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Could we get some order in the House? The sidebar is getting a little loud over here.
Thank you, Mr, Krutko. I’d ask Members to keep your sidebar conversations to a minimum in an effort that we can hear the Minister’s responses. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have talked to the development corporation in McPherson, I have talked to the co-op board, I have raised this in workshops we’ve held locally because they are talking about craft shops. They are talking about trying to help the crafts industry in McPherson. I asked them why do you want a craft shop. You have a perfect facility in Fort McPherson which is known, it’s marketable. It’s the Tent and Canvas Shop. It says Fort McPherson on the logo. We have to work with those other sectors in the communities and work with the Fort McPherson Canvas Shop to allow them that opportunity to work in conjunction and formulate that partnership, but also to work with local entrepreneurs to look at marketing their products also. I think Fort McPherson, we still have the traditional sewing style, which is not being used as much today as it used to by others where you use the different styles of sewing. Because of that, we are able to market their products throughout Alaska, Yukon and southern trade shows. It’s a perfect opportunity to work in conjunction with the craft sector in Fort McPherson, the canvas shop business and the local business.
I think under the manufacture directive we have, as government, we have a warehouse sitting right next door to the canvas shop which is owned by the development corporation and could be used to manufacture products either for the Housing Corporation or the oil and gas industry, so we are able to not only expand the economic opportunities in those communities and generate jobs in the different sectors that are there, use existing government facilities to do it and not just focus on one product. I think that’s something that I feel quite strongly about.
I have been talking to leadership, the development corporations, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and I think this is a perfect opportunity for government and the aboriginal organizations to formulate this partnership. In order to do that, we have to allow for some way of having the government and the development corporation, it could be the local Rat River Development Corporation, which is the development corporation based out of Fort McPherson, or the co-op, which is owned by a majority of the shareholders who are residents of Fort McPherson. I think working with those groups and identifying these partnerships...but it has to be meaningful partnerships where you actually have a board of directors, which is a joint board of directors. It’s not people you just pick off the street.
You have to allow them to have a say in the operation and if they are going to invest, they want to be able to have a say in regards to how you develop products and consider other products that can be developed out of that facility. It’s formulating a business plan and working forward by way of job creation and look at the manufacturing directive and see how we can provide more job opportunities, more skilled people in the different sectors and work to entice that business venture so it can generate profit and get more people to work. Thank you.
We have our senior management travelling to Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson as we speak. So I’m sure those kinds of opportunities will be brought to their attention. I think that any opportunities to increase the revenue stream of our businesses under the BDIC will be pursued.
As far as working with the co-op, we work with the co-op in a number of communities, so we can do that. In terms of directors of the various companies, we went out and advertised for volunteers to sit on the different companies because it was an Auditor General requirement, so most of the businesses are filled by directors from BDIC, as well as members that have applied to serve on the boards from the different communities. That’s the way we have been operating. If there are better ways of doing it, we are quite prepared to hear it and look at how we can better represent the community in these businesses. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Krutko, your time is up. I can put you back on the list, if you like. Now the chair will recognize Mr. Beaulieu.
