Thank you, Madam Chair. That money flows a little bit later in the fiscal year and will be brought forward as it has been in a supp.
Thanks to the Minister for that. That’s good news. I’m wondering, I’m not clear, the corporate management policy and strategic planning division, is that the division that’s responsible for the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, developing that?
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework is an initiative that is being driven and handled through the Executive.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Thank you, Mr. Bromley. No further questions? Page 13-13, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $11.171 million.
Agreed.
Page 13-14, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, corporate management, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $65,000.
Agreed.
Page 13-15, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, information item, corporate management, active positions.
Agreed.
Page 13-17, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, environment, operations expenditure summary, $5.936 million. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Climate Change Program, I want to look at the environmental protection section, to work to prevent and reduce impact on activity. I want to ask the Minister if he will be coming forward with some plans as to this program that’s responsible in the area of the Tulita district where there’s possibly some work that’s going to be happening over there in the next couple of years, maybe longer. What kind of plans is he going to support the people in the Sahtu and in the North here on recovery of air quality and contaminated sites and hazardous substances? How is the Minister working with the other departments and the oil and gas industry and the federal government to make sure that the least amount of damages are left on our lands once everything’s done and the show is done and everybody packs up and goes home?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Madam Chair. On the exploration side we have the resources that have been laid out in the business plan. We also, as a government with ITI and ENR, have been doing a lot of work on the issue of unconventional hydraulic fracturing. There has been work done with committee. There’s going to be more work done. We’re doing a thorough review of that whole approach to accessing tight oil. That will inform the way forward. If we move from exploration into development, we will, of course, be planning for what type of development, that is. We’ll be looking at the resource requirements on that basis when we have a clear sense that there is in fact a move past exploration to development.
We had a very good presentation this afternoon from the Pembina Institute. It actually brought up some pretty good points. I thought it was very objective and I thought that the points that they brought out gave me some ideas and maybe other Members too as to how do we, if they are going to do hydraulic fracking then we want to make sure that it’s done in a responsible and environmentally safe way that we can have the best of both worlds so to speak. That’s the type of information I got this afternoon from that presentation. It made some really good points. We could have the hydraulic fracking, but we also need to be very cautious that we’re on Mother Nature’s land here. Our land. We want to protect it also. There could be a really fine balance.
I want to ask the Minister in that sense when we come forward with our ideas that we got from the presentation or the community, we want to ensure that our land and water and the animals that we depend on and live off and grew up on will be there after the activity has resided in the Tulita district or any other area in the Northwest Territories. Working with the National Energy Board or the oil companies on some of these hazardous wastes that are possibly going to be used in our area to take the oil out of our ground here. Has the Minister met with the Pembina Institute to look at their presentation on hydraulic fracking?
We as a government are looking at the whole range of opinions and science that has developed around this. We are watching what’s happening in other jurisdictions. We’re looking for best practices. We are very sensitive to the concerns of the people on the ground. Like the Member, we are looking to maintain a balance that sees the protection of the land, water and animals at the same time as the issue of the access to that tight oil is dealt with.
How do we go forward based on all that work? We’ve committed to work with committee. We’re pulling that work together. There’s another discussion paper going to be coming through our system, that we will be able to share, that shows some of the economics but also some of the environmental issues and risks to be cognizant of as we go forward. From there we have to look at making decisions, identifying what are critical best practices, and other related areas to provide assurance to everyone, all Northerners, especially the people of the Sahtu, that how do we approach this new development.
My last question to the Minister has to do with the waste management and waste reduction. Certainly when the Minister of Health and Social Services and possibly the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abernethy and I went over to Fort Good Hope, they talked somewhat of the water quality, the water waste coming from the Norman Wells oilfield. I’m not too sure if we got too far into that discussion, but I remember clearly Minister Beaulieu and I talked about the water and the source. Maybe one factor that may be causing some cancerous sickness in that community could be – I’m not saying it is, but could be – from the Mackenzie River from the Norman Wells oilfield. There are many other factors and if the Minister and his department, along with the federal government, have done some testing of some chemicals from the community, the community wants to know of the various chemicals they are using in those oilfields that are possibly coming from those oilfields into the Mackenzie and there’s no type of high quality monitoring of them. Is there something like that in the business plans in the future that the Minister would look at for people in Fort Good Hope? This is my last question, Madam Chair.
The Member referenced earlier, I think in one of his previous general comments, work being done monitoring in Fort Resolution and Fort Smith. This summer we have identified the need to do the work above and below Norman Wells to provide that same kind of monitoring. Over time, as we set up our community-based water monitoring systems, we want to be able to work with the communities and our own skilled resources to provide that assurance across the North. But for this summer there is going to be specific work done to do some of the testing that the Member has referenced. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. We are on page 13-17, activity summary, environment, operations expenditure summary, $5.936 million.
Agreed.
Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I noticed that the expenditures on energy management, which is the backbone of climate change that my colleague was referencing here earlier, has been substantially reduced by greater than 50 percent. Unfortunately, it’s more than a match to 75 percent cut in the ITI energy work. I noticed later on there’s a $300,000 reduction in forestry resources, which is an important element of the Biomass Strategy and so on. Some examples here, the biomass energy has been cut from $1.55 million to $100,000, then energy from $400,000 to zero, Business Support Program, renewable energy from $300,000 to $200,000 and geothermal energy from $400,000 down to zero. I will be proposing a motion, but I suggest we deal with any questions there are on this section. So if you can put me back on for later. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move we report progress.
---Carried
Could I have the report of Committee of the Whole, please? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013, and would like to report progress. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Is there a seconder to the motion? Mr. Menicoche.
---Carried
Colleagues, I have some brief comments before we adjourn for the weekend.
The year 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. The Northwest Territories joins all Canadian provinces and territories, indeed all Commonwealth jurisdictions, in celebrating this historic event. Her Majesty took the throne on February 6, 1952, and her coronation took place on June 2, 1953. In the NWT, our relationship with Her Majesty is a special one. It was on April 21, 1994, that Queen Elizabeth II dedicated our legislative Chamber to all the people of the Northwest Territories.
Since February we have had two of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee flags displayed in our Chamber and another will fly from our flagpole this weekend, marking the coronation date on Saturday, June 2nd.
This House passed a motion of congratulations to Her Majesty on February 7, 2012, and on the same day made the first presentations in the NWT to Diamond Jubilee medal recipients. The celebrations will continue, colleagues, with medal presentations happening in many of our communities during the remainder of the Diamond Jubilee Year. In fact, nominations are still open for those wishing to nominate someone for a Diamond Jubilee medal. The nomination form can be found on the GNWT website.
The Assembly has also housed a book of congratulations for all Northerners to sign. The book is being circulated to northern schools and will eventually be forwarded to Her Majesty in London.
Finally, colleagues, I would like to invite you and all northern residents to join me in the Diamond Jubilee planting of six amber jubilee ninebark shrubs to take place on Thursday, June 14th, at the rise of the House. During her 2010 visit to Canada, Her Majesty participated in a planting ceremony in Manitoba for this newly created shrub, which was named in honour of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. The province of Manitoba has generously provided these shrubs to all provinces and territories and we will join the rest of the country as we find a place on the grounds of the Assembly to plant these beautiful shrubs.
Mr. Speaker, orders of the day for Monday, June 4, 2012, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Relies to Budget Address
Petitions
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success
Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013
Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act
Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories
Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Monday, June 4, 2012, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 7:04 p.m.
