Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In support of the business people in the Sahtu, I want to ask the Minister of ITI, given that we have we have a smorgasbord of business people in the Sahtu, some with the traditional economy, some with the wage economy, and in light of the slowdown of the oil and gas, because that’s been the economic driver for the past couple of years of committing and spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the Sahtu, has this department taken on the task of doing sort of a lessons learned from this type of activity, because we’re hoping that the companies will be coming back but also that the traditional economy is quite strong and we want to continue that.
Is there some type of synopsis, conference that maybe we can look at in the Sahtu that maybe we can get together as a region to talk about lessons learned in regards to doing business in the North?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe there is a conference that is being planned or coordinated in the region, and that’s something that we look forward to certainly supporting. The department does have a number of business supports in place for businesses not only in the Sahtu but around the territory. With the decline in activity in the area this coming winter, things are going to be difficult for some businesses; we understand that. We want to try to continue to work with businesses in the Sahtu to ensure that they have the support necessary to see themselves through what could be a difficult winter, and we will continue to do that. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, any type of business in the Northwest Territories, there are some very good, hardworking business people, and sometimes it makes it very difficult for them to thrive and have growth in the Northwest Territories. I talk about the various businesses such as here and around the outlying area where we had the outfitters business. Because of the decline of the caribou due to a number of factors related to the mining, to transportation, to hunting of bison, the outfitters came and asked the government to have a look at some kind of consideration to offset it because their business isn’t thriving anymore. That’s what I am looking at, some type of general consideration given by this government for businesses that do very well, and due to the unexpected, beyond our control, the oil companies do not come back, just as the outfitters in the Yellowknife area are asking for.
I think what the Member is getting to really highlights the work that went into the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the fact that as a government we have to diversify our economy, we have to have those business-type supports in all sectors of our economy. You’ll see through the EOS, we are looking at different aspects, agriculture, tourism, the fishing industry, just to name a few and that’s really… We have to be putting a focus on that because resource development in a lot of ways is cyclical, it is up and down, and we need to ensure that we have those supports in place for all sectors of our economy.
Between last year and this year we are putting close to $4 million, or just over $4 million into the EOS in the various recommendations contained in that report and in our implementation plan. So we’re hopeful that this is going to have an impact on businesses not only in the Sahtu but around the Northwest Territories in helping them get the leg up that they need to be successful. Thank you.
In dealing with the small business people in the Sahtu, there are figures here that I have that show the income support rates have fallen by 50 percent in Tulita in 2012 and 20 percent in Norman Wells. It’s because of these small business people that hire people in our communities to work because of the oil and gas exploration.
I want to ask the Minister, given these kinds of stats and figures that we have produced by the government, are there opportunities for the business people in the Sahtu so that they can continue to keep their businesses alive, sort of have it on the health respirator so that their business can stay alive other than to go bankrupt.
I know business people around the Northwest Territories are very smart when it comes to trying to make ends meet and survive what is a bit of a downturn. We’re not going to see the millions and millions of dollars being spent in the Sahtu as we’ve seen in previous seasons gone past. That is taking a bit of a hiatus here, so we are going to need folks to ensure that they’re looking after that bottom line, they’re ensuring that they are going to be able to survive until the activity comes back, and it’s just not going to be the extent that it was last winter. Good businesses and good business people find a way to survive the downturns, and we’re hopeful that they will survive this downturn.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister mentioned about a planned conference in the Sahtu, and I would ask the Minister if he would make a commitment, depending on his time availability, to come into the Sahtu and speak to the people in the Sahtu for some level of assurance and confidence, working with the Sahtu people through these troubled times so that we can look forward to better times.
Would the Minister make a commitment, given his time availability, to come to the Sahtu to attend to us and work with us during the conference?
I just had a similar opportunity in the Deh Cho. I was down in Fort Simpson speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Fort Simpson. Any opportunity I get to speak to business people, chamber of commerce across the Northwest Territories, whether it’s in Norman Wells or Hay River, Inuvik or Fort Simpson, I’ll be there. If there is a conference and my availably is there, I’ll be able to come and speak.
I still am very optimistic about the future in the central Mackenzie Valley and the Member’s riding about all the opportunity that is there, and I think some brighter days are ahead of us.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
