Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last month Members of the Legislative Assembly and some Members from Cabinet had the opportunity to travel up to Inuvik for a very historical event. That was the groundbreaking and the ribbon cutting of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link.
Speaking about the community of Inuvik and the location that it’s at, it’s in an area where it’s ideal for tracking the satellites that orbit the earth and collecting real-time data. These satellites monitor things like environmental monitoring, security, surveillance, resource development, as well as something that’s been big and that’s global warming issues and some of those projects.
The investment into the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link allows us to take that real-time data and ship it out to companies and countries that are investing in the satellite station facility in Inuvik.
I wanted to mention that in the budget address earlier it was great to see that this government is establishing a Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics in Inuvik. So, making sure that we do put the resources and the support in there now, so that when the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link is up and running, that we have people in place to do the work and working on that information.
However, aside from that office, I want to look at how we can utilize more of the Aurora College in Inuvik, the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik and see where other investments are going. This fibre optic link is not only going to be good for Inuvik but the whole territory. In an economy that we focus on where there’s boom and bust, this Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link and the satellite station is going to create sustainable revenue for the North and for Inuvik and is also going to create jobs up and down the valley. It’s going to help stabilize the economy not only for Inuvik but for the North. So when we talk about our fiscal situation we’re in now, this investment that we have in the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link is one that’s going to have a legacy for the North, for the people and the way we do business not only in Canada but around the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
