The quick answer to that is yes. The Mackenzie River is one of the great rivers of the world. It’s in our backyard. It’s really the backbone of the territory, historically, culturally, and we do certainly promote the Mackenzie River.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement about Thaidene Nene. I’d like to start off by saying the Premier advised on Tuesday… No, the Minister advised on Tuesday in response to Mr. Dolynny, that we hoped to have a northern position in the next few months. I appreciate the info from both the Minister and the Premier, and I also am really glad to hear about the work that we’ve been doing. I think the Minister said we’ve compressed 18 months of work into about six, and that’s awesome. It is time we started moving on this particular project. But there are lots of questions out there. There are lots of gaps in information and there are a lot of people who are interested in this particular development.
I’d like to ask the Minister first of all, how can any interested people, whether they be in Yellowknife, whether they be in Hay River, whether they be down in the East Arm, how can they find out what is going on?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A forum such as this will aid in that process. We are at work right now, as I indicated to Mr. Dolynny earlier this week in the House, that the government see Thaidene Nene as a priority. We see a combination of a small federal footprint supplemented and complemented by various northern tools as a way to maximize the benefit and keep the maximum amount of land in northern control. We also recognize this area as one of immense riches and wealth, both in ecological values as well as the various and many blessings in terms of mineral resources. It’s an area that’s very concentrated. There are lots of issues to deal with, and we see this as a priority, as I indicated already.
Thanks to the Minister for that. As I mentioned, there are a lot of rumours, I guess, currently going around about what kind of developments, what kind of agreements, what kind of negotiations are taking place. I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not he would put in place some kind of consultation or education process with the public so that the work that is happening is being learned about and it would be not necessarily the details of the negotiation but that people can find out what it is that we’re doing.
The idea and the issue of a communication plan is an important one and one we’re looking at. We are going to be having a full briefing to Cabinet here in the next couple weeks and then we want to have a chat with committee. Then, once our thinking is clearer, at that point we will be looking at a more formal process of communicating with the public, but first we have to do our own work internally to get to that point.
I want to thank the Minister for the information. At some point there will be public consultation. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment on that. But in the meantime, while Cabinet is considering what’s going on, while committee is considering what’s going on, there are a lot of people who still want to provide their input. To the Minister: Is there any way that the public can right now provide input into this process and get their views known?
Once again, forums such as this, talking to your MLA. I know, for example, some groups like CPAWS have already mounted a campaign getting their members to start calling their Members of the Legislative Assembly and such. I’ve had meetings, as well, with concerned citizens. I know there is lots of interest in this and we will be coming forward with a clear plan of what we intend to do as a government and Legislature in the next few weeks. Until then, people will have to be patient, but they do have to know that we see this as a priority. We see fundamentally this is a very important area. A small federal footprint complemented by various northern tools to maximize and protect the various interests and to make sure that we don’t cut off or limit any potential economic development related to resource development, and keeping the maximum control with the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m really glad to hear his description in that answer is very close to my own consideration of what the park should be, that it is able to accommodate all the interests of the people that are wanting to use that land.
I asked if there’s a way for people to get any information. The Minister didn’t really advise. I know there is a website for Thaidene Nene. Is there any other place that people can go to, any information on the GNWT website or any other website where people can get information on this project?
There will be as soon as we get the key information together and our thinking clearer. We’ve been doing some preliminary work. As I’ve said, we’ve compressed a significant amount of negotiating, about 18 months into six, and we will be coming forward here in the next few weeks with an update and an ongoing portal for folks to stay tuned as to what’s transpiring.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s certainly a pleasure to be able to ask some questions today, and I want to focus in on my Member’s statement. The Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness Healing Voices report was tabled almost two full years ago, and it had 67 recommendations in it. Some of them I thought were good. Some of them I thought were fantastic. But the point was about doing business differently. That’s what the key to me certainly was.
Recommendations one to four I will not read, but certainly the first four recommendations were based on community-based community goal setting, on-the-land programming, engaging traditional knowledge. It speaks and screams volumes about engaging the community.
Recently a program called Tulita On-the-Land Healing Program had asked for money and there was no money given to them by our territorial government. They got financing and funding from the federal government and Movember Foundation.
Why has our government not stepped up to support our organization that is doing healing that is necessary in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
The Member has indicated that that particular organization asked us for money and I have checked with the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority and they indicated that they never had a request and I’ve never had a request to my office asking for money for this particular program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
They told me even today they had applied, and I looked towards my good colleague, Mr. Yakeleya, Member for Sahtu, who has even signed support letters for this organization to get help. Maybe the Minister can answer how many organizations have applied for community-based funding such as on-the-land programing that engages traditional knowledge and experience. Are we ignoring elders who can bring great things? How many have asked or money and how many have we supported? Thank you.
Earlier in the Member’s statement, he talked about communities and working together and that everybody needs to work together to solve this problem. We have the Aboriginal health and community wellness division of the Department of Health and Social Services who’s worked with every community in the Northwest Territories to develop a comprehensive community wellness plan. These community wellness plans do have some common themes. Housing is often one, mental health and addictions is often another. We have given money to every community in the Northwest Territories to pursue these initiatives, including activities such as this particular program where they wish to have community-based, community-designed or community-driven opportunities.
Also, we have provided significant money to the Sahtu for development of on-the-land programs and the Sahtu Dene Council will be offering two 10-day camps near Deline for families from across the region, including Tulita.
I don’t recall seeing the request the Member is talking about. I understand that the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority also has not seen the application or the proposal the Member is talking about. I will, once again, ask the department to confirm. I will ask the department to get in touch with Tulita to see where this application is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I consider it a shame that the government isn’t playing a role in this and is not a partner. We have the Tulita On-the-Land Healing Program, headed by Bessa Blondin, Lawrence Neyelle, Dean Green and Margaret McDonald doing things, connecting with the youth, connecting with the elders and making programs on the land and connecting with the people who need help.
What is this Minister willing to do today, knowing that we have had the federal government and the Movember Foundation come forward to help? Where is our own government in our own backyard helping on this one? Is the Minister willing to roll out the red carpet and show them that they matter? Thank you.
I have had a conversation with a couple of the individuals that the Member just indicated and I do remember some conversations around some interest in getting a program they would like to propose. We are looking at applications from a number of those individuals. I don’t recall the title or the name, the Tulita On-the-Land Healing Program, but as I’ve indicated, we will look at our files and look for this application and give it due consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The name is irrelevant. The fact is people need to be helped. That’s what matters most, Mr. Speaker. How we get there, what vehicle we use, it doesn’t matter. How many on-the-land programs have been applied for and how many have been funded? The Minister was very articulate explaining how many divisions have been set up and how many people have probably been hired and how many organizations such as regions have been set out money, but I want to hear how many applications have been received and how many have been funded. Thank you.
I don’t have that information at my fingertips, but I will commit to getting that information to the Member. I will remind the Member that there is community wellness money available to all the communities and Tulita, by way of example, did receive $156,880 to run programs that are designed for the people of Tulita by the people of Tulita. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I talked about the Forest Management Agreement. Recently, in October in Fort Providence, there was a very historic and momentous occasion and the Forest Management Agreement was signed between the GNWT and the community. I want to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources if he could update this House in terms of dealing with Fort Providence and the next few steps we can expect. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was, indeed, a good news day. There have been resources provided to the community, both in Res and Providence, by the government to the tune of about $200,000 for each community to help give them the SEED money to hire a manager, and the big other critical piece is negotiations that have to take place between the community and the proponent for the business, Aurora Wood Pellets, to negotiate their economic arrangements, which is well underway, I understand, in both communities. Thank you.
The forest industry in Canada and the NWT is something that has a lot of potential based on the idea that the forest industry, if one would take the task and lead the initiative in creating a business opportunity that’s sustainable and renewable. Can the Department of ENR, Environment and Natural Resources, speak to whether other communities have expressed interest in establishing a forest management agreement? Thank you.
Jean Marie River, as well, has indicated an interest as well as Kakisa, I understand.
What is this government doing to facilitate future resource management agreements with local Aboriginal corporations? I understand there’s been movement to work with Kakisa and Jean Marie River. Are there other communities down the valley that have stated an interest, and what’s this department doing to help those communities? Mahsi.
We are breaking trail here and we’ve done a significant amount of work over the years to get the first two major signings between Fort Resolution and Fort Providence. We’ve had some additional expressions of interest which we are following up on with Kakisa and Jean Marie River, which are tied into the current project of Aurora Wood Pellets with Mr. Mapes. So we’re going to pay attention to those and make sure the ones we have signed are going to have done what they need to have done and be as supportive as possible in the areas we need to be as this business interest takes off as well as start those preliminary discussions with Kakisa and Jean Marie. If there are other interests of expression over time, we will get to those as we work our way through the next focus in line, which will be Kakisa and Jean Marie. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
I have no questions.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI. I want to ask the Minister of ITI questions for the people in the Sahtu region. What is this government doing to encourage the oil and gas activity in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories is advancing work on the highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells, the next piece in the transportation corridor in the Mackenzie Valley. We have also broken ground on the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link and we will continue to try to find ways to inject some life into the economy in the Sahtu. Thank you.
The people also want to know what the government is doing to mitigate the operational cost of oil and gas activity. One of the people I did speak to said that if you had an all-weather road going into the Sahtu, you would cut down 30 percent of their operational expenses. That’s just one oil company. That is what some of the people in the Sahtu want to know. What are some of the things that this government is doing to lower the cost of business? Thank you.
One of the knocks against the NWT in developing our resources and attracting investment is our lack of infrastructure. We understand that, that’s why we are, again, advancing work on the Wrigley to Norman Wells highway. Again, a key piece of transportation infrastructure in this territory.
I mentioned earlier the Fibre Optic Link. We also have to…with the Premier’s announcement in Ottawa during NWT Days that we’re going to move forward with the corridor concept in the Mackenzie Valley for communications, transportation and energy. I think these things need to be thoroughly analyzed. Again, we’ve always had hope for the Mackenzie Gas Project, but maybe we need to shift our focus in other areas as well. So we haven’t given up hope that one day Mackenzie gas will get to market, and we’re watching quite closely what’s happening in British Columbia with LNG opportunities for that province. Our hope is that Mackenzie gas will find its way to market sooner rather than later.
Some of the people that have written to me asked what is the government doing in regard to the anti-fracking movement that seems to be gaining some, rallying around support for a moratorium or banning fracking in the North. So they’re asking what’s going on here, what is the government doing to deal with this, because it could be the death of our economic development in the Sahtu region.
We’ve developed an Oil and Gas 101 program in our visiting Sahtu communities. During the month of February we’re going to engage with communities on this program. In fact, staff were in Norman Wells and Tulita two weeks ago and it’s my understanding that those sessions went extremely well. They’re also planning on going into the communities of Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake later this month and we’re working collaboratively with the Sahtu partnership on this effort, this initiative in the Sahtu.
We are also in the process of developing hydraulic fracturing regulations to ensure that activity in the territory is regulated in an appropriate fashion. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time also, people want to know that since activity is not up to where we want it to be, is there opportunity, from the Minister’s point of view, to work with other departments in regard to a planning session to train our young workers to be ready when the activity happens so that they have qualified, skilled labour ready for the oil rigs and other spinoffs due to oil and gas exploration. Thank you.
Now is certainly the time. There is a pause in the activity in the central Mackenzie Valley. The time is now to train people, get them ready for when the jobs and the work come back and we will continue to work with ECE and Transportation to ensure that people do have opportunities to get trained for the oil jobs when they return. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to ask the Minister some questions about junior kindergarten.
Last fall the government, in its wisdom, chose to put a stop to the implementation of junior kindergarten in the NWT.
Schools that were offering junior kindergarten in the 2014-15 school year were advised that they could cease offering that program if they advised the Department of Education prior to a December 14, 2014, deadline. There was a piece in our local paper a number of weeks ago, which talked about those schools that had chosen to withdraw.
I would like to know from the Minister if he could advise the House what was the result of his offer to the schools and to the district education authorities to continue or withdraw from junior kindergarten programming. Thank you.
