Debates of February 27, 2023 (day 141)

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources

Outfitter Licenses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3319(2): Report on the Review of Bill 52, which was the Elevators and Lifts Act. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a document entitled "Early Learning and Child Care in Canada: Where Have We Come and Where are We Going?" published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to tabling the following five documents: Mineral Resources Act Regulations Targeted Engagement with Mining Industry Presentations, Date Range 2021 July 8 to 2022 January 13; number 2, Mineral Resources Act Regulations Targeted Engagement with Mining Industry Presentations, Date range January 26, 2022 to February 23rd, 2022; number 3, Mineral Resources Act Regulations Targeted Engagement with Mining Industry Presentations, Date Range February 18, 2022 to May 17, 2022; number 4, Mineral Resources Act Regulations Targeted Engagement with Mining Industry Presentations, Date Range September 9, 2022 to November 2829, 2022; number 5, Mr. Speaker, Yukon New Minerals Legislation Discussion Paper dated February 2023. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 81319(2), 20232024 Main Estimates, Industry, Tourism and Investment and Executive and Indigenous Affairs. Mahsi, Madam Chair.

Thank you, committee. Does committee agree?

Agreed.

Thank you, committee. We'll take a short recess.

SHORT RECESS

I'll now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we are going to continue with the main estimates, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. And we're going to continue on at tourism and parks, beginning on page 238 with information items on page 239 to 241. Oh sorry, I better ask the Minister if she has witnesses. Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses in.

Minister, will you please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, on my left is Pamela Strand, deputy minister. And on my right is Nina Salvador, the director of finance.

Thank you. And as I said before, we are on pages 239 to 241, tourism and parks. Are there any questions from Members? There are no questions? Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. So I know that there was some fanfare made about how some NGO funding was increased in the budget. And I'm just wondering I'm looking at page 239, grants, contributions. Can the Minister tell us whether any of the grants and contributions were increased as a result of forced growth? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Member. Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, there's one increase in this area. It is with respect to NWT Tourism.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. So the NWT Tourism doesn't actually show funding for NWT Tourism here, unless I'm misreading this, but is that the tourism industry contribution? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me turn that to the deputy minister just to point to which line item it'll be under, please.

Thank you. Deputy minister Strand.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So the NWT Tourism contribution sits on our grants and contributions under industry or sorry, tourism industry contribution. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. The visitor information centre line here, can the Minister tell us which visitor information centres are supported? And it doesn't look like there's any change there; I just want to confirm that. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I certainly could provide a list. There's the DempsterDelta Visitor Centre, Western Arctic Regional Visitors Centre, village of Fort Simpson, Yellowknife, Norman Wells, and in the South Slave is 60th Parallel and I can certainly provide more detail perhaps by breakdown in writing. That might be easier. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I think there was some onetime CanNor funding or something that was flowed through to the City of Yellowknife in previous years, or am I getting confused? Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I mean, there certainly are funds from CanNor that do come through at various points for various initiatives. Let me see if the deputy minister can speak to whether she knows what they may have funded for the City of Yellowknife.

Deputy minister.

Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. So we have been funding as well as the as CanNor on a I believe a threeyear basis for the Yellowknife Visitors Information Centre. I will let you know that this is the last year that we have that extra topup funding in our budget. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

Thanks, Madam Chair. So, yes, I think we can probably expect tourism to continue to pick up over the next year with the pandemic basically finally winding down. You know, where are we going with this stuff if there's it looks like the only increase in funding here is to NWT Tourism; how are we going to support folks moving forward? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Minister.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I mean, yes, I certainly also hope that tourism continues to move forward. Right now there is I mean, NWT Tourism does do the lion's share, really, of all of our marketing. That was divested to them some years ago as being a specialty area that they can focus on. There is Northwest Territories, the Tourism 2025 still in play right now, which is still being implemented and there's funding for its implementation, and there's quite a number of funding programs still here for incomers to the industry. So, you know, and the funding has continued to increase with respect to the implementation of T2025. So, really, I think probably we would hear almost anyone, any department, any program, might say they want more money but at this point, they are it's preceding what was planned for in terms of being implementing the T2025 program which ensures that the funding is flowing in an organized fashion. And for this coming fiscal it's $364,000. So hopeful that that will indeed be more than adequate for this year to keep them moving forward and seeing, hopefully, a return on the private sector revenue side as well. Thank you, Madam Chair.