Thank you.
All of the funding that ENR has for contaminated sites would be under environmental protection and waste management. But it should be noted that the Government of the Northwest Territories has an environmental liability fund, and so when there's remediation work that is being done, that's where the money to do some of the remediation work comes from. So it's not just in this place where you would see the contaminated sites budget. Other departments also have funding to do work on their own contaminated sites. But that environmental liabilities fund is where, for example, ENR would go to look for additional funding for Canol Trail, for example, or other sites that we're looking at. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Yeah, the reason why I ask about that is because there's a lot of contaminated sites in the NWT and there are still you know, a lot of people are still concerned, you know, especially if it's in their backyard. We have oil and gas. We have uranium. We have the Giant Mine. Now with mining that's expected to close. So I'm just wondering if this was enough. The money that you're you know, it's for remediation, you said that. So how much of that is going to be for, like for the employment and for or is it for positions more? Is more going for the position or for the cleanup?
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So there's a variety of types of contaminated sites in the NWT. Some of them are still the federal government's responsibility, and they're paying to do the remediation of those sites. Some of them, it's a partnership between the GNWT and the federal government, like the Giant Mine Remediation Project that you spoke of. Some of them are sites that are the responsibility of different GNWT departments, and those departments would have budget to remediate those sites. At ENR, some of them would be related to fire activity, for example, firefighting activity. That would be one example. We also have some other contaminated sites that we're responsible for. The money that you would see here is people who are doing work on contaminated sites mostly at the policy level and also who are running some of the contracts to hire people to go and do the contaminated sites work. And often those would be funded through the environmental liabilities fund that I mentioned.
Thank you, deputy minister. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you. Yeah, for the position, I see here because we're still on the environmental management and monitoring climate, and for the active position, there's nothing in Tlicho region on page 85, but North Slave has two, and headquarters they have 66. So why there is nothing allocated in Tlicho region?
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister.
Thank you. Deputy minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So this is these are position listings for all of the folks that do water and environmental protection work in the and climate change and cumulative impacts in the department. And if you can see there's the two in the North Slave, those are folks that are doing it for the North Slave region and that includes the Tlicho, the way that the North Slave region is set up. So there are two folks that are doing that work regionally, and then the headquarters staff are also supporting work all over the territory. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
So this North Slave position, it's located in Yellowknife or in Tlicho region?
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, deputy minister.
Deputy minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The positions are located in Yellowknife.
Member for Monfwi.
Yeah, those are important positions for our community because for in our regions, we have a lot of contaminated sites. We have a lot of issues. So it would be nice if we can have will the Minister commit to transferring these two positions to Tlicho region? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. No, that's for all of the North Slave. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Did he say it's for all of the Northwest Territories or North Slave, the two position that I'm talking about?
Thank you. Minister.
It's for the North Slave, and it's the water resource officers. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Yeah, North Slave consists of Yellowknife and Lutselk'e consists Fort Resolution, Dettah, N'dilo, and Tlicho regions. So what I would like to see is something specifically for Tlicho because we're not part of Yellowknife, and I keep saying that. So I just wanted to know if in the future, you know I know people do change all the time, so I would like to see more position transferred to Tlicho region. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. So right now we are not looking at relocating those positions specifically to the Tlicho. It's the North Slave, and that's where those positions are based right now in Yellowknife. Thank you.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you. Well, I mean, you know, it's it's doable; we can do something about that. So, yeah, that's I was really concerned about that because contaminated sites, people are still talking about. Still talking about the effects of the Rayrock that's in our backyard. Now there's other there the Fortune Minerals too as well, so. And with the diamond mine expected to close, so this funding, it would be nice if there were more positions in the small communities who are impacted by the who are affected more by the contaminated sites. So that's what I would like to see is that more be invested in the small communities to monitor these contaminated sites by bringing in more jobs to the small communities. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Yes, I think we need to I'll ask the deputy minister to explain what these positions are. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So the regional positions that you're seeing here are water resource officers. They're not people that are working specifically on contaminated sites. So their role is to go around and do inspections at industrial sites, and they're housed in Yellowknife. Two of them are housed in Yellowknife right now, and they're in the middle of where the sites are to go and do this work.
The other there's a couple other regional positions in here that are environmental protection officers. None of them are directly related to contaminated sites although they do contribute to contaminated sites work. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Monfwi.
I would think they are related to, you know, to those specifics. But it would be nice to have more of those positions transferred to the regions. Even like with here, there's five assistant deputy ministers on page 70, and there's a superintendent for North Slave. Is that position in Yellowknife, or is it where is this job located at? And there's you know, a lot of these positions here as identified -- there's five assistant deputy ministers. A lot of these in the small communities where they settled land claims, these positions will be beneficial to help our land claim groups. That's why I'm asking that, you know, it what this department should do is that so they keep talking about having a good working relationship with Indigenous government. They should transfer some of these jobs where the Indigenous government or those with the settled land claims can really benefit from these positions. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
I'll start, and then I'll turn to the deputy minister. So 60 percent of our jobs are in the regional and 40 percent are in headquarters. So I'm very happy with our numbers. We got 60 percent. I need to stress to the Member 60 percent is there. But for further detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. Deputy minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. So we certainly look at positions at putting positions into regions. There's a renewable resource officer in Whatì that's looking after the Tlicho AllSeason Road. We have a position for an officer that's in Behchoko for Dinaga We'ehodi as well. And I think that I expressed earlier there's an ADM position that we're the new ADM position that will be a regional position and will be wherever there is someone who has those skills in the region. We're certainly looking at opportunities to ensure that there's opportunities in regions for these positions. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Yes, and there's nine positions in Behchoko. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to clarify the protocol for notification of spills. What is the process for notification, and who is the first person that the Minister should be contacting when it comes to a spill?
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. Could the Member is it territorial or is it Alberta with the transboundary? Who is our contact; what's the question? Thank you, Madam Chair.
