Caroline Wawzonek
Deputy Premier
Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the extent of the work the Member's quite right, the extent of the work to see the implementation to the Mineral Resources Act is extraordinary. It is huge. And I'm happy to say I will be putting forward to the House a full summary status report detailing all the different pieces, all of what's been worked on with the technical working group, with the Intergovernmental Council and in order to show a pathway that we're on and where we would what we've achieved over the last four years. There is quite a lot that has been done. I will have that tabled in the...
Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, I do have, I believe, the project here of $36 million. This was it was from prior years. We still have $2.5 million is what we're asking for the current plan that's before the House right now. This was a major renovation. This was intended to be, you know, really a place that has a mezzanine area, the gym viewing, a gym a new gym with, say, all bells and whistles, a career and technology building. It was meant to be the kind of flagship place that students want to go to school. It was something Madam Chair, I don't think anyone disagrees with the...
Thank you, Madam Chair. What I was hoping to find quickly is that I know that NorthwesTel was under an obligation to the CRTC in order to provide fibre to the home and have been providing updates of the progress on that project now for some time. I don't on my fingertips know where whether they are under the same obligation for this stretch. I anticipate that they may be. I'll commit to find that, Madam Chair. I don't I don't see it here on the list of communities that NorthwesTel is obligated under. So they may not oh no, Madam Chair, I take that back. They are on the list of upcoming...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal, provincial, territorial Ministers for energy and mines were scheduled and, indeed, did meet during the time of the evacuation. I was evacuated but I was able to attend the meeting virtually and with respect to the critical minerals and the mining side of this file, and continue to raise with colleagues federally, as to when we're going to see more progress on this file. It was a good opportunity to meet. I can say we are fortunately now part of the second round of provinces and territories that are doing work called regional energy and resource...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, this has been a difficult contract with the contractor that was in place. There have been some steps taken over the summer, I understand, to try to bring greater oversight to the delivery of the project. And the last update that I had also received just before the evacuations was that that had in fact brought about some changes, namely in the form of well, greater oversight from the project management team, a new project manager on top of that, and as such greater confidence that the promises made around a September date for the gym and the trade facility...
Thank you, Madam Chair. This is the one this part is owned by the GNWT and not being constructed by NorthwesTel. So it's separate from the other portion of the Mackenzie Valley fibre line. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the wildfires certainly this season did have an impact on the industry.
With respect to Pine Point, Mr. Speaker, I imagine, quite fortunately, they're I understand their property was not affected by the wildfires notwithstanding how close they may have come. But one of there was one gold property actually much closer towards Yellowknife that did see some damage to some of their properties. But other than that, those are the only damaged properties. The impacts really were more in terms of the timing. There were some slowdowns of some of the operating...
Madam Chair, I don't need a crystal ball on this one. I can tell you the answer and that the federal government doesn't typically provide funding for schools. But what I would like is it would be more of a magic wand where they would, in fact, provide the funding for schools for the reasons that the Member has set out as well as any other reason that that would, you know if we can invest with children starting from early education, junior kindergarten through two, you know, there would I think a lot of the other problems that we see across the territory or elsewhere in Canada might well be...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, Madam Chair, we are the contemplation is that this would follow the transportation utility of the Tuk Highway. So, but, which took, you know, some time to finish that, and now to be ready for it, I gather we are now at a point where they are doing the environmental assessments and we'll be prepared to submit that to then have the project move forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm always a bit hesitant to say too much in the House, and it's not for want of wanting to reassure the public service of the importance of this and certainly of their value. Right now more than ever, many public servants were asked to do much more over the last few months under very difficult circumstances. They really are what makes a lot of what anything the government does possible. So certainly wanting to give that reassurance. There is at this point, the stage we're at, Mr. Speaker, is that the parties are going to have a mediator appointed to the...