Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to make comments in and around the mining potential in the Sahtu and to acknowledge my previous colleagues in that regard in that subject, or that industry. Later I'll have questions to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources now that we are entering into the affordable season of our remote area, boat travel in Sahtu, so it will be a lot easier and cheaper and affordable to bring the leadership together and to engage on discussions of potential surrounding the mining industry in the Sahtu region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last closing question is thanks for the support and I look forward to concluding this request over the next few hours, meaning the very near future, on a proposed development submission. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm glad to hear the support is going in that direction to have this conference here to have good heartfelt dialogue with all the speakers and all the stakeholders related to this initiative. Because of the remoteness and the high travel mobilization costs here for leaders to get together not only amongst themselves but with initiatives such as this conference, we'd like to take advantage of this summer's boating season. It takes a few hours to go from one community to the next, so it's an enjoyable trip and a reasonable transportation mode, probably the only one at this time of the year, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to acknowledge a young lady named Haley Cassie who is participating in the current annual track and field competition in Hay River on behalf of her school, the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday Haley broke the record running the 1800-metre track. No one has broken that record since 2002. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Sahtu region, I would like to congratulate her, her family, her colleagues, her friends, teachers, coach, community, on her success and wishing all the competitors at the function or event and from the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like some of my other colleagues, this is my first budget presentation to be a partner with. It saddened me to say here during our reception, I just found out from the Fort Good Hope leadership our elder, Bernadette Manuel, who is in the Stanton Yellowknife Hospital right now is going to be taken off life support, so I ask my colleagues for support so I can dismiss myself to be with the elder. In growing up, she was a great giver of hospitality and generosity, and I think it is only respectful that I show her the same, so I thank my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is the secondary carrier in our barge landing schedule called Cooper Barging and they do sail before the lake ice allows NTCL to leave Hay River and that arrives in Norman Wells on a scheduled basis. They are actually going to be the first one, so if the Minister would elaborate a little bit more on an interim solution I would say incurred by this government rather than waiting for the federal response, in particular for the landing in Norman Wells.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minster of DOT in regards to the marine landing in three of the Sahtu communities. We seen a significant amount of, I would say, left-behind ice in our three community dock landings, and my understanding there's an existing federal program in that jurisdiction. I'd like the Minister to elaborate if that exists on the clearing and maintenance of the barge landings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It seems that there is a commitment there or a program that we're waiting for. In the meantime, in particular one community in Norman Wells is expecting the barge to land here momentarily and we'd like the ice to be cleared so if the Minister could elaborate and clarify when would this be reinstated and if the dock landing would be cleared prior to the barge landing momentarily.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to add to the atmosphere here today on welcoming everybody back from a lengthy break. I know there were a lot of visits going on with our community constituencies and organizations and groups and individuals. Also I look forward to the conclusion of our fiscal planning and in the process building commerce and investment confidence so that we can move on to the next phase of building during our 18th Legislative Assembly session. In closing, I’d like to welcome the two young individuals, the Pages here for the session; Madison Melnyk and John Lagare the two...

My question is: after the program is designed and the efforts of lobbying and the efforts of trying to secure funding for that program, is the Minister willing to share that information through a briefing?