Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just before we get into the actual business of reviewing the legislation clause by clause, I would like to ask some questions on significant discovery licences, and hopefully the witnesses can oblige. How many significant discovery licences, or SDLs, are currently in the Northwest Territories or have been issued to rights holders in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The committee would like to consider Committee Report 25-18(3), Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on the Review of Bill 36, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Resources Act, and Bill 37, An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act; Bill 36, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Resources Act; and Bill 37, An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act, in that order. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Obviously, I wouldn't ask the Minister to respond on behalf of Northwestel if he has no information from them, but is the department or the Minister's office in active communication with Northwestel? They are our sole service provider in many regions of the territory. Is there a way they can coordinate better flow of information, sharing the information, when it comes to these events in the future?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the honourable Minister of Finance on the state of our fibre optic telecommunications infrastructure. Has the government done any planning to investigate improving our redundancy, so when a fibre line is cut, in particular to my community of Yellowknife, but when a fibre line is cut, it doesn't knock everything out of there? Are there more options to keep the systems going so that they don't cause that massive interruption to businesses and households? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

The clause-by-clause review of the bill was held on August 7, 2019. Committee thanks the honourable Minister of Finance and his officials for their appearance before the committee. Committee did not move any motions to amend Bills 42 or 43.

Rule 100(5) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories requires Cabinet, in response to a motion by committee, to table a comprehensive response that addresses the committee report and any related motions adopted by the House. As required by this rule, committee usually includes a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To be frank, the federal government can't build a pipeline to save its life, so I find it highly doubtful that they will be able to bring forward significant infrastructure to address the concerns that SDLs were created to address.

What can this government do directly, through working with industry, because I will address the liability that the Minister has clearly laid out, to avoid any potential liability of changing the existing SDLs? What can this government do to incentivize or encourage work in the areas that are covered by these SDL licences? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

Bill 37 proposes that the regulator be authorized to hold public hearings, however, leaves it to the discretion of the regulator to determine when a public hearing would be in the public interest. Committee members discussed regulatory practices in the Northwest Territories, where public hearings are obligatory. In resource development, thresholds are set, for example, for various types of water use and waste disposal, which determine when public hearings must be advertised and conducted.

Committee is of the view that the regulator should establish...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What assurances can the Minister give to people who are concerned about the old SDLs, the SDLs that weren't really working as well as intended? That was the feedback that we received. What assurances can the Minister give that those existing SDLs will be either brought into the regime that we will be bringing forward with the new legislation or, at least, will become competitive and not just sit there for an indeterminate amount of time, which could be until the end of time? What assurances can the Minister give that there will be work done and that these SDLs will...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. What tools are available to the government to change the terms of existing SDLs? Thank you.