Shane Thompson

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that human health and ecological risk assessments are one of the six knowledge gaps that the Alberta government is working on. My understanding, in reaching out to the Alberta government, is Alberta has retained an independent consultant to complete the work to fill this information gap. Once the report is completed, then it's going to be given to the GNWT and then the GNWT, the department and the ones who we the consultants we've retained, will be looking at it and assessing it as in looking at the findings.

Madam Speaker, I want...

Yes, thank you very much. I have only been the Minister for the last two years, but I can tell you right now we've had the opportunity to meet with Indigenous governments, Indigenous leadership, and we had conversation, frank conversations, good communications, a lot of questions and answers, and we're trying to work together collaboratively. It's the most important part of what and how I feel with the department of ENR. We try to work with our Indigenous governments and our partners. And just for a little bit further detail, I'll ask the deputy minister to just give a little bit more update...

For that detail, I'll go to the deputy minister. Thank you.

For that detail, I'll just turn to the deputy minister. Yeah, because there's a number of avenues and other lines there that yeah, I'll just turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.

Thank you. For that detail, you're going to have to ask the Finance Minister what the policy is, what the HR policy is. I'm not going to get into that. It was a decision made by us on how we're going to move forward on this and so we are following the chief public health officer's directions, and we are working with the federal government on how we deal with it. And for that detail of how that's being implemented, maybe save that question for the Finance Minister. Thank you.

Just to get clarity, I'm going to turn to the deputy minister. But it's 0 to 12 is where the cutting permits existed prior to the road. That's where the people were able do it. But to get clarity on it and it's not negotiations. I want to get it clear, we are working with the Tlicho government on their traditional territory and public lands. We are working with them. It's not negotiating. I need to stress we are working with them together collaboratively to come up with a process that's respectful of them in their Indigenous area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With your permission, I'll turn to the...

I'm sorry, for that detail I'd go to the deputy minister. Thank you.

So depending on the projects, we were working with a variety of options. Again, it's very it depends on what project we're talking about and how we're doing with it. We do have or conversations with various organizations and governments moving forward on it. So again, until we have a specific site that you're talking about, we look at the whole gamut moving forward. There's a number of options available to us. But I really need to stress if we can work with Indigenous governments as best we can, we do that there, so. But for further detail, I'll ask the deputy minister to add to this. Thank...

So that's very much a FinanceHR issue. I know where the Member's going with this, but. So if their schedule requirements, i.e., getting on planes, that they need to make sure they're vaccinated and that's a federal government. If they need to be in a company that requires it, they need to do it. And if they don't and if they're not don't have the vaccine, then we have set in the policy through the territorial government with the Department of Finance that they follow that process. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

So when we get the applications, we try to find and be able to work with the existing resources that we have presently, and we try to do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.