(Yellowknife, NT) August 25, 2020 -- The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment met in Tuktoyaktuk from August 10th to 13th, 2020, hosted by Nunakput MLA Jackie Jacobson.
The purpose of this meeting was to identify key priorities for the Standing Committee going forward. “This process allows us to focus our efforts while we continue our work throughout the life of the Assembly”, said Mr. Jacobson, Chair of Committee.
The Committee’s Terms of Reference includes broad matters related to infrastructure, climate change, environment and economic development.
The Committee has decided upon three main priorities for its work during the remainder of the 19th Assembly to:
increase responsiveness of government policies and services to stimulate and diversify northern, and in particular Indigenous, businesses;
to maximize business opportunities from the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (MVFL), as well as other telecommunication opportunities for communities not connected to the MVFL; and
ensure the NWT is well positioned to prevent environmental liabilities, effectively manage contaminated sites, and stimulate local economic opportunities through remediation.
“Tuktoyaktuk is a small community that has economically benefitted from the road and remediation projects. The issues facing Tuktoyaktuk are similar to other northern communities, but the further north you go, the gap between the regional centres and small communities becomes more obvious,” states Chair Jacobson.
Committee members would like to thank the people of Tuktoyaktuk who helped make the meeting a success. Travelling to Tuktoyaktuk highlighted the need for, and economic opportunity of, increasing connectivity throughout the NWT, ensuring all communities have opportunities to remediate their land, and ensuring that government services maximize regional economic diversification and development.
Committee will continue to respond to Cabinet’s legislative initiatives and policies, while undertaking its own review of at least two pieces of NWT legislation: the Wildlife Act and Species at Risk (NWT) Act.
Committee members include Jackie Jacobson (Nunakput), Ronald Bonnetrouge (Deh Cho), Frieda Martselos (Thebacha), Rylund Johnson (Yellowknife North), and Kevin O’Reilly (Frame Lake).