Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on questions from my colleague for the Deh Cho last Friday, on the cost on agriculture. The cost of transportation is a major part of nutritious food costs in our communities. By cutting transportation costs, we cut a big and an unnecessary element of the cost. Local food production is clearly the answer.
My question for the Minister of ITI is: Given the community gardens and programs for commercial agriculture expansion and start-up are helpful beginnings, what are the Minister’s immediate plans for building on this success, putting needed jobs in the communities through agriculture and reducing the cost of living? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In response to Mr. Nadli’s questions last week, we have done a great deal. We understand the importance of locally grown food. We recognize the importance of processing fish and meat locally and getting it into the local homes. We’ve been in 29 communities in the Northwest Territories on the Community Garden Initiative and that’s through the Growing Forward Fund that the federal government had. Also, I should note, we are advancing some capital investment aimed at replacing the defunct grading station in Hay River for eggs and the production of eggs in our territory. Once that is complete, eggs produced in the NWT will be able to be marketed into the wholesale, retail and food service sectors right here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister for those comments. As I also mentioned in my statement on Wednesday, availability of land is a challenge for the expansion of agriculture. In response to my written question of February 16th, the Minister said that ITI will provide municipal governments with expertise, assistance and support in matters related to agriculture as and when requested. That’s fine, but what about increasing the supply of agriculture land outside municipalities? What is the department doing to identify and free up some of the vast amount of arable land that could be made available? Mahsi.
That is a good point, and I believe we need to work collectively. I need to work with my colleague from Municipal and Community Affairs. It could, in fact, be a big part of the Economic Development Strategy that we’re going to continue to pursue here in the Northwest Territories, so that we can find ways to grow the agricultural industry here in the Northwest Territories. I agree wholeheartedly with the Member on the importance of getting that sector more pronounced here in our territory, and I’ll do what I can as Minister to make sure that that happens. Thank you.
Thanks again to the Minister for those comments and the commitments. The Territorial Farmers Association is another partner I can think of that reports that access to land is indeed one of the major challenges facing its members. Will the Minister, perhaps in consult with his colleagues, commit to contacting the association and identifying the issues and opportunities to be addressed, and reporting to EDI with a plan for recommended measures? I recognize that this could also become part of the greater Economic Development Strategy, but I think I’d like to follow that track as well Thank you.
I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with the Territorial Farmers Association for a meeting, and I look forward, at the earliest opportunity, to meet with them again as we advance the Economic Development Strategy. I think we will be leaning heavily on organizations like the Territorial Farmers Association for that level of expertise and knowledge when it comes to agriculture here in the NWT and how they feel the government could help out in that regard. Certainly, they will be a part of this as we move forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. Really we are talking food security here as well as an economic function. I know we are addressing these things and Anti-Poverty Strategy and other aspects, but food security is really about lower costs. This weekend our local chicken cooperative would have ended up calling out the roosters. We had to go to sources in Ontario to find out questions we needed answered. Given solutions needed to involve many departments in a strategic cross-departmental approach to food supply, will the Minister commit to development of a food strategy as an integral element of our strategic plans to fight poverty and promote economic development? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, again, as we move forward, I think whether or not we need a food strategy per se or to be part of a larger piece like the Economic Development Strategy or many of the other support mechanisms that the department has for locally produced food and agriculture in the NWT, it certainly is something worth some consideration, though. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
