Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement with questions for the Minister of ITI. In my statement I talked about the recognition success that Yellowknife has achieved on composting in partnership with Ecology North. While a project such as the Yellowknife central composting facility may be beyond the scale of our smaller communities, there are valuable lessons to be learned here. One Ecology North staff active in this project is from Hay River. Ecology North has been a prime mover in the local community garden effort. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can tell us what part composting development plays in the delivery of our agricultural programs.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. David Ramsay.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe composting can play a very big role. We were just down in Hay River this fall opening the egg grading facility there. I had an opportunity to tour the chicken barns that are there, and the amount of manure that is produced from those barns and how that’s going to be used as compost into developing other types of agricultural development in the South Slave. It was something that was very interesting.
I think there is a role for composting in communities that can take a look at it, and it is something that I know we have an agreement with the federal government for the Growing Forward 2 monies. It’s about $6 million over the next five years. It is something I think we should spend some time on and ensure there is a program to allow composting in communities that are looking for that opportunity.
I do note that I have used both that chicken manure and the Yellowknife composting products in my garden at home and I know many have. Obviously the goals Yellowknife sets out to achieve – waste reduction and making soil amendments available – are challenges facing our communities, all of them. Partners have learned that aggressive public education and motivation are essential for promoting participation.
With community gardens really taking off around the territory and very small transportation distances, there seems a big opportunity to begin establishing the habit of household composting as a contribution to community gardens. My question is: Will the Minister commit to directing his agriculture program staff to examine opportunities to build composting into community garden projects?
Again, I think this is an important topic and it certainly is something I will agree to go back to the department to get them to have a look at. Education is a good thing, getting posters out, getting community announcements out on the benefits of composting. I think most people would understand what those benefits are. We need to do that and we’ll take a look at that, and I thank the Member for raising that issue today.
Thanks for the comments and commitments from the Minister there. Obviously there are some real linkages with Municipal and Community Affairs here. The savings in landfill costs is in the $100,000 range. Organics, I believe, are often in the order of 25 or greater percent of the waste stream. Here is another opportunity for cooperation: the possible examination of helping communities set up organics drop-off points at the landfills.
Will the Minister commit to gathering the information I’ve requested from his staff and then consulting with the MACA Minister on possible opportunities and reporting to committee on his findings?
That is something that we could do. Perhaps the Member could also get the EDI committee to write to us. I’d be more than happy to work with my colleague Mr. McLeod with MACA to get a better understanding of how this would work, and I look forward to a letter from committee, and the commitment of the Member to take a look at this and put some tangible things in place so that we can make a difference here.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
