Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be asking questions today on what kind of support the government is giving this year with the 50th anniversary of the Aurora Research Institute, which is a very big event in that it helps with the advancement of the NWT through another avenue, which is science and technology. My questions today are for the Premier.
I’d like to ask the Premier, being at the 50th anniversary, a very significant celebration in the Western Arctic, above the Arctic Circle, what is the government doing in support of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Aurora Research Institute and what types of supports are there?
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a very exciting year to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Aurora Research Institute in Inuvik. Considering that they’ve been conducting research or helping facilitate research for 50 years in the Northwest Territories is quite an achievement.
I’m very pleased to say that through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment that Aurora College is allocating $1,000 for every year of its existence, so they’ve allocated $50,000 for the 50th anniversary celebrations.
I should add that Aurora College provides the institute with about $1.7 million a year for its operations. The institute also accesses funding from a number of application-based programs. There are a number of events scheduled throughout October and November to celebrate.
That’s great for the commitment for every year. Can we see that commitment in the 100 year celebrations?
I know the work that’s been going on with the government in terms of investing in such things as the fibre optic link and we’re developing the satellite farm.
What is the government’s dialogue in supporting of the Aurora Research Institute in creating an office or some type of work station that will help with the fibre optic link and the data and all that information coming from the satellites? What type of investments, what type of support is the government doing in terms of this work that we’ve been investing in as a government?
I think it’s a very exciting period as to what’s happening in Inuvik, especially with the satellite tracking facilities that have been put in place. I think there are three satellite tracking facilities there now. When I attended the first one, we were told that with this fibre optic link that conceivably there could be 35 of these facilities, because Inuvik’s got the best location in the world for tracking of satellites. The Aurora Research Institute has been a very active participant and promoting this, and as part of construction of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link, we see the research institute as playing a leading role.
There are very active discussions going on between the various departments involved, the various proponents and the international community. I think that you will see the Aurora Research Institute playing a very integral part to the future development in this area in Inuvik.
In that sense, in terms of international reputation, over 50 years the ARI has developed a strong network of researchers nationally, locally, regionally, territorially and, as the Premier stated, internationally.
What is our government doing in terms of supporting the researchers either through grants, through bursaries, through even scholarships for some of our young researchers, our students to look forward and going into to take some type of post-secondary education in the area of research, either biology, chemistry and those areas? Has the government created any of those types of monetary support?
We have a number of international researchers that set up and operate right in the Aurora Research Institute. We also provide a lot of logistical and backup and equipment support. As I said, the Aurora Research Institute receives funding from the Department of Education for annual operations, and they also access funding on an application-based process. We do involve and utilize them to do research on behalf of the government, and certainly, with the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link, I understand that we will do further investing in that regard.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to ask the Premier, he mentions they do a lot of support and looking for the ARI doing work on behalf of the government. If the ARI is doing work on behalf of the government, how often does the Premier and Cabinet meet with the executives of ARI as well as with the board of governors specifically on research findings that come out of the Aurora Research Institute that can help us as decision-makers make our jobs a lot easier and more efficient when we’re doing such work?
We receive results on a regular and ongoing basis. They are channelled through the Aurora College and through the Department of Education, and it finds our way to us. I myself, I think I’ve been to Inuvik about 10 times this year. On almost every visit I have the opportunity to drop in to the Aurora Research Institute for one reason or another, and at the risk of indicating how old I am, I negotiated devolution of the three arctic research centres from the federal government to the territorial government about 25 years ago. I think we have really benefitted from it.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
