Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment today. I’d like to put aside the trick-or-treat and get right down to the cold hard facts from our oil and gas office.
I want to ask the Minister, has he had any word from any of the oil companies about them returning to the Sahtu to continue their exploration permitting?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have heard that companies are coming back to the Sahtu to have meetings in the Sahtu. As to whether or not that would see a return to activity in the region next winter remains to be seen, but I think it’s a good sign that companies are coming back to have meetings in the Sahtu. I understand that there’s a number of them that have meetings lined up this coming week in the communities in the Member’s riding. So that’s, I think, an important step forward. Thank you.
Thank you. Certainly hearing that is a treat over here, hearing those words.
Can the Minister give us some timelines for the development of the NWT Oil and Gas Strategy? Where are we at with this issue right now?
We’re in the initial phase today. We want to ensure that we get the best strategy that we can and, much like the Mineral Development Strategy, the Economic Opportunities Strategy, an Oil and Gas Strategy has to be done in collaboration with industry, communities, Aboriginal governments, and we are going to set that up. My hope is that the Oil and Gas Strategy will be complete by the end of the life of the 17th Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you. Can the Minister tell us how this strategy will incorporate findings and recommendations from the recent Sahtu oil and gas needs assessment?
The Oil and Gas Strategy would, of course, incorporate the work that has been done to date. We would be taking a look at all of that work. We don’t need to go out and reinvent the wheel if we have done work in that regard. That’s something that we will look at incorporating into an Oil and Gas Strategy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has the Minister had any type of discussion of an impact fund similar to what was designated for the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, what we call the Mackenzie Gas Project, for oil and gas development in the Sahtu with the federal government?
Mr. Speaker, as it relates to the activity and the Canol formation, we haven’t had a discussion with the federal government on an impact fund. The $500 million the Member speaks of is still there. Of course, the Mackenzie Gas Project is in a hiatus right now, but that’s not to say that if the area does get into commercial production of some type, if there are further pipelines discussed or constructed, the federal government might, in fact, look at an impact fund similar to the one that they had put in place for the Mackenzie Gas Project. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
