Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement about the important sector of fishery in the Hay River area, I will have questions for the Minister of ITI. Typically we have a fall session for the NWT Fishermen’s Federation. I would like to get an update on the infrastructure program that we are looking to do to upgrade the fish plant in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We really believe strongly that we can reinvigorate the fishing industry on Great Slave Lake. Through the Economic Opportunities Strategy we have identified $1.5 million to look at an export grade fish plant, a new fish plant in Hay River and something that we continue to move forward with, although $1.5 million won’t get us to where we need to go. We are going to need partners. We are currently in discussions with some potential partners on seeing that new fish plant built in Hay River. Thank you.
Also in my statement I talked about training and convincing people to go back into this industry.
What can the Minister indicate to me that they have done as far as business opportunities and business training that would encourage people to get back into the industry? Thank you.
We have a number of programs through ITI that are going to help in attracting new fishers to the industry and, as well, helping those that are already in the industry. We have a Fish Harvesters Support Program, we have a Commercial Fish Harvesters Support Program, we have a Fish Harvesters Expansion Program, we have a Fish Harvesters New Entrants Support Program and also some core funding available to existing fishermen on Great Slave Lake. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, one of the issues that has always been there is the selling and marketing of the fish. We know that there is an opportunity, maybe, in Alberta.
Has the department looked at this opportunity to market NWT fish in Alberta now that they are closing down some of their fishery?
Yes, we are looking at the market, both here domestically in the Northwest Territories and the export market. We have a marketing subsidy that we have supplied to fisher people here in the Northwest Territories and it is certainly something that we will continue to explore with the events in Alberta. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thanks, Mr. Speaker. With that opportunity in Alberta, has the department looked into and discussed with the Alberta fisheries the opportunity that we could exchange some information, exchange opportunities, whether it’s training or maybe encouraging some people to come up here to maybe fulfill some of the quota to market NWT fish? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, our goal is to develop the commercial fishery on Great Slave Lake, and if we can’t do that within our borders with the fisher people that we have here in the Northwest Territories, certainly we have to look outside of our borders for other opportunities to attract fisher people to come to the Northwest Territories. That is really how the industry got started in the first place, was folks coming to Great Slave Lake and fishing Great Slave Lake that weren’t from the Northwest Territories, and that’s something that we currently are exploring. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Ramsay. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
