Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement about Thaidene Nene. I’d like to start off by saying the Premier advised on Tuesday… No, the Minister advised on Tuesday in response to Mr. Dolynny, that we hoped to have a northern position in the next few months. I appreciate the info from both the Minister and the Premier, and I also am really glad to hear about the work that we’ve been doing. I think the Minister said we’ve compressed 18 months of work into about six, and that’s awesome. It is time we started moving on this particular project. But there are lots of questions out there. There are lots of gaps in information and there are a lot of people who are interested in this particular development.
I’d like to ask the Minister first of all, how can any interested people, whether they be in Yellowknife, whether they be in Hay River, whether they be down in the East Arm, how can they find out what is going on?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A forum such as this will aid in that process. We are at work right now, as I indicated to Mr. Dolynny earlier this week in the House, that the government see Thaidene Nene as a priority. We see a combination of a small federal footprint supplemented and complemented by various northern tools as a way to maximize the benefit and keep the maximum amount of land in northern control. We also recognize this area as one of immense riches and wealth, both in ecological values as well as the various and many blessings in terms of mineral resources. It’s an area that’s very concentrated. There are lots of issues to deal with, and we see this as a priority, as I indicated already.
Thanks to the Minister for that. As I mentioned, there are a lot of rumours, I guess, currently going around about what kind of developments, what kind of agreements, what kind of negotiations are taking place. I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not he would put in place some kind of consultation or education process with the public so that the work that is happening is being learned about and it would be not necessarily the details of the negotiation but that people can find out what it is that we’re doing.
The idea and the issue of a communication plan is an important one and one we’re looking at. We are going to be having a full briefing to Cabinet here in the next couple weeks and then we want to have a chat with committee. Then, once our thinking is clearer, at that point we will be looking at a more formal process of communicating with the public, but first we have to do our own work internally to get to that point.
I want to thank the Minister for the information. At some point there will be public consultation. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment on that. But in the meantime, while Cabinet is considering what’s going on, while committee is considering what’s going on, there are a lot of people who still want to provide their input. To the Minister: Is there any way that the public can right now provide input into this process and get their views known?
Once again, forums such as this, talking to your MLA. I know, for example, some groups like CPAWS have already mounted a campaign getting their members to start calling their Members of the Legislative Assembly and such. I’ve had meetings, as well, with concerned citizens. I know there is lots of interest in this and we will be coming forward with a clear plan of what we intend to do as a government and Legislature in the next few weeks. Until then, people will have to be patient, but they do have to know that we see this as a priority. We see fundamentally this is a very important area. A small federal footprint complemented by various northern tools to maximize and protect the various interests and to make sure that we don’t cut off or limit any potential economic development related to resource development, and keeping the maximum control with the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m really glad to hear his description in that answer is very close to my own consideration of what the park should be, that it is able to accommodate all the interests of the people that are wanting to use that land.
I asked if there’s a way for people to get any information. The Minister didn’t really advise. I know there is a website for Thaidene Nene. Is there any other place that people can go to, any information on the GNWT website or any other website where people can get information on this project?
There will be as soon as we get the key information together and our thinking clearer. We’ve been doing some preliminary work. As I’ve said, we’ve compressed a significant amount of negotiating, about 18 months into six, and we will be coming forward here in the next few weeks with an update and an ongoing portal for folks to stay tuned as to what’s transpiring.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
