Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources in follow-up on my Member’s statement on the 21st of February and some questions then.

I believe it was two weeks ago today that I described the stalled effort to create an independent oversight body to watchdog the Giant Mine Remediation Project. I pointed out there were six drafts of an oversight discussion paper and eight drafts of an environmental agreement. The work is dead in the water and the working group hasn’t met since August.

On February 21st the Minister committed to direct his department...

I will await the Minister getting in gear. Since the close of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review public hearings, the board has taken the uncommon step of opening up the public record again with the request to the developers – that’s us – for further information on the plan to dump toxic waters into Back Bay. Apparently the board is determined that the project proposal contains insufficient information to make wise decisions on this dilution of pollution solution.

Can the Minister update us on our activities to provide this solution and whether we will push to have this project...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, have serious concerns about the wisdom of building the Inuvik-Tuk highway. The project doesn’t make economic sense. The only thorough analysis we’ve had was prepared in 2010 for a project costing $230 million. Twenty-eight months and $12 million later, it’s $311 million. That 2010 analysis revealed little if any net economic benefit, notably with reductions in oil and gas economic activity of thousands of person years of employment and significant reductions to GDP due to efficiencies.

Today with ice-free shipping seasons and marine transport, pipelines are off...

Thanks to the Minister. What does that mean? What is the intent of this office? What would good results look like?

Thank you. Now, the Inuvik gas contribution I see $5 million last year, $5.9 million proposed for this year. What is the status of that? Are we expecting that to continue as well? Thank you.

Thanks for that information. And of course, there’s Deline, which is, I think, close to a final agreement, in the Sahtu. With the Tlicho, I believe they have the ability to draw down powers. Have we reached that point? Are they at the point where they’re ready to do that or what’s the situation on that front?

So are we, just for my clarification, booking the value of the estimated cost of remediation or are we booking dollars to pay for the remediation, if you get my drift.

Thank you to the Minister for that. Just in terms of cultural programming, I know that’s important in our system. Do we provide that in all our corrections facilities? Is the Minister comfortable with the degree of cultural programming that we’re offering?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would just like to get on top of this business. The contributions to the NWT Power Corporation are not territorial power subsidy funding. Am I right in that assertion? Thank you.

By bilateral, we mean the Aboriginal government and ourselves. Is that correct?