David Ramsay

The Merv Hardie served this government and the people of the Northwest Territories very well at Fort Providence. It will require some work, a bit of a refit, but certainly, once that refit is complete, we’d look at locating that ferry at Tsiigehtchic. That has been under consideration and we will continue to take a look at where that ferry will be best utilized here in the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seeing as it’s Education Week, I’d like to welcome back to the Northwest Territories a long-term Yellowknifer and teacher here in the Northwest Territories, Ms. Myrna Strain. With Myrna are Ms. Tai Blake and Ms. Sam Pearce. Welcome to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re certainly aware of the situation in Nahendeh and the contaminated soil. Perhaps we have some folks from Environment and Natural Resources that would be better able to respond to that question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. We are putting that under consideration and we should be able to have a decision made probably within the next three or four months on where that asset will be located.

The construction of an all-weather highway down the Mackenzie Valley to the Arctic coast is vital to connect our communities, and to access a wealth of natural resources that are critical for growing the NWT economy and ensuring Canada remains prosperous within the global economy.

Mr. Speaker, the northern most segment of the Mackenzie Valley all-weather highway, the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway, is our first priority for construction. This highway has received much attention recently as the Government of the Northwest Territories approaches some key decision points concerning the next steps for...

Mr. Speaker, consistently investing in parks infrastructure is essential to strengthen and diversify our economy. Parks improvements ensure more people visit our communities, spend money at our local businesses, and spread the word about our spectacular territory. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment maintains 33 territorial parks, and today I am pleased to share the highlights of an on-line survey conducted this past summer that shows our investments are paying off.

Many visitors and residents use our parks to enjoy the outdoors, visit with friends, and explore our diverse and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to Written Question 2-17(4), I wish to table the following document, entitled Itinerary for 2013 Diamond Tour.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s in both industry and the Government of the Northwest Territories’ best interest to have employees living here in the Northwest Territories. Again, ITI was responsible for the negotiation and completion of the socio-economic agreements and the training requirement is the responsibility of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. As I mentioned earlier, we work closely with Minister Lafferty and his staff, we are currently trying to put together a pan-territorial approach to mine training that would look at providing the funding for both the Nunavut...

Thank you. The three mining companies were before the Member’s committee last fall. These concerns weren’t raised at that time with me from the mines. Again, we meet with the mining presidents, we meet with industry at every opportunity. We just recently had a meeting between the three Ministers and the mines here in Yellowknife not too long ago. We need to find a way forward, and in this case it does us little good to be fighting with industry, in the case of De Beers, a company that’s going to invest close to $1 billion into this territory and provide many more job opportunities here in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour and privilege to recognize a colleague from Nunavut, Deputy Premier, the Honourable Peter Taptuna. He’s also the Minister of Economic Development, Transportation, Tourism, Housing, the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, the Nunavut Development Corporation, and also the Minister of Energy. Welcome to Minister Taptuna.

With Minister Taptuna is his executive assistant, Pat Angnakak. Welcome.