David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is my pleasure to present the 2012-2013 Main Estimates for the Department of Transportation. The main estimates itemize the department’s requirements to carry out activities detailed in our annual business plan. This plan will continue to protect our transportation infrastructure as we work toward our primary mission for providing for the safe, secure, accessible and reliable movement of people and goods, while looking toward the future and responding to the needs of the communities and industry.

The department’s main estimates propose an operations expenditures...

We will endeavour to do that. At the end of the day we want to see the airport construction in Trout Lake concluded for the benefit of the residents in Trout Lake. We do feel that they have to benefit from that construction as well. We will do our utmost to ensure that happens.

Mr. Speaker, we want a territory where a strong, diversified economy provides opportunities and choices to all our residents. Socially responsible and environmentally sustainable development of our resources will be one of the keys to achieving that goal. The Northwest Territories is resource-rich and brimming with potential. Today I would like to speak about some exciting developments in the oil and gas sector and of the significant opportunities the development of resources can bring to our residents.

The Sahtu region is a prime example of potential in the petroleum industry. A 2011 call for...

If it makes the Member feel any better, it has happened to me as well. It happens. I think reminders are certainly a good thing. Under the new motor vehicle information system that we have, reminders are a part of that system. We are looking at utilizing that. With driver’s licence, it is a letter. It is every five years, but with registrations, if we can get a reminder out there through the MBIS to folks, that would be good.

At the end of the day, the onus is on the driver of the vehicle to know when your registration has expired. That is where the buck stops, but we will do our best to...

I appreciate the Member’s comments. We will continue to monitor this. Those type of airships, it may be that they don’t even need to use the airport, the type of aircraft that they are. We will continue to monitor and I know the department is aware of the plans there. If we need to act and work with that company, we will do that.

Mr. Speaker, that level of training already happens across government, but certainly in questioning my colleague Minister Beaulieu earlier, Minister Beaulieu had committed to a post-mortem on this situation.

Certainly from ITI’s perspective, the department responsible for the Business Incentive Policy, we will be taking an active role in that post-mortem and sitting down with the Members to examine this situation and going forward to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member. I think that is first and foremost with the Business Incentive Policy, is to keep money in the North, to keep jobs in the North.

Back in 2010 there was extensive consultation with the business community in the Northwest Territories on some revisions to the Business Incentive Policy. One of those revisions back in 2010 was the definition of NWT content which allows bid adjustments. In the case of services, one of those changes was NWT resident labour. In this case, that was applied to the RFP but we have to remember that was only 20 percent of the overall...

Thank you. The $225,000 that I spoke of earlier, that is money that goes to commercial fishers here in the NWT to help offset the high cost of fuel to help get them out on the lake harvesting fish. That’s something that we will continue to support. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t have that level of detail with me today, but I believe that was an issue that came up during the last sitting. I believe it was Mr. Bromley that brought that up as a performance indicator, how much local fish and meat products we are using in the Northwest Territories. If the Member likes, I can provide him with that information. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.