David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table to following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation ‘13-14 Annual Report” and “Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation ‘14-15 Corporate Plan.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To accommodate the translation needs, the department has arranged for the RCMP “G” Division members to have access to language line services, or CanTalk. It’s a 24-hour translation service for most languages, including many Aboriginal languages. In addition, OCC maintains a list of the languages spoken by “G” Division members and employees.

The RCMP “G” Division has on staff an Aboriginal person who is a recruiter specifically for the Northwest Territories. The role of the recruiter is to travel to communities and make RCMP career presentations to interested individuals. While there, there are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Operations and Communications Centre is located here in Yellowknife. It provides services to every community across the Northwest Territories. The centre currently has 21 employees, which includes four operators and one supervisor per 12-hour shift.

The OCC is able to make direct contact with at least one officer from each detachment across the Northwest Territories at all times. We have an operation that is centrally located. It’s the most cost-effective and efficient way to operate a very specialized 24/7 policing operation. Calls from communities are taken, as I...

It’s our intent to continue to work with the leadership in the community of Tsiigehtchic and other communities around the Northwest Territories to ensure that they have the best policing service possible. In terms of a detachment, a stand-alone detachment, it could cost somewhere between $10 million and $15 million, and of course, we don’t have the capital today to see us do that. We are moving forward with plans to repair and bring up to speed a couple of other larger detachments in the Northwest Territories, including Inuvik and Behchoko, at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. We have had a lot of back and forth with the community of Tsiigehtchic on trying to identify accommodations. There have been some difficulties in that. We are hopeful that we can rectify those problems and we can have members overnight in the community of Tsiigehtchic, and I hope to see that happen sooner rather than later. This is something that I will make sure happens. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we have to continue as a government to make investments in the Sahtu, and that is in infrastructure. If there’s a way that we can look at projects or opportunities to partner with the region, that’s something that I think is very important, if there’s a lull in the activity here, at least for the next winter. Hopefully there is a return of some activity in the central Mackenzie Valley, so that companies and employers have opportunities there to put people to work. It’s important to see that happen, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Member to see that happen. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some companies have made business decisions affecting the amount of work that is going to take place in the central Mackenzie Valley in the Sahtu this coming winter. I understand there will be some meetings here this fall, and hopefully the activity returns to the region. But certainly the department and our regional staff are keeping a watchful eye on what’s happening in the region. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, responsible mineral exploration and development strengthens our territorial economy and helps to provide each region with opportunities and choices.

Later today I will be tabling the Mineral Development Strategy Implementation Plan, which will put the recommendations made in the Mineral Development Strategy into place. The creation of an environmentally sustainable NWT Mineral Development Strategy was a key priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly and it establishes a comprehensive plan to ensure the long-term growth of a sustainable mining industry that will create jobs and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Mineral Development Strategy GNWT Implementation Plan, 2014-15.”

I recently was at an FPT meeting in Banff where Ministers from around the country were discussing Aboriginal and First Nations policing and the fact that the federal government hasn’t been forthcoming with more funding to see community constables put into small Aboriginal communities across the country.

It’s not only an issue here in the Northwest Territories but it’s something other jurisdictions are struggling with as well. I believe I was the fifth Justice Minister from the Northwest Territories to sit around that table and let the federal government know that we’re not happy with the amount...