Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. McLeod.

That must be the RFP that came out today. There was something in contract opportunities that came out today for a seasonal overland road financing option study in the Slave Geological Province. I’m assuming that that’s what you’re talking about. You can answer that when we’re done.

The second thing is I know that Yellowknives Dene and other groups are interested in helping or participating in some capacity to build capacity of their own on some of this winter road realignment and future of transportation in the North Slave Geological Province. Have any partnerships been weighed with the...

Good to know, good to know. I’ll certainly direct people I know there that are looking for support. Second question is following up on questions I asked last October and I know Mr. Hawkins asked recently about red tape. I mentioned it in my opening comments and you responded. Now that we no longer have that office in the GNWT whose task was trying to help reduce red tape, I’m curious what this department is doing. I like your program; this isn’t a criticism of your program at all. I know people who are applying on things like SEED who have expressed some concerns about the quantity of...

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister McLeod.

Thanks to the Minister for that. I would encourage the Minister, as part of transition planning, to put some additional attention on that within the department and continue work and the good work that you’re doing to upgrade that road so it is a reasonable road.

My second question is what is DOT, the Department of Transportation, doing to work with industry and Aboriginal governments to improve winter road access to both the Tlicho communities as well as the North Slave Geological Province? Both of these are economic; the cost of living in communities, but also resource extraction and...

Thanks to the Minister for that. Everything you just said is great and fantastic. I’m really excited by the last point you made about this last project you’re putting together to find ways to market. I think that’s brilliant and I’m really looking forward to seeing that. That’s the type of thing I’ve been talking about since I got here, is these people have a valuable product and partnering with them I think will prove dividends. So I’m very excited about that.

Just in closing, I spend a lot of time looking at the products that we’re putting out there by way of Spectacular and stuff like that...

Mr. Chairman, I am happy to hear that there is some work going on with DOT. I think you both play an important role in this particular area. I am glad to see that is going. We have a lot of Aboriginal organizations right now that are really seizing the opportunities through the Tlicho and the Akaitcho to provide essential services and other services to the diamond mining industry here in the Northwest Territories. I know that there is some interest in becoming more engaged and more active in road construction, which means there has to be an opportunity for them to build some capacity that they...

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to hearing more.

Next is 12-23, Industry, Tourism and Investment, information item, energy, active positions.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Miltenberger.