Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that, although I do want to caution the Minister that BIP is only for a small portion of that overall contract so it may not actually have much weight in this.

And further to that, could the Minister speak to what is the estimated value of the work from the project that could realistically be executed within the community by local contractors. So this includes opportunities such as camp provision, work for laborers, catering services, camp attendants. What do we realistically see that Northwest Territories businesses could actually execute. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, getting back to my original roots here, I'm going to ask the Minister of Infrastructure some questions about the Great Bear River bridge.

Could the Minister speak to whether or not the regulatory review and permitting process is on track to maintain the timelines previously stated on the project website. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I have to hand in my industry card for mixing everybody up there in who was doing what work in the region, but definitely been a long week already.

I do just encourage the Minister to be very proactive in those conversations. We're talking about legacy projects in Norman Wells for, you know, Imperial Oil, etcetera, so there's no reason that that kind of conversation can't happen now and we couldn't have a park named -- I can't say it named -- Nechalacho in Great Slave. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I'm just going to take this opportunity to ask the Minister if this includes at all the collection points around the lake and maybe if she could provide me with a quick update on where the one is in Great Slave. Thank you.

Thank you. I actually do think I understand what this is. So I do really appreciate that.

I guess my next question, then, and again it could be something for the briefing or in the detailed dive with the departments but is how much validity or certainty is there around this number?

So, for example, using your own example of asbestos, oftentimes when the government is dealing with the decommissioning of a building, they don't know what they have until there's a time that they come into that building and start assessing it. And as any consultant in the environmental world will tell you, and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I apologize to the Minister, but I am going to ask a little bit further along this but just because I think I have an understanding, but I want to make sure I do. And if we can't answer it here, I'd welcome the briefing and maybe it'll direct some of that, how that briefing going.

So in the past, we've seen amortization of of assets that have been accounted for. And now from what I can gather, you're saying is this amount is the extra amount, like technically sort of the amortization if we knew that we were going to have to pay for the removal of asbestos...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I might as well stay on this vein because it did spur a question in me.

It's my understanding with the MARS program, which, yes, we're way behind and I know that industry and explorers have been crying for it for a while, and it does deter investment in our territory.

My question is, there is an economic spinoff for this as well, is there not, and maybe with her Finance hat on, the Minister can answer. It's my understanding that there will have to be a large amount of actual ontheground surveying done in order for this work to be implemented. Is that correct, or am...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of this month I was very fortunate to attend COP26, the United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change with the Minister of ENR and his delegation. In attendance in Glasgow, were leaders and politicians from around the globe with delegates hailing from all walks of life, including industry, NGOs, and activists.

The message from the conference was clear: The world is not on track to limit global warming to the extent agreed upon at COP21 in Paris in 2015. If we carry on as we are, temperatures will continue to rise and we will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer and hope that there will be some newer innovations, sort of incentives, to come.

What is the Minister -- in the Minister's opinion and the department's opinion are the biggest barriers to the Taltson hydro expansion project from an ENR perspective? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask some questions about energy which could be directed to the Minister of Infrastructure; however, I had such a great time with Minister Thompson on our trip that I'm going to ask ENR about these questions.

So my questions for Minister Thompson are, is what new innovation discussed at COP26 does the Department of ENR feel can best help the North to make a transition to clean energy? Thank you.