Michael Miltenberger

We’ll, as I indicated, pull the information together. I will also talk to the Premier about this may be a topic -- since the Mackenzie goes from one end of the Territory to the other -- where there may be some benefit to having some discussion, current discussion, to see what the interest is in moving on this particular initiative.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the importance of educating our youth about the natural environment so they may manage the land for future generations with knowledge and respect. As part of Managing this Land Strategic Initiative, the department acknowledged the importance of educating our youth to understand and embrace sound stewardship values, to ensure the continued health and wealth of our land and Territory into the future.

At the appropriate time today, Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling a copy of The Nature Journal, a learning aid and resource tool for...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 18, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2009-2010, be read for the third time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Bill 19, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2009-2010, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for infrastructure expenditures for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 17, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2008-2009, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. We appreciate the Member’s concern on behalf of his constituents. We have before us the single biggest capital plan for the Government of the Northwest Territories’ history. And while we recognize that it is large, there are going to be challenges and issues. We do recognize that there is a far greater list of needs than there are resources, but this will give us a very good start, as the Member indicated, and we will put all our efforts collectively into getting all delivered as soon possible. Thank you.

As we move as a government on our very ambitious alternative Energy Strategy on the area of biomass, very clearly one of the issues for us as a Legislature and a government is the pursuit of the secondary industry that would see us be able to manufacture wood pellets, set up communities and regions to be able to do the chipping or the pelletizing that may be necessary, to look at the employment opportunities, to work with communities as well to combine some of the value-added benefits of biomass with the concern in communities in the boreal forest to be better fireproofed when it comes to...

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has earmarked and this Assembly has approved a significant amount of money, for the first time ever, towards alternative energy, one of those sources being biomass. And, yes, we have on the books a pilot project that we’d like to look at. In Jean Marie, we’re looking at expanded waste recovery. We’re looking at wood pellets both in institutions and in communities. We want to move that plan forward. We’re waiting, with considerable interest, on the specific recommendations that the Member is going to bring forward with his colleague Mr. Bromley as a...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With me is Margaret Melhorn, deputy minister of Finance, and Mr. Sandy Kalgutkar, the deputy secretary for the Financial Management Board. Thank you.