Norman Yakeleya

Our land is powerful and has many promises. What we do as keepers of the land will determine the quality of the life we live.

I call upon this government and our people to take the time to learn about hydraulic fracking and about the balance that we need to consider, and also about having the EDI committee play a role in the upcoming guidelines and public education involving hydraulic fracking in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A quick question, Mr. Chair. A tank safety valve device that we are putting into our tank farm, I know there was some issue with the Fort Good Hope specific parts and it caused some leakage to the community, to the department, and we had some issues with that. Is that somewhat being corrected? We had some losses in terms of quantity of fuel being spilled onto the ground there.

No, thank you.

Certainly, the Minister is correct on the needs are addressed by the community that knows it best in those communities, and sometimes the infrastructure, sometimes when it gets into the community, it has to go through some growing pains. I appreciate the Minister having some flexibility as to say, well, we can help you out here and there. I’ve seen that already, where some of the communities want to take over an operation but just don’t have it yet in our means or our understanding or financially and because of the new technology, and sometimes that causes a hiccup for the community. But I’ve...

Thank you, Madam Chair. A couple of points I want to relay to the Minister. I do appreciate the need and the foresight to look at the seniors needs in Fort Good Hope. The Minister has responded by putting a seniors unit there for the people. I understand from the elders in Fort Good Hope that they appreciate they’re going to get a seniors duplex. They’re looking forward to working with the Housing Corporation.

I do want to say, in the seniors duplex, if there is a possibility of looking at an alternative to the heating facility, I know you have a solar panel in the numbers here, Madam Chair. I...

Thank you. As part of devolution and of devolving powers to the Northwest Territories, will some of the discussion look at the possibility of the Northwest Territories having its own type of a National Energy Board regulator, legislation, something that would be built and be worked on by the northern people and enforced by the northern people?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of ITI about the process of devolution, the role of the National Energy Board. I know we will have some working relationship to them and I want to know about the oil and gas activity specifically to the hydraulic fracking in the Sahtu, that the National Energy Board will work with us, or actually they’ll be our employees in regard to enforcing the regulations of this drilling program.

Certainly when we were in the east part of the east corner of Saskatchewan, we were actually at a frack site. We were actually in the operation and actually we were fracking. There was no earth shattering water spewing out of the hole. It is actually quite safe. I would like to point to the Minister in terms of having the information out there. Clearly, the facts need to be looked at.

I want to ask the Minister in regards to the employment for our people. In 2010-11 $976,000 was paid to income support clients in the Sahtu. We want to reduce that. How is the Minister going to address the needs...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have made my Member’s statement on the hydraulic fracking that potentially is going to happen this year in the Sahtu. The company of ConocoPhillips is going to do two exploration wells. With the recent trip to the Bakken formation and seeing the activity down in North Dakota and southeastern Saskatchewan, it certainly was overwhelming. There you can see the different jurisdictions, the different rules that apply in that area, and so it is like the Wild West, really. Up in the Sahtu we have some provisions and some regulations in place, plus we have some time to do it...

Mr. Chair, the Minister and deputy minister are correct on the issue here. I’m glad to hear that. I would remind the Minister that when there are issues like this, because we were caught off guard when we went to Fort Good Hope… Actually, we drove to the tank farm and we saw this. I wasn’t aware of it until I actually drove to the tank farm. If there is any type of reporting of future fuel spills, I would appreciate being notified by the department.