Robert C. McLeod

As the Member mentioned before, there are a lot of changes that are going on, and we have heard that about a lot of species that we have seen in some places that they are not used to being seen there. The Arctic Salmon Research Project is actually looking into what the appearance of salmon means to the native fish species. The lead researcher regularly reports back to the community, and my understanding is the project does rely on some of the salmon that is turned in by community fishers, and my understanding, again, there are a couple of different value gift cards that are available to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is currently a University of Manitoba Department of Fisheries and Oceans Salmon Research Project addressing the issue of salmon being captured in the Canadian Arctic in more places and in seemingly higher numbers than ever before.

Locally, in our office, there is an assistance program, CIMP, with community members taking any salmon that local residents wish to provide to the research program. The project actually is to see why there is starting to be large numbers of salmon in the Canadian Arctic. There are year-to-year changes in the harvest levels which are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Northern Employee Benefits Services (NEBS) Pension Plan Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2018, and including updated Information to June 2019."

I would also like to table the following document as Minister of Environment and Natural Resources: "The Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund Financial Statement for the year ended March 31, 2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Liquor Act provides for provisions for community control on the sale and distribution of liquor in the community. A community can request to hold a plebiscite on these types of controls. The department works with the communities on that process, including developing the question.

Any broader change that would apply across the Northwest Territories would likely require a legislative change. This is something that the 19th Assembly could look at, but the department, in anticipation of that, could develop some options for consideration.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The consumption of alcohol and the effects of alcohol is a very sensitive topic across the Northwest Territories. A lot of people grew up with the effects of alcohol. A lot of people are still feeling the effects of alcohol, even today, and I totally agree with the Member. I mean, if there are steps that we can take to try to curb the consumption of alcohol, one of the first things we would like to do is we like to see people make the decision to quit their drinking. That is always a first good step, but we need to do what we can as a government and as a society to try...

That is what I appreciate about the Member for Mackenzie Delta. He just asked "will you." I cannot give you a clear answer. I would like to. I would like to. Again, I would have to work with my department, and we will have discussions with the local officer as well as the local hunters and trappers, and, if they feel that it's a problem that needs to be addressed and if relocation is one of the options, if disposal is one of the options, then, those, we would have to consider. Again, you know, I would be reluctant and I would not just send our folks in there to start disposing of the bears...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct. We have had some incidents in Inuvik with grizzly bears, particularly around the garbage dump. I have seen some pictures, actually, of them right outside an apartment building, just down the road from where I am at. I have actually seen one out at the dump when I was throwing some garbage away three weeks ago. It has been a bit of an issue. I think the Inuvik side is not so much a big of an issue as it has been the last few years with the number spotted there, but this is not about Inuvik. This is about the Member's constituency.

I know there have...

My office, myself directly, have had no discussions with Northwestel. They may have had discussions with my officials, and I will follow up to see if those discussions have taken place, but with my office, personally, I have not had any conversations with them. I will reach out to department to see if we have had conversations with their officials, and, if I am able to, I will share that information with this Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have raised concerns both with redundancy, with the provider Northwestel and with CRTC, and we continue to work actively with industry partners to explore viable and affordable redundancy measures. I think, with some money that has been made available by the federal government in improving northern broadband, I think one of the industry partners, Northwestel, has accessed on that money to possibly run a redundancy line down the Dempster Highway to serve that area. I take the Member's point that there needs to be redundancy looked at for this part of the Northwest...

We work with a DFO researcher who leads the Arctic salmon research project in partnership with the local and resource boards to track salmon in the Arctic. The Member is absolutely correct. The NWT CIMP that I announced before actually supports the project and has promoted research through its regular, northern research bulletins.