Robert C. McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We will look at opportunities to try and get out into the regions as much as we can because it is quite important, but for those who come here, it is the community government that pays. I believe now their coming for training is eligible under the gas tax funding. So there are opportunities there too.

The Member makes a good point, though, and we’ll try and ensure we do what we can to try to make sure that we bring the training to the community where they will be needing it the most. We have some examples and the deputy minister just pointed out equipment operator training...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I take the Member’s point that when we go into business planning next year, we can look at how we…even some of the wording that we use in the operations of diamond resource management and all that, it is a discussion that we could have.

As far as the enforcement, we do plan on having a very aggressive enforcement, as I said in my opening comments, because we believe that we are going to be inheriting, well we got 940,000 square kilometres that we are going to be responsible for compared to I believe it was 2,400 before. In those 940,000 square kilometres there are a lot...

The Member is correct. Despite the fact that we did transfer $2.73 million along with the 19 positions, we’ve had $3.43 million in forced growth. Part of it was the money that went in, $500,000 for the youth resiliency and $150,000, so it turned out that we were still $665,000 more, an increase of $665,000 over last year.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The new Gas Tax Agreement is going to be for the next 10 years. I believe it’s indexed at 2 percent every year starting in 2014-15. Thank you.

Yes, we’ll make that committee report available.

Mr. Chair, I don’t quite understand where the Member is going. Is he talking about lands that we had administered or is he talking on a go-forward basis? If this is on a go-forward basis, on a go-forward basis the board will set the security on the advice of government and it will hold money for them.

Are you talking, like, on Commissioner’s land that we had administered in the past? There was security that, on recommendation, could have been required on potentially any lease that we had out there, including cabin leases, but I don’t think it was something that was done regularly. Now, on a go...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The capital budget we just passed, I think there were two units that were allocated for one of the Member’s communities, and there was an additional nine with the replacement of the Joe Greenland Centre in Aklavik, so that’s 11 that we have for this year. As well, through the Modernization and Improvement Program, which is a major retrofit, we’ve got 19 units scheduled for the Member’s riding.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today on the Department of Lands’ role in the new regulatory regime in the Northwest Territories post-devolution. The NWT Devolution of Lands and Resources Agreement will bring significant changes to the Northwest Territories. The Department of Lands has a key role in ensuring that the sustainable use of public land reflects the priorities and values of Northerners.

The Department of Lands will support, manage, protect and administer the sustainable use of public land in the Northwest Territories. It will assume land management responsibilities being...

With the decline in the CMHC funding, it’s getting awfully difficult for the Housing Corporation to put in other units, so we have to replace the ones that are already there. We have a lot of units that are old and that need replacing. The two units that I spoke to before, we’re doing our initial allocation for the market housing and the money that we had received through FMB and the Legislative Assembly to try and provide housing for professional staff in the community. We’re doing our initial allocation. I think there are a few that are earmarked for the Member’s riding. As well, next year...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Mr. Damon Crossman who works for our sport and recreation division and a man that can find you anything when you go to the Arctic Winter Games. I’d also like to recognize and wish good luck to Jamie Koe, who is going off to the Brier, I believe it’s this weekend, and if you need someone to pack your brooms, I’m available. Thank you.

---Laughter