Tom Beaulieu

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to move to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery, on the orders of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 193-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 2, 2018-2019, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 193-18(3) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in the formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am asking of course because the one Taltson power line ends at Fort Resolution, and that is at the Great Slave Lake, and then the other one ends at Hay River, and that is also the Great Slave Lake, so I do not know if you know if they are planning on tying into the Bluefish, if we are going to come across at Great Slave Lake at Hay River or if we are going to come across at Fort Resolution. I am wondering if they are going to study both of those, looking at the options. I did not think we were going to cross the Great Slave Lake. I thought we were going...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this is just more of a general comment, not particularly towards this department's investments, but I would like to ask the Minister in a general sense if they would consider own sources or project management type of approaches to some of these.

Some of these projects are near some of the communities where you have fairly highly skilled individuals that do work on buildings. In my community of Fort Resolution, I think when they built the health centre, the department may have had one person from an actual contract go in, and the rest were all local people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if there is any plan from the GNWT to spend any money on the Taltson Dam expansion this year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to ask the Minister if he is prepared with his staff, or the appropriate staff, even if he doesn't attend himself, to meet in Fort Resolution and in Lutselk'e to advise the people of what the plan is? Whether the federal government has approved it or not, there is some movement, and it would be nice if the people were there from the beginning, not like what happened the last time. I would like to ask the Minister if he is prepared to send staff into those communities to talk about the Taltson Dam expansion?

Marsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will speak about the Taltson River Dam. Mr. Speaker, in the mid-1960s the Taltson River Dam was built to provide clean and renewable energy to the Pine Point mine, a mine that operated for about 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, there are many people in my riding who are closely linked to the Taltson River, as this river was a lifeline for many people who lived along the river, which was mainly in the community of Rocher River, which had a population of about 150.

Mr. Speaker, many of the people from Rocher River believe that, when their school burned down in...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman

That is good news. I am pleased to hear that. I would like to ask the Minister if the government would possibly do a retrospective environmental assessment on what had occurred prior to the Taltson Dam?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I made a Member's statement on Taltson Dam, but I am not exactly sure where to direct my questions, either Infrastructure, ITI, or the Power Corporation. I will ask the question and maybe the government can provide me a response.

Discussion has started on the expansion of the Taltson Dam again, and there is a plan, I believe, to do something with the dam. I am wondering if any of the discussions have included the Indigenous people of Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e at this time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.