Wally Schumann

The department always has ongoing discussions with the people of Aklavik who have applied for this funding. There are ongoing engineering and technical challenges that need to be worked out, and the department is working with them. As I've said, the CAP funding is on a first-come-first-served basis, and the community has done very well on it, and we're looking at if we're going to be able to fund them this year as well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've worked diligently with the community of Aklavik on this road and bridge project for the Richardson Mountains. They've accessed the CAP funding since 2011, and they do have a new proposal in right now to the department that's having a look at it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member is talking about, maybe, the original proposal which they had submitted previous to both him and me being elected to the Legislative Assembly. The latest one they've sent me, they revised their proposal, and it is a different approach of how they can use the gas out of the Cameron Hills, ship it to Alberta, process it just across the border, and then be able to sell it back to proponents in the Northwest Territories, being either NTPC or a mining company or something like that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. LNG is used specifically in Inuvik right now, as well all know. As we develop our 2030 Energy Strategy and our energy plan going forward, LNG is a significant part of that, to reduce our greenhouse house gas emissions. When we roll that out later this spring, we will see the opportunities that are available to residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, airports are an integral component of our northern transportation infrastructure. Air travel contributes to social cohesion by enabling relatives, families, and friends to stay connected. Air travel saves lives through our medevac system and facilitates business enterprises throughout our vast territory. Many communities rely on air travel to deliver essential goods.

The Department of Infrastructure is committed to working with public and private sector partners to continuously maintain and improve airport infrastructure and operations. Today, I am pleased to report that a number...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Energy Initiatives Report 2016-2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have said, we are going to be tabling our 2030 energy strategy pretty soon, but that has the long-term vision, to 2030. We are going to be rolling out a three-year action plan for this session or this Assembly going forward so we have something to work on, which will be released this spring. In that action plan, we will have details, specific details, of the actions that we are going to take, the infrastructure money that is needed to accomplish this. We have six strategic objectives that we want to complete in that, but we are still negotiating our bilateral agreements, which this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our department, Infrastructure, we're working on our 2030 Energy Strategy, but it is linked specifically to the NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework. We are working together with us, ENR, and the Department of Finance to ensure consistency between all the strategies moving forward that are being developed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

If it's through the CAP program, that's an application that's on a first-come-first-served basis, and I think the community of Aklavik has done very well on it. As for the longer federal infrastructure plan, we're going to be signing our bilateral year pretty soon, hopefully in the next month or so with the federal Minister, and those types of programs are still being worked out; but I think there are plenty of opportunities for communities within the new infrastructure funding that's coming to the Northwest Territories over the next 10 years.

As the Member knows, the Minister of Finance has been working closely with the federal government to understand the full impacts of carbon tax on the Northwest Territories and the cost of living and doing business here.

In addition to that, though, the federal government tends to reflect the unique circumstances in the NWT. The Premier has had that commitment from the Prime Minister on this specific topic. Regardless of the carbon tax, our department is moving forward with our energy strategy, which will help with alternative and renewable options for people in the Northwest Territories.