Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said, I'm more than willing to meet with the Member and the Minister to discuss this. Traditional knowledge is very important. And, again, when we reach out to our elders, that's our foundation so their knowledge and information is very helpful. So like I said, I will work with the Member and to have that conversation with the finance minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you ENR, through the traditional knowledge policy, recognizes Indigenous traditional knowledge as an essential source of information about natural environment and the relationship of people on the land and to each other. I can tell you our traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge helps us develop our policies. So, yes, we find it very important to reach out to our Indigenous partners moving forward with our policies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the DAP was evaluated and approved following the 2021 flood and, again, is under revision this year as we have learned since applying it to the 2022 flood. While no policy is perfect, we are confident in meeting the intent to help communities and residents recover from a widespread disaster.

Mr. Speaker, DAP is not a compensation program and is not an insurance program that covers all losses. It is a governmentfunded assistance program to ensure essential community functions and covers the essential basic needs of residents and businesses. Thank you, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The definition in the disaster assistance program are in line with the disaster assistance policies across Canada. The definition of "emergency" does not exclude tornados and has provisions to include any other sudden events of unusual proportion caused by nature's phenomenon. This leaves the opportunity for tornados to be considered if either criteria for applying this policy are met and if the results is a widespread situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Irene (nee) Bertrand was born April 9, 1955, on the Liard River in a boat while travelling on the way to the old Fort Liard Health Centre. Irene was raised by her parents Gabriel and Verna with help from her Grandma Selena and Grandpa Michael Bertrand. They lived about a mile above the BC border on the Liard River. The majority of her upbringing was with her Grandma Selena until she passed away. As Irene grew older, she was sent to residential school in Fort Simpson. She stayed at Lapointe Hall and attended Thomas Simpson School. Later, she was sent to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, I will present Bill 74, Forest Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands recognized there may be lessees who have utilized their cabin or dwelling as a residence. There has been longstanding discussion with recreational lessees regarding what restrictions may be in place regarding their occupancy. Issues related to increased waste and fuel storage when people occupy these dwellings on an increased or fulltime basis needs to be considered. The department is working to address lease conditions that allow for permanent residency within certain leases under the Public Lands Act and regulations. Thank you, Mr...

It's Friday, and I feel like I'm crushing dreams here, so I apologize to the Member. I'm aware of strong interests for new recreational lease opportunities. The Member has brought this up to the House a number of times. Now opportunities need to be carefully planned and that's what we're going through. We also have to reach out to our Indigenous governments, and that's what we're doing. We're working with our Indigenous governments, doing section 35, to be able to do this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ENR along with ITI and ECE participated in the socio-economic working group and the socio-economic advisory body group. These groups provided the Giant Mine project with specific geo-economic advice and input. ECE, with the support from ENR, has developed the North Slave regional training hub to support trainers and funding responses to large scale projects. Canada and Yellowknife Dene First Nation are in the process of finalizing a procurement framework agreement which will finalize Canada's commitment to providing socio-economic benefits to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ITI completed an analysis of the GMRP arson contract in June of 2022. The results showed 68 percent total spending had gone to NWT Indigenous businesses and that is on par with the diamond mines. Categories of spending that has gone to southern businesses include construction, air quality monitoring programs, medical sampling and analysis, minerals such as lime, sulfate and dust suppression, drilling and installation specialized equipment, specialized water pumps, and pylons I think I guess I got that one wrong. This helped us identify opportunities for...