Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words under this item. First of all, I would like to thank a number of people within the North Slave riding. Foremost, the grand chief and the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council. I have worked very effectively with that particular council. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Without them, Mr. Speaker, I don't think the type of successes that my region had would have happened.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of organizations that I would like to point out. I have four communities in my riding and would like to thank all the municipal councils, each local band council and education council. I would also like to thank the Dogrib Divisional Board of Education for their great work. They have worked very effectively with my office. They have pursued a number of initiatives. There has been a lot of good things coming out of this particular area.
As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, we had a disaster last year in one of my communities. They had a fire in their school which was completely burnt down. I was very appreciative of the divisional board, who conveyed very strongly to the Minister of Education that we needed a new school. The facility is in operation as of today. The department has responded very positively to our needs. There have been other initiatives that the divisional board of education and the local CECs have pursued, such as renovations to various facilities. Those facilities do age and, from time to time, require major renovations. I am glad the Minister of Education is looking to assist the various communities in this regard.
Mr. Speaker, there have also been new programs incorporated into the regional high school in my area, and I am very appreciate of the Minister supporting the needs of the community and also of the divisional board. They've been pursuing this issue for a number of years and it became a reality, Mr. Speaker. It has been two years now since we have had grade 12 graduates coming out of the regional high school.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the support and also the cooperation that I received from the Dogrib Treaty 11, as I indicated earlier, they have been very helpful, not only to my office but also to the government that we have today. They've been working very effectively together in a spirit of cooperation and in a spirit of partnership. Mr. Speaker, the leadership from my area has been working very hard to pursue the betterment of the lives of the community members in the four communities that I represent.
I would just like to say, with regard to economic development, Mr. Speaker, one of the major initiatives that my area has anticipated and has got into, is hydro development. I would like to thank the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, the Premier -- who is also the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation -- and the Power Corporation's board of directors and president for working very effectively. It has been very hard at times when they were negotiating with the Dogrib Power Corporation, but today, Mr. Speaker, I can say that although we had our ups and downs in this whole area, I think it has been very positive. We do have the project on stream now, and I believe that the construction is under way. This project will create power not only for Rae-Edzo, but also for the city of Yellowknife. It's going to not only deplete the use of diesel in Yellowknife, but it will also create revenue for the Dogrib people who own the corporation. In that respect, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank, as I indicated, all the people who were involved in the success of this particular initiative.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to say a few words with regard to Economic Development and Tourism. Again, I would like to say thanks to the people who serve on the NWT Development Corporation. They've been very helpful within the Dogrib region. As you may be aware, they've assisted in the smaller communities in terms of funding them for their various facilities -- such as the hotel in Snare Lake and the new store in Rae Lakes -- and they have also assisted a number of small businesses in the whole region.
I would just like to say thanks to those people and also the people at the community level, the local corporations that we have, for instance, the Wek'Weti Development Corporation, the Gameti Development Corporation, the Wha Ti Development Corporation and also the Rae-Edzo Development Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all the people who serve these corporations. I have had discussions with them on a number of occasions when various issues happen. As one would know if you were in business, you do run into various issues, perhaps regulations you are fighting with or the policies that the government has; they come to me and we try to resolve those issues with the government.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to say that I am very happy with the Minister responsible for Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. As you know, mining initiatives in this area are key and, I believe, will be resources that the whole territories can benefit from, particularly in my region.
As you know, the diamond industry has been very big in this part of the country, and I think, through cooperation among the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, the leadership from my area and the various mining industry people who are involved, we've come to agree that the mining sector is very important, not only for ourselves but for the betterment of the territories. I was very happy to see that the mining industry has been very cooperative with the leadership from the North Slave region. I know that the government has also been cooperative with my people in the North Slave region in that respect, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, again with regard to economic development and tourism, I think we've been very supportive of trying to get into the spirit of partnership. My area has always indicated that this is how we are going to pursue economic development, and I think it shows. I think it shows by my region going into, with the assistance of the government, various partnerships with various companies such as engineering companies, construction companies and so forth.
Mr. Speaker, I am very glad that we have moved in the right direction because, by creating this partnership, there is no animosity among people coming in from outside the region and trying to take all the initiatives that are coming, or getting into businesses of their own.
Mr. Speaker, with this new cooperation and partnership that the region has encountered, I think a lot of new jobs will be created for our young people who are graduating and the ones that are unemployed and so forth. So I think we have moved in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to transportation, I am very appreciative of the support that we have received to date from the Minister of Transportation regarding airports. As you know, there are a number of airports that were upgraded in my area, and I am very appreciative, because they are the link to the outside world, except for the few winter roads that we have in my region.
Mr. Speaker, there haven't always been very successful stories. For instance, with regard to transportation, I can assure you that we had our ups and downs, especially when we renegotiated a number of negotiated contracts with this particular department. Nevertheless, I think overall the Department of Transportation has been very supportive, and I am very appreciative of that because it made my job much
easier, and I am sure my constituents were quite happy with the outcome.
With regard to housing, Mr. Speaker, as everyone is well aware, housing hasn't been a very big success, I think, in all small communities, particularly the smaller communities, because of the funding cuts from the federal government. It is going to be a continuing problem that the 13th Assembly will have to deal with.
Mr. Speaker, with regard to Municipal and Community Affairs, as everyone knows, I have always respected this particular department. We have worked very effectively together to address a number of concerns at the community level with regard to municipal infrastructure: equipment, roads at the community level, new land development, et cetera. But the department has been very cooperative.
Not only that, Mr. Speaker, through my association with the NWT Association of Municipalities and their board of directors, I think they've been quite happy with the manner in which the department has been conducting themselves. I haven't always agreed with them, but there are a number of initiatives that the department has done that I'm very appreciative of. One that comes to mind is the new formula that was developed three or four years ago, when they revised the formula funding for hamlets and tax-based municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, there are other issues I would like to touch on but, as Members are aware, we still have a lot of issues that we have to deal with today. I would just like to reiterate and say to the people of the North Slave region that I think we've made great strides in my area. I know that the government has been very cooperative with us from time to time. As one knows, every issues that's brought forward may not always succeed but, nevertheless, I think the majority of our concerns from my area, I believe, have been very successful. I hope that the government will continue to move in that particular direction, to assist particularly the smaller communities which don't have the luxuries of the larger centres.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say I appreciate the cooperation from my colleagues in this House, and also yourself, Mr. Speaker, for all the assistance that you've given me; and also to the staff of the Legislative Assembly. I think the staff have provided very good support, not only to myself but to all the Members in the Legislature.