Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the dream of a long time Yellowknifer. Eric Watt is an author of Walk on Terre, who appreciates the rich history of Yellowknife. For a long time he and his friends in the Spirit of Yellowknife have dreamed of opening a mining museum, something for tourists and newcomers alike who want to discover the roots of our capital. It is no secret that many tourists come to Yellowknife to capture that northern spirit many of them heard about when they were kids listening to tales of the frontier. What do we have to offer them here in Yellowknife? Yes, there are a couple of producing mines here in town, but you just cannot walk up and ask for a tour.
If you come to town any time other than mining week, there are precious few exhibits which capture the golden years. Some of the mining flavour can be had the at Wildcat Café and the Prospector Café across the street, which is a fine collection of memorabilia and maps. There is no museum dedicated to frontier development that is where Eric Watt comes in. There are a number of abandoned mine sites close to town that could be cleaned up and outfitted like a vintage camp. There has been talk of setting up shop at the old Thompson Lumbard Mine which is on a hiking trail and fully accessible in the winter.
The idea of a mining museum is a good one. We need to preserve what made us special and we are losing pieces of our history every day. Setting up a museum on an old mine site would give tourists the thing they want to see while preserving our heritage for new generations. It would even generate some jobs and economic spin-offs in the process. It seems to me, Mr. Speaker, this idea cannot lose. I would urge the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to initiate some discussions with the Spirit of Yellowknife on this idea, seeing how Monday is Heritage Day. I want to wish all of our listeners and all the people who are watching on television happy Valentine's Day, as well as my partner in life, Margaret. Thank you.
--Applause