Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I cannot help but agree with a certain logic with that statement. Let us go down to the Business Development Corporation then. What has this corporation been doing over the last year in creating business opportunities or assisting communities in realizing their business opportunities such as day cares in communities? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Debates of March 1st, 2001
This is page numbers 1397 - 1458 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
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Joe Handley Weledeh
I believe Mr. Nitah was talking about the Business Credit Corporation or the Development Corporation. Development Corporation?
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Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Okay. I will be very specific. The Northwest Territories Development Corporation that was established to create employment and income for Northerners, to emulate growth of business in the North and promote economic diversification specifically in smaller, aboriginal or northern communities. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned yesterday, the Business Development Corporation is committing about $1 million this year into subsidiaries and opening some of the new plants and so on. As well, the Business Development Corporation has about $1 million that is available for ventures. So those are the main areas. The role of the Business Development Corporation is to attempt to generate economic activity or businesses in places where the private sector might not be willing to enter initially. Thank you.
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Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If he has the information today, I would just like to know what kind of work has been done through this corporation in the last year. I know it has been pretty quiet in the communities I represent. Actually, it has been going the other way. If the Minister could answer that question for me. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, I think the Development Corporation had a fairly busy year this year getting some of the business back in order the way it should be. The board itself has representatives participating in the review of all of our business centres. In terms of the specific activity, I have the president of the corporation here. Maybe I will let him get into a bit more detail on that.
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Koe
Thank you. A lot of time and energy, as the Minister mentioned, has been spent on reconciling and taking stock of our existing operations. There is also a lot of headquarters energy in terms of dealing with the legislative and accountability issues that have been raised by the Auditor General and various committees in other reviews. We are at a stage now where in the past six months and into next year where we are looking at actively pursuing new ventures, new investment opportunities.
As a start to that, several months ago we did put out communiqué to all bands, all Metis locals, business organizations, our economic offices. We sent out a brochure and application, saying we are in business and we do have money, trying to generate applications.
We do operate by receiving applications and expressions of interest. We do talk to business people or groups who have potential opportunities for investment. We have had and dealt with some applications. We are looking for more.
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Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I get into another subject on page 11-16, put it on the airwaves that the NWT Development Corporation is ready for business.
The area on the fish and wildlife, specifically the responsibility of monitoring the sport fishing, I understand that a lot of anglers from Yellowknife and other parts of the Northwest Territories go to the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. The monitoring of the amount of fish they take and so on is mainly a responsibility that has been undertaken by the federal fisheries department.
I am wondering what kind of role the GNWT is playing or is planning to play in it. There is always a concern by the people in Lutselk'e that the fish stock will diminish and the number of anglers and people who vacation out there are really disturbing the pristine, natural environment, good hunting places that people normally go. It is just not the same anymore.
I would like to ask the Minister if his department has ever approached the community in regard to the tourism to see if they can work hand in hand in trying to control the traffic in that part of the lake, so that hunting areas are left alone and the possibility of the pristine wilderness is being protected from fires, garbage, et cetera.
The idea I am having is why the community and RWED not work together without claiming any ownership to the land or anything like that that will cause suspicion, and see if we can have a little more control in the East Arm from anglers from other parts of the Northwest Territories and Canada. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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February 28th, 2001
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, we do have officers who do patrols. It is a huge area out there. We have limited staff. They do patrols. They have ex-officio status with DFO. The real responsibility is with DFO, not with us.
With regard to land and having someone monitor the land, the fishing and so on, DFO I am told does contract with the communities to have local people monitoring what is going on out there. We are a little bit reluctant to step into areas that are not our responsibility. Too often that happens where we step in and start doing the federal government's job for them.
We do it to some extent, but how much we can do is limited by our budget. The fisheries side is certainly DFO's responsibility. The land is clearly DIAND's responsibility. Our officers do as much as they can. Thank you.
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in this area, there are a number of issues I would like to get some clarification on. Starting off with a question asked earlier in the area of the Business Development Corporation, or the Northwest Territories Development Corporation and the Business Credit Corporation. There is work ongoing to see what could be done. It was in the business plans that were tabled, about coming forward with a plan to see amalgamation, I guess is the word to use on those areas. If the Minister at this time could make an update to that issue and where the plans are. I know I have seen a letter come across our desk in the recent weeks to give us a bit of an update. I would like to find out where that is moving.
The other one, as Mr. Koe referred to in his response earlier about the concerns that were raised by the Auditor General in the area of expenditures, regulations and policies, I would like to know if there has been work done on that and when those would be updated and put into existence, so to speak. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, first of all, on the business program review, there is a committee that is going out and examining the options. These include looking at programs, Business Credit Corporation, the Development Corporation, Community Futures, BDF or Business Development Funds, and grants to small business, as well as our joint Canada-NWT Business Service Centre.
They have held meetings in Yellowknife, Normal Wells, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, and Fort Liard, and Fort Smith. Sorry, yes, they have already been to Fort Smith. I believe they are going into Hay River as well, if they have not been there already. They are doing the meetings. I have not spoken to them recently about anything in terms of what they are hearing. They are aiming at getting a report to me by the end of March. I look forward to seeing what they are proposing. The committee is made up of a representative from RWED, but other than that, it is a committee made up of board members from the various organizations.
In regard to the second question on the Development Corporation and the business there, I will let Mr. Koe answer that, Mr. Chairman.
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Koe
Thank you. I think the issues with the Auditor General, the majority of them are resolved. We seem to be on good working terms. They are just finalizing last year's audit. In terms of the regulations, I am pleased to say that the regulations have been approved and were put in force towards the end of December.
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Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank Mr. Koe for that information. That is good to hear. In other areas within the resource management, economic development activity area, there has been much discussion in the public and amongst Members about tourism and the need for dollars for tourism. In this area, tourism is parks and tourism; tourism facilities, and visitors centres and so on are part of that, also the resources to the NWT Arctic Tourism Association.
I would like to know from the Minister here, as I was looking through this area and through grants and contributions, the only area I saw, for example, in contributions to the tourism industry marketing contribution was $279,000. I am aware there has been more funding identified and spent in that area. If the Minister can give us an update on where those funds come from.