During the review of departmental business plans and Main Estimates in May of 2000, the then Minister of RWED, Mr. Handley, informed the committee that the department had added three new regional petroleum advisor positions for the Sahtu, Inuvik and the Deh Cho region.

The committee is concerned that despite this promise to provide regional oil and gas experts, to date some communities do not have this help and are at a distinct disadvantage during crucial negotiations with oil and gas companies.

The department agreed that empty positions do indeed need to be filled as soon as possible and promised to review the situation. During questioning, the Minister suggested that groups that had spent their own money attempting to negotiate with companies could request compensation from the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The committee would also like to see a clear outline of how all the advisory groups and regulatory bodies coordinate their work and would link up with regional oil and gas specialists. Bodies such as the Mackenzie Valley Development Group and the Economic Development Advisory Forum under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Forum, as well as the numerous regulatory bodies connected with various government bodies, need to have constant communication with regions to share information.

The committee looks forward to hearing more information about the work of various groups involved in economic development of the NWT.