Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform Members of this Assembly about the Northwest Territories' search and rescue prevention strategy.
The strategy was developed by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs through a two-year consultation process involving community leaders, territorial search and rescue authorities and search and rescue organizations in each of the Northwest Territories' five regions.
This work was supported by the federal government through the new initiatives fund, a national cost-sharing program for search and rescue.
The Northwest Territories search and rescue prevention strategy is based upon a framework developed at the national level. This framework came about because the various federal agencies with responsibilities in the area of search and rescue saw the need to address prevention. They understood that, while it is important to develop a capacity to respond to search and rescue incidents, it is also important to try and prevent such situations from happening.
The Northwest Territories search and rescue prevention strategy is the most appropriate means of reducing the North's high number of reports of missing or stranded persons not only because of the focus on prevention, but also because it is the result of extensive community consultations. The strategy includes a consolidation of approximately 150 recommendations from these consultations.
This consultation process ensured that the final strategy is a made-in-the-North plan based upon the realities of northern conditions. It also ensured that the strategy contains realistic, useful recommendations for reducing the number and severity of search and rescue incidents in the Northwest Territories.
Northwest Territories search and rescue authorities will need to work with communities and all northern stakeholders to effectively implement the recommendations from this strategy. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs looks forward to working with all interested parties to make this happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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