Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is requesting a total of $54.7 million for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, an increase of 2.6 million dollars, or five percent, for the 2005-2006 Main Estimates.

The proposed main estimates reflect the commitment this government made in establishing a new Department of Environment and Natural Resources last year to the protection and conservation of our environment and the sustainable development of natural resources. These estimates are based on the vision of a healthy environment that is capable of supporting traditional lifestyles within a modern economy.

The proposed budget for 2006-2007 is distributed across four main estimates:

• • wildlife, $12.9 million;
• • forest management, $29.1 million;
• • environmental protect, $2.7 million;
• • corporate management, $9.9 million, which also included the environmental assessment unit and the corporate services shared with Industry, Tourism and Investment.

A number of investments are being proposed in the 2006-2007 budget are as follows:

The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to play a key role in the review of development projects through environmental impact assessment processes. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will continue to coordinate our government's input, analysis and positions on development applications in the Northwest Territories.

Regions across the Northwest Territories are also being directly impacted by increased development. To meet this growing demand for environmental assessment and regulatory reviews, we are planning to establish environmental assessment officers in the Inuvik, Sahtu, and Deh Cho regions and another environmental analysis position at headquarters.

As well, new regional environmental protection officers are planned for the South Slave and Sahtu. This $700,000 investment will ensure that we continue to work closely with communities and industries as development proceeds.

Best management practices are used to guide industry and regulatory agencies' actions to prevent and reduce impacts to the environment including impacts on forests and wildlife. The department is planning to invest $150,000 to develop best environmental management practice guidelines. These guidelines will be key in identifying appropriate measures that can be routinely taken to mitigate known potential environmental impacts from development and resources used.

Climate change and its impacts are another major concern of our residents. The changes in climatic conditions in our territory are having an impact on the landscape. Residents are reporting change in the health and migration of wildlife. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources plans to establish a climate change specialist position to work with all our partners involved in climate change actions in the Northwest Territories.

The availability of "blue chip" information is critical to the department to be able to consult with partners and stakeholders and to make required decisions, from assisting in identifying the necessary actions related to caribou management in the Northwest Territories or to contribute to national issues such as forest inventories and management and Wildlife Disease Strategy.

In support of having the best information available, the department has designed a wildlife management information system to store, analyze and distribute data related to wildlife management. We are continuing our efforts to enter current and historical data in the system. This will provide an information database for decision-makers and will ease the process of making data available to the public, communities and industry. Accelerating the entry of data from the past 30 years of research studies will expand the biophysical database for assessing impacts on wildlife.

Clean sources of community drinking water and a healthy aquatic environment are universal resources for NWT residents. The department works together with multiple agencies, including other GNWT departments, to safeguard water and will continue efforts to protect community drinking water sources.

Work on new wildlife management legislation continues to be a priority for this government. Funding has been identified to finalize consultation and development of a new NWT Species at Risk Act and continue working towards a revised Wildlife Act.

I look forward to the committee's comments today and I am prepared to answer any questions Members may have. Thank you.