Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that later today I will table Green Light: Signalling the Department of Transportation’s Commitment to the Environment.

Maintaining a healthy environment is one of the most important issues facing us today. Managing climate change, air and water pollution, and stemming the loss of wildlife habitat are some of our biggest challenges.

The residents of the Northwest Territories are fortunate to live in a vast and relatively unspoiled environment that supports subsistence harvesting, resource development, recreation and tourism. Northerners have a strong and enduring attachment to the land, which demands special attention to addressing environmental challenges.

The Department of Transportation has developed Green Light to highlight existing environmental practices and to further foster a corporate culture of environmental excellence within the department and throughout the northern transportation industry. Green Light lays the groundwork for improving operations and demonstrates the department’s commitment to continue efforts to get our own house in order, and to lead by example.

Green Light supports the vision of the 16th Legislative Assembly and the goal of an environment that will sustain present and future generations.

Mr. Speaker, Green Light is conceived and designed to spark action by individuals in each operational region of the NWT and throughout the

Department of Transportation. The action plan presents a guide for priority actions in the short term of the first two years and in the medium term of the next two to five years.

In the short term, the Department of Transportation will focus on determining appropriate roles and responsibilities to address priority environmental challenges by:

•

fostering employee commitment;

•

developing the Environmental Management

System;

•

researching best practices and policies and

procedures;

•

developing a greenhouse gas emissions

reduction plan;

•

developing a climate change adaptation plan;

•

developing

worksite-specific

plans;

•

engaging the transportation industry.

The medium-term actions will focus on implementing the required policies and plans under a new departmental Environmental Management System.

Mr. Speaker, Green Light provides a blueprint to improve the environmental performance of the Department of Transportation. It will inspire and guide the department to achieve new levels of environmental sustainability and stewardship, while fulfilling its main mission of supporting and enabling a safe, secure, accessible and reliable Northwest Territories transportation system. The department is proud to enter an era of increased environmental awareness and positive action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.