Thank you, committee. I note that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources summary, operations expenditure summary, is on page 13-7, which we’ll defer until after consideration of the detail. So we’ll start on page 13-8 with the Environment and Natural Resources, information item, infrastructure investment summary. Agreed?

Page 13-9, Environment and Natural Resources, information item, revenue summary. Agreed?

Moving on to page 13-10, Environment and Natural Resources, information item, active position summary. Agreed?

Thank you, committee. Moving forward, page 13-13. Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $10.995 million. Agreed?

Mr. Yakeleya.

I want to ask the department a question on the support for the communities. I hope this is the department. I’ll ask a question here. It’s regarding the support the department has given, very appreciatively, to the Sahtu region on the veterinary services in my five communities. I know each year the vets come up from the University of Calgary and they help a lot of people in the Sahtu with their dogs on a number of issues. They come up almost on a long-term basis, where they seek donations from the communities in terms of accommodations, meals and support. A lot of young people are really taking on a supportive role in terms of helping the veterinarians of handling the dogs in the communities, neutering them or looking after the dogs. I want to ask the department in terms of support... I’ll back up here. They have given them support and more concrete support to make it a program that would be continuous ongoing to the people in the Sahtu. That’s my take on it. I’d love to have an exchange here with the Minister in terms of how do we continue to support these vets that come up from the University of Calgary. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the more remote and isolated communities there is a lot of interdepartmental cooperation as well as cooperation with the communities’ hunters and trappers groups, dog mushers, if they’re there, to deal with issues like rabies, like shots, pooling our resources, because there’s no specific clear program for this particular area that the Member’s talked about. As well as working with those, working with those universities that have veterinary colleges and where we’re able to work with veterinarians in the communities. So our intention would be to continue that collaborative approach. Thank you.

Mr. Chair, they have done some research with this veterinary program last year.

They looked after 172 dogs last year, in terms of going to the communities. Again, Mr. Miltenberger said there were no programs in the department that speaks to these services. They do work very collaboratively with the veterinarians. It’s the fourth year now they’ve been in the Sahtu to provide services for the people in the small, remote and isolated communities such as Colville Lake. I know there are other communities that can certainly use this service. Is the department anywhere close to looking at providing a new program, a new service of vets such like the one we have in the Sahtu or that requires more thought, more discussion? Because I know the Sahtu certainly has benefitted greatly and we appreciate it from the University of Calgary. As a matter of fact, there are several people, youngsters that are looking at even becoming veterinarians because of this program. Last year, personally, I had people come to my place and I fed them, offered them a good meal, and they helped me look after our little dog there. I see it very valuable. People are pretty happy and receptive to seeing them come into the community, and they work long hours.

Again, we want to show our appreciation to the staff at the Sahtu regional office of ENR for bringing these people in and helping them. It’s just that it seems that there’s a little more comfort in terms of coming into our region knowing that they would be supportive of a program that they can fall back onto when they come into the Sahtu region. Thank you.

As I indicated, we provide a support role in this particular area and we work with our community staff, our regional staff, the biologists. We provide a great many services in kind, boats and vehicles to assist. We guide them and assist them where necessary, but there’s no, once again, sort of budget item in our budget that speaks to veterinary services. Although I do take note of the Member’s concern that we at least maintain that type of collaborative approach, which we intend to do. Thank you.

The communities, through the Aboriginal governments and other non-government agencies and volunteers, also support the veterinarians that come up from the University of Calgary along with ENR, because there’s no budget line item for this type of support they are doing, because it’s good business, it’s because you’re helping dogs, you’re helping dog owners, you’re doing a service that’s greatly appreciated by the people in Good Hope, the Wells, Colville, Deline, Tulita. And that if we have a bad year then, you know, it’s a discretionary funding.

I think if the Minister maybe within his department can have some reconsideration to see if this makes sense. I don’t know what goes on within the department in terms of putting programming budgets together or if it’s high on the priority list. I’m

just asking that we’re doing this service here, because it makes sense and it’s because there are some real good people in the department in the communities that are making it happen and also with the University of Calgary being very successful putting this program together and to see if there could be a budget line item added to it. I think that we’re late this year to do it and I’m hoping that we could do it maybe in the next government that will have some consideration to put some arguments, I guess, in favour or support into it to move it forward to another level. Or it may be something bigger than I’m talking about right now. I just see that this is a good program and while the government recognizes that it’s a valuable service to the people, there is still no program or budget line item attached to it. I’m certainly willing to take that we missed the boat on this budget line item. It’s not an issue for me. The issue is can we put it somewhere and they can have some discussion, because the department will still run whether we’re here or not. The department will still run on doing things. That’s what I’m asking for. I know it doesn’t stop when we’re asked to dissolve this Assembly and come back for a new Assembly. That’s what I’m asking for, if they can give some serious consideration to put this program into a budget line item for consideration. Of course, it has to go through all the hoops to make in there, and that’s what I’m asking, because I see the benefits, I’ve personally experienced it, and I think the dog owners would be very happy in the Sahtu. Thank you.

As we conclude this budget process and get geared up over the summer/fall, I will commit that we will consider the issue of how we provide support service in this area as we look at the business plans for 2012-13. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Next on my list is Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to comment around the area of traditional knowledge, but more importantly, the Traditional Knowledge Policy and if there’s actually a policy. Because I think that one of the things that people used to always assume was that scientific knowledge was the basis for all information, but I think because of the traditional knowledge importance and the way that traditional knowledge is compiled over decades and not thousands of years, that you can basically realize the importance of that and also working in conjunction with the Aboriginal organizations and wildlife and renewable resource councils to regulatory boards the importance of traditional knowledge in any decision-making process is paramount to scientific knowledge. I think that we have to be able to show that we do put the same weight into traditional knowledge as we do scientific knowledge. I’d just like to know exactly, in regard to Traditional Knowledge Policy, where are we with

that, and more importantly, how often do we use traditional knowledge as the basis for acquiring information or compiling information or moving that forward in regards to any studies and reports in regards to research that we do? How much emphasis do we put on traditional knowledge when we compile that information? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Miltenberger.

Mr. Chairman, The Government of the Northwest Territories has a Traditional Knowledge Policy that applies across the government. It is reflected very clearly as well as in our GNWT’s research agenda. As we look at the areas of study that we think are important areas of research that are important, there is clear recognition of the role for traditional knowledge working in conjunction with and in collaboration is alongside of the western science. This traditional knowledge across government is reflected in course education in a lot of our curriculum development. It is reflected in some of the health services. It is reflected in the work that ENR does. We use that every day with our officers on the ground. We use it as we do all our planning. It is reflected very clearly in the work that has been done with the Water Strategy. Departments like Transportation as well I think rely significantly on traditional knowledge. If the Member and I would look back to 1995 when we first got here and the debate, often rancorous debate, of even being able to talk about traditional knowledge and what that means and now over time it has become accepted and recognized as a critical part of how we do business as a government. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, again, what we are finding even from the national organizations and also from the federal agencies and government is that they now have encompassed traditional knowledge in all of their discussions with the scientific community. I think that we have to embrace both types of knowledge regardless if it is scientific or traditional knowledge and working in conjunction with the scientific community and the Aboriginal communities to format the information, but make sure that we come at it from both sides looking from the scientific community and from the Aboriginal perspective on traditional knowledge. I think it is important that policy doesn’t simply... The policy has to devolve as you develop. The more information, the more idea of how the process will be confined and how that information is going to be used. I think that, from the Aboriginal community and also from the scientific community, they finally come to realize that they are both just as important. If not, they operate on the same playing field. I think that we have to make sure that everything we do, regardless if it is caribou counts, plants be seized or water quality issues, I think that we have to be able to use it in the format that is useable, but more

importantly, retain as much of that information as you can.

I know the Aboriginal groups I represent have done a lot of logging information regardless if we are talking about plants or we are talking basically traditional clothing, and more importantly, the traditional activities in regards to migration patterns regardless if it is different types of animal species. I think that we have to not only use it or lose it, but more importantly, make sure that we have a continuance domain of how this stuff will be locked away and hide it on the shelf and put another report that can collect dust. I think that we have to develop whatever resources, but again looking at your budget, it doesn’t seem like we are spending much money in this area. Again, I would just like to know why not. We spend a lot of money on consultants. We spend a lot of money on the scientific community who comes up here mostly from the different universities across the country. Again, I would just like to regulate what type of long-term capital investment are we making, but more importantly, ensuring that we have a policy and devolving over time, and more importantly, improving in regards to the process moving forward.

Mr. Chairman, we are, as a department, spending, I believe, about $225,000 specifically on traditional knowledge. We have a Traditional Knowledge Policy as a government. We have a government-wide implementation plan. We are looking at best practices. In addition, there is traditional knowledge built into all the work that we are doing. When you look at all the money we are spending on Water Strategy, when you look at the work we are doing on caribou, when you look at the work that has been done on the development of the Wildlife Act in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, it is part of our daily business and is not just a specific line item that stands off to the side. There is some money for that, but the reality for us is it now part of the fabric of the Environment and Natural Resources corporate way of doing business. It is reflected in just about every aspect of the work we do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Thank you, committee. We are on page 13-13. Mr. Abernethy.