Yes, Madam Chair, I do. I am pleased to speak to the 2012-2013 Main Estimates for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The plan proposes total operational expenses of $65.7 million for the upcoming year. This represents a 2.6 percent or $1.8 million reduction from last year’s budget.
As Members are aware, the mandate for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is to promote and support the sustainable use and development of natural resources and to protect, conserve and enhance the NWT environment for the social and economic benefit of all NWT residents.
A range of activities are proposed to uphold this mandate and I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few key investments planned for the upcoming fiscal year. In his speech from the throne, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston highlighted Canada’s priority to renew and deepen its relationship with Canada’s Aboriginal peoples and underlined Canada’s commitment to promoting access to clean water and the deployment of clean energy technology in Aboriginal and northern communities. The GNWT is pleased to mirror that commitment.
We are investing $905,000 in this budget to support negotiations for transboundary water agreements to establish common principles for the cooperative management of the aquatic ecosystem of the Mackenzie River Basin. These agreements will ensure the quality and quantity of water entering the NWT from neighbouring jurisdictions remains substantially unaltered and will protect the ecological integrity of the Mackenzie River Basin, allowing Northerners to continue to choose a traditional way of life. Together with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, we continue to make progress on negotiations.
The department continues to work with a variety of water partners on community-based water monitoring initiatives identified in the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy and Action Plan. This fulfills our priority to build a strong and sustainable future for our territory by strengthening our relationships with Aboriginal and other northern communities.
Climate change remains a serious concern for NWT residents and the GNWT, and we continue to take action in this area. The department continues to
implement the NWT Greenhouse Gas Strategy which identifies actions the GNWT, industry and communities can take over the next five years to stabilize territorial emissions at or below 2005 levels. It also highlights the importance of identifying measures that can be taken to limit increases and ultimately reduce emissions from non-renewable resource development activity.
The Arctic Energy Alliance works in partnership with the department to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of energy in the NWT. In 2012-2013 they will receive up to $1.8 million in contribution funding for ongoing energy planning, energy efficiency and energy conservation programs.
With that $1.8 million, the budget adds $200,000 towards regional energy advisors to visit communities to conduct home energy audits, training and workshops to ensure communities receive equitable access to Arctic Energy Alliance programming. In addition, a combined total of $650,000 in funding will allow the Alliance to continue to offer the Energy Efficiency Incentive Program, the Commercial Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program and provide focused assistance to residents of Inuvik over the next year.
The department is preparing a Solar Energy Strategy to be tabled this fall that coordinates our efforts to use this source of renewable energy. Building on the success of the Biomass Energy Strategy since 2010, the department is now evaluating the actions and will be tabling a revised version later in the fall.
The department continues to take action to reduce waste. The department is currently conducting an e-waste survey to determine the types and quantities of electronic items in NWT households and where residents purchase such items. The information from the e-waste survey, along with the inventory and feasibility study that is currently underway will form the basis for an e-waste management framework to be developed this fall.
The department’s proposed new Wildlife Act will help better protect, conserve and manage wildlife in the Northwest Territories. In 2012-2013, $500,000 will go towards public awareness and consultation on this new piece of legislation to ensure Aboriginal groups, the general public and various stakeholder groups have an opportunity to provide input into a new bill. A key aspect of this consultation is a Stakeholders Wildlife Act Advisory Group, which is already working to identify improvements to the proposed legislation. These funds will also provide officer training, development of new forms, permits and hunter education programs that will be needed to implement the new act.
The NWT Species at Risk Stewardship Program is now in its third year. The program provides funding for projects that support the long-term protection
and recovery of species that are at risk or of concern in the NWT. The Species at Risk Committee is preparing status reports for the first four species to be assessed in 2012: the polar bear, Peary caribou, boreal woodland caribou and Hairy Braya.
Traditional knowledge continues to play an important role in ENR’s mandate. During the coming year, $255,000 will be spent on the Traditional Knowledge Implementation Plan. This will help build a strong and sustainable future through our strengthened relationships with Aboriginal governments and further our efforts in incorporating traditional knowledge into our decision-making.
As Members are aware, a large part of the department’s budget is spent on the prevention, detection, monitoring and suppression of wildfires in the Northwest Territories. During 2012-2013 the department has allocated an additional $510,000 towards forest fire management crews. Advanced wildland fire training and firefighter capacity testing will ensure all wildland firefighters are properly trained and able to monitor conditions and take action when necessary.
Caribou management continues to be of great importance to the department. The department is investing $1 million to implement the 2011-2015 Barren Ground Caribou Management Strategy. To ensure the continued sound management and conservation of barren ground caribou, ENR will be conducting population surveys of all the major herds in 2012. These results, along with other caribou studies, will help to inform our long- and short-term management actions in this area. I remain hopeful that the sacrifices made by NWT residents over the past few years will eventually allow us to remove the current restrictions. We must, however, proceed towards that goal with a substantial measure of caution.
Fire and caribou management funding aligns with our priority to work with our partners to ensure responsible stewardship through our land and resource management regime, as well as supporting the traditional economy.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide an overview of the department’s 2012-2013 Main Estimates. I look forward to discussing them in detail with you, Madam Chair.