Mr. Speaker, oil and gas development has the potential to grow and diversify the Northwest Territories economy, a key priority of this government. Nowhere has this reality been more apparent than in the Sahtu region. Today I would like to give this Assembly an update on the activity in the Sahtu over the past few months and the plans for moving forward.

More than $600 million in work commitments has been pledged for the region over the next few years. As the busy winter work season draws to a close, early indications are that this has been a successful one for the local businesses and for the development companies.

Husky Oil, ConocoPhillips, MGM Energy and Explor Data all performed work in the Sahtu this season. Feedback from all companies has been extremely positive and they have all indicated they are moving forward with their plans for the region. Although there have been challenges, we are pleased to see that they were all addressed in a positive and timely manner to get things back on track. Shell Canada and Imperial Oil were not as active during this past work season but remain committed to development in the area.

This government wants to ensure development continues in a timely yet sustainable way, and that local residents and businesses benefit. By keeping the lines of communication open with resource companies, local residents, business leaders and Aboriginal organizations in the Sahtu, we will ensure development continues in a way that benefits all of our people.

Part of this engagement was the Sahtu Exploration Readiness Session held this past fall. This event was extremely well attended and attendees noted it was an effective platform to discuss our collective goals, objectives and priorities. We intend to continue this sort of initiative every year.

The entire NWT will benefit from the lessons learned as petroleum development progresses in other parts of the territory.

Mr. Speaker, one area of concern highlighted to us this work season is the stresses that oil and gas exploration can have on existing regional infrastructure. As activity continues and even increases, we can expect this stress will only continue to grow. This government will continue to look at ways to improve on and invest in our infrastructure.

Several GNWT departments are working together to address this. Industry, Tourism and Investment, together with the departments of Executive; Justice; Education, Culture and Employment; and Environment and Natural Resources are investing $1.2 million in various programs and initiatives to

that ensure environmental impacts are monitored, that businesses of the Sahtu region continue to benefit from this exploration growth, and that residents are well positioned to seize training and job opportunities.

By taking the time now to address concerns and maintain our consistent dialogue between industry, NWT residents and businesses, and Aboriginal organizations, we will ensure the petroleum resource sector continues to be part of our diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.