Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just in terms of details of travel, there’s an extra $100,000 in other expenses. Can I get clarification of that?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. For that we will go to Ms. Magrum.

So it’s in anticipation of planned extra travel in the new fiscal year, then, is it?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, plus the Sahtu travel budget

was almost nonexistent and it was always funded from taking from other pots. So the folks there didn’t have a lot of ability to do the work they needed to do. So between that and anticipated increased demand because of the oil play is the answer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Menicoche.

No, thank you very much. That clarifies my question.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Committee, we are on page 13-13, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, $11.492 million. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Page 13-14, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, corporate management, grants and contributions, contributions, $370,000. Committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Page 13-15, Environment and Natural Resources, information item, corporate management, active positions. Any questions?

Page 13-16 including 13-17, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, environment, operations expenditure summary, $6.968 million. Committee agree? Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I was really pleased to hear that e-waste is next on the recycling list. I am glad that’s what the department is looking at next. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

I wanted to ask a question with regard to waste sites in the NWT. I know it’s being dealt with through devolution negotiations, but I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not he feels comfortable, his department feels comfortable, that we are cataloguing all the waste sites we have in our territory in advance of devolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are confident that we have quite a comprehensive list. We have built into all our discussion the recognition that there’s always a possibility that something has been missed, but we have, over the years, catalogued quite extensively across the North, the many hundreds of various waste sites. Thank you.

To the Minister, if there are sites following devolution that have not been catalogued, what’s the recourse for us as a government? If it’s a site that was on federal land when it was developed and it’s been left behind and remediation is required, do we have any recourse with the federal government for funding or do we have to eat that ourselves? Thank you.

In that particular chapter, there is a recognition and an opportunity that should there be heretofore undiscovered waste sites, there’s an opportunity for the parties to get back to the table to discuss the fate of that particular waste site. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that. It’s an area that is fraught with possible large dollars having to be spent, so I’m really glad to hear that there is an opportunity for us to go back and talk to the feds again if we discover some sites.

I apologize if I missed it, but I do have a concern with fracturing and it’s been talked about, not necessarily today but other times. I didn’t hear the Minister talk about it in his reply so I apologize if it’s been dealt with already. From the perspective of ENR and looking after the environment, what steps is this department taking to ensure that if we do get into fracturing, we are well versed in what we are taking on and we minimize the risks to our environment? Thank you

As a government, we are cognitively working with all the appropriate departments, including ENR and ITI, the National Energy Board, industry and the folks in the Sahtu, to work on guidelines. We’ve briefed committee and Minister Ramsay has taken the Members around to see sites down south. We’ve been working on guidelines and there is work underway. We anticipate them by this fall. We will be able to put guidelines on the table for discussion that would lay out what we think is the most appropriate way forward as it pertains to hydraulic fracturing. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that; it gives me some comfort. I have read some articles over the last year or so that reference oil companies not wanting to disclose the elements, the contents of the fluid that they’re using. In terms of the guidelines that the Minister is referencing, two things: Will they be public so that people can see what it is we’re considering and provide some input into it? Secondly, will the guidelines reference the contents of the fracturing fluid and minimize the cost to our environment? I gather some fluids are really toxic. Thank you.

Yes, as we come forward with the guidelines, they will be public. We are looking at best practices across the land, and full disclosure of fracking contents is one of those very critical issues so that there is

awareness and understanding. As we try to manage the balance, between the environment and resource development, we have to know those critical factors. So as the guidelines go forward, that has been identified across the land as one of the best practices that jurisdictions are putting into place, and we are wanting to learn from other jurisdictions in terms of best practices. Thank you.