Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In August Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in the South Slave to announce new funding for northern agriculture. The Prime Minister announced
$2 million in funding to help establish a permanent campus for the Northern Farm Training Initiative in Hay River – in Hay River, I like the sound of that – and up to $2 million to launch the Northern Greenhouse Initiative.
The Territorial Farmers Association has been working on a permanent campus for the Northern Farm Training Initiative since 2012. The association has operated market gardens, built greenhouses and found innovative ways to enhance agriculture in the North for the last 40 years. The new facility will help deliver agricultural training especially designed to meet the needs of our communities. Construction is planned starting 2015.
Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in farming, greenhouse technology and raising livestock and take the information they glean back to their communities. They will also be able to sell flowers and produce from the campus.
Another part of the Prime Minister’s announcement: the Northern Greenhouse Initiative will support the development of commercial greenhouses and ways to enhance the productivity of existing greenhouses throughout the North.
The Northern Farm Training Initiative will be at the sight of AgNorth, a pilot project in agricultural technology that utilizes specialized LED lighting and hydroponics to grow produce indoors year round.
Proliferation of community gardens and the increasing number of people finding creative ways to build greenhouses into their lives and homes are evidence of a growing interest in agriculture in the North. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is developing an Agriculture Strategy.
With the recent announcement of training, technology and much appreciated capital this past August, we are sure to reap the rewards going forward. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not mention the untiring efforts of a couple of young ladies in our community: Kim Rapati, who’s involved in the Territorial Farmers Association, and also Jackie Milne. If you’ve met Jackie and talked agriculture, you’re not likely to forget her any time soon. I’d like to thank them for their tireless efforts, which I believe played a part in bringing this program to fruition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.