The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Mr. Speaker, responsible mineral exploration and development strengthens our territorial economy and helps to provide each region with opportunities and choices.

Later today I will be tabling the Mineral Development Strategy Implementation Plan, which will put the recommendations made in the Mineral Development Strategy into place. The creation of an environmentally sustainable NWT Mineral Development Strategy was a key priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly and it establishes a comprehensive plan to ensure the long-term growth of a sustainable mining industry that will create jobs and economic opportunities for the people of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this implementation plan was a partnership effort and was developed in conjunction with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines. I also want to thank the members of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for their input and guidance on the Mineral Development Strategy and the Implementation Plan.

The implementation plan puts the strategy into action by establishing concrete goals, objectives and timelines, and ensures we make progress in the five key areas of importance outlined in the Mineral Development Strategy. These include growing a sustainable mining sector, encouraging responsible mineral development and exploration, improving geoscience information and research, enhancing Aboriginal capacity and creating a Mining Incentive Program.

Some of these actions have already been put in place or are underway. The Mining Incentive Program was launched this past June. It was overwhelmingly popular and was oversubscribed by 200 percent in its very first year. This program aims to offset some of the financial risk associated with grassroots mineral exploration in the NWT, which we anticipate will result in increased investment in the territory and employment opportunities for residents.

The completion of the implementation plan is timely as we are seeing increased exploration activity in the NWT with rejuvenated interest in diamonds. In addition, the mining recorders office has received more than 300 new mineral claim applications since Devolution on April 1st , and the majority of these

claims are located around the existing diamond mines.

Mr. Speaker, the mining industry has been a pillar of the Northwest Territories’ economy for more than 80 years. In addition to being the largest private sector contributor to the NWT economy, the mining industry is also the largest private sector employer. The Mineral Development Strategy and Implementation Plan will help us to ensure the mining industry continues to be a key contributor to the NWT’s economic growth.

The implementation plan will continue to be evaluated and updated as we move forward, to ensure that actions remain relevant and effective, and we will continue to collaborate with our partners and work together to promote the NWT as an exciting place to work and invest.

Mr. Speaker, a key element of devolution was that this government would gain the tools to shape and direct the economic growth of the NWT. Capitalizing on our full potential takes the kind of strategic thought and planning that is reflected in the Mineral Development Strategy and Implementation Plan. I look forward to working with Members to advance the implementation plan and to achieve this Assembly’s vision of a prosperous territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Lands, Mr. McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands is responsible for managing and administering Territorial Lands and Commissioner’s Land. Territorial Lands are public lands formerly administered by the federal government and devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories on April 1, 2014. Commissioner’s Land is public land already under the GNWT’s jurisdiction and formerly administered by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Prior to April 1st of this year, the GNWT was

only responsible for 0.02 percent of the land mass, or roughly 2,700 square kilometres. Post-devolution we are now responsible for 85 percent of the land mass of the NWT, or 1.15 million square kilometres.

At this time, Commissioner’s Land and newly devolved Territorial Lands are managed and administered under separate legislation and policy frameworks. Now that the GNWT manages the majority of public land in the NWT, we need to develop new recreational leasing policies that apply to both types of land.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands has begun work on a new Recreational Land Management Framework. The Recreational Land Management Framework will help to harmonize the department’s approach to recreational land management while taking into account existing legislation, regulations and policies. Our goal is to ensure that decisions on recreational leasing consider potential land use needs and that land is managed in a transparent and consistent manner across the territory.

The Recreational Land Management Framework will address unauthorized use, access to leasing opportunities, maintaining public access to popular sites, and protecting areas of ecological and cultural value. It will also include area-specific studies and planning to address local land management issues like high demand for recreational leases.

One area that will be studied is the Ingraham Trail and Highway No. 3 area near Yellowknife, outside of the existing subdivisions. Lands has begun a land use plan scoping study to evaluate the potential benefits of an area-specific land use plan for this area.

The Government of the Northwest Territories will engage Aboriginal governments as it develops the framework, both individually and through the Intergovernmental Council, which was established to give parties to the Devolution Agreement the opportunity to collaborate on land management issues. Letters advising Aboriginal governments of our plans and inviting them to participate have already been sent.

The department will also engage with the public and key stakeholders to identify their interests and concerns about recreational land management as part of developing the framework. The department will post the draft framework on its website so that the public and stakeholders can review, ask questions and provide feedback.

While the Recreational Land Management Framework is being developed, no new applications will be accepted in the focus area. This will ensure the conditions of future leases meet the most up-to-date standards and guidelines. I want to emphasize that existing leases in good standing will not be impacted. Commercial activity will not be affected.

Notwithstanding this, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands will also be examining options in the short term for managing vacant, previously surveyed lots within existing subdivisions in the focus area.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that the GNWT is also taking action against unauthorized occupancy across the Northwest Territories. We have recently enforced a court order to remove an individual and their belongings at a site that was unlawfully occupied. The department has also increased the number of inspections it conducts in order to identify all unauthorized users and has stepped up efforts to raise public awareness.

Guided by the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, the Department of Lands is committed to managing public land in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner to ensure that rural land across the NWT is managed in a way that reflects traditional use and northern priorities.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, Northerners care about the land and want to enjoy access to rural land for recreational purposes across the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to ensuring that access is responsive to the priorities of our residents and respects traditional use, both now and into the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Deputy Premier, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Premier will be absent from the House for today and tomorrow to attend the Fourth Annual Women’s Summit in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to recognize in the House today with us representative Bob Herron from Bethel, Alaska, champion of Alaskan policy and a real friend of the NWT. Welcome to the House.

Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I listen to my colleagues in this House share the stories of their communities and their regions with respect to the costs of living, and I hear of stories of people who want to leave the North because of the cost of living and people who feel they don’t have options to stay here, I think this government does have a role to play in helping to quantify some of that seemingly anecdotal information. I don’t know if we’ve undertaken an exercise like this lately, but I think the government should look at the different communities. We cannot compare Tuktoyaktuk cost of living to Yellowknife. I know back in the days of EDI, they used to have, for purposes of business development, level I, level II, level III communities. So I think for starters we could compare apples to apples a little more closely if we compared regional centres, if we compared small communities and if we compared Yellowknife as a stand-alone community, because things are quite different here in Yellowknife from a household income point of view and also from a cost of living point of view.

I do think we have a role to play as government, but many things about the cost of living are kind of subjective. Now, you can talk about the price of kilowatt per hour and you can talk about some hard data, but a lot of things are based on personal choices and people’s personal priorities. For example, some people want to drive a new car every few years and some are happy to drive the same car for 10 years. Some people want to buy a new snow machine and harvest their own wildlife on the land. Some people would rather stay home and take that as money and go to the grocery store and buy it.

There are so many subjective aspects to this issue of cost of living. Mr. Miltenberger so aptly pointed out the other day, our government does try to offset those costs, and I think he mentioned a number of $200 million a year in subsidies to try to offset the costs that people incur.

I grew up in south western Ontario in a home with humble means with five children, and my parents always had to pay the Ontario health insurance premium bill when it came every month. That’s unheard of in the Northwest Territories. We don’t pay health insurance up here, and when you get to be 60 it gets even sweeter I’m finding out as my husband is turning 60 next month.

---Laughter

I’m way far behind.

---Laughter

I think that the Government of the Northwest Territories should develop some hard data, some good comparisons on the cost of living comparing apples to apples, oranges to oranges, comparing other jurisdictions in Canada and let’s get some hard facts. Then when people say they are leaving because they can’t afford the cost of living, we have some information to come back to them, and we can also look at some initiatives as a government how we can further target some of these costs and help people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week is Small Business Week in the Northwest Territories. Small business contributes much more than revenue and services to communities; they strengthen the social fabric and cultural identity of the places we call home. They are strong sponsors and volunteers.

Yellowknife is blessed with entrepreneurs who provide services, goods and employment enriching our lives and being good neighbours. Weledeh itself is rich with businesses that produce healthy ripples throughout the community. The arts, recycling, outdoor guiding and recreation, clothing, furniture, restaurants and accommodation are a few examples. In fact, small entrepreneurs from throughout Yellowknife are coming together to support the sale of their wares to the public through the wildly successful Yellowknife Farmers Market at Somba K’e Civic Plaza operation weekly through the summer in the heart of the city. Today I would like to profile this enterprise.

The market features locally grown, harvested and processed items including fresh produce, fresh and smoked fish, local syrups and teas, jams and preserves, baked goods, international cuisine produced locally, arts and crafts, and health and beauty products. In 2014 the market doubled its GDP impact to nearly $1 million of benefit to Yellowknife.

The market also helps strengthen the social fabric of the city. The Tuesday evening markets encourage people to come together with friends and family congregating to enjoy dinner and entertainment in the fresh, though sometimes smoky, air to visit and purchase products made or grown by their friends and neighbours. Many non-profit and community organizations took advantage of the crowds to deliver their message and raise their profile, and performers were able to increase their public exposure through busking.

The crowds were incredible and the energy amazing, a tribute to what can happen when a community comes together for mutual benefit. It was hugely successful.

ITI came through with investments in the Farmers Market for the purchase of carts, tables, signage and supplies and marketing and promotion, including the development of a logo and branding. Combined with the dedication of the market board and retailers, this modest investment contributed to the development of community self-sufficiency, food security, pride in the community, a stronger social fabric and positive economic activity that helps with the cost of living.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in saying to the Yellowknife market, well done. Mahsi.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a young, made-in-the-NWT, well-known mental health program for youth; specifically, FOXY, which stands for Fostering Opening eXpression among Youth.

FOXY is a participatory action research project. Big words which means that youth are involved in all aspects of the project, from its development to its implementation and then evaluation. The research component involves looking at the effectiveness of FOXY and empowering NWT youth, and facilitating dialogue about sexual health issues in the NWT.

The NWT has one of the highest rates for sexual abuse in Canada. We have many young girls and women who are unsure how to handle themselves in a sexual environment and who are hesitant to talk about sex, sexual orientation and sexual activity. Young women who need what the FOXY program provides: the empowerment of young NWT women and open dialogue about sexual health.

FOXY uses storytelling, drama and art to talk with girls about building empowered decision-making skills and about sexual health. The girls act out real-world scenarios, like being approached by older men on Facebook, for example, and they take part in positive body image activities in a safe, non-judgemental environment.

Over the past year, thanks to partnership with Canadian North Airlines, the FOXY crew has visited almost a dozen NWT communities, Aklavik, Colville Lake, Fort Good Hope and Tulita among them. Since its inception, FOXY has had several retreats with participants from 11 of our communities: Ulukhaktok, Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Fort Good Hope,

Norman Wells, Fort Smith, Whati, Hay River, Fort Liard, Fort Providence and Yellowknife.

FOXY receives funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada but has also developed numerous other partnerships with schools, youth centres and community agencies, including the Northern V Network, which is a non-profit who is fighting to end gender-based violence.

FOXY’s funding is in place until March 31, 2015, but that federal funding will then end, not to be renewed until April of 2017, a two-year gap. It’s very uncertain if the program can continue over the next two years.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

The NWT has been the beneficiary of federally funded FOXY programming, and in the absence of that federal funding next year, it is incumbent on the GNWT to fill the financial void, to find the funding necessary for FOXY to continue. This is a successful program, one that serves NWT youth – and that’s a stated goal of this 17th Assembly – and it is a program that is growing. It would be a crime to let this program fade away. As business plans are being finalized, I urge Cabinet to find the funding for this worthwhile program. If FOXY ends next April and we have sat idly by doing nothing to assist, then all I can say is shame. Thank you.