Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity and I wanted to start off by thanking the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for their time, their input and their efforts in providing us with valuable feedback on the development and implementation of the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Mineral Development Strategy.
I’ll start off talking a little bit about the EOS first and then get into the MDS. The timing of our work on the implementation plan for the EOS was intended to respect SCEDI’s considerable workload and the recognized priority of matters arising from devolution and the review of the main estimates for the GNWT. Committee members can be assured that all investments identified in the EOS Implementation Plan were previously addressed and approved in the 17th Assembly’s consideration
of individual departmental main estimates.
The implementation plan was a formalization of the department’s plan for the purpose of public presentation. The EOS engagement process that Members were a part of was extensive and far-reaching. The strategy itself was very much a partnered approach, and themes and recommendations of the NWT EOS are a reflection of that collective process.
Again, I want to thank SCEDI for the input and their assistance in defining a more pragmatic approach to illustrating our multi-layered, multi-faceted approach to implementation. A number of changes in the proposed implementation plan were made directly in response to SCEDI’s feedback. Recommendations for implementation by the Department of ITI were separated from those identified for implementation by other strategies and/or departments.
In both cases recommended actions were presented according to the four pillars of economic development targeted by the EOS. They are improving supports to the NWT’s small business community, growing a stable and attractive entrepreneurial environment, pursuing major investment projects and preparing and positioning NWT residents to benefit from future opportunities, while attracting and retaining residents with key skill sets.
Recommendations to be addressed in the short term were distinguished. Related recommendations were noted. Recommendations for which incremental funding has already been approved by the Legislative Assembly in the business planning process were identified.
I just want to talk about communications, if I could. Through public media announcements, news releases, advisories and interviews, all of the EOS partners are committed and have been committed to highlighting investments, actions and initiatives related to the implementation of the EOS. Members of the EOS Governance Committee will continue to seek opportunities to champion, inform and highlight their individual participation and partnered goals and principles of the NWT EOS process.
The NWTOpportunities.com website is being maintained as a portal to all EOS-related communications. Content from this website is also being highlighted on the EOS Facebook page which is experiencing a steady gain of likes and views. A monthly newsletter will be delivered to a publicly subscribed list and distributed by EOS partners to their members and stakeholders. A working group comprised of communications representatives will work to maximize communications opportunities including speaking engagements, discussions and presentations advertising and media features. Alongside the work that we are doing to implement this strategy, the department is taking inventory of its communications tools and products with a view to communicating better or more efficiently in areas that the EOS has pointed out to us.
I heard some Members speak of the economy and the resource development, and really the EOS was intended for us to diversify the economy. We believe it’s a valuable product and is going to set the stage for us growing the economy in all regions in the territory for the future. We’re happy with the input SCEDI has provided.
If I could, I just wanted to touch base on mining and the MDS. The mining industry in the Northwest Territories is the backbone of our economy and provides thousands of Northwest Territories residents and businesses with jobs, training opportunities and business advantages. 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 the sustainable mining industry that will create jobs and economic opportunities for the people of the NWT.
The MDS and the implementation plan was a partnership effort and were developed in conjunction with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines. In 2013 NWT’s mining industry contributed nearly $1.7 billion in production value. Diamonds presently account for about 90 percent of the total estimated value of mineral and non-mineral production in the NWT.
The development of the MDS and the subsequent implementation plan was a consultative process. From the very beginning, we worked with our
partner, the Chamber of Mines, to hold targeted representative meetings. Meeting attendees were actively engaged and I’ll point out that more than 40 meetings were held across the Northwest Territories. Attendees represented 65 different organizations including municipal governments, Aboriginal governments, organizations, industry, regulatory boards, chambers of commerce, development corporations, education and training institutions and non-government organizations. Guiding these engagement sessions and the creation of the MDS was a three-person external expert advisory panel which included Mr. Rod Brown, a Yellowknife resident who spent his entire career as a leader in the mineral development service industry; Mr. Murray Duke, who worked with the Geological Survey of Canada for 18 years and since retirement has worked with the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada on major review of public policy as well as consulting on projects for Natural Resources Canada, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources and the Geological Survey of Newfoundland and Labrador; and also Mr. Angus Robertson, who has an extensive background in the public service at both the federal and provincial/territorial level as well as a devolution expert with his time with the Yukon government and also in land claim negotiations.
We’ve had an ongoing correspondence with the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure and provided them with updates and various opportunities to review and provide input. The committee’s input was extremely valuable and we considered each suggestion that they presented.
The investment climate has been declining in the NWT for several years. It is essential to encourage grassroots exploration to ensure the long-term health of mining and mineral development and have a flourishing industry here. The MDS and several of the short-term launches, such as the Mining Incentive Program, are an important first step in achieving this.
The implementation plan to put the Mineral Development Strategy into action was released just last month. Many of the implementation activities are ongoing across GNWT departments. Two activities recommended in the MDS have already been put in place: the hiring of two specialists at the NTGO and the development and implementation of a Mining Incentive Program. The Mining Incentive Program was very successful and launched in July of 2014. This grant program is tailored to the unique NWT operating environment and attempts to maximize return on investment through innovative and effective exploration. The Mining Incentive Program was modeled on similar successful programs operated by other jurisdictions. The 2014 budget of $440,000 was
fully subscribed and, in fact, we had over $1 million in requested funding.
We continue to work closely with other organizations, including Aurora College, the Mine Training Society, Aboriginal governments and the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, to put the recommendations in place. To ensure the implementation plan stays on track, I want to assure Members that we have a performance management plan and results reporting document that will be developed through report tracking on the GNWT’s performance. In 2015-16 an updated implementation plan will be released that highlights early achievements of the MDS and objectives for the continued implementation of this strategy.
With that, I just want to thank the standing committee, as I believe others highlighted. We are moving forward with other strategies. It’s important that we get feedback from Members on how best to go about getting public consultation in place following the steps we need in order to get the strategies that we want. Certainly, we’ve learned a lot. These were two big pieces of work. I do want to thank my department at ITI and the staff that I have there and the help that we’ve had in putting these plans in place. We really do believe that they will certainly help us grow the economy here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.