Ma
hsi, Mr. Speaker. In the past I’ve
stood up in the House to celebrate the hardworking town of Enterprise, our gateway to the NWT. Even though it’s a small town with a population of just over 100 people, Enterprise is home to great enthusiasm and a lot of exciting ideas for economic development.
I’ve also spoken before to support biomass opportunities in the Deh Cho and South Slave regions. Today in Enterprise, residents look forward to the possibility of a new wood pellet plant to bring jobs to the region.
I support this project. This month the hamlet council passed an agreement-in-principle to sell 3.2 square kilometres of Enterprise land to the mill project. Forest management agreements signed in 2014 ensure harvesting, providing access to timber resources, employment, and business opportunities for
jointly
owned
Aboriginal
development
corporations.
Deh Cho communities are ready, willing and able to build our economy on sustainable resources and industries
that
complement
our
traditional
economies, use resi
dents’ existing land skills and
offer fresh opportunities for employment. Biomass projects boost local access to alternatives to fossil fuels, not to mention the expense and pollution that goes with them.
Work like this brings new jobs and fresh revenue to communities, and biomass projects help our small lead in environmental stewardship.
I’m excited to see these enterprising residents and small business owners working and I hope they’ll get the support they need.
Initiatives like this can bring a much needed industry boost to the South Slave and Deh Cho regions. Despite my excitement, I can’t help noticing that the NWT Biomass Strategy expires this year. I urge the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to continue this important work.
Later I will have questions about the support for the wood pellet industry in the Deh Cho and South Slave regions.