Masi. Minister of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories isn’t getting any commitment from Fortune Minerals or we are not giving them any commitment for this road neither. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that answer, Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could tell us how the government will make a decision about whether to invest in the road to Whati? Thank you.

The 18thLegislative Assembly mandate confirmed by all our caucus colleagues includes the investment in transportation which also includes investment in the Whati Tlicho all-season road, so that decision moving forward was made by all Members of this Assembly.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t feel like I made that decision. I haven't, until yesterday, seen the business case for this road. So I encourage the government to bring this investment forward for consideration especially given the fact that the economic benefit of the road alone without the mine is so small. Is this road in fact a subsidy to the mining industry?

This road is not a subsidy for the mining industry. This road was brought forward by the Tlicho Government and it was pushed forward alongside with the Department of Transportation. And it's unfortunate maybe the member didn't get to read the business case before caucus decided that this was part of our 18thAssembly's in our mandate, but it is what it is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I will be pursuing this topic again apparently. My final question has to do with who is going to obtain the employment to build the road. The economic evaluation says that the Tlicho Region will be the contractors for this road, a road that's being built with public money, and so to what extent is the government putting in place measures that will ensure that despite the fact that people in Whati have a high unemployment rate that they will be prepared to take advantage of the road building jobs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, no decisions have been made on…even if we were going to be building this road, we are still waiting to hear back from the federal government on infrastructure dollars of this road and when we receive those funds from the federal government, if we receive those funds from the federal government, how we proceed will be something that the department will have to look at in how we farm out this contract.

Masi. Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to the public in the gallery. We have Madam Josee Clermont, who is the director general of College nordique here with us. She has been monitoring our budget debates and she'll be here during the deliberation of Education, Culture and Employment. Thanks for being here. Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement I spoke about the importance of transparency and consulting with residents about the important issue of fracking. Ms. Speaker, my questions is for the Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Investment. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise what research the Department is doing to learn more about the potential impacts of fracking, in other words, have we or are we conducting any reviews or studies to consider the risks of hydraulic fracturing in the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government has been conducting research in the 16thand 17thAssemblies and working very closely with the Standing Committee on Economic Development. They went and did several site visits where fracking was happening and I think we have gained a much better understanding. Responsible resource development including oil and gas development could be a major component of the Northwest Territories economy. We have substantial resources and reserves and it could be essential to creating a prosperous sustainable future for our residents. There is no oil and gas development or exploration going on at this time. We expect that it will be at least ten years perhaps when there would be any exploration. We certainly have the time to get it right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his reply. As I noted in my Member's Statement today, although the oil and gas exploration seems to have subsided, it is certainly the time to engage in the public consultation in my view and I think in the view of my colleagues. Second question, Mr. Speaker, for the Minister: is the Minister or has the Minister been willing to seek advice from industry experts, stakeholders, NGOs, and other knowledgeable officials from other jurisdictions with experience in regulation of fracking.

In response to priorities laid out by the 18thLegislative Assembly the Government of the Northwest Territories has committed to advancing a review of the Petroleum Resources Act and the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the regulations associated with it. We recognize that people want more time to think about how our resources are best managed and developed. This engagement also ties in with the work we are doing to develop a Northwest Territories Oil and Gas Strategy which will not only help us to unlock the petroleum potential of the Northwest Territories but to do so in a way that is environmentally responsible and benefits our communities. Through our work to develop a NWT Oil and Gas Strategy, we have been guided by engagement with communities, territorial stakeholders, leaders, subject matter experts, Aboriginal groups, industry, and the public.

I appreciate the Minister's reply again, but I am wondering again could the Minister explain how the department is planning to develop and encourage public input into hydraulic fracturing in the NWT? Some more specifics would be appreciated, and in particular I'd like to ask how the department plans to bring industry into this public debate?

Between April and June 2015 the departments of ITI, Environment and Natural Resources and Lands conducted 14 public engagement sessions in 12 communities throughout the territory hearing input from residents, businesses and industry about the proposed regulations. Residents are also able to submit comments by mail and email. What we heard is there's a lot of education required on this matter and we will certainly engage industry and also as we go out and conduct a review of our Oil and Gas Operations Act and Petroleum Resources Act and develop our Oil and Gas Strategy.

Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my final question to the Minister. Will the Minister after this engagement commit to developing a public report that includes the recommendations, advice, and opinions shared by experts, other jurisdictions and the public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the 17thAssembly the Standing Committee on Economic Development after touring several fracking regions did release a report with quite a number or recommendations. We expect that what we would do is through the review of the Oil and Gas Operations Act and the Petroleum Resources Act we would deal with the issues and we expect the public to raise their concerns with regards to hydraulic fracking.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the misfortune to encounter two severely intoxicated homeless people engaged in a vicious brawl here on the grounds of the Legislative Assembly, no less. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common sight here on the streets of Yellowknife and Yellowknifers have had enough. I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Homelessness, what is the plan to address the severe need to do something about the homelessness problem here in Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister responsible for Homelessness.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, coming into work today encountered two individuals out back who were intoxicated; however, even though my history has been 20 years working with homeless people, I for one cannot attest that those two individuals were actually homeless people. So I'm not sure if what we were seeing was public drunkenness, loitering, or homelessness. I often think that sometimes people see them all and just automatically claim homelessness which is actually an insult to people. What is our plan for moving forward? As Members know, we did have a community forum here in Yellowknife. Out of that forum, we developed two committees. One committee is looking at policies that impede people from accessing housing supports, government supports actually, and the other committee is led by the City of Yellowknife, and they'll be looking at all of the recommendations brought forward by that committee and bring it in timelines. Not only was that forum done. We also sent out a letter as well asking for input towards that. So more than 65 recommendations will be reviewed by the City. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.