Mahsi. Mr. Edjericon.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So it's just a matter of time I guess, that the department's going to have to start catching up and starting to recognize that Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding is a separate riding on its own. It's got four communities but yet we're rolled into the South Slave region and the positions that are there are not identified. So then when you say that there's money going to be going to South Slave region, really it's only going to include Hay River and Fort Smith but nothing for Tu Nedhe, which is N'dilo, Dettah, Fort Res and Lutselk'e. But that's okay, I'm hoping that the Minister could just elaborate a little bit on that as to when this might happen. Thank you.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, again, the entire Government of the Northwest Territories is not -- reorganize itself into 19 ridings. The Beaufort Delta allocate region right now includes all of Nunakput, both of the Inuvik ridings and the Mackenzie Delta. So we're not drawn up into 19 different groups. There are public servants based in the communities of Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution. There are positions funded with YKDFN as well with respect, as I said, to the EDO for example. And there's funds that go out to individual community members. Some of it is done through the regional determinations, so there's regional headquarters in North Slave which, in this case, is based in Yellowknife. But there's not going to be a splitting up of government services into 19. So if the question is when, that is not on the horizon for the government. The budgeting that would be required would be significant and it would completely undercut the availability to actually put monies into the communities and out to residents. Thank you.

Mahsi. Mr. Edjericon.

Thank you. I only got three minutes and 42 seconds left so I think we'll have that discussion at another day. But I think it's a valid question that, you know, we need to be recognized and that monies that are going into the South Slave region or North Slave region, that it goes in -- for my riding goes into different regions and it's all over the place so that needs to be recognized.

Anyways, moving forward though, right now as it is as we -- and you mentioned in your speech today that there's -- we're going to be closing the mines in the next couple years. And we're going to be looking at new ways to create employment and jobs going forward to sustain ourselves and especially right now in our communities, we have members that are working at the mine site that have picked up a lot of good skills along the way in the last 25 years in the operation of the mining industry. So I guess the question to the Minister, what are we going to do to look at how we're going to offset that because when that happens, what are we going to fall back on to, because right now in here, you know, I don't see anything in here that's forestry, and I look under ITI -- or sorry, infrastructure, and I'm thinking, you know, we're going to have to start shifting gears here and looking for new ways to build homes. And so forestry is one way, and I just thought maybe if you could elaborate on that a little bit. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I agree. I want all the things. So, you know, the forestry specifically, that would actually fall under ENR. And, again, I'm going to add that to my list, the ENLR department, so lands, natural resources -- Lands, ENR -- well, now ECC and us do meet, and I'll add that to our next meeting item, just to make sure that we're checking in and working together from an economic development perspective and from the forestry perspective. You know, we want to continue to see mineral resource development. We want to see Indigenous governments participating at an equity stage in mineral resource development.

Folks that are from communities that are in that industry now can utilize their skills. You know, we're working right now with Diavik; we're sitting with them. But I know the other two mines are more than happy to hire more local workers and not bring up a fly-in workforce. So in a short term, there will be some jobs available. But in the long term, again I would really like to see all the opportunities. I mean, again I talked earlier about fishery. All of the communities around Great Slave Lake have an opportunity to participate in the fishery and in the fishery revitalization, and we are not anywhere close to meeting the maximum. So there really are a lot of opportunities. I don't have a clock in front of me. I'll wrap up, which is to say that I open that regional economic development plans are an opportunity for individual communities to see the opportunities and then to be able to access the training to take advantage of them. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Mr. Edjericon.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess I had one more -- a couple quick questions here if I could. In Hay River they have the Aurora Wood Pellets, and they have an arrangement with I guess that company in -- that's going to made up to look at building wood pellets, etcetera. Would you have any more information on that so you could share with us on that, or is that going to be in Minister Thompson's portfolio? Thank you.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is yet another chance for ECC and ITI to work together. Minister Thompson and I have spoken about the Aurora Wood Pellets project many times. The deputy minister will likely have the latest on that. Thank you.

Deputy minister.

Mahsi. Committee, we went through one round of ten minutes each. There are no further questions, we'll move on.

Please turn to page 229, Industry, Tourism and Investment, economic diversification and business support, operations expenditures summary, 2023-2024 Main Estimates, $18,959,000. Does committee agree?

Mahsi. Minerals and petroleum resources beginning on page 234, with information item on pages 235 and 236. Questions? Somebody's tired to raise their arm? I'm not seeing any questions in this section. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. So on 234, there's Minerals and Petroleum Resources Act implementation. In 2021-2022, the actuals, it was almost $200,000 overspent. But how much total have we actually spent on the Mineral Resources Act implementation as a government to date? Maybe to the end of the fiscal year. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, let me get back to the Member on that. The challenge I would see on that is there's going to be MARS funding. There's going to be the mineral resource -- the sort of specific line item here, and I want to make sure that we don't lose anything over the course of a few fiscal years. It's embedded work that this is what -- this is sort of where -- this is the meat of what a lot of public servants over at ITI do right now, but we'll try our best to pull the specifics of it. I'm confident I won't have that number -- and, yes, the mining recorder's office as well. So it's work that's spread out in a lot of places. There's not a single line item. We'll do our best to put something together. Thank you.

All right, mahsi. Mr. O'Reilly.

No, thanks, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I appreciate that. And it is important work, and I think we want to get it right. And in Ontario they took ten years to do this. So yeah, maybe I'll just turn to the same -- there is some line items in the contributions around this. There's a line item, Mineral Resources Act Implementation under contributions. It was $22,000 back in 2021-2022. In 2023-2024, it's anticipated to be $12,000. What's that money for and who actually gets it? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mahsi. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I believe that is probably funding that's going directly to the Indigenous governments, and I'm getting some nods around me. So that is part of the contributions to support their participation in that process. Thank you.