The diamond companies in the Slave Geologic Province have been leaders in hiring out northern employees in the N.W.T., particularly from the North Slave region. We were following very closely the announcement that Flint Energy had decided to also look at the N.W.T. in an attempt to hire skilled workers. Having worked with the diamond companies, the socio-economic agreements that the Northwest Territories has signed with them, it came up as a result of the environmental review process. Certainly, this is an area in which we are having discussions with the diamond companies, and we’re hoping to be able to work something out in the near future.

During the life of the 15th Assembly

there was much discussion in the House about the plight of the caribou throughout the N.W.T. We have pressing matters facing the 16th Assembly in

the early stages, but I’d like to again bring attention to the plight of the caribou, because I believe that we’re coming into a critical situation that needs our attention and needs some action taken quickly.

There had been much discussion regarding the caribou numbers and how we came to those numbers. Questions were asked of the government about how they came to these numbers and if traditional knowledge was used.

I’ve heard stories of hunting practices that continue to concern me. Too many caribou being killed, a lot of wasted meat — just the hind quarters being cut off — and shooting off roads and ice-roads and the highway. I do understand that caribou are a way of life to many residents of the N.W.T., and I’d never tell people not to hunt caribou. But I do ask them to show some wisdom and ensure that our grandchildren’s generation enjoys a way of life with the caribou that we’ve been fortunate enough to live through.

Mr. Speaker, harvesting caribou is part of our traditional way of life. Hunting with high-powered snowmobiles, sport hunting, hunting with trucks and hunting off the highway is not a traditional way of life. Hunting with dog teams, with snowshoes, breaking trails — now, that’s a traditional way of life. And I admit I have been just as guilty as the next guy, because I have hunted with snowmobiles; I’ve hunted off the highway. So I’m not pointing fingers at anybody.

Mr. Speaker, the caribou has sustained our people for generations. Now the caribou need our help, and we have to do what we can to ensure their survival so that our grandchildren can enjoy the way of life with the caribou that we’ve been blessed with. Let’s not hunt the caribou into a critical situation or to extinction so that all we have left to share with our grandchildren are stories and memories about the once-mighty herds across the N.W.T.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the Minister of ENR at the appropriate time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform this Assembly that the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation is establishing a new subsidiary in Ulukhaktok in partnership with the Ulukhaktok Artists’ Association.

Ulukhaktok has a longstanding tradition of excellence in the creation of arts and crafts, particularly in the area of print-making. The new subsidiary will build on the community’s existing skills by providing a facility for print-making, carving and the production of qiviut or muskox wool products and by marketing these items across Canada.

The BDIC is mandated to promote economic development and employment across the Northwest Territories, especially in the smaller communities. The subsidiary in Ulukhaktok will create two full-time positions and 60 part-time or seasonal positions in the community. For this community of 400 people, this represents a significant influx of employment.

When they met on January 31, 2008, to approve the establishment of this new subsidiary, the BDIC board of directors also appointed a board of five individuals to provide administrative leadership and guidance for the new subsidiary. They are Mr. Louie Nigiyok, from the Ulukhaktok Artist Association; Mr. Joseph Perry, also from the Ulukhaktok Artist Association; Mr. Merven Gruben, the BDIC board member from Tuktoyaktuk; Mr. Paul Komaromi, the BDIC board member from Inuvik; and Mr. Pawan Chugh, the Chief Executive Officer of the BDIC.

Mr. Speaker, as the Members of this 16th Legislative Assembly we have identified the goals and priorities that will guide our work over the next four years. One of our goals is “a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices,” We have placed a priority on supporting sustainable local economic

sectors, such as arts and crafts, and on reducing disparities between communities and regions.

The new BDIC subsidiary in Ulukhaktok will make a significant contribution to a sustainable, diversified economy in that community and also in the Inuvik region.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the support that this initiative has received from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and both the current and former Nunakput Members in this Assembly. It is their commitment, together with the work of staff at both the BDIC and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, that have allowed this project to become a reality.

I would like to pose my written question to the Minister of Housing.

1) What is the number of Inuvik clients approved

for housing programs?

2) What is the client-by-client breakdown?

3) What is the amount of money received per

client? and

4) What was the nature of the program and the

money that was approved for it?

Since the dissolution of the 15th Legislative Assembly, the community of Inuvik has had a few residents pass on, and I wanted to use my Member’s statement today to mention them and to let them know that we share in their loss.

We've lost Kendra Sittichinli, a bright young 18-year-old just a few weeks away from college, taken from us a little too soon.

Martina Malagana, Ken Stair, Willie Steffanson.

We lost John Dillon and his brother Tom Dillon; Sandy Steffanson; Elias Aviugana.

Lily Lipscomb, who believed in me and was a big supporter of mine and always had words of encouragement for me whenever I ran into her.

We lost Maurice Cardinel and Shirley Coady, and just yesterday we were informed that we lost Ed Dillon.

I just wanted to use this opportunity to extend my condolences to their families, and I wanted to let them know — and I’m sure the Members of this Assembly join me —that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

I understand and I respect the fact that we try to stay out of the private market. However, we still have an obligation to the residents of Inuvik who are being faced with this extra cost.

I’d like to ask the Premier if he would communicate with Esso and NTCL

the need to resolve this issue

without passing the extra costs on to the consumers of Inuvik. As I said before, it was pointing fingers back and forth, and that’s not my concern right now. My concern is protecting the residents of Inuvik. So would he communicate to these two companies the need to get this resolved without passing the extra costs on to the residents of Inuvik?

Mr. Speaker, I also failed to mention before that I feel for the local agent in Inuvik, who is the first point of contact for a lot of people. He has to bring this extra cost to the consumer even though it’s out of his hands, too. I felt I needed to mention that.

I’d like to direct my line of questioning today to the Premier. I’d like to ask the Premier if there’s anything that this government can do to prevent the residents of Inuvik being burdened with the extra cost of trucking the fuel up.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke on the rate increase in the NWTPC and the strain it was causing to the residents of Inuvik. I'd like to speak to another subject today that's also causing some strain to the residents of Inuvik.

We had a meeting earlier this year, and we were informed that our supply of fuel didn't make it into the community and that fuel was going to have to be trucked in. This happened a couple of times before, but what we were told at the meeting was that the cost was going to be passed on to the consumers, the residents of Inuvik, and that's where I have an issue. We heard, “It was their fault, their fault.” They're pointing fingers back and forth. The bottom line is, I don't care whose fault it is. What I care about is the costs being passed on to

the people that we represent, and that's what my main concern is in this whole thing.

The attitude of one of the two people who were blaming each other is, “If they don't like it, they don't have to live there.” We've lived there all our lives, and we're not going to move out of there because the price of fuel went up. That's a rotten attitude to have.

What I care about are the seniors that pay their own fuel that are hit with an additional cost. I have an example here, where the cost of fuel for one senior paying his own fuel went up 30 per cent in one year. That’s in addition to the 15 per cent I talked about yesterday.

I said yesterday, Mr. Speaker, they’re trying to price us out of the N.W.T., but it’s not going to happen. And I really don’t care whose fault it is. I want these outfits to resolve their issues amongst themselves and not pass the extra cost increase on to the consumer, Mr. Speaker. Again, we had nothing to do with it, yet we’re the ones who are having to pay the extra costs of trucking all this fuel in Inuvik over the Dempster Highway. I hope they have a safe trip up.

Mr. Speaker, you know, the senior who has to pay his own fuel…. It’s a burden on them, and this is a burden on the government. We have an obligation, Mr. Speaker. Even though this is all private enterprise, I believe this government has an obligation to protect the residents in Northwest Territories from situations like this. I’ve always been a big supporter of the pipeline, Mr. Speaker. But more and more I see the attitude of some of the proponents. I’m starting to wonder if that’s the right attitude to have.

Part of the review that is being undertaken…. My expectation is that we would come up with options which would entertain exactly

what the Member is putting forward. And that would be one of the options that we would look at.