Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a role in a number of areas. We have climate change. We have wildlife. We have other things that we're looking at, water, so I'm sure that would be something that we are looking into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time, we don't have any money to put towards what the Member is asking, but we can sit down with the leadership. We are planning a trip into the Sahtu in the near future, so I would look forward to sitting down with the Member and discussing the possibilities of discussing that with the leadership.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Bear River Bridge is a very important part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway application to the New Building Canada Plan. To single out Bear River Bridge as a standalone project is a little premature at this time. It's something that can be submitted, possibly, if the federal government comes back with a request for shovel-ready projects, but at this point it's submitted as part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway which is a bigger and larger process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The department is working closely with the federal government on funding of submissions for the NWT under the New Building Canada Plan to fund new road projects. A detailed business case was submitted to Canada in August 2015, requesting funding to begin construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells. We are still awaiting a response from the federal government regarding this request. In addition, the GNWT submitted a proposal for the Tlicho all-weather road to the P3 Canada Fund for round 7 of funding consideration. We were informed that the project was screened in. At this time, we are working to provide any additional details that our federal counterparts may require as we await final decision on this project. The departments of Transportation and Finance continue to work on P3 business case's assessment to determine optimal routing for increasing access to the Slave Geological Province. Planning work underway includes detailed road analysis and cost estimates, and will provide information so that we can maximize long-term opportunities for Northerners.

“Connecting Us,” the department's transportation strategy, identifies the long-term plans for the transportation system, so that the system can support and enable economic development. The strategy identifies three strategic transportation corridors because of the benefits that construction of all-weather roads in these regions will have on NWT residents and long-term economic stability. The Mackenzie Valley Highway will connect several communities to the public highway system, providing transportation efficiencies that will result in a reduced cost of living for residents. The highway will also provide access to a vast wealth of petroleum reserves in the region which could be tapped into to boost and diversify the NWT economy. Replacing the existing winter road would help us adapt to the pressures of climate change, which are reducing the window of access into the Mackenzie Valley. The Tlicho all-season road would also improve access to communities in the region, resulting in lower cost of living. The road will support future development of the NICO-based mineral project and encourage further investment in the region. Lastly, the Slave Geological Province continues to be a major contributor to the NWT economy. Providing all-weather access into this region would help the NWT reach its full potential by supporting further mine development projects.

NWT's transportation strategy identifies three priority transportation corridors which the department is making an effort to advance. The first one is the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the second is the Tlicho all-weather road, and improved access to the Slave Geological Province.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation is committed to addressing NWT's infrastructure deficit and improving the level of services provided by the NWT transportation system. The department has recently released a 25-year transportation strategy entitled “Connecting Us,” which will guide the actions, and maintain and improve existing infrastructure, expand the highway system to better connect communities and support economic development, and modernize transportation programs and policies to improve service delivery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Weke'ezhii Renewable Resource Board has started public meetings on this process, starting tomorrow, I will have to take the Member's question on notice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to be clear, there will be areas where industrial activities will not be permitted within the park. Our research, however, has helped to ensure that areas of high mineral potential have been excluded and it will allow some industrial activities to take place. This too is part of the balance approach offered by northern tools. Beyond this the possibility, more importantly, the creation of this area also allows us to diversify the economy by opening up an entirely new industry, the conservation economy, with focus on tourism and recreational activities.