There may very be well a nominal fee for park access, but we are in the early days on this issue. I can say that we intend to work with Parks Canada to ensure that the experience for park users is seamless, so that people can move between the territorial and federal portions without really knowing that they are doing so.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Member for the question. The Member is right: This is an important and extremely beautiful part of the Northwest Territories, truly an area worth protecting for the current and future generations of people of the Northwest Territories and Canada. The GNWT has worked collaboratively towards that goal of protection with Aboriginal governments, Parks Canada, and other stakeholders. Our aim was to develop the made-in-the-NWT solution that gave us the exposure and investment associated with the federal and national park, while at the same time allowing us to use our legislative and regulatory instruments, policies and strategies, et cetera -- for example, northern tools -- to achieve northern land management objectives. The concept of northern tools is not new. It comes from Land Use Sustainability Framework finalized during the 17th Assembly. That document outlined a vision for land use in the NWT, and I would invite all Members to review this important and well-crafted document. We’ve come a long way in a short time on our first rollout of northern tools, but much work remains. I will be looking for the support of the Assembly to continue that work and to help realize our goal in protecting this important area.

The fiscal and legal responsibility to ensure safe marine operation conditions in the Northwest Territories and across Canada is a federal responsibility. This includes dredging of the Hay River harbour to ensure safe operating conditions for all vessels with sufficient water depths to ensure safe and unobstructed passage. The Department of Transportation continues to press the federal government to maintain marine facilities in NWT. The Department of Transportation is also finalizing plans for a workshop in Hay River in mid-April with the focus on the Hay River harbour and dredging. Key stakeholders have been notified. The anticipated workshop will result in an effective dredging plan for Hay River harbour, and marine stakeholders are very interested. I expect a positive result for the Hay River harbour and the town of Hay River.

I recently met with Minister Tootoo, the federal Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, in January in Ottawa. We discussed the NWT marine issues, including dredging of the Hay River harbour. We also followed up with Minister Tootoo on a formal request for reinstatement of the federal Arctic marine resupply sites and the management program within the NWT, with emphasis on critical need for proper maintenance of the 14 federally owned and operated community marine facilities in the NWT, including the Hay River harbour. Proper maintenance is essential to safe and timely cost-effective marine resupply in NWT communities and industry.

The economic importance of the Hay River harbour to private industry, commercial fishing industry, tourism, and recreational users in the public sector, the Canadian Coast Guard and the National Defence marine supply operations will have an impact on the cost of living. Twelve communities depend on marine resupply for delivery of essential cargo; four communities depend exclusively on marine and air resupply. Fifteen per cent reduction in maximum barge loads last summer for Hay River; a significant infill and the siltation are key locations in the Hay River harbour and East Channel impacts on NTL's commercial fishing vessels and other vessels.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of Canada has legislative and regulatory authority and responsibility for marine operations and conditions. The Government of Canada is also the federal regulator responsible for safe marine operation and conditions on navigable NWT waterways, including the Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers, and the port of Hay River. The Department of Transportation’s advocacy regarding marine issues with federal departments, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard, including safe operating conditions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the economy, environment and climate change among the priorities identified by the 18th Legislative Assembly, the Government of Northwest Territories is pleased to highlight the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway construction project as a leading example of economic diversification and environmental stewardship. Since the third construction season began in early January, already more than 300 individuals are back at work on the project. Over 70 per cent of the contractors' 24-hour workforce is comprised of residents of the Beaufort Delta region and other NWT communities. The contractors' workforce peaked at over 600 employees during the busiest part of construction season in March of last year, a substantial contribution toward creating northern jobs. The project is also fulfilling the 18th Assembly's priority to foster life-long learning, skills development, training, and employability by delivering meaningful training opportunities. Already over 130 people have taken advantage of the training offered on different types of rock truck and excavator equipment using a simulator. Ten heavy equipment operators received additional training over the summer of 2015 and another 12 heavy equipment operation training opportunities are anticipated in 2016. Frontline project personnel are also receiving valuable training on practices necessary to protect water resources during highway construction through a Department of Transportation developed course called Working Near Water. Nationally accredited training in erosion and sediment control practices has also been delivered. This is in addition to the Predator Defence Training to ensure continued safety of staff on site to help minimize potential negative encounters with wildlife. Our contractor EGT Northwind is focused on hauling and placing approximately 1.4 million cubic metres of material this season to construct approximately 50 km of embankment. Work also includes installing four bridges and 19 major culverts. The contractor’s goal is to see the north and south construction spreads joined towards the end of April. We are pleased to confirm that the project remains on schedule and continues to be managed within the $299-million budget. All operations of this project are subject to continuous monitoring by regulatory agencies. The Department employs construction and operational procedures that use the best environmental practices to ensure wildlife, land, fisheries, and water resources are protected with wildlife and environmental monitors on site 24 hours a day. Staff continues tracking progress on the 286 regulatory commitments to ensure the project is delivered in a manner that addresses the concerns, expectations, and requirements of all parties involved. This is a one-of-a-kind highway infrastructure project. It's engineered to protect the region's continuous permafrost environment by adapting innovative construction methods. The Department of Transportation is organizing a science summit in April for world experts in permafrost, cold-region engineering, and northern infrastructure to see the project, watch construction, and visit two separate research-development test sites sponsored by Transport Canada's Northern Adaptation Initiative. One project constructed at Kilometre 22 will test the performance of alternative drainage structures. The goal is to find ways to minimize ineffective water drainage on highway embankments near drainage structures. A particular focus of this project is to reduce heat transfer through various types of drainage structures. The second research project, at Kilometre 82, involves building a deep-fill embankment section to assess the benefits of adding geotextile materials between successive lists of material to add stability. In addition, the embankment is instrumented with over 70 thermistor devices to monitor ground temperature. The aim is to improve highway construction methods in the future by gaining a better understanding of permafrost conditions. In addition to the science community, the construction project continues to receive attention from international audiences already planning to drive or cycle what will become Canada's only public highway to the Arctic Coast. The author of a recent feature in the New York Times' travel section wrote that during his career as an American diplomat visiting places like France, Israel, and Haiti, the Arctic expanse in Canada is the most exotic places he's been. Progress of the construction of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway is exciting to observe. Once completed, Northerners will have the contribution, fulfilling a vision of Canada's connection by road from coast to coast to coast. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have to submit the appropriations to the business plan for the upcoming fiscal year, and we're going to have those timely discussions through business plannin

The Community Access Program is not included in the appropriation funds for the first part of this fiscal year because there's no eligible expenses for applicants for work in this period of time. We'll have to talk about it in business plannin