Premier Bob McLeod issued the following statement today about the 2019-20 federal budget that was released this week:

“My reaction to the federal budget released yesterday is one of optimism. As Premier of the Northwest Territories, I am pleased to see the Government of Canada invest in the middle class, but also make good on its commitment to support the Northwest Territories and support our government in advancing some of our priorities.  

The Government of the Northwest Territoires (GNWT) has announced that three communities will get funding for Coordinators who will be responsible for working on key tourism projects.

This is part of the Community Tourism Coordinator Program — an initiative of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment designed to help communities hire and maintain individuals to develop sustainable and marketable tourism products.

The communities selected for this intake are:

The Department of Infrastructure advises that unseasonably warm temperatures are impacting roads and ice road conditions across the Northwest Territories. Here are the latest road conditions:

The Government of the Northwest Territories advises that a new vehicle pull-out has opened adjacent to the Dettah ice road.

The new pull-out is located approximately half way along the 6.3 kilometre ice road between Yellowknife and Dettah.

Residents and tourists will benefit from the pull-out by having the option of safely stopping to enjoy winter activities, such as aurora borealis viewing. 

The attached map illustrates the layout of the pull-out, as well as the location of nearby signs.

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of March 18, 2019.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about foster care and the important role that the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories has played, and will continue to play, in partnering with Child and Family Services to improve recruitment, training and support for foster families.

Foster families perform a vital service to children that must be placed in care. I want to recognize and thank all foster families from across this territory for the valuable support they provide to our children and youth.

The Government of Canada is protecting and conserving nature and wildlife, an important legacy for future generations. Together with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Conference of Management Authorities and Indigenous governments, organizations and communities, we are making progress toward the recovery and protection of boreal caribou.

YELLOWKNIFE (March 12, 2019)—The Government of the Northwest Territories has released its employee guide to support a common and consistent approach to public engagement planning, implementation and reporting.

The Public Engagement Employee Guide reflects the best practices model created by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), which is an international association that seeks to promote and improve public engagement practice. The Guide also builds on the shared expertise and experience of GNWT employees.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has been working hard to fulfill its mandate commitment to secure funding to advance planning and construction of priority transportation corridors in the Northwest Territories. This includes upgrading the winter road portions of the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road to an all-weather highway, and planning for the Slave Geological Province Corridor. Today, I am pleased to provide an update on the status of these strategic infrastructure projects.

Mr. Speaker, there have been many positive initiatives developed as we have worked to fulfill mandate commitments related to housing.  Good quality and affordable housing in our communities cannot be brought about just from the efforts of government.  We need to engage all parties that have the capability and the willingness to improve housing conditions for our residents.