Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Members back for the continuation of the Third Session of the Legislative Assembly.

We are now into the final months of the 18^th Legislative Assembly, and Ministers and Members have been working hard together to create a better territory for our residents, one in which all people have the support and opportunities they need to be healthy and economically secure, while maintaining their connection to a sustainable and well-managed environment.

Minister of Infrastructure and Industry, Tourism and Investment, Wally Schumann issued the following statement today on the GNWT’s participation in AME Roundup last week in Vancouver:

“The Northwest Territories has world-class mineral potential that could bring economic benefits to the residents of the Northwest Territories, industry players, and Canada and we have the tools needed and are committed to responsibly managing NWT resources.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is announcing the creation of a new Wolf Harvest Incentive Area in the North Slave Region for the current winter season, effective immediately. Increased incentives will be offered for wolves harvested in this area as a way to support barren-ground caribou herd recovery and the traditional economy.

Today, the department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) announced the nomination deadline for this year’s Northwest Territories (NWT) Outstanding Volunteer Awards. This year marks the 29^th year of this award, which recognizes and celebrates the remarkable contributions volunteers make in communities across the NWT.

Residents are encouraged to nominate an elder, youth, individual, or group of volunteers in their communities. This program acknowledges individuals who donate their time to improve the quality of life for NWT residents. 

For the third-year running, Cabinet members, Indigenous governments, Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) officials, and Members of the Legislative Assembly will bring a shared vision of seeking economic opportunities through responsible development at the Association for Mineral Exploration’s (AME) Roundup in Vancouver, BC from January 28^th – 31^st, 2019 – a global mineral exploration conference.

Good afternoon and thank-you, for being here today.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Minister LeBlanc and his team to the Northwest Territories.

As Minister Leblanc mentioned, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada have a special relationship.

It is important to any jurisdiction to have good partnerships with Canada, and particularly for the NWT, your commitment to work with us to address the issues that affect Northerners are essential and we look forward to many more visits in the future.

The Government of Canada is committed to working together with provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to promote a cleaner, more reliable energy supply in rural and remote communities, reduce pollution in Canada's North and create new opportunities for social and economic development.

The Honourable Caroline Cochrane, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met with territorial education leaders on January 9, 2019 to continue discussion on improving the education system. Leaders from all regions of the Northwest Territories gathered to review progress to date and plan for future work.

In spite of grey skies and rainy days, NWT Parks continued to shine through the 2018 season. 

Led by a 122% increase in overnight stays in the Beaufort Delta, NWT Parks welcomed 36,526 visitors last year to campgrounds across the territory — an all-time record for territorial parks.

This is the fifth-straight year of increases in the use of NWT Parks.

The increases come on the heels of consecutive years of multi-million dollar investments by the GNWT and nearly $7 million in capital upgrades to parks in 2018-2019.  

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will be holding engagement sessions to gather input for possible mandatory entry-level training for new Class 1 and Class 2 drivers.

Currently, the GNWT does not have regulated training requirements for Class 1 or 2 licences.

Mandatory training could result in safer, more highly skilled drivers working in the truck and bus industries.

Four engagement sessions will be held to gather feedback: