Check against delivery

Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you for having me here to deliver the keynote address. I would like to congratulate you on the election of a new Board of Directors who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday. 

With a combination of new and returning board members, you have identified a strong mix of experience and enthusiasm.  The oversight and guidance this board will provide will be a key component to the continued growth of our tourism industry over the next year.  

Mr. Speaker, the tourism industry offers enormous potential to create economic growth and diversification in our regions and communities.  

In fact, while other sectors around the world are experiencing challenges, the Northwest Territories tourism sector continues to grow.

Between 2010-2011 and 2015-2016, the number of visitors to our territory has increased from 65,000 to 93,000. Visitor spending in this timeframe has also increased from $94.1 million to $167.1 million.

Mr. Speaker, over the past two decades, caribou herds in the North have declined and are at or near historic low numbers. There are many factors contributing to this decline. Some, like climate change, are known; others we urgently need to understand better.

As Northerners, knowing what we can do to help the recovery of caribou in the North is important. ENR Regional and Headquarters staff, co-management partners and traditional user groups offer caribou education every year.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the Department of Transportation’s research and development activities into adapting our transportation infrastructure to the effects of climate change. Increasing our knowledge and better understanding how climate change affects infrastructure is the first step in developing adaptation strategies. The scientific information gathered through climate change research has already made a difference in northern infrastructure planning, design, construction and maintenance and will be a game-changer in the future. 

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories’ economy is built on mining and exploration.  Today our mining sector is the largest provider of high paying jobs and the main driver of the territorial economy.

We have committed, in our mandate, to supporting mineral exploration and the NWT mining sector with actions and investments identified in the NWT Mineral Development Strategy. 

Our goal is to realize all the benefits of our mineral resources to support ongoing prosperity for NWT residents and communities.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation is committed to working with public and private sector partners to continue to improve transportation infrastructure across the Northwest Territories under the Mandate of the 18th Legislative Assembly.

Our government strongly believes in working collaboratively with various levels of government, from Aboriginal and municipal authorities to the federal government, as well as with our private sector partners.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to update the Members of this Assembly on the status of the NWT Public Service.

The Department of Human Resources reports on the public service using various mechanisms, including the 20/20 Strategic Plan Results Reports, the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey Results, and the Public Service Annual Report, to name a few.

Mr. Speaker, the vision of a strong, healthy territory is shared by the Members of the 18^th Legislative Assembly, Northwest Territories residents, non-governmental organizations across the Northwest Territories, and by our public servants. Investing in our people through organizations such as the United Way Northwest Territories brings us closer to that vision.

On behalf of myself and my co-chair Todd Parsons, President of the Union of Northern Workers, I am pleased to announce this year’s staff payroll campaign kicked-off on Friday, October 21, 2016.

Mr. Speaker, homelessness in our communities is a critical issue that we need to address together.    Homelessness is complex and affected by many factors.  People who are homeless often have traumatic past and current lives, most struggle with mental health issues, behavioural concerns, and/or addictions that need to be addressed.  Because homelessness is complex, approaches that don’t include collaboration, or that are not sustainable don’t work.

Collaboration begins with those with lived experience, it extends to all sectors of government, and to each of us as individuals. 

Mr. Speaker, one of the commitments the Government of the Northwest Territories has made for investing in early childhood development includes improving access to and outcomes of early intervention services by continuing pilot projects in the Dehcho, Tłįchǫ and Beaufort Delta regions. I am pleased to report that the three early childhood development intervention pilot projects established as part of the GNWT’s Framework and Action Plan for Early Childhood Development are well underway.