February 16, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to provide this House and Northerners with an update on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk portion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway project.

February 16, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide an update on the Shelter Policy Review which began during the last Legislative Assembly and is now almost finished. The Shelter Policy Review was a broad based examination of housing in the Northwest Territories and was intended to provide a long-term strategic framework for housing.

Improving housing conditions is one of the key priorities of the 17^th Legislative Assembly, and completing and implementing the Shelter Policy Review was identified as a key component of advancing this priority.

February 15, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, February 20th to 24th marks Education Week. We are celebrating the academic achievements of students across the Northwest Territories and recognizing educators who support and strengthen our education system.

February 15, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, high electricity costs are a fact of life in the North and are a significant component of the cost of living for the people of the Northwest Territories. External factors like global energy prices, our remote location and lack of economies of scale all contribute to high costs in our communities. Some costs of producing and distributing electricity in the NWT can be controlled, however, and the Government of the Northwest Territories remains committed to managing these in order to keep costs for our residents as low as possible.

February 15, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurs and small business owners are a crucial part of the Northwest Territories’ economy.  They are essential to creating an economic environment that is strong and diversified providing each region with opportunities and choices.

February 14, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, Members of this House and the people of the Northwest Territories have made it clear that we need to complete a new Wildlife Act.

We need legislation that incorporates the most current tools for wildlife management. This is vital to conserving our wildlife populations for current and future generations.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has developed a process to address outstanding issues and to revise the proposed new legislation accordingly.

February 14, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, recently MLA Blake and I visited Fairbanks, Alaska, to learn about the Alaska Native Language Program. The trip had both an education and a language focus and I think we can learn a lot from their retention and revitalization strategies, and language acquisition and teaching methods. I believe these significantly complement our approaches in the Northwest Territories.

February 14, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight work this government is doing to support the mining industry. We want to ensure we have a territory where exploration and development are undertaken in a responsible manner that benefits all Northwest Territories residents.

February 13, 2012 - Mr Speaker, I am happy today to update my colleagues on the huge increases in pelt prices seen at the first wild fur auction of the year.

February 12, 2012 - Mr. Speaker, this Assembly has talked about the importance of supporting residents to be healthy, educated and free from poverty. I think most people in our territory will agree.

We need to help our children, families and communities get to a place where they feel good, can meet their own needs and contribute in a positive way to our society.