I would like to welcome all those who have travelled to be with us here in Yellowknife. I hope you are all looking forward to the rest of your conference, I know it will be a valuable learning opportunity for everyone.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has a vision of a strong, prosperous territory that provides opportunities to all our people in all our communities and regions. Achieving that vision starts with strong communities and strong community governments.

The North is Canada’s future.  Gone are the days when Canada’s wealth and prosperity was a creation of cities, with rural and remote communities often an economic afterthought.  Today, it is Canada’s so-called “remote communities” that are fueling our national economy – increasingly producing energy, and extracting the precious metals and minerals for which the entire globe is hungry.

As a former Deputy Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I understand the direct role that community governments play in the day-to-day lives of their residents. Community governments help to translate our vision into reality at the local level, managing public infrastructure, ensuring public safety and providing many programs and services that play a large part in determining the quality of life for Northwest Territories residents.

Municipal governments are the backbone of communities in the Northwest Territories and it is great to see so many representatives from across our territory here this evening. It isn’t very often that I get the chance to address this many representatives of community governments. Each of you has an important role in the developing future of the Northwest Territories.

The Government of the Northwest Territories and municipal governments have a long history of collaboration and cooperation that I hope we can continue to build on as you all take on more responsibility for providing services to your residents.

Community governments are ideally positioned to determine community priorities and identify workable local solutions. They know the needs and concerns of local residents and they know how best to meet them. Since the Government of the Northwest Territories implemented the New Deal for Community Governments in 2007 we have been working to give more control to community governments so they can address local needs with local solutions.

Throughout this process community governments across the Northwest Territories have stepped up and delivered quality services for residents. Through a number of capacity building initiatives and through ever growing responsibility municipal governments continue to mature and become more sustainable each year.

With the daily responsibilities of our jobs we can sometimes lose sight of the larger picture and the real differences we make through our work. Through gatherings like this conference we have an opportunity to take a look at the wider impacts of municipal government and collaborate and learn from others who are undertaking similar work.

The theme of this year’s Good Governance conference, “Community Ownership”, is fitting and I think it is something we can reflect on that will help guide all levels of government as we serve the residents of the Northwest Territories. Community ownership as a guiding principle can only lead to better communities and happier residents.

The idea of community ownership is an important one that will lead us towards a better quality of life. From the youth in our schools to the elders in our communities and everyone else in between, taking ownership over our communities will make them better places to live.

Community governments who take ownership of their planning and service delivery are ensuring sustainable, vibrant and safe communities for all residents. 

Taking ownership over finances, infrastructure, services, and all other areas of municipal governance is what this conference is about. As you participate in this conference over the next few days, I encourage you to think about the idea of community ownership both at the local and territorial level.

Partnership is another key theme and priority for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Just like a strong and healthy community depends on the effort and engagement of its residents, a strong and prosperous territory depends on the contributions of all Northerners. We are stronger and more successful when we work together and taking the time to come together and talk about common priorities and shared interests will help strengthen partnerships between us.

Before you are all settled into your conference workshops I would like to update you on a few areas of work the Government of the Northwest Territories is undertaking that might be of interest to municipal governments.

We all know that providing services and maintaining community infrastructure requires many things, not the least of which is money.

As you may know the Government of Canada’s Building Canada Infrastructure funding program ends in 2014. This was an important funding program that helped many communities complete infrastructure projects throughout the Northwest Territories.

Emphasizing the need for ongoing federal investment in the Northwest Territories was one of the important themes running through many of our meetings with Canada when we went to Ottawa for NWT Days last month.  We told federal Ministers, MPs and other stakeholders that investments in Northern infrastructure like housing, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Mackenzie Valley Fibreoptic Line and hydro initiatives will help make our communities stronger and more sustainable.

Our message was well received and built on the numerous meetings between Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories over the past year. We believe those efforts will be reflected when the next major infrastructure funding program is announced.

Our government is committed to working to secure a funding program that works for northern communities in a northern context, so we will keep you updated as this work continues.

Promoting devolution was another major priority for us during NWT Days. Just like community governments are better serving their residents by taking on more responsibility for local matters, our government looks forward to taking on responsibility for public lands and resources in the Northwest Territories. Our resource wealth drives the Northern economy and putting Northerners in charge of the decisions will give us control over our own economic destiny, while ensuring that development is consistent with Northern priorities and aspirations.

We are committed to negotiating a devolution deal that is good for the Northwest Territories and I am happy to report that we are making good progress. We are working on a deal that will help us unlock our resource potential, grow our economy and create new opportunities for people throughout the territory. I hope to be able to announce the details of a final agreement in the near future.

I look forward to continuing our strong partnership with community governments as the Government of the Northwest Territories makes this transition. Just as your governments work towards taking on more responsibility so must the Government of the Northwest Territories, and devolution is the path we are following to reach this goal.

I also know that strong partnerships, good collaboration, and the sharing of resources are all important to help us reach our goals both locally and as a territory. Conferences like this add to this spirit of collaboration and sharing.

I would like to thank the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories for their work in helping to oversee and provide input into the conference and their continued commitment to building relationships and an environment of cooperation between all levels of government in our territory.

I would also like to thank Minister McLeod for inviting me to speak here today and the departments of Municipal and Community Affairs and Human Resources for coordinating this learning opportunity.

Finally I would like to thank you all for your hard work and for attending this important conference which will add to the spirit of capacity building and collaboration that municipal governments are built upon. I am confident the work done here will benefit residents across our territory.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy the conference.