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• Good morning


• I appreciate the opportunity to talk to the committee today. I’d like to speak to you about our government’s vision for the Northwest Territories and how that vision can be achieved through environmentally sustainable economic development, including the development of alternative energy resources. I’d also like to speak to you about the need for strategic investments in our infrastructure, the ongoing devolution negotiations between our governments and the importance of an effective and efficient regulatory system.


• Our Legislative Assembly has a vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous NWT.


• The wording we use may be different, but our Legislative Assembly’s goals mirror those in Canada’s Northern Strategy.


• Our government wants a territory where Northerners make decisions about the things that affect us, where a strong economy provides the resources we need to pay for our plans, look after our land and care for our citizens, and where our environment is protected for future generations.


• We have an ambitious agenda that will see us develop our resource wealth responsibly to build healthy, sustainable communities.


• We are determined to strengthen and diversify our economy, create employment opportunities for our people and address the pressing social challenges facing many in our communities.


• Developing our economy has to be done in the context of our Sustainable Development Policy. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes that environmental conservation is essential to long-term economic prosperity. Natural resources in the Northwest Territories need to be developed in a sustainable way that creates ongoing benefits for our residents and ensures our environment is protected now and for the future.


• To become a prosperous, self-sufficient territory, we need devolution finalized, a clear post-devolution relationship with Canada, regulatory improvements and infrastructure investments.


• As many of you are aware, the Northwest Territories is home to vast natural resources including oil, gas, diamonds and other rare minerals.


• Development of many of these resources is a costly proposition primarily due to the lack of infrastructure and the high costs of energy in our Territory. We have the potential to fuel nation-building projects that will have great benefits north and south of 60, but we cannot do it alone. Federal support is essential to turn this promise into a reality.


• The Northwest Territories also has a huge potential for development of alternative energy sources including biomass, solar, geothermal and hydro.


• The NWT’s rivers and lakes harbour an estimated 11,000 Megawatts of hydroelectric power.  They have the capacity to generate electricity on the scale of James Bay or Churchill Falls.


• Harnessing this power would decrease Northern reliance on diesel fuel, reducing the costs of living and doing business in the North.  The availability of hydropower is a key driver in attracting industrial scale projects. It would also help Canada to reach its greenhouse gas reduction goals.


• Other alternative energy sources that we are looking at developing with the participation of communities and industry include biomass, solar and geothermal.


• Wood pellet boilers are being used for heating many public buildings, businesses and private homes. We are also looking at the development of an NWT wood pellet mill with local First Nations to capitalize on our abundant forest resources and meet growing territorial demand.


• We recently opened the largest solar energy system north of 60 in Fort Simpson. The system is tied into the community’s power grid and will reduce carbon emissions by 44.5 tonnes a year. We are finalizing a solar strategy that aims at 10 percent penetration of solar energy in the next five years through other installations tied into our current power grid.


• I’ve already mentioned two of the major challenges facing development here – the lack of infrastructure and the high cost of energy.


• The NWT is on the brink of unprecedented economic opportunities that depend on strategic investments in infrastructure. However, aging infrastructure, increasing development pressures and climate change impacts are contributing to an escalating infrastructure deficit in the NWT – estimated at $3 billion over the next five years in the public sector alone.


• Access to the Territory’s wealth of resources is currently restricted by the NWT’s transportation limitations.  The long-promised road to resources is needed now.


• Strategic investments in technological infrastructure would capitalize on our unique geographic advantages and open up a world of new economic possibilities in the NWT.  There’s a proven market for a fibre-optic link that would further attract high-tech industries while enabling Northern governments to diversify local economies and reduce the costs of delivering services.


• Sustainable community infrastructure is critical not only to the economy but also to the health and welfare of our residents. Strong, modern public infrastructure is a precondition to creating a stronger economy, a cleaner environment and more prosperous, safer communities – something that cannot be achieved in the NWT without federal support.


• Finalizing a devolution agreement is vital to the long-term success of our territory.  It will empower us to capitalize on our Territory’s resource wealth so we can grow our economy and fund programs and services in all of our communities. Once completed, devolution will give us the authority to make decisions every other province and territory, other than Nunavut, are at liberty to make.


• Devolution will provide the people of the NWT a greater role in resource development, with a more accountable, accessible and responsive government making important decisions with respect to lands and resources.


• Along with additional fiscal capacity, devolution will equip us with valuable regulatory tools. We share Canada’s goal of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the NWT regulatory system. We know how important it is that the regulatory regime supports economic development, while protecting the environment, by providing certainty to industry.


• Completing the devolution agreement is an urgent priority for our government. Not only will it provide the people of the NWT a greater say in resource management, devolution offers the promise of much-needed resource revenues. Every day we are unable to utilize the proceeds from resource developments means we cannot invest in much needed infrastructure and in programs and services for our residents. We are counting on federal negotiators to honour the agreed-upon timetable so we can move forward quickly on this file.


• While the NWT may be remote from much of southern Canada, what happens in the North has a direct bearing on the lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Our Territory is on the front lines of climate change and is already experiencing dramatic changes with implications for all Canadians.


• The Arctic’s unique ecosystem is critical to the health of the planet. The decisions we make and actions we take to protect the environment and enable communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place around them are good not just for residents of the NWT but for all Canadians and people the world over.


• Northerners have special contributions to make to climate change adaptation, with our traditional knowledge of the land and the Arctic environment.  We are leaders in co-managing northern resources and the environment with the NWT’s Aboriginal governments. We have worked with them on the development of a new Wildlife Act that will give us the legislative tools to continue to jointly manage our wildlife sustainable. We are also working with Aboriginal governments in the negotiation of transboundary water management agreements that will help preserve and protect northern water.


• Marrying traditional knowledge with leading edge science – another area where NWT residents can play a role – may not only help to identify how best to adapt to changing conditions. It could create new economic opportunities in a world seeking environmental solutions.


• A continued partnership approach, to both research and climate change adaptation programs, is essential to both our governments.


• The NWT and Canada each have much to gain from developing the full potential of our territory. From investments in infrastructure, completion of devolution, regulatory improvement, climate change adaptation planning and progress on nation-building energy projects, it is in our mutual interest to continue to work together for the benefit of Northerners and all Canadians.


• Thank you.