YELLOWKNIFE (May 15, 2012) –

Potential patrons can now visit www.nwtparks.ca – an informative and user-friendly online resource for everything to do with the NWT’s 34 parks that contains interactive maps, events calendars, photo galleries, and links to campsite bookings within a sleek, redesigned interface.

In addition, the 2012 parks season features the launch of a North Slave multi-park seasonal day-use permit, giving park users full summer access to day-use facilities at the Fred Henne, Prelude Lake, and Reid Lake campgrounds for $50.

“Our parks and campgrounds attract thousands of visitors every summer, and these initiatives reflect our continued effort to give them the best experience possible,” said Minister David Ramsay. “These improvements will enhance the NWT parks experience for all users, whether they be local residents getting away for a weekend or travelers seeking to discover and experience the beauty of our North.”

Both the North Slave multi-park seasonal day-use permit and www.nwtparks.ca were developed and implemented in response to public requests.

Continued investment in the NWT’s spectacular parks infrastructure is key to supporting and growing tourism in the NWT – a priority in the 17th Legislative Assembly’s commitment to strengthen and diversify the NWT’s economy.

For more information, contact:

Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Industry, Tourism and Investment
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-920-8696

“Our government is committed to transparency and accountability,” said Premier McLeod. “As a public government, we serve all the people of the Northwest Territories and are responsible for making sure that NWT residents are aware of the activities, initiatives and decisions their government undertakes on their behalf. These mandates will provide our residents with an important tool for understanding and evaluating our actions as a government.”

The mandates follow the priorities of the 17^th Legislative Assembly, developed by all Members immediately after the October 2011 election. Cabinet members are accountable to the rest of Cabinet and to the Legislative Assembly for the activities of their assigned departments and agencies. Decisions must uphold the public good by balancing the interests of all Northwest Territories residents.

Some of the specific mandates assigned to Ministers include:

• Negotiate a Devolution Final Agreement and develop an implementation plan for responsible management of public lands and resources in the NWT.
• Develop and coordinate the implementation of a government-wide Aboriginal engagement strategy based on the principles of respect, recognition, and responsibility.
• Reform governance of the health and social services system, and improve measurement and accountability within the system.
• Undertake consultation in support of passing a new Wildlife Act.
• Develop and implement a sustainable Mineral Strategy and Economic Development Strategy for the NWT that targets all regions and all sectors of our economy.
• Work with communities to develop a comprehensive, territory-wide Community Safety Strategy.
• Build capacity of community governments to meet their administrative and management responsibilities.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive Early Childhood Development Framework.

Work on the mandates outlined in the letters has already begun. Mandates will be reviewed regularly and updated when necessary. The government will publish a results report outlining progress on the mandates each year.

For more information, contact:

Megan Holsapple
Media Liaison
Office of the Premier and Executive Council
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 669-2302
Fax: (867) 873-0111

“Tourism is of great importance to our economy, and is one of the few industries that has the potential to drive economic growth in every region of the territory,” said Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment David Ramsay. “Tourism Week gives us an opportunity to thank our tourism operators and recognize the great service they provide to our visitors, the job opportunities they provide to our residents, and the role they play in helping us share the diverse story of the NWT with the world.”

Nearly 70,000 visitors came across NWT borders in 2011 to camp, hunt, fish, view aurora, work or experience the many unique outdoor travel experiences available to tourists.

Tourism Week usually occurs in June, and in previous years NWT Tourism has held a “Fun in the Sun Golf Tournament” to celebrate. This year’s golf tournament will be held at a later date in June at the Yellowknife Golf Course.

The GNWT is committed to supporting the tourism industry in partnership with NWT Tourism to strengthen and diversify the economy, a key priority of the 17^th Legislative Assembly.

For more information, contact:

Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Industry, Tourism and Investment
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-920-8696
E-mail: Alayna_Ward@gov.nt.ca

“I am pleased that the NWTMA and the government were able to work together to address outstanding issues and reach an agreement that is fair and reasonable,” said Dr. Peter Mcarthur, President of the NWTMA.

“The GNWT and the NWTMA worked together to achieve an agreement that is fiscally sustainable and provides stability for the delivery of health care in the Northwest Territories,” said Debbie DeLancey, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services.  “This will enable us to proceed with key elements of reform in the health and social services system.”

The agreement, which runs for four years, provides the basis for compensation for general practitioners and specialist physicians in the NWT.

For further information, please contact:

Sharilyn Alexander
Acting Deputy Minister
Department of Human Resources
Government of the Northwest Territories
(867) 873-7187

Debbie DeLancey
Deputy Minister
Department of Health and Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories
(867) 920-6173

This year’s Festival runs from May 16-27 and Amelia will screen as part of Telefilm Canada’s program, Not Short on Talent.

“Showcasing an NWT film at the renowned Cannes Film Festival just goes to show the amazing talent we have here in the Northwest Territories and the potential for the film industry here to thrive,” said Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, David Ramsay. “Everyone here at the NWT Film Commission and the GNWT wishes the cast and crew the best of luck at the Festival.”

Providing support to the arts and the film industry is a joint effort between Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE). ITI provides support to NWT businesses, including those involved in film production, through its Support to Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy, and funded a significant portion of Mr. Silke’s travel costs to attend the Cannes Film Festival.  ECE provides support to the film industry through the NWT Arts Council and Northern Film and Media Arts Contributions programs, and made a funding contribution to support this project.

“Supporting the endeavors of Northern artists working in various media is very important,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty.  “Everything they create provides a legacy of culture and a mosaic of Northern life.  For one of our filmmakers to be recognized at one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals is a credit to the skill and vision of our artists and the opportunity this provides to share these with the world.”

About the NWT Film Commission

The NWT Film Commission is focused on the development of the NWT film industry and its local productions. The Commission provides support and advice on funding options available, markets and promotes the NWT as a filming location, supports and promotes the industry through funding programs and initiatives, and maintains a Film Suppliers Guide that acts as a resource to assist film productions on location in the NWT.

For more information, contact:

Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Industry, Tourism and Investment
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-920-8696

(Date of speech: May 1, 2012.)

(Check against delivery.)

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for the invitation to join you this morning.

I am in Houston this week in my capacity as the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment for Canada’s Northwest Territories.  During my time here, I want to highlight our tremendous petroleum potential and answer any questions you may have. But before I get into that, I would like to give you a bit of background on the Territory for those of you who may be unfamiliar with it.

My home Territory – commonly abbreviated as “The NWT” – is a vast, rugged and sparsely populated part of Canada – located north of the 60^th parallel and east of Alaska.  Around this time of year, the midnight sun is beginning to return to our part of the world – and those ice roads that you hear so much about are in the process of being transformed back into beautiful pristine lakes and rivers.

The area of Canada’s Northwest Territories is nearly 520 thousand square miles – which is a region approximately twice the size of Texas but a bit smaller than Alaska.  Our population – in total – is a little over 43,000.  That is roughly 10,000 people shy of Galveston Island.

One thing we both have in common is a substantial resource base – the landscape of the Northwest Territories is the natural extension of the rich resource base that is Western Canada. Within our borders we have an abundance of economically valuable metals like: gold, uranium, tungsten, lead, silver, zinc and rare earth minerals.

Our regions are also both home to major river deltas that have, over time, deposited millions and millions of tons of sediment into our oceans. These deposits have, in turn, given us untold resource wealth.

For us the next frontier is offshore – beneath the waters of the Beaufort Sea – where we are focusing more and more on our robust offshore energy reserves.   Within its territorial waters, the Northwest Territories has resources in the Beaufort Sea which extends to the North Pole – an area that has enormous potential to supply both natural gas and oil to North America.

Based on geological analysis by both the U.S. Geological Survey and our own advisors, the Arctic waters off the Northwest Territories have the oil potential to rival the Gulf of Mexico.

It is estimated that the area north of the Arctic Circle has ninety billion barrels of undiscovered recoverable oil, over 1,600 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, and forty-four billion barrels of recoverable natural gas liquids in 25 geologically defined areas thought to have potential for petroleum.

We are now seeing new activity in this area with Chevron gathering seismic data this summer and Exxon making plans for exploration drilling in the next few years.

Our challenge as a government is to ensure these resources are developed in a manner that brings economic benefits to our residents while ensuring the protection of the environment on which so many of our people still depend for their livelihood. We must also be cognizant of the risks associated with drilling in waters hundreds of metres deep, as well as issues surrounding the formation of thick sea ice present for several months of the year.

All of us here today know all too well the devastating impact both environmentally and economically that a single incident can have.

The National Energy Board recently completed a review to help us learn how best to regulate our offshore activity. This review provided us with insight about the challenges of Arctic exploration and development.

A key requirement of the Offshore Review was is that applicants who want to drill in the Arctic offshore will need to make public their safety plans, contingency plans, emergency response plans, and their environmental protection plans.

If the company cannot provide these to the satisfaction of the NEB, they will not be allowed to drill.

We are confident with the work the National Energy Board has been doing, and support the work they will continue to do – we are also pleased with the extensive engagement with northerners that took place to produce the Arctic Review.

My government will continue to work with industry and the regulatory authorities to help ensure the successful, long-term development of our Arctic reserves. We will also encourage joint efforts to work together should any incident occur in Alaskan waters or our own.

Our offshore oil reserves will quickly find their place in the market and will become, along with Canada’s bitumen, vast new shale oil deposits, and natural gas supplied from the Mackenzie Gas Project, become yet another source of dependable energy from a friendly neighbour for this continent’s energy needs.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to any questions you may have.

“I am pleased that a tentative agreement between the NWT Teachers’ Association and the GNWT has been reached, especially in these trying economic times,” says David Reid, President of the NWT Teachers’ Association. “The NWTTA listened to what its members had to say and then worked with the employer to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement that both parties could agree to.”

“We are very pleased that an agreement has been reached,” says Sharilyn Alexander, Acting Deputy Minister of Human Resources.  “The NWT Teachers’ Association and the GNWT have worked together to develop a collective agreement that supports our employees and provides stability for the delivery of educational programs across the NWT.”

The current collective agreement between the NWT Teachers’ Association and the GNWT expires on August 31, 2012. If ratified, the new agreement will run for four years, effective September 1, 2012, and will apply to approximately 490 teachers across the NWT.

Ratification is expected to be complete by the end of May 2012.  Details of the tentative agreement will not be publicly released until the ratification process is completed.

For further information, please contact:

David Reid                                        Sharilyn Alexander
President                                           Acting Deputy Minister
NWT Teachers’ Association          Department of Human Resources, GNWT
(867) 873-8501                                (867) 873-7187

A new website aimed at attracting outside investment and business to the NWT has recently launched, and now, the French site is also available. Developed in partnership with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and the the Conseil de développement économique des Territories du Nord-Ouest (CDETNO), www.investirauxtno.com highlights the territory’s economic potential, the benefits of doing business in the Northwest Territories, and identifies prime areas for investment.

This appointment is effective as of 5pm today. All other portfolios remain the same.

For more information, contact:

Megan Holsapple
Media Liaison
Office of the Premier and Executive Council
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 669-2302
Fax: (867) 873-0111

“After our investigation, we have concluded that there was no criminal wrongdoing by the council or administration of the Town of Hay River,” said Robert C. McLeod, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. “MACA has worked directly with the town and has provided 18 recommendations. The department will continue to support the town in the implementation of these recommendations if requested.”

“I am quite satisfied with the report. It puts to bed the idea that there were wrongdoings occurring at Town Hall,” said Hay River Mayor Ken Latour. “The findings and recommendations would be typical for many municipalities. The report does not say things are broken, it says there is room for improvement, and we are aware of that. Since this investigation was initiated two months ago, we have already made many improvements, and Council, administration and I will continue on this path.  We appreciate the recommendations from MACA as well as their commitment to assisting us in implementing them.”

On February 27, 2012, Mayor Kelly Schofield resigned his position on the town council. In his resignation letter, he stated four reasons: 1) misappropriation of municipal expenditures, 2) incomplete council-directed tasks, 3) breach of confidentiality within council, and 4) lack of support by majority of council. While the last three issues are internal to the operation of the town and its council, the first was a serious allegation. Mr. Schofield then asked the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to review the conduct of the town’s council and administration.

The Minister responded by assigning MACA staff to investigate. MACA staff conducted two on-site visits and interviewed a number of people involved in the town’s operation, including town staff, the former mayor, the acting mayor and the town’s auditors. The following conclusions were reached:

At no point in the investigation did the team find any evidence that the SAO had done anything that was criminal or dishonest so that he would personally benefit from the resources of the Town. Given the team’s understanding of what has transpired over the past 18 months, the allegation that there has been “misappropriation” is not founded. What the team heard was that there was poor communication, inadequate consultation, weak inter-personal skills and lack of procedure followed. In response to this there was a general willingness from staff and Council to move forward to accept responsibility for past errors, and to seek more positive relationships.

There are eighteen recommendations in the report, focusing on addressing some of the operational issues that were discovered. The recommendations are operational in nature and range from supporting the development of the administration and council through training and professional development to updating bylaws and policies to better reflect the current circumstances of the town.  In particular, bylaws related to council procedures and procurement processes could be updated.

MACA staff were pleased by the level of cooperation they received and by the efforts they saw to improve the relationships within the administration and between the administration and the council. The department will be available to assist the town in implementing recommendations if requested.

For more information, contact:

David Maguire
Communications & Web Advisor
Municipal and Community Affairs
Government of the Northwest Territories
p. 867-920-3092