Minister Ramsay's speaking notes: Sahtu Exploration Readiness ...

Sep 26 2012

(Check against delivery)

Mayor Johnson,?MLA Norman Yakeleya,?Chiefs, Presidents and Community leaders, ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon. In addition to my responsibilities as Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, I am also the Minister of Transportation.

So I would like to start with a story that has its basis ? not in oil and gas ? but in aviation.

It?s a story concerning the beginning of real air travel in the North. Specifically two planes ? both owned by Imperial Oil ? who took off from Edmonton in the fall of 1921 bound for Fort Norman (what we now know as Tulita).

They flew north ? stopping at all the main centres ? Peace River, Fort Vermillion, Hay River and Fort Providence? But when they touched down in Fort Simpson, that?s when the trouble began.
The first plane crashed on landing. The second crashed on take-off. Both ended up stuck on the ground with broken propellers. And that?s where they would have stayed until spring were it not for two carpenters from the Hudson Bay Company?s trading post in Fort Simpson who took up the challenge of fashioning a new prop made out of toboggan boards held together by moose glue.

Well, their home-made prop worked ? and that allowed Imperial Oil to get to Fort Norman and stake all of what we now recognize as one the richest and longest operating oil fields in Canada ? the Norman Wells Oil Field.

For those of you that thought that the Town of Norman Wells owed its existence to Imperial Oil, you?ll have to think again. If it hadn?t been for two carpenters employed by the Hudson Bay Company in Fort Simpson in 1921, we might not be here today!

I?m sure the details of this story have become a little hazy over time, but it is nevertheless a story that speaks to our famous northern ingenuity and our ability to adapt to and overcome challenges.

More importantly, it highlights one of the northern traits that we are all so proud of ? that Northerners, above all else, are a people who recognize and have always depended on our ability to work together.

Ladies and gentlemen, if there was ever a time to step up and embody that northern trait in the Sahtu, it would be now.

If the Canol Shale Oil play can be proven and advanced to production, the potential is immense. It?s the type of potential that we as a Government are continually seeking out, developing and trying to bring to fruition.

Potential ? that we can work to translate into jobs, investment, business growth, training opportunities, infrastructure development and growth for our communities and Aboriginal corporations.

Potential that could drive investment in another pipeline ? maybe two ? to transport both oil and gas to southern markets. Potential that could increase the feasibility of an all-weather road south from Norman Wells.

The prospect exists for this region to become one of the major economic drivers for the NWT for the next ten years.

The 17th Legislative Assembly vision, Believing in People and Building on the Strengths of Northerners, strives to maximize this kind of opportunity and potential for everyone who calls this territory their home.

It?s a reality that underpins our desire to finalize the devolution process ? once and for all ? so that the people of the NWT can benefit directly from the resource revenues it will generate and have a greater say in the decisions required to move it forward.

We were happy to have the leaders of the Sahtu re-engage directly in devolution negotiations in May. As my colleague Mr. Yakeleya noted at the time ? the best way to guide our future is to be at the table.

Acquiring the tools and resources we need to better manage our affairs will be mutually beneficial for everybody in the North. It will allow us to streamline and simplify our Government processes, increase investor confidence and ? in turn ? facilitate the investment that will generate jobs and responsible economic growth, while ensuring environmental stewardship remains paramount.

Our government has said from the beginning that we are open for business and welcome economic development, provided developments occur in a respectful, environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.

We are excited at the prospect of building a vibrant, multi-pronged economy that is environmentally responsible and inclusive of Aboriginal people. We have been actively partnering with Aboriginal governments and industry to create tangible opportunities for employment and skills development.

And we are trying to build a culture of collaboration with all of our partners and stakeholders so that together we can maximize the NWT?s potential on all fronts.

We are all here today to ensure that the Canol Shale Oil Play is understood and developed in a way that will become the new model for responsible and sustainable development, and be an economic legacy for the people of the Sahtu and Northwest Territories.

This exploration readiness session is an opportunity for planning and open discussion between industry, government, small business, community leaders and representatives of our Aboriginal organizations and corporations.

It is an opportunity to define a clear vision and understanding of our goal ? and a strong, unwavering and united commitment on which to make our next decisions.

Because in the face of potential like what exists in the Sahtu today, history has shown us that if we don?t make the decision, it will be made for us.

Last Saturday, the Washington based Food and Water Watch organization organized a protest against hydraulic fracturing in 150 cities across five continents. It gave at least one Canadian leader the occasion to say that she wants Canada to follow suit with those countries and jurisdictions that are introducing moratoriums on this type of development.

It?s a scenario that is eerily reminiscent of the recent lobbies against the Gateway pipeline project or the Alberta oil sands. A scenario that we are all too familiar with in the North? southern-based lobby efforts against sealing, trapping, wolf culls and polar bear hunts that grew exponentially until they were allowed to influence decisions concerning the future of our Northern economy.

Don?t get me wrong. I am not advocating development at all costs. But in this media driven environment, it is often the loud voices at the extremes that dominate debate. The voices in the sensible centre get drowned out. And all too often these are the voices of our own people.
The rich 100-year history of oil and gas development in this region has not only contributed to our Territory?s rich resource potential, it has become an essential part of the traditional knowledge and culture of the Dene and Metis people who live here.

They are our partners in the co-management of our natural resources.

In the Sahtu, our work is guided, in part, by the Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim ? which many of the leaders gathered here today worked so hard to shape and create.

Additionally, our government follows a formal Sustainable Development Policy that reflects our unique Northern traditions and priorities. Our approach allows us to draw on the best of both traditional and scientific knowledge to manage development and provide sound environmental monitoring and stewardship.

We recognize that the Sahtu land and its resources are a source of great potential wealth for the people of this region. But social development and economic development must go hand-in-hand. We must develop our economy if we are to develop socially and give our people the opportunity to achieve their aspirations and potential.

Not unlike flying a plane with a home-made propeller, the evolution of this region and the Northwest Territories will require a certain amount creativity and courage.

The idea behind this workshop actually came from those of you who live and work in Norman Wells and the other communities of the Sahtu ? and recognized that the increase in exploration activity could offer opportunities for businesses and individuals here.

Through our planning process, one thing has been clear. Residents of the Sahtu are ready to take the next step as active partners in the realization of this region?s great potential.

• To collectively address and look beyond the immediate challenges?
• To build on the history that is already here?
• And to embrace the prosperous and sustainable future that is so close to being in our grasps?

We talk about the potential of the North. But potential is all we will have until we take action and realize it.

If we are going to move this project forward successfully, we are going to have to take an active role in shaping it. And, we are going to have to do it together.

We can begin this week. All the resources that we need to translate the potential of the Sahtu into real and tangible investment are assembled here today.

Industry can ensure that their potential partners and staff in this region and in the NWT are clear on what is required and what opportunities will be available. Individuals and local industry can align their capacity and skills to meet these opportunities, and government can ensure that processes are in place to ensure that this happens.

We all know that a fundamental element of a sound economy starts with healthy and productive people. I understand this was discussed passionately throughout yesterday?s session, as you focused on how Sahtu residents ? and in particular ? the region?s youth, can be active participants in this development activity.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is committed to working with industry and the residents and communities of the Sahtu Region to ensure the highest level of cooperation, planning and communication possible.

We have refocused and renamed our Mackenzie Valley Petroleum Planning Office in Hay River to provide increased capacity in responding to oil and gas development in the NWT. One of the primary tasks of this office now is assist with GNWT response to the current Sahtu play.

Our regional staff are active participants on the Sahtu Regional Management Committee. Moreover, they are working closely with Sahtu businesses, land corporations and industry to help foster good working relationships and to advance exploration and development prospects at a sustainable and manageable pace.

Most importantly, we are working with industry representatives and our federal colleagues to promote an unbiased and informed understanding of shale oil development in our Assembly, our community leadership and our many stakeholders. Through workshops, information tours and publically available research, we are providing the residents of the Sahtu and the NWT with the opportunity to effectively engage in the debate and decision making about their future and the potential of shale oil development in the North.

This is a time of change in the NWT. The negotiation and settling of land claims and self-government agreements with Aboriginal peoples, the Government of Canada?s actions related to regulatory improvements, and the negotiation of the transfer of land and water responsibilities from Canada to the Government of the NWT are all occurring simultaneously. They are all necessary elements of our political coming of age.

The Canol Shale Oil development will be a trailblazing one for the NWT as we transition to increased responsibilities in relation to natural resources in our territory though Devolution.

It will be essential that we maintain a positive working relationship with Industry and amongst governments, communities, businesses and the residents of the Sahtu and affected Regions to ensure that we are positioned for a smooth transition to this broader role.

We are committed to doing this right and to ensuring that the citizens of the NWT ? and of the Sahtu in particular ? are positioned to play a major and growing role in the development of our Territory.

Thank you all for taking the time to attend today.

?

Source: http://news.exec.gov.nt.ca/minister-ramsays-speaking-notes-sahtu-exploration-readiness-session/

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