Another MLA has backed out of a high-profile mining conference taking place in Vancouver later this month that’s expected to cost the GNWT well over $200,000 to attend.
Kieron Testart, who represents Kam Lake, announced his decision not to travel to B.C. through social media on Wednesday.
He said the absence of two other MLAs from the standing committee on economic development and environment – which originally planned to attend the conference – factored into his decision.
“We didn’t have a sufficient amount of committee members to organize for the event, so the meetings were cancelled,” said Testart. “I felt that without the standing committee having a formal role in the Roundup, that it wasn’t the best use of my time.”
Testart said he’d hoped to scrutinize the government’s spending of public dollars on the event and “make sure it’s good value for money.”
The committee also hoped to learn from industry experts about generating investment in NWT mining and planned to produce a report on the trip that would be tabled in the legislative assembly, he said.
“Now individual members of the committee may choose to go and I look forward to hearing back from them,” said Testart. “It’s possible that we can still get the gist of the Roundup conference and bring that back to committee, but I was really hoping that we’d be able to go and produce a report.”
Yellowknife MLAs Kevin O’Reilly and Cory Vanthuyne will not be attending the event either.
O’Reilly told Yellowknifer earlier this month he felt he didn’t need to go to the Vancouver conference because he’s learned enough about the NWT mining industry from the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum.
“I’m also concerned about … cabinet and a number of staff going and the value of that sort of trip,” said O’Reilly. “I think our cabinet needs to focus more efforts on other forms of economic development and helping to diversify our economy.”
Vanthuyne, who chairs the standing committee, said earlier this week he would no longer be able to attend the conference.
“We have committee meetings starting next week,” he said. “We’re probably just going to have a talk about what the expectations might be of the remaining committee members that are going to go, now that it appears that three of our committee (members) aren’t going and our committee staff now is not going.”
Herb Nakimayak, MLA for Nunakput, said Thursday he was undecided about whether to attend the event. Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely and Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson did not return requests for comment by press time.
“It would have been a really great opportunity for us, as a committee, to be able to go there for the right reasons and be able to do work on behalf of committee instead of, say, under the banner of government,” said Vanthuyne.
If they choose to go now, it will be an opportunity to show support, teach people about the NWT and network, he said.
It’s expected to cost $7,301.68 to send the remaining three MLAs from the standing committee to AME Roundup 2018, if they choose to go, said Danielle Mager, public affairs manager at the legislative assembly.
GWNT departments have confirmed six cabinet ministers, four staff from the Department of Lands, 16 staff from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment and 14 Indigenous representatives will be attending the conference.
The Department of Infrastructure is expected to attend, but was unable to provide estimates before press time.
If only three MLAs participate, the estimated cost of the trip would be at least $227,401.68.
The GNWT spent $195,684.56 to send all seven ministers, 24 staff, 14 Indigenous representatives, Vanthuyne and the NWT Chamber of Mines to the conference in 2017.
This year’s final costs will be determined after the conference, which runs from Jan. 22 to 25.