Minister Wawzonek urges Territory to continue collaboration on major infrastructure projects

The NWT’s Minister of Finance and Minister of Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains, Caroline Wawzonek, shared a statement on the recent meetings held with the Major Projects Office in Calgary in relation to Prime Minister Carney’s announcement last week.

She stated that the meetings were productive, and marked an important step in advancing the NWT’s major infrastructure projects, but that now the Territory needs to make sure that it is working together so that these projects can be fully realized.

“For Northerners, we are now moving past announcements to delivery. Accelerating progress will depend on strong partnerships. Indigenous governments are central to this work and are leading in many areas. We are committed to advancing these projects in true partnership, with Indigenous governments as full partners, and ensuring they deliver clear and lasting benefits for communities across the territory.

“For Northerners, this is about lowering the cost of living, improving connections between communities, delivering cleaner and more reliable energy, and creating more opportunities here at home. The Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, and the Taltson Hydro Expansion are transformational opportunities that will help achieve this. These projects are building on years of work and are now moving ahead with real momentum.”

Wawzonek also touched on the national impact that these projects could have, saying that they could help show the strength of Canada’s arctic regions as well as boosting supply chains and uncover new opportunities in minerals and energy production.

“These are national projects on a scale not seen in generations in the North. With the support of the federal government and the Major Projects Office, and through continued collaboration among governments in the Northwest Territories, the focus now is on accelerating this work in a coordinated and efficient way.”