A combined $40 million in funding from the federal and territorial governments will go toward environmental reviews for a major infrastructure project to spur investment in the mineral sector.

NWT MP Michael McLeod announced at the legislative assembly on Wednesday a federal contribution of $30 million toward a regulatory review of a future all-season road planned through the Slave Geological Province Corridor SA国际影视传媒� a resource-rich region on the eastern border of the NWT and western border of Nunavut.

The GNWT will provide the remaining $10 million.

McLeod said that the federal infrastructure investment will make it less costly to do business in the region.

SA国际影视传媒�(The corridor will) boost economic development by reducing the operating costs of existing mines as well as resource extraction exploration and development," McLeod said. "(It will) also be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.SA国际影视传媒�

The planned road SA国际影视传媒� a two-lane gravel route through 413 km within the corridor SA国际影视传媒� will include hydro and communications aimed at making the region more accessible to industry.

Timelines as to when, or if, the project will ever be completed are to be determined following the reviews.

In a news release, the GNWT Department of Infrastructure stated that a road project through the corridor will incentivize resource development, and further assist the expansion of Taltson River hydroelectricity dam SA国际影视传媒� another major infrastructure project in the works.

Speaking to reporters, Wally Schumman, GNWT Minister of Infrastructure said it will be SA国际影视传媒渁 number of yearsSA国际影视传媒� before the project is determined to be SA国际影视传媒渁 go or not.SA国际影视传媒�

He said moving the Slave Geological Province project forward has been a longtime goal of his stretching back to before he was first elected in 2015.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I decided to run for MLA this was very top of mind for me,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

The returns on the project will be a significant contributor to national economic growth, he added.

SA国际影视传媒淎s we're a resource-based jurisdiction where up to 30 per cent of our GDP comes from minerals, ... this investment doesn't only impact northerners and benefits to us,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

The development could represent "billions of dollars if not hundreds of billions," he said.

SA国际影视传媒淭his is important not just to us, but everybody.SA国际影视传媒� Schumann said.

Following the environmental review, the road project is expected to cost $1.1 billion.

Bathurst Caribou impacts

Schumman said concerns over the infrastructure project cleaving through key and adversely affecting Bathurst Caribou ground will be be addressed through the environmental reviews.

He added that studying the impacts on the herd SA国际影视传媒� which had its population count drop by half in last year's count SA国际影视传媒� would be SA国际影视传媒渇ront and centre of what we have to do to get this thing through the regulatory process.SA国际影视传媒�

Since 2015, the Bathurst herd has halved from 20,000 animals to 8,200.