Debates of Nov. 26th, 2021

This is page numbers 3095 - 3130 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library.

The word of the day was know .

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

GNWT COVID-19 health and social services update

Fibre Optic Line

Fort Smith Airport

Student Busing in Hay River

Fuel Prices in Nunakput Region

Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Staffing shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Chief Jimmy Bruneau School

Critical Minerals

Nursing Shortage

Eulogy for Raymond Deneyoua

Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Impacts of Covid-19 on Vaccination Policies

Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Critical Minerals Action Plan

Chief Jimmy Bruneau School Project

Hay River Student Busing

Fort Smith Airport

Slave Geological Province Regional Study and Bathurst Caribou Herd

Staffing at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Staff Satisfaction Survey and Accreditation Survey

Tabled Document 488-19(2): Plain Language

Summary of Bill 40:

An Act to Amend the Medical Profession Act

Tabled Document 489-19(2): Inuvialuit Water Board Annual Report April 1, 2020 - March 31st, 2021 Tabled Document 490-19(2): The Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund Financial Statements for the Year Ended March 31, 2021 Tabled Document 491-19(2): NWT 9-1-1 Annual Report 2020-2021

Move Committee Reports 17-19(2), 18-19(2), and 19-19(2) into Committee of the Whole

Bill 40:

An Act to Amend the Medical Professional Act

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Members Present

Hon. Diane Archie , Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Mr. Bonnetrouge , Hon. Paulie Chinna , Ms. Cleveland , Hon. Caroline Cochrane , Hon. Julie Green , Mr. Jacobson , Mr. Johnson , Ms. Martselos , Ms. Nokleby , Mr. O'Reilly , Ms. Semmler , Hon. R.J. Simpson , Mr. Rocky Simpson , Hon. Shane Thompson , Hon. Caroline Wawzonek . Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

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---Prayer

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Page 3095

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier .

Ministers' Statements

Minister's Statement 183-19(2):

GNWT COVID-19 Response and COVID Secretariat Activities

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Page 3095

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, the health and well-being of the Northwest Territories and residents has been our number one priority. Today, we are slowly emerging from the worst outbreak of COVID-19 our territory experienced. At one point, the NWT had the highest number of active COVID-19 infections per capita in Canada. However, through collaboration and partnership between GNWT departments and authorities, community governments, and Indigenous government partners, we have been able to support residents and communities in need.

ProtectNWT is responsible for many of the measures put in place to minimize the risks to residents, including managing 8-1-1 phone lines, self-isolation plans, and the various exemptions for employers and employees. At the start of the outbreak in August there was a backlog in self-isolation plan review and delays in getting through on the phone. Mr. Speaker, the team at ProtectNWT worked diligently to improve response times and the recent launch of a new self-isolation plan process and technology update will ensure we continue to make life easier for residents by processing and responding to submissions in a timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, since mid-August the secretariat has hosted those who are medically advised to self-isolate in our isolation centres in regional hub communities. There were challenges, including finding suitable isolation arrangements for people from the underhoused community. In these instances, we worked with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authorities to offer additional wraparound supports.

During other outbreaks in small communities, the efforts of communities to provide isolation supports for those requiring these arrangements is to be commended. Isolation spaces have provided a valuable service for residents that would otherwise have no other place to safely isolate. Providing this space has lowered our collective risk of ongoing community transmission of COVID-19 infections in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat continues to operate our border checkpoints providing necessary information to residents returning to the Northwest Territories, helping to ensure that residents understand and are following the self-isolation guidance.

Our compliance and enforcement officers have provided support to residents, community governments, and leadership in the response to community outbreaks. The team does more than just enforce compliance with public health orders; they have also been on the front lines educating the public on their obligations under the public health orders.

The educational approach, whether it was passing out flyers or one-on-one conversations, has helped to increase knowledge and compliance with the requirements to keep us safe.

Similar to other remote communities that experienced an outbreak, in Tuktoyaktuk, compliance and enforcement officers are on the ground supporting the public health orders. Teams are in the community to ensure public health orders are understood by community members to increase the level of safety and reduce the risk of continued spread of COVID-19. The focus on education has helped keep residents safe throughout the pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, as we look to the future, we can see a time where the pandemic winds down and risks of COVID-19 will become further minimized due to a high national vaccination rate as well as a successful immunization program here at home in the Northwest Territories. It is at that time that we will begin to shift our focus from a pandemic to an endemic response. This response to COVID-19 will likely require a significantly scaled down version of the Secretariat to manage and respond to the virus efficiently and effectively. Functions that may continue to operate include:

an 811 call centre to respond to COVID-related questions from the public;

compliance and enforcement to provide support during local community outbreaks;.

continued coordination of communications in support of outbreak response and public safety;

logistics to rapidly respond to outbreaks and provide isolation facilities; and,

policy support to assist in the development of public health orders and other policy measures.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to providing these services, as long as is needed, to ensure our residents remain safe and we can minimize the risk of future COVID-19 infections and outbreaks.

Mr. Speaker, Northerners should be proud, proud of our collective response to the pandemic. It has not been easy. Our territory has come a long way since the first infection of COVID-19 was announced inside our borders on March 20th, 2020. It's important we all continue to do our part and continue to follow the public health orders so we can stay as healthy as possible navigating this public health emergency to its end. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3095

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier . Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services .

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Minister's Statement 184-19(2): GNWT COVID-19 health and social services update

Ministers' Statements

Page 3095

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two years since the first COVID-19 cases emerged in China and rapidly spread throughout the world. Throughout the course of this pandemic, we have faced many challenges yet we have been able to adapt quickly and respond when and where needed as we continue to learn about this disease.

Vaccination has been an essential part of our COVID response. In June, we released Emerging Wisely 2021, a road map with specific vaccination targets that allow for the safe and measured easing of restrictions. This plan is based on data and in the early part of summer 2021, the data allowed us to reduce or eliminate self-isolation requirements for NWT residents based on their vaccination status.

We continue to work in collaboration with Indigenous and community governments to implement vaccination campaigns at the territorial, regional, and community levels. Through this collaboration, and by providing additional community vaccine clinics, 81 percent of the NWT population 12 years and older is now fully vaccinated. We have also had good uptake on third doses or booster shots for eligible residents over 18.

This summer, Canada, and many other countries around the world, experienced a rapid rise in the Delta Variant, a more infectious variant of COVID-19. Due to increased travel in August, as well as larger gatherings taking place across the territory, the NWT began to see surges of COVID infections in some communities.

And I just want to mention, Mr. Speaker, that there is now another new variant, a South African based variant, that is on the move and we expect announcements regarding the response to this variant from the federal government today.

The Sahtu region was the first to experience large scale outbreaks with community transmission. Surges followed in Behchoko, Whati, Yellowknife, N'dilo, Dettah, Hay River and K'atl'odeeche First Nation. To contain these outbreaks, the Chief Public Health Officer placed temporary restrictions on gatherings. By following the temporary measures and public health recommendations, case counts in these communities came down, and public health measures were lifted.

We know the measures were challenging, and I want to commend residents and local leadership for their commitment to following the orders and advice.

I also want to commend the healthcare system which was quick to mobilize increasing testing clinic hours and redeploying staff to affected communities to support contact tracing and care for those infected. Due to staff shortages, we asked for and received additional staffing support from the federal government and the Canadian Red Cross.

These outbreaks, including most recently in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik, combined with the fact that the seven-day average of daily new cases in Canada remains over 1000, means that Emerging Wisely 2021 is still on pause. The Chief Public Health Officer is watching case counts here and across the country to assess the risk of importing COVID to the NWT via travel.

Mr. Speaker, to improve early detection of COVID-19 and to help reduce the spread, we have implemented two new programs.

The COVID-19 at-home student screening program, which launched last month, detects early infection among asymptomatic children, that is children without symptoms, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The program is being offered in 13 schools across the territory, including schools in Yellowknife, Behchoko, Hay River, Inuvik, N'dilo, Dettah, and Tuktoyaktuk. These schools were selected because they are among the largest or most vulnerable to outbreak centres and high housing density.

Over 1000 tests have been completed by student volunteers as of November 16th. We are grateful to the families who have volunteered to take

part in this program. It helped in the early identification and containment of COVID-19 cases among students at the East Three Elementary School in Inuvik. And it is our hope that additional schools may be added in the future.

The second program DetectNWT, also implemented last month, provides an option for businesses and organizations to apply for rapid antigen tests, allowing them to run their own COVID-19 screening programs. Priority is being given to those who work in high-risk settings and workplaces, essential services, sectors that support economic and social activities, and to those who work with vulnerable populations. Over 40 businesses and organizations are taking

part in this program to date. And this program is available to any business in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, as we have seen over the past few months, the COVID situation can change dramatically at any time. This is why an NWT-wide Mandatory Face Mask Requirement and Gathering Order continues to be in effect this winter. Under the gathering order, for non-essential businesses and organizations, gatherings are limited to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors. Businesses and organizations may increase these limits by applying to vary from the public health requirements. This measure requires applicants to implement a proof of vaccination program in order to increase their gathering capacity.

Residents attending the gathering or entering the business or organization's space have to be fully vaccinated. To date, over 340 requests to implement the proof of vaccination program have been approved. And once again, this is a territory-wide initiative.

Mr. Speaker, the surge in cases in communities across the territory, along with the public health orders issued to address these outbreaks, have not been easy for anyone. This is especially true for health care professionals across the NWT who have been working tirelessly as part of our COVID-19 response. Other parts of the healthcare system have felt the strain from COVID as well As staff have been redeployed and shuffled around to assist where they are needed, everyone has had to adjust and adapt. I thank our nurses, doctors, technicians, administrators, and all the healthcare workers in the NWT for their dedication and commitment to keeping us all healthy and safe.

To do our part, we as residents must continue to follow public health measures and get vaccinated. I encourage anyone over 18, who was vaccinated six months ago or longer, to get a COVID-19 booster shot. Booster shots give our immune system a boost and provide greater protection against COVID-19.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, the federal government has recently approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children over the age of five, and we are beginning our vaccination campaign for this age group today. We know that schools are high risk environments for the spread of COVID. Vaccinating school-aged children is vital to protecting them from the virus and to protecting others in their household, family, and community.

This important step in our COVID response will help to keep children safe and will help to ensure schools remain open for in-person learning in the Northwest Territories. It will also protect the capacity of our health system and ensure it remains available for everyone who needs it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake .

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Members' Statements

Page 3096

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly speaks frequently of the need for fundamental change to how our government does business, most notably in how we care for one another. This work is progressing through government renewal, pushes for holistic reviews of income security, and medical travel, and a call for a shift to client-focused trauma-informed wraparound integrated service delivery. This kind of change doesn't get your name on your bridge or a building but is necessary for a prosperous NWT that closes gaps, is equitable, and readies us for growth.

To effectively care for Northerners, we need a balanced system that sustainably supports both social programs and services and innovative business development.

During our 2019 election, over 400 businesses identified five key pillars to strengthen northern business, grow our population and contribute to long term NWT prosperity and coined it "vote growth". Fibre redundancy was one of those five pillars.

Mr. Speaker, we live in a digital age where business and care supports rely on internet access. COVID has further expanded our broadband reliance in education, health care, and access to public health, and therefore, safety information.

Yellowknife serves over half the territory with only one fibre line and no redundancy. A one day outage in Yellowknife is said to result in an estimated GDP loss of $4.75 million and much more in missed health appointments and educational opportunities.

2019's vote growth asked the GNWT to fund and build redundant fibre lines by December 31, 2021. While completing this project in the next 35 days is not possible, yesterday Deton Cho announced its intention to pursue public funding for an Indigenous-owned submarine fibre line under Great Slave Lake. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with Northwestel to collaborate on the fibre project and bring greater telecommunications resiliency to nine communities in the Great Slave Lake region.

The new fibre loop would provide added protection to services in nine NWT communities: Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Hay River, Fort Providence, Behchoko, Whati, Dettah, N'dilo and Yellowknife. But while both entities committed to significant financial resources, they require public sector funding to make this work, Mr. Speaker.

This is a great news story for the whole territory, and I look forward to speaking with the Minister of Finance about achieving this milestone through an Indigenous-led partnership that results in Indigenous-owned infrastructure. Thank you.

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Fibre Optic Line

Members' Statements

Page 3096

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake . Members' statements. Member for Thebacha .

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Fort Smith Airport

Members' Statements

Page 3096

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to speak today about a familiar issue, which is the Fort Smith airport runway width. The last time I spoke about this I brought forward a petition that was signed by 550 people and the entire elected leadership of Fort Smith, all of whom support my position in advocating for the reinstatement of the airport's runway's former width.

Mr. Speaker, one thing that's very frustrating about this whole issue is hearing our government rationalize for making this move. I had a discussion with the parties at all levels about this issue, and something just does not add up with what I'm hearing from Northwestern Air Lease, the Department of Infrastructure, and even from our Member of Parliament.

Our government has said time and time again that it did not receive direction from the federal government to change the width of the Fort Smith airport runway. That argument, however, is somewhat misleading because our government has repeatedly pointed to the Transport Canada TP312 Aerodrome Standards and Recommended Practices as the reason for the runway changes. These standards are part of Canada's aviation regulations which helps identify runway requirements for airports across Canada.

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada is a department of the federal government and when they change or alter any aviation standards or regulations, it's federal law that all airports must comply with those new standards. I don't know what I'm missing, Mr. Speaker. Does that not constitute a federal directive of our government to act upon?

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Fort Smith airport runway surface still remains at 60 meters in width. All that changed is the placement of new lights along the runway which has created and artificially narrower airport than before. Maintenance costs remain the same.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted .

Mr. Speaker, proper consultation was not done with the community of Fort Smith on this airport runway width change. The people of my community remain upset for how these changes were done. We feel that the government was not upfront with the intended changes that were to occur to the airport runway. I still believe that our government ought to reinstate the airport runway width to its former specifications. Logical, reasonable, and common sense decisions, are they possible with this department and this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Fort Smith Airport

Members' Statements

Page 3096

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha . Members' statements. Member for Hay River South .

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Student Busing in Hay River

Members' Statements

Page 3096

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to raise the issue of student busing. As you may be aware, student busing was suspended in Hay River for the first month of this year, school year.

Mr. Speaker, it was unfortunate how the cancellation of busing materialized. What it did was create a possibility that some students would have no means of transportation to get to school. This forced the Minister of Education to conduct an investigation as to whether or not the decision by the Hay River DEA to suspend busing was a sound one.

Mr. Speaker, the decision by the Hay River District Education Council was cited by the investigator as political. This -- the decision failed to consider the student transportation regulations and lacked community consultation.

Mr. Speaker, the Hay River DEA referenced a lack of funding for their decision, and there is no doubt in my mind that due to the drop in student enrolment over the years that the Hay River DEA is underfunded when it comes to student busing. However, we have legislation in place that provides the DEA and the DEC with authority to offer or not offer student busing, and we also have a set of criteria that must be considered when reaching such a decision.

Mr. Speaker, regardless of the funding issue, the student transportation regulations sets out specific criteria when assessing whether or not busing should be provided. These regulations appear to have been ignored otherwise the decision by the DEA would have been to -- would not have been to cancel busing.

It was fortunate that the DEA and the DEC were able to find 400,000 which allowed busing to restart.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of busing not only impacts the community of Hay River but from what I hear, also communities such as Inuvik are grappling with the issue as well. It may be time to rethink how busing is managed. It may be that the department needs to remove it from the DEA's and the DEC's authority and operate as part of the department's overall infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, busing is an integral part to student learning. Without it, many students may not make it to school - something we want to avoid. I do not want the DEA to have to go through this every year as it puts stress on students, parents, the busing contractor, and DEA members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Student Busing in Hay River

Members' Statements

Page 3097

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South . Members' statements. Member for Nunakput .

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Fuel Prices in Nunakput Region

Members' Statements

Page 3097

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about cost of living in my riding and the cost of fuel that's going up. Everywhere across the NWT we know this means the cost of living is going to be going up when the fuel is essential. Fuel transportation is to heat our homes, to hunt.

Mr. Speaker, we need fuel. And Mr. Speaker, we need the fuel prices. When it gets bad in the southern markets we know it's just a matter of time before it comes north.

Three out of four of my communities in my riding have fuel set by our Government of the Northwest Territories. As September 27th, 2021, gasoline prices set by the GNWT for Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, and Sachs Harbour were $1.94, $1.95, $1.93 respectively. Mr. Speaker, these prices are nearly fifty cents more than at the gas pumps here in Yellowknife. Even compared to last year, gasoline in Sachs Harbour was 17 cents cheaper. These prices are limiting the ability to my constituents to go out on the land, to hunt, to fish, to feed their family, to travel, and to keep their homes warm.

Every cent in increase of the price of fuel, Mr. Speaker, has a serious, negative effects to the people of Nunakput.

Mr. Speaker, already we face the high cost of living in our communities. We have the highest cost in the Northwest Territories. We need our government to respond to the rising cost of living to the residents of Nunakput, Mr. Speaker. They need to address the cost of fuel, is a good place to start. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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Fuel Prices in Nunakput Region

Members' Statements

Page 3097

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput . Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Members' Statements

Page 3097

Rylund Johnson

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to echo some of the comments made by my colleague from Kam Lake of the importance of fibre redundancy. Even before COVID, we all know the world was quickly moving online but I think, as we have seen with any emergency, access to the internet is essential for communication and the continued efforts of essential services.

Mr. Speaker, right now if there's a forest fire or some idiot shoots the fibre line, we run out of internet. The creation of a fibre redundancy loop allows us, and the communities around the lake, to have a secondary point of access. As already noted, a single day of losing access to internet results in a $4.7 million loss of GDP.

Mr. Speaker, many of us who have stood up in this Chamber have asked for better internet services. We know that our government owns the Mackenzie Valley fibre link, just yesterday we passed money to extend it to Tuktoyaktuk. There's lots of great work to be done by our government but more importantly now, we have Det'on Cho and Northwestel working together with a MOU to build their own Indigenous-owned fibre line.

Mr. Speaker, we have some expertise. We've created P3s. We know how to get some money out of the federal government in this area. Really all I'm asking is for a nice political win here, and I'll have questions for the Minister of Finance whether we can get all the parties together and work together to create that fibre redundancy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Members' Statements

Page 3097

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North . Members' statements. Member for Great Slave .

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Staffing shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Members' Statements

Page 3097

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

MS. NOKLEBY : Mr. Speaker, I'm tired. It's been a very long and exhausting week with serious debates in the House that have taken a lot out of me and my colleagues. Last night, after an extended sitting in the Ledge, I was looking forward to heading home, snuggling in with my cats, and putting on some escapist TV to help myself unwind. However this is not how my evenings seem to go these days. Rather, my evenings are spent speaking with constituents and residents over the impending staffing crisis at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

This week in the House, I have tried to ask questions of the Health Minister as to how we've found ourselves in this situation, referencing questions I sent her in the spring asking what the department was doing to address the increasing burnout of nursing staff I was hearing about. Fast forward seven months, and those concerns and the warning I raised have now come to fruition.

The Minister indicated this was something that could not have been prevented, citing high wages and requests for vacation as the reason our OBS ward was being shut down, disrupting numerous families across the territory.

I ask, how could this be a surprise, or not preventable, given healthcare staffing was something we discussed over two years ago and felt was an important enough issue to include it in our priorities as an Assembly.

Healthcare workers have told me of survey fatigue and a lack of faith that any further surveys will have any effect on their working conditions. Conditions that include an increased workload due to COVID, that they no longer have the opportunity to take any breaks while on shift, or even have time to take a sip of water. An issue I may add is further compounded by the ridiculous requirement that the containers used meet a certain specification. I have to ask myself, with my knowledge of cronyism in the North, is someone's relative out there who sells these bottles and they are getting a cut? Or Otherwise I can't see any rationale for treating our professional staff like children.

Issues at Stanton have been long in the making, transferring right along with the staff into the new building - preferential treatment of locums, a toxic workplace and management, and inadequate staffing long predate COVID which is a favourite excuse for this Cabinet when they fail to perform.

Now is the time for this government to take action and do what is right by our healthcare staff and for the people of this territory, and stop making excuses for their inaction. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of HR as I am hoping that I will actually get some answers today.

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Staffing shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Members' Statements

Page 3097

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave . Members' statements. Member for Monfwi .

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Chief Jimmy Bruneau School

Members' Statements

Page 3097

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, Chief Jimmy Bruneau school was built in Edzo without consultation. It was built based on what they thought was good for the people.

Mr. Speaker, it is good to hear that there is a commitment between the Government of the Northwest Territories and Tlicho government to work together on this important project. It is good to know regular working group meeting will be happening. And it is important that the leadership are informed. If the new school is built in Behchoko, it will be closer to the families and this will help with attendance. The learning outcome will improve. This will also allow the Elders to share their language and culture in the school. It will support the culture and language ensuring the Tlicho children, or any students that are attending school there, are strong like two people.

Mr. Speaker, this school is a great opportunity. It will help develop skills that are greatly needed in Tlicho regions. It will help with trades and local business opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, apprenticeships are good but you need a job. Introduction to trades like program offered at Aurora College, such as carpentry, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and many more are all important and greatly needed. I will have a question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on this later. Thank you.

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Chief Jimmy Bruneau School

Members' Statements

Page 3098

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi . Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake .

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Critical Minerals

Members' Statements

Page 3098

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Critical minerals are essential components of many new technologies, from low-greenhouse gas energy sources to electric vehicles to advances in sectors such as medicines, electronics, aerospace and defence. Canada and the NWT possess reserves of critical minerals.

I participated in a critical minerals workshop held by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment on November 9, 2021. This was a virtual workshop with about 60 participants, most of whom were GNWT employees or mining industry representatives. No civil society organizations appear to have been invited. The stated purpose of the workshop was to advance critical minerals.

Canada released a list of critical minerals on March 29, 2021 and the NWT has deposits of about half of those minerals. Several projects are in advanced stages of development, including Nechalacho, Prairie Creek, and the NICO deposit. The NWT has a good reputation from the ESG perspective. ESG means environment, social and governance factors that help identify material risks and growth opportunities for investors.

There was a lot of discussion around communications and public perceptions, marketing and potential partnerships. Objectives can conflict, though, as well. For example, economic development versus reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Nechalacho may serve as a good example but we also need to admit the mistakes of the past. A number of other themes were raised including:

Whether we can mine our way out of the climate crisis;

The need for a more inclusive process with other stakeholders and interests at the table;

The duty to consult and free, prior and informed consent as required in the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

Issues of equity around women's participation in mining;

Working with neighboring regions; and,

How the NWT can better compete and attract investment.

Although it was requested, it is not clear whether there will be a workshop report. Further public engagement needs to be clarified. I'll have questions for the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Investment later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Critical Minerals

Members' Statements

Page 3098

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake . Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes .

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Nursing Shortage

Members' Statements

Page 3098

Lesa Semmler

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I look back into my past Members' statements and one of the things when I was campaigning and one of the things that I stand for is to assist in the hiring and practices of and increasing our healthcare providers. It actually became one of our 19 priorities in this House.

I'm going to read one of my statements from June 3rd. Mr. Speaker, the nurses are core to our NWT healthcare system. Without nurses, we would have no one in the communities, no one to care for our patients in our hospitals, no one to provide nursing care for our Elders, no one to assist our new mothers, no one to provide health education to our youth in many communities, as well as many other things they do. Unfortunately, that they are not treated the same. There is a nursing shortage in the country, and yes, it's hard to attract people to the North due to the cost of living. Nurses are essential.

What does this mean, Mr. Speaker? It means that when there a pandemic and the entire territory gets to stay home, they have to continue to work. Nothing has changed for them. It means that if working in a hospital in the NWT and they wish to request time off, if there's no one to cover their shifts, they do not get time off. Mr. Speaker, we absolutely could not function in our healthcare system without them.

On May 29th, 2020, I also talked about the crisis of the healthcare hiring practices, and I directed those to the Minister of Finance with HR questions. You know, at this point we're two years into it. I've been raising the issue. I fought hard to make sure that that became a priority and here we are today, now, with this closure of the obstetrics.

We don't know -- the Minister said yesterday that there is no further closures but how do we know that? With the crisis that we're in and the nurses that are leaving, the nurses that have reached out to myself and said they're just on the edge of leaving and changing careers, this is a crisis. Our people are at risk in the Northwest Territories if we don't deal with this issue now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Nursing Shortage

Members' Statements

Page 3098

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes . Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh .

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Eulogy for Raymond Deneyoua

Members' Statements

Page 3098

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Raymond Deneyoua was born on November 17th, 1955 and passed away on August 21st, 2021 after a long battle with his illness. Raymond was 65 years old.

Raymond was one of eleven children to Denise and Baptiste Deneyoua. Even though Raymond never married, he was a forever loving brother, uncle, and cousin. He was about adventure, travel and work, but he still had unconditional love for all his family and friends.

Raymond was a caring, passionate, loving, good spirited, patient, great worker, and an outstanding person.

Raymond had a great respect for the land and knew about the traditional ways to use the land and hunt. Even with his sickness, you could see him outdoors and always saying this is the best, this so great to be outside. It would help his spirit and body.

Raymond will be greatly missed and will be remembered by his family, friends, and many people who knew him. He left us with priceless memories which we will cherish in our hearts.

The family would like to express their gratitude for all the community's kindness and generosity at their time of grief. Special thanks to Father McLean for his spiritual leadership and guidance during this difficult time. As well, thank you to the Fort Simpson medical staff for all their help during this difficult time. He will be sadly missed, Mr. Speaker.

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Eulogy for Raymond Deneyoua

Members' Statements

Page 3098

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh . Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha .

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us when the Department of Infrastructure received Transport Canada's new TP312 Aerodromes Standards and Recommended Practices. And once received, how long did it take for the decision to be made to shorten the width of the Fort Smith airport runway? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha . Minister responsible for Infrastructure .

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department regularly reviews our airport infrastructure received Transport Canada's new TP312 aerodromes standards and recommendations.

The department regularly reviews our airport infrastructure and sizes -- infrastructure to meet our current and future regulatory and operational needs. When the departments submitted the application for the lighting replacement funding, it considered the process to determine the appropriate size of the runway infrastructure along with other changes to meet current and future needs using the new standards which came out in September 2015.

Included in this was the engagement with Northwestern Air Lease, WestJet, First Air, NAV Canada, Department of National Defence, Northern Air Transportation. So this process required approximately ten months of review, engagement, and planning. So narrowing the width of the runway has not changed the level of service at the airport in which continue to meet federal regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if any other NWT airports were changed or altered because of Transport Canada's new Aerodrome Standards and Recommendations Practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, we have changed multiple airports to meet the Aerodrome Standards and Recommendation Practices when we have to undertake airport projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister give us an exact dollar figure as to the number of dollars saved in operation and maintenance costs because of a shorter Fort Smith airport runway width compared to its former specifications. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3098

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the current runway allows for more experienced snow clearing, including both the runway itself as well as outside the runway surfaces. So this would include approximately $10 million in savings for paving surfaces. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha .

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister reconsider and take ownership for a bad decision and place the lights back to its original location and fill the gaps in the runway before the new surface overlay is initiated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the decision was a good decision. Returning the runway to a width of 60 meters would require significant investment to construct and maintain as well as the additional cost to relocate the upgraded airfield lighting system. Therefore, the expenditure of public funds to return the runway to the former width specifications is unnecessary. The Department of Infrastructure has no plans to do so at this time.

The improvements to this runway have positioned the department to maintain this important infrastructure effectively and efficiently while reducing operating and maintenance costs. The decision positioned the department to receive valuable funding to overlay the existing pavement surfaces. So we will be doing some work this year at the Fort Smith airport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 810-19(2) Fort Smith Airport

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions, Member of Yellowknife North .

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Oral Question 811-19(2): Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Rylund Johnson

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my statement, the GNWT already owns and operates one fibre line with Northwestel. Just this week, we spent $6 million to extend that fibre line. And, you know, considering this press release came out yesterday, I'm not going to ask the Minister for a few more million dollars today. I'll give her the weekend before doing that.

I have one question for the Minister of Finance here. Is the Minister of Finance willing to meet with Det'on Cho and Northwestel and see if there is a path forward to some public funding for fibre redundancy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 811-19(2): Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North . Minister responsible for Finance .

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Oral Question 811-19(2): Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can do better than a 'yes', I can say that we've already done that. So, and I'm happy to continue those meetings, Mr. Speaker. I'm not totally surprised at the announcement that came yesterday. We don't necessarily always know but I certainly had a sense that that might be a direction that these parties might be going. I was thrilled to see it. I think that's a good move for the Northwest Territories. I am excited to see what will come with it and always happy to know if there's an opportunity for the government to participate in projects such as this one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 811-19(2): Fibre Optic Line Redundancy

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel in our communities really affecting our people. I really would like to see if our government would be committing to cap fuel prices and increases in our communities because we used to get it at Edmonton rack price so you'd be a year out and it wouldn't really affect. But now that I think they're buying their fuel somewhere else and being shipped around over the top, it might be costing a bit more, I don't know. But is it available -- or are they willing to work to cap the prices for the coastal communities of Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Paulatuk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput . Minister responsible for Infrastructure .

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, indeed the cost of petroleum products has risen greatly across the country and in the Northwest Territories and remote communities are very much affected. Gasoline prices have gone up across Canada on average of 41 cents per liter over the past year. Diesel fuel prices have risen more than 42 cents per liter. And furnace oil prices for consumers have gone up more than 44 cents per liter. Canadians across this country are paying as much as 50 percent more compared to last year.

The department manages the cost of operations to try and limit the rise of prices for consumer but when the cost of fuel products we buy rises, the price of consumer goes up. Unfortunately Northwest Territories is not protected from the impact of national and global fuel price increases. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Ulukhaktok's gas price is $1.94. Sachs Harbour $1.95. Paulatuk, $1.93 -- or $1.34. Mr. Speaker, this is 50 cents more than anywhere across, like you go in Yellowknife it's 50 cents more back home. People got to live, trying to survive. I mean, not everybody has government jobs back home. We need to try to protect our constituents, Mr. Speaker, in regards to that. MTS I don't think is a make-profit company because it's owned by the GNWT which I think all that contract that they did get for north warning system, they should be sharing the wealth of it.

So in regards to that, I think that something like this, this small for three communities for subsidy, our fly-in/fly-out community, they should be subsidized a bit and it should be looked at. Is the Minister willing to do, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department cannot subsidize fuel prices sold to consumers through this program. The subsidization is not permitted under the rules of the program. The entire program runs on a cost-recovery basis. Each liter of fuel that is sold includes the cost to purchase the fuel from wholesalers, the cost to transport the fuel to the communities, and the cost of commission to two local contractors who sell the fuel. The reason for the rise in the price of fuel lately is because it does cost us more to buy the fuel from the suppliers. This is extremely unfortunate but it is -- it's not something that the department can affect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with MTS, I mean, with all they're buying bulk fuel. Where are they buying their bulk fuel from. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know. I could get back to the Member on exactly where we're buying the fuel from. Thank you.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput .

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bet it's pretty cheap fuel they're buying. So in regards to, because they're buying so much. When you buy that much you get a price, you know, decrease in the price because you're buying bulk. Is it possible, like, the Minister just to look into it to find out. I want to have a breakdown of where the cost is affected in the cost that they're giving it to the communities and if it's possible to get that in writing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I thought I heard the Member say, you know, asking the Minister if she can look into that and absolutely, that's something I can do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral question 812-19(2): Cost of fuel in nunakput region

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South .

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Oral Question 813-19(2): Impacts of Covid-19 on Vaccination Policies

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to follow up on my questions earlier this week on the impacts of COVID vaccination policies on employees and contractors who may be unvaccinated if they're working for the GNWT in areas that are under federal regulation. I have additional questions for the Minister of Infrastructure .

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell this Assembly what the impacts of federal and territorial COVID vaccination policies will be on employees, contractors, and users of the marine service ferries. Thank you.

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Oral Question 813-19(2): Impacts of Covid-19 on Vaccination Policies

Oral Questions

Page 3099

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South . Minister responsible for Infrastructure .

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Oral Question 813-19(2): Impacts of Covid-19 on Vaccination Policies

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for his questions for further clarification and I hope that, you know, the line of questions actually provide clarification and information for his constituents.

So the GNWT ferries are federally regulated but do not meet the criteria established by Transport Canada. Current federal regulations apply only to vessels that have over 12 staff members onboard the vessel. Currently the GNWT ferry employees and contractors have to follow the GNWT COVID policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 813-19(2): Impacts of Covid-19 on Vaccination Policies

Oral Questions

Page 3099

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the airports division, can the Minister please tell this Assembly what the impacts of federal and territorial COVID vaccination policies will be on employees and contractors at the Yellowknife gateway airport, the regional airports in the larger centres and the smaller community aerodromes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3099

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's our understanding that the federal vaccination requirement currently impacts only the Yellowknife airport. It is an evolving process and we continue to seek clarification and understanding of the regulations at our community airports and ferries. Nonetheless, all operations continue to be subject to GNWT requirements. Effective November 15th, 2021, all federally regulated employees, contractors, and other entities at the Yellowknife airport are required to be vaccinated. The federal policy does not allow for accommodations such as wearing PPE and submit to testing.

It is anticipated that Transport Canada will announce rules that apply to remote airports. All airports in the Northwest Territories, other than YZF, once they complete consultation and engagements with remote communities and Indigenous governments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3099

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, barging is very important to the economy and well-being of the NWT. Particularly in Hay River, the community that I, along with the Member for Hay River North , represent. Can the Minister tell this Assembly how the crews working on the tugs and barges will be impacted by federal and territorial COVID vaccination policies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ORC has developed an internal policy adhering to the requirements of Transport Canada. Only vaccinated employees will be hired. This covers all three unions - PSAC, SEY and Guild.

Effective November 30th, only vaccinated personnel will be hired for the next shipping season. Southern workers are required to board an airplane. Based on the information gained from the 2021 season, Mr. Speaker, over 90 percent of ORC hires are double vaccinated. Northern workers are required to be vaccinated to gain access to our facilities.

Based on information gained from the 2021 season, like I said we have 90 percent that are double vaccinated. So Mr. Speaker, that's really good news because we've got a lot of work to do in the next sailing season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South .

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Page 3100

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And prior to my question, I would just like to ask, you know, people in the NWT that aren't vaccinated to consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible. You know, it will save a lot of headaches for them and allow them to, you know, get on with life in some way.

So, and for the question, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us what the impact on employees and contractors working at the MTS shipyard yard in Hay River will be if they are not vaccinated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, based on the federal regulation requirement, unvaccinated employees will not be hired. This affects northern and southern hires equally.

I do want to add, Mr. Speaker, that COVID-19 has greatly affected our lives, our work, and our activities. Getting fully vaccinated as soon as possible is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, the people around you, and help us to get back to a life more like we remember before the pandemic began. Vaccination gives us all an added layer of protection against the virus and helps build our community immunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you Minister. Oral questions. Member of Great Slave .

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Oral Question 814-19(2): Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Oral Questions

Page 3100

Katrina Nokleby

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for HR. How can the Minister reassure staff at Stanton that it is worthwhile to participate in the current workplace survey being undertaken given the inaction of the government to act on them in the past. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you Member for Great Slave . Minister responsible for Finance .

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Oral Question 814-19(2): Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

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Page 3100

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Employee Engagement Satisfaction Survey is actually done roughly every two years, and it was postponed when there was collective bargaining back in 2018 and then postponed with COVID-19 so it is actually a regularly done survey.

As for what has been done with it in the past, this is the first one that's coming to me so I can't speak to what may or may not have happened to it in the past, but it's the first one that I'm going to see. And Mr. Speaker, Minister Green and myself have met already before the current crisis facing the obstetrics unit. We have met about what to do to support -- better support the morale of the healthcare profession in the Northwest Territories. This survey was raised to me as one of the tools that we're going to have so am I very keen to see what's in it. I do encourage the staff to fill it out.

And I do really want to promise that we're going to do best to act on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

Katrina Nokleby

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Minister's commitment to look at that and she knows I'll be holding her accountable if nothing comes of it, so.

My next question is what action is the Minister and her staff going to take to ensure that there is enough staffing at the hospital such that workers are free to take their earned leave without guilt, keeping in mind that payouts are not the solution as the nature of the work requires adequate time to recuperate given the trauma that is involved with the work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 814-19(2): Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

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Page 3100

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that any public servant right now who is tired and exhausted and stressed is not going to stop taking the leave that they need to take. The fact that we're in a crisis right now in terms of the numbers of staffing at Stanton Hospital is not the fault of the staff and I do want them to continue to take their leave. They need to take their leave. The crisis we're in started long before this month and long before last month and, frankly, probably as a result of the fact that people are burnt out and they do need their time. So this is not the fault of staff.

We do want to take responsibility here as the government for it, both myself and Minister Green are looking at this. Again, the Department of Finance is responsible for recruitment. We've seen good success on recruitment in this fall. We've had a number of hires. They just haven't been hired, just some of the critical spots that we needed to prevent what's going on in the obstetrics unit. But there is good results coming of those hires right now.

So we're going to continue doing that work continue getting ourselves out there, continue promoting the Northwest Territories as a place to come and start your career and continuing with the graduates out of Aurora College where, again, tremendous results in terms of hiring there.

But, you know, beyond that, Mr. Speaker, there is always more to do. And I have actually been asking in the last few days what other steps we could take with staffing on the human resources side to make sure we're providing the supports to the authority on looking at, you know, who's doing what roles, who's doing what positions, are there maybe other options that can be used to support the folks that are doing the frontline health work. So again, those are things being looked at actively in the moment. We're going to keep working on it until we find a solution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

Katrina Nokleby

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for her thoughtful answer. It's very important for the staff to be hearing from Cabinet that they take responsibility for what's going to on and that there's action that's going to happen.

My next question is what is the department going to do to compensate workers financially for the increased hazard of their work due to COVID as other jurisdictions have? Will this financial compensation be retroactive? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 814-19(2): Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

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Page 3100

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I have enough responsibility but. But, Mr. Speaker, so various forms of this question have been asked I think through the week and, again, I want to ensure colleagues in the room, but particularly the public service, that we do take it very seriously -- well, two things we take very seriously is first of all the collective agreement and our relationship with the union, which means whatever we're doing in this front certainly needs to involve engagement with the union before we make any policy changes or any proposed changes that would impact on those processes which are so important to us.

We've also been doing jurisdictional scans so we are looking at what's happening in other jurisdictions. We do continue to be the second highest paid jurisdiction for a lot of our healthcare staff. Money isn't necessarily everything and sometimes the situation that we're in can certainly change what's going on in terms of the kind of financing or financial supports people will need.

So we're doing those scans, we're looking at what where we're at, we want to be competitive, and we also want to send some positive messages to our staff. So we are, right now, in real time, looking at whether there's some alternatives but as I have said, there are few things that we need to consider Mr. Speaker, and so that's part of the process we're going through now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave .

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Page 3100

Katrina Nokleby

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a little tip for Cabinet - stop saying that the highest wages are being paid in Canada when we have the highest cost of living. Thank you.

Number 4, will the Minister provide details about where the federal money was spent that was intended for frontline workers during COVID. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 814-19(2): Nursing Shortage at Stanton Territorial Hospital

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Page 3100

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the COVID money that was received from the federal government wasn't necessarily allocated for employees or staffing or specific to, you know, hazard pay or anything of the sort. There was a number of different very specific pots that we received funding under. I mean, this is what helped pay for our waste water sampling program. This is what helped pay for isolation centre costs. And we've certainly reported on those costs throughout the course of the pandemic.

I will commit to getting another update to the House on where the costs have been incurred and on the different funding pools that we have been able to draw from. And so we'll make sure to put that before the House. I would expect we could probably get that before this session's over or soon thereafter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3100

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

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Oral Question 815-19(2): Critical Minerals Action Plan

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Page 3100

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment . I want to thank her for the invitation that I got to the recent critical minerals workshop. I noted that the workshop was even mentioned in the Premier 's sessional statement. Can the ITI commit to producing a public report from that workshop. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 815-19(2): Critical Minerals Action Plan

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake . Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment .

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Page 3101

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am more than thrilled to speak about this. It's a topic that, you know, a little over a year ago when I took over this portfolio, critical minerals, although a huge issue in the world, wasn't necessarily being talked about with the same vigor as it is now here in the territories so I am thrilled to say that we had this workshop. I am very pleased that the Member was able to attend. And most definitely there will be a "what we heard" report.

I am happy we got to the place of having a workshop with such a variety of attendees. But that's just -- that's really just the first step. So there's definitely going to be a "what we heard" report and it's most certainly going to be public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 815-19(2): Critical Minerals Action Plan

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Page 3101

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Minister's kind of anticipated my next question which although I specifically asked about a workshop report, not a "what we heard" report but I'll leave that to her. I can confirm that it was an interesting event but the participants came from a fairly narrow range of interests and perspectives. Can the Minister tell us what the next steps are in developing a Northwest Territories critical minerals action plan and how the public will be engaged. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3101

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, this -- whether it's a 'what we heard' or a workshop report, I sometimes don't like to get stuck in the semantics. We're going to have a report of the workshop. We're going to get it out to the public. It's going to outline some of the ideas that we heard from NRCan, Canada, the Government of Alberta, CanNor, the Tlicho government, Det'on Cho, the University of Alberta, Lakehead University, so very much looking forward to getting that out. And, yeah, most certainly.

Again, whatever type of title we give this report, that's meant to be a guide so we ultimately have an action plan so that we are positioned in the Northwest Territories to take advantage of the critical minerals ups -- you know, rising that's happening across the world because we have a lot of those critical minerals here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3101

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that but I was hoping for a few more steps in the public engagement. There's probably no doubt that critical minerals could play a positive contribution to greener energy technology to assist with the climate crisis but more work is needed on whether these minerals are the only or best solution. One of the questions at the workshop was whether we could mine our way out of the climate crisis. So I want to ask the Minister, can the Minister tell us what work has been done by this government as to whether we can mine our way out of the climate crisis. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 815-19(2): Critical Minerals Action Plan

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Page 3101

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has not suggested that we're going to mine our way out of the climate crisis.

In fact the responsibility for climate change, that the climate change action plan sits with my colleague behind me but all of the departments, the LNR department, Lands and Natural Resources and ITI, we are working together collectively to see what opportunities we have to be part of adapting to climate change, responding to climate change, and that's really where the critical minerals part fits in for us, is that it's an opportunity for the Northwest Territories to not only be on the front lines of the impacts of climate change, we can be on the front lines of helping the entire world see change in terms of how we are responding to the climate crisis.

The production of minerals - graphite, cobalt, lithium - these are minerals that are going to be seriously needed in order to meet a lot of the demand for the technologies and that's really the thrust of where we're at now, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 815-19(2): Critical Minerals Action Plan

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake .

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Page 3101

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I think that the analysis of what contribution critical minerals can play in the climate crisis is essential before we head down a path of providing incentives, subsidies, or concessions. Can the Minister tell us whether there's been a thorough analysis of any subsidies or concessions for critical mineral development now or when and how that work will be carried out? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3101

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I mean, one of the major first steps of course of having that workshop, bringing folks together, and now developing and working through the creation of a form of an action plan with public engagement throughout that process. It's certainly been my practice to ask that we continue to go back out to public, to stakeholders, to interested parties throughout many and most -- if not most or all of the files I'm certainly responsible for. This will be no different.

When we're doing that, that's the time to be asking what analyses are necessary, what steps can be taken, and frankly hopefully to be leveraging the work that's happening in academics, leveraging the work that's happening in the private sector. Maybe not everything has to be done and paid for by the government but maybe we're there to help enable that work and to take average of the work that's already happening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi .

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Oral Question 816-19(2): Chief Jimmy Bruneau School Project

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Page 3101

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize that a regular working group has been established to move forward with the Chief Jimmy Bruneau school project. Can the Minister commit to keeping myself, Tlicho leaders, informed on the status and the results of regular working group meetings. Thank you.

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi . Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment .

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Page 3101

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Yes, Mr. Speaker, absolutely, I will commit to that, thank you.

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Page 3101

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Mahsi. Mahsi, thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, the development of the community around the school is important. We need to ensure the families and elders is close to school so children learn and develop pride in their language and culture. Can the Minister commit to work with Municipal and Community Affairs for planning and development of lands in Behchoko. Thank you.

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Page 3101

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The exact process that's involved with building a school in a community, I can't say that I am overly familiar with how ECE works with Infrastructure who works with MACA who works with Lands, it's very operational. But whatever we need to do to ensure a successful project, I am committed to doing that. Thank you.

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Page 3101

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, white collar jobs are not for everyone. In Tlicho region and across the NWT, we need people trained in trades. If residents have trade skills, we can take care of ourselves. We can build homes, build infrastructure, fix machinery, keep the lights on and water running. Therefore, can the Minister commit to ensure introductory to trades program are central focus for Education, Culture and Employment? Thank you.

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Page 3101

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I agree with the Member, skilled tradespeople are key to the economic success and prosperity in the Northwest Territories. So I've heard a lot about the need for additional trades programming and giving high school students and younger students even more access to the trades, more opportunities. And so our curriculum review and our Education Act modernization have, through the engagements we've heard a lot about that, and so going forward that will be a focus. I can't commit to offering certain programs in certain schools.

Of course the education bodies definitely have a say in what's offered and how it's offered, but I can assure the Member that there is a keen interest at all levels from everyone who is involved with the education system to enhance access to trades and gives students more opportunities to get into trades. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 816-19(2): Chief Jimmy Bruneau School Project

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi .

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Page 3101

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Okay. Can the Minister commit to working with local businesses and schools to develop skills for employment and for employment opportunities for youth after high school. Thank you.

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Page 3101

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, that's one of the things that ECE does. We do have the number of programs that try to connect employers with student so students can actually gain experience while they're in school. We are rolling out career and education counsellors to help connect employers with students and figure out -- and help students figure out what they need to get to the careers they want. So that's exactly the type of work that we are undertaking at this moment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South .

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

Oral Questions

Page 3101

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I have questions for the Minister of Education . Mr. Speaker, Hay River was fortunate to have busing restored this school year. We can go back and forth pointing fingers but it's best to learn from what went wrong and how to avoid those mistakes in the future. Our decisions must not take away from what works but to make what works better.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if the $400,000 the DEA received from the DEC can be used for busing in future years or does that $400,000 have to be spent this fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3101

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South . Minister responsible for ECE .

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Member is speaking about one of the issues we spoke about in the summer when we were in this House, whether or not there would be money for bussing. And at that time, I was of the mind that there would be more than enough money for busing because I knew what was in the bank. And as it turns out, the projected deficit of nearly a million dollars was actually a surplus of nearly a million dollars, so there was more than enough money for busing. And the DEA's share of that is somewhere around $400,000. We do have a surplus retention policy.

We do want schools to actually spend money on education and not squirrel it away in the bank, but I do, as Minister, have the opportunity to allow DEAs to put money aside if they want to save up for future expenditures such as busing. So yes, those funds I would allow the DEA to put aside and use in future years.

I just want to point out as well, Mr. Speaker, that this has been a longstanding issue, bus funding in Hay River. A few years back there was a review of student transportation that was done. As a result of that, in the year -- in the fiscal 2018-2019, there was an increase to student transportation funding of $800,000 in the territory. That's around the same time that this surplus retention policy came into effect. And since then, every year since then there has been more than enough money for busing. The problem is that the money comes after the budgets are set.

The DEAs are not allocated those funds until they already have their budget and they've made decisions about busing and then, you know, come September, October, November, they find out there's actually a few hundred thousand dollars they can use for busing, so. That's really the heart of the issue. It's not the lack of funding. It's just the process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one request I hear raised by many who cannot afford the busing fees put in place by the DEA is can this government do away with the busing fees for students. If we ever expect NWT students to be at par with their southern counterparts, then we must do everything we can to give them a leg up. Additional fees is not one of them.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if his department is willing to consider doing away with student busing fees, not only in Hay River but throughout the NWT, by taking that option out of the Education Act and regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everything's on the table right now when we're looking at modernizing the Education Act . Any changes we make to the regulations have to be done in consultation with the education bodies. So it's not something that I can just do on my own. That being said, I think it's important to get rid of as many barriers as we can to students getting education. And so ensuring that students can access transportation when they need to is one of my priorities and whether that is an elimination of fees or whether that is a system where income is taken into consideration, I'm looking at those options for this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister, in order to resolve the issue of whether there would be busing in Hay River, had to take the unordinary step of conducting an investigation where it was stated that the Hay River DEA made a difficult decision on student transportation on the premise that it had no other option. And the report went on to say in doing so, the Hay River DEA failed to meet its legal and procedural obligations in making policy under the transportation of students regulations and delivered a decision that fails to meet the standard of reasonableness.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister, in light of the overall report and conclusions by the investigator on whether or not the Hay River DEA fulfilled its duties under the Education Act and regulations as it pertains to student busing, what changes, if any, will be made so this does not happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3102

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the fact that it came to this investigation is a symptom of some of the issues we have in the education system. The ambiguity in the Education Act, the massive responsibilities that local DEAs have without the appropriate, I guess, clerical and administrative support to carry out those responsibilities. And so I knew there were these issues coming in to this Assembly and that's why I said, since day one, that this busing issues is one of my priorities and I want to address it before we are done here.

So I am going to take steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again. And that includes working in collaboration with the DEA. I've spoken with the chair and I've let him know that nearly $400,000 that the DEA received can in fact, I'm willing to let them use that in future years in order to ensure that busing services are available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South .

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Oral Question 817-19(2): Hay River Student Busing

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Page 3102

Rocky Simpson

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government talks about reconciliation. Our communities talk about reconciliation. However, when I review the legislation concerning the makeup of Hay River District Educational Council, there is no requirement to ensure diversity. Hay River has a number of Indigenous governments but these governments have no seats allocated to them on the education board while our neighbors in Fort Smith have seats set aside for Members appointed by the town, by Salt River First Nation, and the Fort Smith Metis Council.

I believe if we would have some diversity, this busing issue would have been addressed in accordance with the student busing regulations and we probably would have found money a lot sooner.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister consider exploring the option, in consultation with the First Nations-Metis Government Council and the Town of Hay River, an arrangement similar to Fort Smith to ensure diversity on the Hay River District Education Authority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3102

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with all things education, we're governed by the Education Act and I believe it is

section 86 that allows for petition to the Minister to make those types of changes. The petition would require either 50 percent of the adult population in a community, or 50 adults in that community, whichever is less. So it's a relatively low bar for somewhere like Hay River. If there's a petition with 50 signatures to make these types of changes, then that can be considered, and I'm sure the clerk's office would help the Member put together a petition in no time.

I'm sure that he could get those signatures probably before the end of this sitting, because I know that there's a lot appetites to make those types of changes. But that being said, we all have to get along and we all have to work together so we would ensure that the DEA, as well as those organizations that the Member mentioned, that we're all on the same page. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3102

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha .

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Oral Question 818-19(2): Fort Smith Airport

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Page 3102

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my statement today, could the Minister of Infrastructure announce to this House which other community airports, by name, that were affected by the similar actions experienced by the community of Fort Smith. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 818-19(2): Fort Smith Airport

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Page 3102

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha . Minister responsible for Infrastructure .

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Oral Question 818-19(2): Fort Smith Airport

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Page 3102

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have the names in front of me right now but I can, in the House perhaps next week, get those -- the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 818-19(2): Fort Smith Airport

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Page 3102

Frieda Martselos

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Infrastructure budget that we looked at yesterday, Fort Simpson is also replacing lighting on the runway. Has the width or length been altered on this particular airport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Page 3102

Diane Archie

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know that in front of me right now. If I were perhaps given a heads up, I could prepare something. I can commit to the Member when I give her the names to provide that information as well. Thank you.

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Oral Question 818-19(2): Fort Smith Airport

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Page 3102

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Member for Frame Lake .

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Oral Question 819-19(2): Slave Geological Province Regional Study and Bathurst Caribou Herd

Oral Questions

Page 3102

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci Monsieur le President. My question's for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources . I want to follow up on some important facets for the proposed regional study for the Slave Geological Province.

In June of this year, his department carried out extensive aerial surveys of caribou herds including the Bathurst herd, and of course those surveys were delayed by a year. Can the Minister describe results of those surveys and, more specifically, the results for the Bathurst herd. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Oral Question 819-19(2): Slave Geological Province Regional Study and Bathurst Caribou Herd

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Page 3102

The Speaker

Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake . Minister responsible for ENR .

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Oral Question 819-19(2): Slave Geological Province Regional Study and Bathurst Caribou Herd

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Page 3102

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the question. This summer ENR completed surveys to obtain updated population estimates for the five barren-ground caribou herds: the Tuk Peninsula herd, Cape Bathurst herd, the Bluenose-East herd, and the Bluenose-West herd, and the Bathurst herd. Calving ground photo surveys were successfully completed in June for the Bathurst and the Bluenose-East herd, and a composition survey was done in October. The 2021 estimates for these two herds will be released shortly to all co-management partners and committee.

In December, we are planning to meet with the Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee and all interested Indigenous governments and organizations to discuss the new establishments and moving forwards.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I can't share it. We needed to follow our process and in the process work