Debates of Feb. 27th, 2024

This is page numbers 279 - 340 of the Hansard for the 20th Assembly, 1st 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

Health Human Resources Recruitment and Retention

Revitalization of the Great Slave Lake Fishery

Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Daylight Savings Time

Housing Priorities and the Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Economic Impacts of Upcoming Closure of Northwest Territories Mines

Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Developing Remediation Skills in Sahtu

Alcohol and Drugs in Northwest Territories Communities

Supports for Persons with Disabilities

Holistic Healing for Indigenous Communities

Extended Health Benefits

Hay River Events

2024 Arctic Winter Games

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Draft Order for Wildfire Inquiry

Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Daylight Savings Time

Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities

Healthy Living in Northwest Territories Communities

Extended Health Benefits

Meeting Future Electricity Needs

Income Assistance for Persons with Disabilities

Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Written Question 2-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Public Sector Positions

Petition 1-20(1): Ceasefire and End to Canadian Support for the Plausible Genocide in Gaza

Tabled Document 47-20(1): 2022-2023 Annual Report on Official Languages

Tabled Document 48-20(1): Aurora College Annual Report 2022-2023

Tabled Document 49-20(1): Northwest Territories and Nunavut Lotteries Operations Annual Report 2022-2023

Extended Adjournment of the House to May 23, 2024

Call to Uphold Human Rights in Gaza

Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act

Bill 5: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024

Bill 5: Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2023-2024

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Concurrence Motion - Tabled Document 29-20(1): Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2023-2024

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Bill 5: Supplementary Appropriation Act, Infrastructure Expenditures, No. 3, 2023-2024

Recorded Vote

Orders Of The Day

Members Present

Hon. Caitlin Cleveland , Mr. Edjericon , Mr. Hawkins , Hon. Lucy Kuptana , Hon. Jay MacDonald , Hon. Vince McKay , Mr. McNeely , Ms. Morgan , Mr. Morse , Mr. Nerysoo , Ms. Reid , Hon. Lesa Semmler , Hon. R.J. Simpson , Mr. Testart , Mr. Thompson , Mrs. Weyallon Armstrong , Hon. Caroline Wawzonek , Mrs. Yakeleya

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

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---Prayer

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Prayer

Prayer

Page 279

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

I'd like to thank Karen Mitchell for the blessing today.

Ministers' statements.

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Minister's Statement 24-20(1): Health Human Resources Recruitment and Retention

Ministers' Statements

Page 279

Lesa Semmler

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to work to address the national shortage of health care professionals that has led to service reductions and system impacts not only in the NWT but across the country. Post-pandemic, this shortage has only intensified, with many health professionals resigning, retiring, or reducing their working hours.

The results of our internal staff surveys and feedback sessions indicate that employee recruitment and retention challenges persist within our system. To address this shortage and its impact on our staff, we have increased our focus on employee engagement and employee retention through the development of the NWT Health and Social Services system human resource plan.

While recruitment remains essential, it is equally important to recognize the hard work and dedication of our existing staff and thank them for their commitment to serving residents in the face of the many challenges experienced by our health care system over the past several years.

Multiple new recruitment initiatives were introduced in August 2022. These initiatives provide additional support to our existing health system, and include incentives to both recruit new employees and retain the valuable employees we currently have.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide an update on these initiatives. Expanding the use of paramedics has provided additional support to remote and isolated communities and to acute care emergency room operations. A contract for these services was issued in the summer of 2023, resulting in paramedics being used in multiple locations across the territory, including at both Stanton and Inuvik Hospitals, as well as in Fort McPherson, Deline, Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktok. Paramedics also supported emergency care operations at Stanton during the city-wide evacuation order in the summer of 2023 and assisted in Hay River during a physician shortage and during evacuation last summer.

The Friends and Family Program reimburses travel costs for family members visiting the Northwest Territories while an eligible HSS employee works over the holiday period. Last year, Mr. Speaker, the program supported 114 applications from employees. While we are still confirming this year's numbers, there appears to be a similar number of supported applications this recent holiday as well.

Mr. Speaker, the referral program is available to all GNWT employees and offers up to $2,000 dollars for the successful recruitment of nurse practitioners, physicians, and registered nurses. Since the launch of this last July, there have been ten successful complete referrals. The international travel to and from the Northwest Territories incentive, which offers to cover the international travel costs of any Canadian physician, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse living abroad and wishing to relocate to live and work in the NWT, or work as a locum in our system, was taken up by six physicians since it began in 2022.

We also continue to reimburse licensing fees for locum physicians. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that 30 physicians were reimbursed in 2022, and 45 more in 2023. Additionally, four new positions were created to provide specialized support to new hires and as of January 24, all of these positions have been filled.

Mr. Speaker, aside from these initiatives we are actively recruiting for vacant family physicians and physician specialist positions across the territory. There was a small yet positive reduction in the system vacancy rate from June 2023 to September 2023.

The Health and Social Services recruitment team continues to work with hiring managers and Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority leadership to enhance our recruitment strategies. Scheduled monthly marketing campaigns for hard-to-fill high-vacancy positions are underway, ensuring a consistent advertising presence on key job boards and association websites.

The improved consolidated hiring process for nurses has significantly reduced hiring times, down to an impressive six-week turnaround for registered nurses and seven weeks for community health nurses.

Mr. Speaker, as a graduate of the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program, I am thrilled to share that all 16 Aurora College nursing graduates from 2023 have secured indeterminate employment with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority; 15 of whom have completed the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing Mentorship Program created in 2022 in response to the national nursing shortage.

To support the recruitment of family medicine physicians, the NWT Family Medicine Medical Residency Training Program, launched in July 2020, has resulted in three of the four graduate residents currently working as permanent or locum physicians in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, efforts continue to expand our work to attract NWT students and youth to careers in health and social services. Some of the work on this front includes the recent release of the 2024 NWT Health and Social Services career guide earlier this month. We have also found many opportunities for direct engagement between students and health and social services professionals, and we are supporting these through our clinical observation and job shadowing programs, in-person and virtual participation in the annual Take Our Kids to Work Day each November, and by attending health and social services career fairs in communities throughout the territory.

Mr. Speaker, hiring staff in an intensely competitive international labour market is one part of this work. The other equally, if not more important, is keeping invaluable staff we have. To this end, staff engagement at all levels has increased including through entry and exit surveys and participation in the GNWT Employee Satisfaction Working Group. The information gathered through this engagement supports efforts to evolve our retention strategies, develop hiring priorities, create career opportunities, and reinforce the programs that truly resonate with staff and are meaningful and supportive of their day-to-day work.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to monitor our initiatives as well as the broader health sector employment trends while ensuring we remain engaged and connected with the dedicated professionals working within our system. We have learned throughout the past several years that there are simply no quick fixes to end this shortage, but we remain committed to the steady improvement of our work environments and to providing the best care possible for NWT residents.

And I am confident that with the support of my colleagues in this Legislative Assembly, combined with the strategic allocation of resources, and thoughtful ongoing engagement with staff, we can, and we will continue to make progress in our recruitment and retention efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 24-20(1): Health Human Resources Recruitment and Retention

Ministers' Statements

Page 279

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Health and Social Services . Members' statements. Minister of ITI .

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Minister's Statement 25-20(1): Revitalization of the Great Slave Lake Fishery

Ministers' Statements

Page 279

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery. The Northwest Territories has a long history of commercial fishing. From the 1950s to the 1990s, production varied between 750,000 to 2 million kilograms per year. But, in the last twenty years, production has declined due to several factors that reduced fishers' income while the cost of fishing went up. To reverse this decline, in 2017 the Government of the Northwest Territories released a strategy for revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery.

This vision, which was developed through extensive engagement with fishers, aims to re-establish this once-powerful sector and, with strategic investments and actions, maximize opportunities to grow and diversify our economy, create jobs, and increase the food security of Northerners while supporting self-determination.

Mr. Speaker, an important element of this strategy is the construction of a new fish processing plant in Hay River. This state-of-the-art facility will have the capacity to process fish from Hay River and around the lake, including Yellowknife, which will help add value to the NWT economy. While the 2022 floods and 2023 wildfires have delayed the plant's completion, I expect the plant to be operational for the 2024 open water season.

Another action to advance this strategy is to enhance training, recruitment, and retention programs for fishers. Last summer, we piloted the Commercial Fishery Support Program, which offers fuel rebates, volume incentives, and income supplements for newly established local fishers and experienced out-of-territory fishers. The program also provides financial support for implementing new technologies and sustainable practices, encouraging fishers to adopt innovative approaches.

Looking back at the disruptions caused by flooding, wildfires, and evacuations in the past year, it is remarkable that the Great Slave Lake fishery is exceeding expectations and growing. 2023 marked the highest recorded harvest since before COVID-19. This output highlights the resilience, ingenuity, and hard work of our fishers in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is focused on increasing participation in the fishery. We recognize the need to replace retiring fishers, to attract new fishers into the industry, and to empower existing fishers to increase capacity. Last year, the department's training sessions supported 20 participants to become certified commercial fishers, and the department plans more training sessions this year. Our long-term aim is to transition our fishery away from its dependence on the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation.

The department is also actively exploring the possibility of developing a new Yellowknife harbour which would create opportunities for a new cohort of fishers on the north side of the lake. To support the existing Yellowknife-based commercial fishers and facilitate their operations, a collection station was opened last summer and again this winter for fish harvested in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery is a long-term goal that requires investments in infrastructure, supports for new entrants in the industry, and changes in how we do business. With the dedication and resilience of NWT fishers, I believe the industry can thrive with a focus on ensuring a reliable food supply, creating income opportunities for residents, and promoting a stronger, more diversified economic foundation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 25-20(1): Revitalization of the Great Slave Lake Fishery

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of ITI . Ministers' statements. Minister for Finance .

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, one in five Canadians experience a psychological health problem or illness in any given year. Only 23 percent of Canadian workers feel comfortable talking to their employer about a psychological health issue. Today I want to share how the Government of the Northwest Territories is recognizing the importance of our employees' psychological health and safety.

As an employer, the Government of the Northwest Territories is responsible for safeguarding the health, safety, and well-being of territorial public servants to ensure we have a strong workforce. Traditionally, eliminating occupational and physical hazards in the workplace has been guided by an occupational health and safety policy and efforts to create and maintain the psychologically healthy workplace have, until now, focused on training.

Designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma around mental health in the workplace, the Working Mind Program is available to all GNWT employees and is mandatory for all managers and supervisors. While training is a good start, it is only one part of supporting employee wellness.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has taken steps to incorporate the national standard on psychological health and safety in the workplace into how we do business. Published by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, this standard provides a systemic approach to developing a psychologically healthy and safe workplace with the aim of improving recruitment, retention, productivity, financial performance and risk management. To this end, the Department of Finance has enacted a new corporate health, safety and wellness policy that allows the GNWT to give equal consideration to both physical and psychological hazards by creating training and resources that supports employees.

By covering occupational and psychological safety of our employees and guests in the workplace, this new policy reflects the GNWT's commitment to implementing the national standard. Broadening our efforts to include psychological health allows for the GNWT to better understand the psychological risks of our work environments and how they impact employee mental health.

Mr. Speaker, the 2021 GNWT Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey showed that only 52 percent of GNWT employees felt they worked in a psychologically healthy workplace. As an employer, we must do better. By replacing the existing occupational health and safety policy with one that includes employee wellness, we are making a statement that the GNWT supports a psychologically healthy and safe workplace and that our approach must support the well-being of our employees. In the coming months, we will be engaging with employees to assess where we need to focus our work to meet their needs.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all employees, managers, and senior leaders to participate in these engagement sessions. Establishing and maintaining a psychologically healthy and safe workplace is a shared responsibility and cannot be accomplished by the employer alone. Collective and intentional action is crucial to actively promote, prevent, and mitigate both physical and psychological hazards in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this new health, safety and wellness policy sets us on a path towards creating and maintaining a workplace culture across the territory that is genuinely supportive of employee well-being, ensuring a resilient and thriving workforce for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Finance . Ministers' statements. Member from Range Lake .

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake , that the Minister of Health and Social Services' Minister's statement, Health Human Resources Recruitment and Retention, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you. The motion in order. To the motion.

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

Some Hon. Members

Question.

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Minister's Statement 26-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Health, Safety and Wellness Policy

Ministers' Statements

Page 280

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion carried. The statement moved into Committee of the Whole.

---Carried

Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake .

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Member's Statement 117-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Members' Statements

Page 280

Julian Morse

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm adding my name to the growing list of MLAs who have risen in this House in the recent past to speak to the potential benefits to our health care system of expanding pharmacists' scope of practice.

---Applause

I need to finish this, you guys.

The Member for Yellowknife Centre beat me to it during oral questions yesterday, but I certainly don't mind joining the chorus because I have also been hearing about this one from Frame Lake residents who are looking for anything we can do to help create efficiencies in our critically overburdened primary care system. To summarize the issue, most other jurisdictions in Canada have expanded the scope of practice for pharmacists to include basic primary care functions such as managing prescriptions, initiating lab work, administering vaccines, which has been shown in research to have the potential to reduce pressure on emergency rooms by as much as 35 percent.

Mr. Speaker, I think we enjoy support from both sides of the House for this idea. As the Member for Kam Lake said herself less than a year ago that pharmacists continue to be an underutilized health care resource in the Northwest Territories. When they can't practice to their full scope, Mr. Speaker, it means that patients aren't receiving the best possible care and the system can't work to its full potential. The Member made a strong case, Mr. Speaker, and tabled a document comparing pharmacists' scope of practice across Canada and, indeed, our jurisdiction falls second to last on the list. There is a lot of room for improvement to bring us in line with neighboring jurisdictions.

In February 2023, in response to questions in the House, the health Minister at the time stated that the department was planning to draft regulations to bring pharmacists into the Health and Social Services Professions Act and to do that work early in the life of the next Assembly. Time has flown, and we now find ourselves early in the life of the very Assembly the previous Minister was referring to. If there's one thing I can seek to achieve today by raising this issue in the House yet again, Mr.

Speaker, it is to help convey a sense of urgency and hopefully get a commitment from our health Minister to act quickly on this and make good on the commitment of her predecessor. To that end, I'll have questions for the Minister of health later today. Thank you.

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Member's Statement 117-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Members' Statements

Page 280

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake . Members' statements. Member for Great Slave .

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Member's Statement 118-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

Members' Statements

Page 281

Kate Reid

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a hard act to follow but I'm going to try, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring back the animus, the spirit, nay the gumption of a previous MLA Mr. Rylund Johnson. Though I'm delighted to work with the current MLA for Yellowknife North, I'm a bit sad the previous MLA didn't stick around so we could be co-workers once more, Mr. Speaker. And what better topic to bring forward the ghost of Yellowknife North's past than the evergreen topic of daylight savings, Mr. Speaker. The DMV opening on Saturdays will have to wait for another day.

Let's focus on the issue that saw the highest number of NWT residents participating in a GNWT engagement to date, Mr. Speaker. Other 3,500 people responded to the survey on daylight savings time. Of those people, 87 percent professed their hatred of daylight savings time. Let's listen to residents who are overwhelmingly in favour of ditching spring forward and fall back down. Let's stop losing sleep, getting into car crashes because of that lack of sleep, and calling in sick so we can get some more shut eye, Mr. Speaker. And I'll have questions for the Minister of holidays -- I mean the Minister of Justice , Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time.

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Member's Statement 118-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

Members' Statements

Page 281

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Great Slave . Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Member's Statement 119-20(1): Housing Priorities and the Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Members' Statements

Page 281

Richard Edjericon

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

This is just making me tired now.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my statement yesterday concerning our new housing priorities and speak to the future of the Housing NWT. As we move towards a future government on collaboration, I mentioned yesterday how Indigenous governments need to take control over the new housing programs at the local level. Today I want to expand upon why the government's current housing and policies does not work for Indigenous people here in the Northwest Territories and to see what the government is thinking for long-term solutions so that we can transition Indigenous housing into the hands of Indigenous governments.

Housing NWT is not working for Indigenous people. Too many families are being evicted or are forced to live in overcrowded poor condition housing. Many more are awaiting for a buy low renovation and the waitlists for homes is far too long.

There are many creative and cooperative ways we can change the housing system for Indigenous people and their communities, but we need to start working together towards this goal now. Regardless of how fixed our delivery of housing is today, we know that just 14 years to get a solution in place. I hope when I ask the Minister of housing later today that this Assembly will get a clear picture of their plans to deliver on housing after 2038. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 119-20(1): Housing Priorities and the Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Members' Statements

Page 281

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh . Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake .

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Member's Statement 120-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Members' Statements

Page 281

Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm concerned about a trend in government operations. There appears to be a high number of vacant positions and positions that have gone unfilled for an inordinate amount of time. Mr. Speaker, I understand there's staff turnover and for a variety of reasons, it can be hard to fill positions. Maybe the position is specialized which makes filling the position difficult, especially in the more northern and remote communities.

Mr. Speaker, how is the GNWT monitoring this trend across the government? Is the number of vacant positions being monitored over time? Is the government tracking the vacancy rates of positions overall by department or by region?

Mr. Speaker, unfilled positions can also provide surplus funding on unallocated spending dollars for regions or divisions. Unfilled positions can provide slush funds for upper management, and this is a concern.

Mr. Speaker, we are in a time of fiscal restraint. As Members, we all agree this Assembly needs to exemplify good governance. We need to tighten up how government does business and address vacant positions. Why are these positions going unfilled, Mr. Speaker? Can the GNWT address the root cause of these vacancies?

The GNWT needs to identify where these positions are located by position, by department, and start to uncover why they're going unfilled. The GNWT needs to dig into this to determine what positions could be filled and which ones are more challenging to improve operation of government and to improve efficiency in government service. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT also needs to ensure the senior positions in the regions are adequately filled, such as the regional director position in the Beaufort Delta, Mr. Speaker, and other senior positions throughout all of the Northwest Territories.

These positions are integral to ensure all regions have a voice and that decision-makers are located in the regions that these decisions affect the most. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 120-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Members' Statements

Page 281

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake . Members' statements. Member from Range Lake .

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Member's Statement 121-20(1): Economic Impacts of Upcoming Closure of Northwest Territories Mines

Members' Statements

Page 281

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, it is often said that history has a way of repeating itself and, surely, we can agree that's the case with our territory's mining industry. Just as we did 30 years ago when the gold industry began to wrap up, we are facing another round of mine closures.Today our diamond mines have at least past the halfway point to their operations with Diavik slated to close in 2026. It's not just our diamond industry either. Norman Wells is due to cease operations in 2026 as well. Those are two big hits to our economy that are just 24 months away.

The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines recently published work analyzing the impact these closures will have on the territory. And it's frightening, to say the least. They see a leaner future ahead with thousands of jobs and therefore a government without millions of revenues. This will affect across our economy with far-reaching consequences as the demand for goods and services related to the mining sector disappear as does the disposable incomes made possible by good mining wages. The best in the world I might add, Mr. Speaker.

A future without mining is a future of fewer business, poorer services, and less Northerners as many will be forced to look elsewhere for opportunity. This is a future we do not accept, Mr. Speaker. Here in the Northwest Territories we move forwards, not backwards. The government must be up to the challenges posed by these closures and work with the mining industry to look beyond oil and diamonds. The pivotal aspect of this challenge is not the lack of resources. We know we have many exciting new opportunities to pursue with minerals such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earths.

This challenge, instead, rests on how we make stronger partnerships with new industries and build the economic environment these partnerships can thrive in.

This work needs to start now, Mr. Speaker, and a good place to start is exploration. The government can retool our regulatory system to match regulatory needs, the size and the risks of projects, and stop holding early-stage exploration to the standards of advanced projects. A much-needed boost to exploration could be achieved by doubling the Mining Incentive Program and building new infrastructure to fuel clean energy at mine sites. These are just a few key suggestions, Mr. Speaker, but it's up to this new government to come up with a concrete plan to reinvigorating and restarting our mining sector for future generations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 121-20(1): Economic Impacts of Upcoming Closure of Northwest Territories Mines

Members' Statements

Page 281

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Range Lake . Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North .

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Member's Statement 122-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Members' Statements

Page 281

Shauna Morgan

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So last week we announced the priorities for the 20th Assembly, and one of those was building a strong economic foundation. One major area of economic opportunity that we are currently letting slip through our fingers is remediation. Now, I want to say upfront that I don't want us to promote the idea of remediation as this economic growth opportunity that will be our long-term ticket to prosperity. I believe that would send the wrong signal to industry that we actually want them to leave a big mess behind so that we can continue spending billions in taxpayer dollars cleaning it up.

But our unfortunate present situation is that we do have billions of dollars' worth of work to do cleaning up mud sumps in the Beaufort Delta, old oil and gas wells at Cameron Hills, Ptarmigan Mine, and hundreds of other contaminated sites.

Now, the Giant Mine Remediation Project has an estimated cost now of $4.38 billion over the life of the project at least over the next 30 years, and maintenance on the site could run in perpetuity. To quote the Giant Mine Oversight Board's latest annual report, the Giant Mine Remediation Project will be one of the largest, if not the largest, single economic project in the history of the Yellowknife area.

Increasing participation by residents, Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers and businesses will bring about greater financial prosperity and set the NWT on a path for a stronger and more integrated economy in the future. However, as of last year, only 24 percent of the employees of the Giant Mine Remediation Project were northern. The person hours was at 36 percent however the target was for at least between 55 and 70 percent. 10 percent of employees were northern Indigenous although that was 16 percent of person hours and the target was at least 25 to 35 percent. And to put this in perspective, the number of northern Indigenous employees have actually gone down slightly since 2018.

So while the GNWT does sit on the Giant Mine socio-economic advisory body, it's not clear what results we've achieved from being part of this group. The proposed polytechnic university could be a great venue to develop partnerships to train Northerners to work in remediation. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So our task here is urgent. We have to train and equip more Northerners to work in remediation and offer pathways for them to continue upgrading their skills to match the technical requirements of the work that needs to be done. This task was urgent 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and I don't see evidence that the GNWT has devoted the necessary attention and resources to such an urgent task. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE . Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 122-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Members' Statements

Page 282

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you you Member from Yellowknife North . Members' statements. Member from Sahtu .

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Member's Statement 123-20(1): Developing Remediation Skills in Sahtu

Members' Statements

Page 282

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, developing remediation skills in the Sahtu, Mr. Speaker, it has been documented that Northerners have not fully benefitted from environmental cleanup and remediation sites across the Northwest Territories. In the Sahtu, we can see a major remediation project is on our horizon. It is expected the Norman Wells oil field will stop producing recoverable oil, and the site will need to be remediated.

Mr. Speaker, we only have to look at the federal administration of contracts for the Giant Mine site to see local labour and businesses are missing an economic opportunity in remediation. The Giant Mine Oversight Board 2022 Annual Report states disappointment by the lack of local activity from the project. The board continues to urge the proponents to implement improved access to remediation work for the local small businesses and to create more employment and training opportunities for residents.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the GNWT is responding to the remediation opportunity by developing two remediation focused courses at Aurora College through the Industry, Tourism and Investment department, supporting a pilot program designed to support Indigenous business capacity in the remediation sector. The GNWT is also working with the federal government to explore the viability of a remediation economy in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. This, Mr. Speaker, raises more training, a trades training readiness for remediation and reclamation workforce opportunities authored and, most importantly, supported by myself, but how does all this benefit the residents of the Sahtu? What is the GNWT doing to ensure benefits has the local labour force and business capacity to take advantage of the Norman Wells oil field --

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Member's Statement 123-20(1): Developing Remediation Skills in Sahtu

Members' Statements

Page 282

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Member from the Sahtu , your time is up. Members' statements. Member from the Mackenzie Delta .

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Member's Statement 124-20(1): Alcohol and Drugs in Northwest Territories Communities

Members' Statements

Page 282

George Nerysoo

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to bring the concern of alcohol and drugs within our communities. This issue is nothing new to the residents of the Northwest Territories and this government. The legalizations of marijuana, the dealers from the southern region of Canada have had to resort to hard drugs to keep their business going. Unfortunately, these hard drugs have made their way into our communities within the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, when I was the interim band manager for the Tetlit Gwich'in Band Council, we dealt with the influx of alcohol and drugs on a daily basis. We would have interagency meetings, and the common denominator of all the community problems was alcohol and drugs. We had resource people invited to our meetings in hopes of finding a solution, but their hands are tied with policies and procedures. We have concluded that these people, whether they are from the community or not, seem to have more rights than the law-abiding citizens of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that we have our own people within our own communities involved in these illegal activities - our own people killing our own people. It is the amount of money that one can make without being worried about the consequences that is being imposed on others.

Mr. Speaker, as a band manager, and now as an MLA, I have been contacted by residents who are worried about the future of their community and their families. Some of these residents have lost members to alcohol and drugs. In the past few years, there have been local members of and others from the south who have been caught conducting these illegal activities and, to this day, these same people are still in this illegal trade.

Mr. Speaker, we have worked with the RCMP and they too are exhausted, both physically and mentally. This is a no-win situation. We have been requested to help the RCMP with tips but the offenders are detained for a day or so and released with a promise to appear. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have taken the wrong approach. We need to target the persons who are addicted to these substances and get them help therefore the bootleggers and drug dealers have no customers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 124-20(1): Alcohol and Drugs in Northwest Territories Communities

Members' Statements

Page 282

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta . Members' statements. Member from Monfwi .

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Member's Statement 125-20(1): Supports for Persons with Disabilities

Members' Statements

Page 282

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about people who are unable to work because of a disability. I have constituents in my riding who have progressive deteriorating conditions. For these people, it becomes even more difficult to work as they age.

Mr. Speaker, as you are aware many families in the NWT, especially in small communities, are very large. Many households in small communities are multigenerational families with children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the government created a new income assistance for seniors and persons with disabilities program that is intended to reduce barriers to accessing income assistance. But, unfortunately, even with the new program in place, constituents in my riding are still unable to access support. Mr. Speaker, in many cases, we know that people with disabilities can be at risk of abuse.

Luckily for the constituent in my riding, there is a loving and supportive spouse that provides care; however, as people age and grandchildren become part of the family that is cared for, it is more difficult to make ends meet on a single income. Yet this constituent who is aging with a progressive disability and caring for many children and grandchildren is ineligible to access support through income assistance.

Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a more holistic approach to delivering income assistance for people with disabilities. We know these people are more challenged to complete paperwork and also are some of the most vulnerable people in communities. How are we protecting and supporting seniors with disabilities? I will have questions for ECE Minister . Thank you.

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Member's Statement 125-20(1): Supports for Persons with Disabilities

Members' Statements

Page 282

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Monfwi . Members' statements. Member from the Deh Cho .

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Member's Statement 126-20(1): Holistic Healing for Indigenous Communities

Members' Statements

Page 283

Sheryl Yakeleya

Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to speak about a topic of holistic health and the need for our communities to heal from historic traumas. Mr. Speaker, most of the social issues that Indigenous communities face today, such as health inequities, lack of education, high crime rates, and higher rates of homelessness, are because of colonialism and residential schools. I myself have gone to residential school, as have many others, and now our communities are dealing with the multigenerational effects of that collective experience. That is why, Mr. Speaker, the NWT has some of the worst crime statistics in the country.

For example, the NWT has the highest whole crime rate in the country per capita and also has the second highest rate of violent crime in the country per capita. Additionally, according to the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the Deh Cho region, my region, has some of the highest rates of property crime and violent crime in comparison to the capital region. And the rate of unemployment is several times higher compared to Yellowknife as well.

Mr. Speaker, as a Dene woman representing mostly Indigenous constituents, I can say confidently that we come from strong people. Despite past governments trying to take the Indian out of the child and trying to make us forget about our cultural teachings and depriving us of who we are as Indigenous people, we remain resilient. We cannot allow governments to continue setting us up to fail any longer, and we cannot keep making excuses preventing us from advancing ourselves and making a better life for our families and our communities.

Mr. Speaker, as elected leaders in this House, it is our duty to do what we can to help our people get back on track. It is very important that our government, all levels of government, support or traditional way of being. If our communities truly want to be self-sufficient, then we must begin standing up for ourselves in a respectful and assertive way to create better lives for ourselves and successive generations. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 126-20(1): Holistic Healing for Indigenous Communities

Members' Statements

Page 283

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho . Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre .

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Member's Statement 127-20(1): Extended Health Benefits

Members' Statements

Page 283

Robert Hawkins

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I want to say they must have been serving Happy Meals at lunch time because there's a lot of enthusiasm on this side of the House today.

Mr. Speaker, Tommy Douglas would be rolling in his grave if he saw the changes to the extended health benefits to Northerners, Mr. Speaker. Health care is a Canadiana promise, Mr. Speaker. It's a promise all Canadians will take care of you in your time of need. Mr. Speaker, those folks in the ivory towers downtown in Yellowknife coming up with these policy maven ideas about how to concur and change the world at the expense of Northerners, shame on them. Shame. Health care is for all, and that should be a mandate of this government.

It's certainly a mandate by me, and I have not ever heard of a Member say cut health care, take away. Well, that seems to be the government, Mr. Speaker. So as they chop up policies and try to find groups to support one policy over the other, it's a divide and conquer, Mr. Speaker. And I don't care what the old Assembly came up with as a policy idea. I don't care what they think this Assembly should do. It's this Assembly, the 20th Assembly, should be making choices about the extended health care.

Mr. Speaker, as those who have suffered through many problems, the burden is not theirs to share alone. It's ours to help them collectively. So as they see the burden or the financial tsunami of expenses coming their way, where is this government? No, it's takeith away, Mr. Speaker.

The report of What We Heard clearly said expand health care and drug coverage, Mr. Speaker. It said don't take it away from granny in Nahanni and give it to Tommy in Tu Nedhe; it said share, help, help, help, help others. But no, those people in the downtown ivory towers are turning a fiscal financial knife into Northerners. This is unacceptable based on the northern spirit of helping all, working for other, collectively working, working, working, because we care about Northerners, Mr. Speaker.

I'm telling you right now in this age we are living in and we're struggling with the cost of living, it is a slippery slope. What's next? This government goes from co-pay to private health care? Shame on this government, because I know they're looking at it, Mr. Speaker.

So let's turn -- let's not let this government turn the report What We Heard into what we're now ignoring. Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions later today for some lucky Minister. Perhaps the health Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Member's Statement 127-20(1): Extended Health Benefits

Members' Statements

Page 283

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre . Members' statements. Member from Hay River South .

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Member's Statement 128-20(1): Hay River Events

Members' Statements

Page 283

Vince McKay

Hay River South

Wow, how do you follow that?

I just want to acknowledge a couple exciting events happening in Hay River, my region, this coming weekend, week. First of all, neighbours across the river, K'atlodeeche is having an annual carnival this weekend. This week, we're also welcoming Members from throughout the Northwest Territories in Hay River for the annual NWT Association of Communities training and annual general meeting. Also this weekend in Hay River is the annual pond hockey tournament which is put on by a bunch of amazing volunteers in Hay River. And I'm looking forward to being back home and taking

part in some of the activities this weekend in Hay River, along with a few of my colleagues I believe, and wish everybody a safe and enjoyable week and weekend in Hay River. Thank you.

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Member's Statement 128-20(1): Hay River Events

Members' Statements

Page 283

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Hay River South . Members' statements.

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Member's Statement 129-20(1): 2024 Arctic Winter Games

Members' Statements

Page 283

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Good afternoon, colleagues. As we are all aware, the Arctic Winter Games were held in the Mat-Su Valley in Alaska. The Games will mostly take place in the Valley's two largest cities, Palmer and Wasilla. Just an hour north of Anchorage, separated by 16 miles, they serve as a major hub of commercial, tourism, and recreation. The games are being held March 10th to the 16th. We will witness approximately 2,000 participants, coaches, admission staff, and officials from eight contingencies attend these games.

Colleagues, I'm very proud to say we have nine athletes representing five sports, one coach and two youth ambassadors from the Nahendeh riding representing the Team NWT at these games. I have attached the list to this statement and will ask it to be deemed as read and printed in the Hansard.

I would like to thank their parents, local coaches, teachers and friends that supported these athletes and ambassadors as they prepare for this very important international event. As we heard in the news, there was some challenges in getting passports for some of the athletes across the NWT. I would like to thank our Member of Parliament and his office staff for working hard to help address this issue. I can tell you they did not stop and took the issue right to the top.

As he was a former Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs , he understands the importance of getting youth to these games. As well, I would like to thank Service Canada NWT branch and Passport Canada for helping our youth achieve one of their goals.

From the NWT side, I would like to thank the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs , his staff, Chef De Mission, and Sport North staff for working together to solve this issue.

Now back to the athletes. I can tell you their hard work, determination, and dedication to their sport is very inspiring. I know that they are very proud of their accomplishments and are looking forward to their next adventures at these games.

Like athletes, the youth ambassador representatives are going to have a great time being part of the volunteer team at these games. What I seen in the past is a life changing opportunity for these youth and what a great event to continue to volunteer. I wish the NWT team all the best, and hopefully we bring the Stuart Hodgson Award back. Thank you.

Athletes from the Nahendeh Riding

Amaria Tanche-Hanna Fort Simpson

Brittany Kendo Fort Simpson

Callie Thomas Fort Simpson

Gina Hardisty-Isaiah Fort Simpson

Jaicee Tsetso Fort Simpson

Lydia Nelner Fort Simpson

Payton Bennett Fort Simpson

Shawna McLeod Fort Simpson

Tanner Isaiah Fort Simpson

Athletes from the Nahendeh Riding

Valerie Gendron Fort Simpson

Youth Ambassadors from the Nahendeh Riding

Kaechoa Rocque Sambaa K'e

Adrian Allen Fort Liard

Members' statements. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River South .

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 283

Vince McKay

Hay River South

I'd like to recognize Georgina Rolt, a longtime friend of mine who used to reside in Hay River and still holds a membership with the Hay River Legion in Hay River.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 283

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 284

Richard Edjericon

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Mr. Speaker, I just want to recognize Brad Enge, a former lawyer and former RCMP. He's here today. So I want to say mahsi and welcome.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your Chambers. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's very festive today. It is always nice to see people in the gallery.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Report of committees on the review of bills. Reports on standing and special committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre .

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Question 114-20(1): Draft Order for Wildfire Inquiry

Oral Questions

Page 284

Robert Hawkins

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question will be directed to the Premier of the Assembly.

Last week the Members passed a motion with respect to the wildfire inquiry question and, of course, you know, we don't have to go through that debate in my

preamble, Mr. Speaker, but the ask was would the Premier be willing to table the draft inquiry establishment order on the first day of session and hence, that's the question, would the Premier commit publicly to being able to clearly do that as requested by the Members of this House? Thank you.

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Question 114-20(1): Draft Order for Wildfire Inquiry

Oral Questions

Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre . Mr. Premier .

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Question 114-20(1): Draft Order for Wildfire Inquiry

Oral Questions

Page 284

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to once again publicly state that I will table the draft order as laid out in the motion. Thank you.

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Question 114-20(1): Draft Order for Wildfire Inquiry

Oral Questions

Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Premier . Oral Questions. Member from Range Lake .

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talked about the serious need for us to reinvest in our mining economy and open it up to new degrees of exploration. So I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment will she ask -- or will she bring forward an FMB submission to double the Mining Incentive Program? Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Range Lake . Minister of ITI .

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first off I appreciate the Member's enthusiasm and support of the mineral resource sector. Right now we are undergoing a little bit of a different strategy at Cabinet, not one where I'm being asked to double numbers at the moment, but I am being asked to be creative in the priorities of this government. Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Thank you. I don't want to put a price on our mining industry but it's fundamental to our economy.

Mr. Speaker, another thing that we've heard is there's too much red tape. It's a very difficult regulatory process. Will the Minister commit to making regulatory improvements that will take small scale exploration projects out of the equation and create their own rules around it so we can get these projects off the ground sooner and they don't have to deal with as much regulatory red tape? Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is something that we hear quite a bit about on both sides of the table here, and so one of the things that the Minister for Environment and Climate Change and I are doing is doing bilaterals together, both between ourselves and between our staff counterparts at the official levels as well, so that we can do this work in streamlining the regulatory processes the Member is talking about.

Another thing that we're doing is we do have a spot at the Mackenzie Valley operational dialogue tables where we are purposefully discussing right sizing policy for small projects, and we also have a space at the regional energy and resource tables, along Enercan, where we're having similar conversations. So this is definitely a priority, and I look forward to continuing this conversation with the Member and my colleagues. Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

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Page 284

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's good news. I'd like to ask the Minister if she'll join my mission to MARS and get online map staking done by 2026 or earlier? Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

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Page 284

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was reminded to slow down so my apologies to the interpreters.

Getting the MARS system and going on a journey to MARS with the Member is definitely a priority, and I look forward to continuing to find out if there are solutions to getting this done quicker. But I am also looking to make sure that it is done properly. Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

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Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake .

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

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Page 284

Kieron Testart

Range Lake

Thank you. And thank you to the Minister. Very good answers today, all positive; I like that.

Mr. Speaker, finally, we have an infrastructure deficit. Mines need clean energy. We can't get it to them. What's the Minister's plan? Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

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Page 284

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member. This is a huge topic that is right across industry, and one of the things that we hear is one of the biggest barriers when doing business and securing investment in our territory is our infrastructure deficit. That being said, it is still an opportunity for us to be able to work together on this side of the table and, luckily, myself and the Minister of Infrastructure have a very good working relationship and both share goals of economic prosperity for the territory. Thank you.

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Question 115-20(1): Support for Mineral Exploration and Extraction

Oral Questions

Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of ITI . Oral questions. Member from Great Slave .

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

Oral Questions

Page 284

Kate Reid

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to my colleagues. I've realized I've been too serious these days, so this is a little bit of fun for everyone.

The Minister of Justice released the daylight savings What We Heard report in 2023, early 2023, Mr. Speaker. We're sitting here a year later. So will the current Minister of Justice commit to moving the territory to permanent time in the life of the 20th Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 284

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Great Slave . Minister of Justice .

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 284

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No one would like that more than me. I was really pushing for this in the last government. Unfortunately I can't make that commitment. There's a variety of reasons. It is unfortunately a much more labour intensive and much more complicated task than people might expect. There is not one entity that you go to and say, I want to get off daylight savings time; I want to stick with a permanent time. We have to reach out to, you know, Microsoft, Apple, Google, a number of these different companies. So maybe I can leave it at that. The Member might have more questions; I don't want to spoil all the fun at once. Thanks.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 284

Kate Reid

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I sure hope we can have fun for the next three and a half years.

Mr. Speaker, I understand it's technically a difficult ask. I understand that the Yukon had a bit of a difficult job implementing as well. So what I guess I would ask the Minister today is if he can't commit to full implementation happening in the 20th, can he at least look into what steps need to happen to get us there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 284

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the Member referenced the Yukon and, of course, the Yukon got rid of the time change a couple years ago. They intended to piggyback off British Columbia who announced that they were going to do the same. It turns out that they didn't go through with it but the Yukon had already committed themselves and so they had to go through it, and it showed the difficulties of a small jurisdiction in making that a reality.

And so some of the things that I heard -- and they actually released a report that's quite interesting, you know, you had staff from the Yukon government on the phone with, you know, the 1-800 customer service number to companies like Microsoft trying to make this happen. So unless we have a big jurisdiction who is sort of leading the way and getting the attention of these companies, it is quite difficult and quite resource intensive. You know, I've been preaching about living within our means and ensuring that we are at least providing the basics before we do anything else.

So the thing that needs to happen is Alberta needs to get on board. I know that they had a referendum and there wasn't clear support for getting rid of time change unlike here where I think it was 80 some percent, the biggest survey response in the history of the territory. But hopefully that happens. There has been some work done already to see what we would need to do, a number of technical changes. We've been engaging with officials from the Yukon to learn about the steps they had to take. So a lot of that work has already happened. I can share some information with the Member. Thank you.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 284

Kate Reid

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. So what I'm hearing is some work has occurred and he's willing to share that work with Members. That's fantastic. Can that work that is scoped include timelines from when Alberta drops the gauntlet to what it would look like here and in terms of how long it would take us to catch up with Alberta? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 285

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That might be a bit much. I'm not quite sure that we can provide that level of detail. We don't quite know what it would take. We would likely piggyback with Alberta and, you know, make the changes at the same time. So while Alberta is contacting the airlines saying that they're getting rid of their time change, we could be part of those conversations. That would be my hope. So I'll see what we can -- what information we can put together, but I don't think it's going to be the level of detail to perhaps satisfy the Member. Thank you.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave .

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 285

Kate Reid

Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I thought today was supposed to be fun. I can recognize that I might be coming across requesting a level of detail. I just want to have a general picture, Mr. Speaker, of how long implementation may occur in maybe months or years, Mr. Speaker; is that a possibility? Thank you.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 285

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have some reports, I have a briefing note, so we can put together the information from what we have and share it with the Member. Thank you.

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Question 116-20(1): Daylight Savings Time

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Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Justice . Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake .

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance . Can the Minister tell me the current number of vacant positions across the GNWT?

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Finance .

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm able to say that as of December 31st, 2023, we had 517 vacancies across the total GNWT. So that's approximately 8.6 or so of all of the funded positions, which is a total of just over 6,000. Thank you.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

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Page 285

Rodgers

Thank you. And thank you for the response. Mr. Speaker, how does the GNWT monitor and track this trend across government?

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

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Page 285

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a variety of different tracking mechanisms that are underway. Every department is responsible to manage all of their internal positions. Finance, through the human resources division, then elects and collates that information. Mr. Speaker, I would commend our annual public service report.

It doesn't put vacancies in there, but it does put a fair bit of information that shows the ascensions, so the different hiring of employees, retention rates, retirement rates, and certainly does give a good sense of what some of the movements are, and it does that actually broken down by the different departments so you can start to see areas where there are some divisions that are seeing higher turnovers versus others. Thank you.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

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Page 285

Rodgers

Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister of Finance for that answer. My question is, is there an annual financial value to these positions that are vacant and, if so, can the Minister give me that number, please?

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

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Page 285

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I don't have it done by a financial number. Again, certainly, if there's -- we do track, as I've said, as of December of last year there was 517. You certainly could go in and take all of those and figure out what each one is worth. What I can say is that late in the end of the last Assembly and also the beginning of this one, I certainly have asked the Department of Finance to go and figure out and ensure, rather, that we are looking at positions that have been vacant for a long time.

There can be times where an individual may be off with a duty to accommodate and out on education. You know, there's maternity and parental leaves. So there's a number of different reasons a position may be formally vacant in this system but the individual or the position has somebody coming back to it or that maybe have competitions that are ongoing. But we do want to make sure we're monitoring positions that are vacant for a long time where there's not an open competition, and those ones should be then removed from the system. That work has begun and will certainly continue. Thank you.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Finance . Member from Inuvik Boot Lake . Final supplementary.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

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Page 285

Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks for that information. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister talk -- I guess that number of 517, how does that compare to previous years? Is it an average for those positions and are the positions tracked by regions, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

Caroline Wawzonek

Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to ensure that we do track these positions and we track the hard to fill positions. They are done by region. I'm just trying to see if I was able to give the Member an example. Well, and so that December 31st date that I'm using, there was 108 vacancies in the Beaufort Delta. That's 12 percent of the region's funded -- or rather funded positions so you can note slightly higher than the overall total. So perhaps lightly different -- slightly more difficult to recruit. But, again, would have to look at the underlying reasons.

It may well be that there are some positions there in the Beaufort Delta that have been vacant for a long time, and we need to look either at more creative ways to fill those positions or to look at whether or not there are positions there that need to be cleaned up. Again, so happy to have that on the radar, and we'll certainly make sure that we are working to clean up positions that are not being properly filled. Thank you.

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Question 117-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Position Vacancies

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Finance . Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake .

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

Oral Questions

Page 285

Julian Morse

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I noted in my Member's statement earlier today, the previous health Minister committed a year ago to bring changes to the pharmacists' scope of practice for early in the life of the 20th Assembly. How much progress has the health department made since the previous Minister's commitment, and -- well, that's my first question, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Member from Frame Lake . Minister of Health and Social Services .

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

Lesa Semmler

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. An advisory committee has been established with the pharmacists appointed by the NWT Pharmaceutical Association to collaborate with the department officials. The advisory committee operates under clear terms of reference and reviews and advises on issues identified during the development and drafting instructions and regulations under the Health and Social Services Profession Act.

To date, this group has convened ten times to address this mandate. As well as through the work of bringing more professionals under the Health and Social Services Profession Act, the GNWT is committed to ensuring NWT residents have the confidence of health and social services system and the people caring for them by having clear rules in place for how professionals are licensed and maintain standards of care and competency. Clear standards for licensing, care, competency, complaints, discipline help increase the confidence that patients, practitioners, and partner organizations have in health and social services by improving safety and accountability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

Julian Morse

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that answer. I do appreciate hearing that there's progress being made.

Mr. Speaker, what kind of scope is the department looking to give pharmacists here in the territory; is it comparable to jurisdictions on the higher end of the scale such as Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Alberta?

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

Lesa Semmler

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the scope of practice being considered is in line with the scope of other jurisdictions. The work will hopefully align the Northwest Territories with best practice and establish standards with the rest of Canada provides practitioners and patients and an understanding of what's required and expected of professionals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

Julian Morse

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm very happy to hear that from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to a timeline of six months -- that being August 2024 -- to get these new regulations into force?

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

Lesa Semmler

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the work required to bring regulations in is a minimum of two years. What we are projecting is a 2025 come-into-force date for the pharmacy regulations, and we are very pleased with the support and commitment of the pharmacists' working group with the department to move this work forward as quickly as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 118-20(1): Pharmacists' Scope of Practice

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Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services . Final supplementary.

Oral questions. Member from Sahtu .

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 285

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member's statement, my questions today is for the Minister of ITI and ECE.

A unique remediation opportunity is within our grasp. The Norman Wells oil field is creating revenues for the owners as we speak. Revenues that can fund Nortran, a trades training initiative. This is an ideal candidate for economic diversification. My first question to the Minister is the GNWT working with the community of Norman Wells Indigenous governments and industry to prepare for the closure of the Norman Wells oil field? Mahsi.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Member from Sahtu . Is that question for ITI or ECC?

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 285

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

ITI. Thank you.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 285

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of ITI .

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the remediation of the Norman Wells oil field will be managed by the owner of that lease that's on that property, which is Imperial Oil Resources. However, what I can say is due to ongoing development in the planning process on that remediation, the Government of the Northwest Territories, while it doesn't have detailed information, is doing what it can in order to try and make sure that there is some synergy happening.

Like the MLA said, this is Canada's longest operating onshore oil field which definitely is a legacy but one that has some opportunity to learn from from what is happening with the remediation of the diamond mines or the winding down of the diamond mines, I should say. And there's definitely some potential to be had.

I can say that right now, ITI is working with Indigenous organizations, stakeholders, and businesses through its SEED funding to help networking processes with Imperial Oil and to ensure that they're doing what they can to support the local governments in order to ensure that there are relationships there for local contracts and also remediation opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for the replies. I guess I should have put training in there.

But my second question, can the Minister provide an update on the work the GNWT is doing with the federal government to explore the viability of the training remediation economy in the NWT? Mahsi.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I can say on the collaboration between ITI and the federal government, as well as with local communities, Mr. Speaker, is that ITI is doing what it can in order to support local businesses as far as business development. There's opportunity as well for also training through ECE as well for businesses to be able to prepare for the remediation that's ongoing.

What I can say, too, is that as a government, we're constantly advocating at the federal level for funding, for example, for labour market initiatives and investments and also strategic infrastructure investments as well through my counterpart colleagues here in order, really, to build a skilled workforce and make sure that we have the critical infrastructure to be able to move forward with the economy. Thank you.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that reply.

Carrying on to my next question, are any pilot programs to develop remediation labour force or business capacity planned to the principles of Nortran? Mahsi.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is probably a little bit more of an ECE question and kind of a marriage between the two departments, which is so nice to be able to wear both hats. But as far as Aurora College is concerned with that date, they have informed us that they do have a funding agreement with CIRNAC to develop courses related to mining remediation. These courses are currently under development and while Aurora College is at an arm's length, I'm more than happy to follow up with any of the particular information with the chair of the board that Members might want. Thank you.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of ITI . Final supplementary. Member from Sahtu .

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

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Page 286

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question -- thank you to the opportunity -- has the department explored partnerships with training institutions like MTS, Mine Training Society, Aurora College, or the Olds College in Olds, Alberta, to provide labour force development in the Sahtu? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

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Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the program development that's currently underway with Aurora College that I just spoke of, what I think is best positioned to be inputted here in the response to this question is really promoting both apprenticeships and the SNAP program with students. And so, really, what this is about with the principles of Nortran that the Member is speaking of, it is about developing a skilled workforce and it's about making sure that our students or our youth know about these opportunities as well.

And so what I would really like to put in a plug for is the ability to leverage one another in this room to create relationships between students and youth and employers. And so if anybody knows of any employers that are willing to take on apprenticeships and student apprentices, this is a great opportunity to work together to build a skilled workforce. Thank you.

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Question 119-20(1): Closure and Remediation of the Norman Wells Oil Field

Oral Questions

Page 286

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

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

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Oral Questions

Page 286

Shauna Morgan

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And that's a great segue as my questions are also for the Minister of ECE around remediation workforce.

So my first question is what are ECE's objectives from having a staff person sit on the Giant Mine socio-economic working group? In other words, are we achieving what we're hoping to achieve by participating in that working group? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Sorry, Member, could you -- ECC or ECE? E, okay, thank you. Thank you, Member. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this working group is responsible for implementing and coordinating activities to support the multi-year Giant Mine Remediation Project Socio-Economic Agreement, or strategy, and a staff member that we do have sitting on this group is a labour development and standards division staff member, and their role in this group is, I think, a very important one because they provide information on labour market information, training needs, and also employment standards perspectives. Thank you.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Shauna Morgan

Yellowknife North

Okay, thank you for that. So I'll go to a different aspect. So one of the needs identified by the working group, Giant Mine working group, was for a coordinated training hub in the North Slave region, which I understand the GNWT has been working with a third-party organization to establish. Will the training hub increase the amount of training available to Northerners for remediation work, or what is the hub expected to accomplish?

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member's correct, ECE did partner with an external entity to develop the North Slave regional training hub. And the goal of this was really to provide and improve coordination between employment-related training and potential projects coming to the region. And so I can say to the Member though, in 2023, so last year, ECE shifted its focus to what's called a North Slave regional training partnership, and this was developed under the federal strategic partnership initiative in collaboration with the federal government.

And this partnership was established to encourage collaboration between regional training partners and to provide leadership as well in identifying and responding to short and long-term market needs and potential within the market to make sure that we're prepared for what's coming and that we're responding with potential training opportunities for Northerners in the region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Shauna Morgan

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I understood from that response that the main purpose is to coordinate existing training. Does the Minister believe that there are enough training opportunities for Northerners to be able to take jobs in the remediation economy to increase the percentage of Northerners that are actually in the workforce? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a tremendous amount of training opportunities and education opportunities for people here in the Northwest Territories.

And I believe that, really, the response to this question is an all-of-government response where really it's about making sure that, A, people have access to this training; B, that people are prepared to enter into any kind of training that we are making available, and so I think that this is a coordinated response as far as making sure that people can put food on the table, that people have access to food, that students are going to school, and that it is a domino effect from there.

And so I think that as Northerners, we all have a role to play in ensuring that people have access to this, and that includes us in this room making sure that we are putting information out there and connecting the residents that we serve with opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment . Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Oral Questions

Page 286

Shauna Morgan

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Minister mentioned a few minutes ago the SNAP program, the apprenticeship program. Has the SNAP program been able to link apprentices or students to work at the Giant Mine Remediation Project? Or what is the plan if not? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

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Page 286

Caitlin Cleveland

Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, I might add that might have been my influence from the 19th Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very excited about the SNAP program. The SNAP program has grown tremendously in the last number of years. What the SNAP program comes down to is employers willing to employ students and having the capacity to take students on in order to create those opportunities. So it's something that people are going to hear me talk about over the next four years, ad nauseam probably, in this House because I think it's such a tremendous opportunity, but it's really reliant on that relationship.

While, you know, we are not the -- ITI, sorry, is not the lead department on this relationship, really the lead entity on this is the federal government and they have contracted Parsons to kind of do the contracting work out at Giant Mine. It is really -- would need to be a relationship with them in order to, if they want, create that as part of their contracting requirement. But, really, I think the better way of going about this is making sure that employers know that this opportunity is available and that we want to support them in order to help create a skilled workforce of tomorrow. Thank you.

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Question 120-20(1): Giant Mine Remediation Project Workforce

Oral Questions

Page 287

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment . Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Question 121-20(1): Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Oral Questions

Page 287

Richard Edjericon

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as mentioned that we had set the four priorities a few weeks ago, and housing is one part of the top priorities for -- of the four. CMHC funding expires in 2038. My question to the Minister of Housing NWT is that what are their plans for the next 12 years as CMHC funding expires? Mahsi.

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Question 121-20(1): Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Oral Questions

Page 287

The Speaker

Shane Thompson

Minister of Housing NWT .

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Question 121-20(1): Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Oral Questions

Page 287

Lucy Kuptana

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for raising this issue. The Member is correct that the NWT social housing agreement signed in 1997 allocated $21.2 million in annual operational funding to support the delivery of the Northwest Territories Public Housing Program. The funding has declined and is scheduled to be fully exhausted by 2038-2038.

Since 2019, Housing NWT has been able to mitigate these annual funding declines with funding supports provided under a new bilateral agreement with CMHC. The funding under this agreement is being used to offset the decline in CMHC funding up to 2027-2028. Housing NWT has been meeting with CMHC to discuss new or extending the bilateral agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 121-20(1): Policies and Future of Housing Northwest Territories

Oral Questions

Page 287

Richard Edjericon

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, going forward, as we mentioned that the policy of the housing corporation doesn't -- sorry, Housing NWT policies doesn't work fo