Masi. Good afternoon, colleagues. Ministers' statements. Minister of ITI, Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, it has been 25 years since Charles Fipke and his team discovered diamonds near Lac de Gras and brought the largest mineral rush in decades to our North.

This year our diamond mines surpass $50 billion in total mineral value produced in these 25 years. The Government of the Northwest Territories’ mandate document highlights the fact that benefits from non-renewable resource production enable investment in many priority areas.

Over $11 billion has been spent to date on Northwest Territories businesses and service providers. Over 22,000 person years of employment have been created by diamond extraction, half of which have been held by Aboriginal residents of our Territory.

Mr. Speaker, through our Socio-economic Agreements with industry, we have seen over $100 million contributed to our communities through scholarships, benefit for participation agreements and donations, each bringing new opportunities to our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, last but certainly not least, federal, territorial and Aboriginal governments have all realized fiscal gains from resource, royalties or taxation on mining activities which are enabling us to improve the lives of Northwest Territories residents, through our investments in the health and well-being of our communities, and the expansion of our territories’ economic horizons.

It is through the responsible and equitable approach demanded by our government and taken by industry that our mineral industry has built a trust and support of the vast majority of our citizens. We see this in a recent third-party poll, completed by Abacus Data, which shows 85 per cent of Northwest Territories residents support the mining sector. A tribute to the quality of corporate citizenship that we have realized from our world-class partners in this industry.

Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, we as a government must continue to facilitate the strong mining and exploration industry in the best interests of our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, our government has made a commitment in its mandate to evolve the legislative, regulatory and policy system to advance a territorial vision of land and resource management, guided by the Land Use and Sustainability Framework. The department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is beginning work to advance the development of a made in the Northwest Territories Mineral Resources Act, a key post-devolution commitment, identified by this government to deliver on the priorities of our Assembly.

New, responsive jurisdictions specific regulations will provide for more effective oversight and enforcement of the Northwest Territory’s Mining Regulations, create more certainty for the mining industry and bring the Northwest Territories in line with Canada’s provinces and the Yukon.

Our aim is to increase our competitiveness in the marketplace and create legislation and regulation which is sensitive to northern deeds with a respect to protection of land, wildlife and water. More immediately, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment continues to implement the Mineral Development Strategy, another one of our government’s mandate commitments. We are providing support to grassroots mining and exploration with successful strategic investment through our mining incentive program.

Our investment in this program last year, resulted in a 3.8-to-1 return on investment, with each dollar invested resulting in $3.80 investment in exploration activity.

Once again this year, Mr. Speaker, we have seen the demand for this program outstrip its $400,000 budget and we have every reason to believe that this year’s results will provide similar success.

We also look forward, this summer, to the opening of our new geological material storage facility, which will house core samples for industry use. This facility will offer a practical method for supporting greater exploration in our territory and create cost savings for industry.

We have introduced a two-year Assessment Work Incentive to encourage more exploration activities in the Northwest Territories. Under the Unlocking Our Potential brand, we have increased marketing and promotional efforts to attract more private sector investment in mineral exploration and development and through the proposed Resources and Energy Development Information campaign, or REDI, we are preparing to offer increased information and awareness about resource development to Northwest Territories residents.

Mr. Speaker, this is Mining Week in the Northwest Territories and we have much to celebrate. I would encourage all Members of this House to seek out and participate in events taking place around town and to take some time to acknowledge the opportunities, mining as afforded our territory historically, and particularly the last quarter century, of our territory’s diamond history. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to capture opportunities for investment and transportation infrastructure, by working to secure funding to advance the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Mr. Speaker, the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway is also part of our long-term transportation strategy. The northern-most part of the highway between Inuvuk and Tuktoyaktuk is steadily advancing towards completion. At the same time, our government is also focused on another critical section of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

In August of 2015, the Department of Transportation submitted a detailed business case to the Government of Canada proposing a $700 million investment, an all-weather highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells, under the new building Canada plan. We continue to provide additional information requested by the federal government in support of that business case.

Mr. Speaker, this project is a cornerstone of our plan to achieve economic prosperity in the Sahtu Region and the Northwest Territories. To maximize opportunities for Northerners, effective partnerships with project stakeholders are essential. I believe we can only achieve these goals by working closely together.

The Sahtu leadership have taken initiative to create the Mackenzie Valley Highway working group. This group includes representative from the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, various communities in the Sahtu Region, industry and political leaders. Additional support from these interested parties will emphasize their critical importance of this project to the lives of Northerners and highlight the benefits to all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the construction of this project will hold significant opportunities for communities along the Mackenzie River: allowing goods and materials to be transported by road, year round, will reduce the cost of living and make housing more affordable in the Mackenzie Valley. Increased mobility between communities will create new social, cultural and educational opportunities. New business opportunities will arise as new markets become available and tourism opportunities increase.

Improved access will foster economic diversification as well as supporting those industries that are already significant contributors to the territorial economy.

The highway would reduce costs to industry to move equipment and staff to the Sahtu, the region that holds a wealth of potential of petroleum and mineral resources. This would provide incentives to these communities, who have said their exploration and development costs could decrease by 30 to 40 per cent.

The highway will replace the existing winter road system where many permanent bridges are already in place. Converting to an all-weather highway will help to adapt to effects of climate change, supporting the more resilient transportation infrastructure.

Readiness projects such as the construction of the Canyon Creek access road, south of Norman Wells, will provide an opportunity for residents to gain training experience and experience that will benefit them in the future construction of other segments of the highway.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Mackenzie Valley Highway will result in significant prosperity for the people of the Northwest Territories. The success of this project relies on our ability to work together, to achieve our mutual goal of being better connected and position to capture opportunities. With support from Aboriginal governments, northern communities and industry, we can create a bright and prosperous future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to take steps to close the skills gap using the Skills 4 Success strategic framework. I am pleased to provide Members with an update on this initiative and to share an important milestone that this government has achieved. Later today, I will be tabling three documents that contain important labour market information about the Northwest Territories including the jobs that are forecasted over the next 15 years. This work is the result of a partnership with the Conference Board of Canada which produced the Northwest Territories Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment and accompanying Labour Market Information Resource, which contained data describing our current and future labour force needs for the next several years.

Mr. Speaker, this is vital information, critical for making decisions on our adult and post-secondary education and training supports. We want to be sure that we are making the right investments to support NWT residents to obtain the skills, knowledge and attitudes for employment success. The labour market resources tells us what the in-demand jobs are going to be in the NWT and we want to prepare Northern residents for those opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, the Conference Board of Canada examined the NWT’s forecasted job demands over the next five, 10 and 15 years. We have learned that out of the potential 28,000 job openings anticipated, approximately 78 per cent will require college, apprenticeship or university education. Of those potential jobs, less than 10 per cent will be open to people with less than a high school education.

This is a significant issue for us, Mr. Speaker, where a high proportion of the current NWT labour supply has low skills, according to the highest level of schooling. We know that the demand for skilled labour will intensify in coming years when more people retire and exit the labour market in large numbers. Focusing on the skills acquired beyond high school and gained through higher educational achievement, training and experience is paramount to the overall success of the NWT.

We must carefully choose how and where we make our investments. Education, training and youth development is critical to the future of the NWT and its people and we are responding with the Skills 4 Success Initiatives four foundational goals.

1. Increase skill levels through relevant education and training;

2. Urge education and employment gaps through targeted supports;

3. Grow the NWT workforce through partnerships;

4. Improve decision making with the relevant labour market information.

We now have the labour market information which tells us what the in-demand jobs are and where our focus needs to be. We also heard from more than 700 people who have engaged with and contributed to the Skills 4 Success initiative and voiced the collective call for change to build a strong culture of education linked to employment. Their feedback is included in the Stakeholder Engagement Report, which we will use along with new labour market data to develop a four-year action plan that supports this Assembly’s priority to foster lifelong learning, skill development, training and employability.

We are now working on the action plan which contains a number of clear and measurable goals. As we progress, we will continue to solicit advice from our key stakeholders and partners in adult and post-secondary education and skills training.

Mr. Speaker, early childhood development through junior kindergarten to grade 12 to Skills 4 Success, these are our continuum of education strategies. Throughout all of these strategies, we are looking at ways to innovate, to tailor our education system to the needs of our learners, to provide opportunities and truly have a system in place that responds to education and training needs of northern residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ministers’ statements. Colleagues, I’d like to draw your attention to the presence in our gallery here today. We have Mr. Thomas Palaia, the United States Consul General for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories. Welcome.

Also we have Carmen Moore that’s here with us as part of a GNWT protocol. Masi. Item 3, Members’ statements. Member from Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today Mr. Speaker, I’m standing in front of you and the other Members to speak about medical travel and the issues that seem to be of continuous concern in my riding.

I’d like to share with you a few stories that I have heard and witnessed firsthand over the 15 years. This past March, one of my constituents told me about two experiences that happened this past year. One was when a doctor recommended an exam that needed to be done in Yellowknife. While the constituent felt this was great, let’s try to arrange it during conferencing all night that the constituent was attending. To me, this made a lot of sense. It would be more efficient, a cost-effective way to arrange for follow-up appointments if the doctors wanted while the constituents are already in Yellowknife. It would save the cost of travel for an extra trip, the hotel, the per diem and extra days involved in not being away from work. This didn’t happen. I was disappointed to hear this, but what’s worse is that this happens a lot. I’ve heard similar stories, but the best ones are when potential patients are on scheduled business in Yellowknife or Hay River or Edmonton and appointments come up a day after they’re already on their travels and the books, and they’re already on their way to the community. Instead of medical travel willing to pay for the hotel and meals for the day, patient needs to go back to their home community and then come back or they pay for it themselves. Now, it is very sad to see this but this is what is even more disappointing is that person sometimes needs to get off the plane and then get right back on the same plane to go to the appointment. Now, this defies logic in my mind. However, it seems the department has to spend all this extra money because of department policies.

The other story I hear about is booking appointments at the nearest center for necessity and appropriate insurant health services outside the NWT. While I agree with the concept, but when costs involve large amounts of funds, does it not make sense to see if savings can be made and help the patient at the same time? I struggle with what the policy is about. It doesn’t seem to be about saving money and caring of patient. I know this is not true, but this is what it seems that way.

There are other stories that I could share with you, but I only have two-and-a-half minutes for my Member’s statement and I’m trying to call in with the time. So Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the Minister of Health later on today about medical travel. Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker.

Members’ statement. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the internet has revolutionized our society. Even in the past few years, advances in social media, portable technology, and telecommunications have radically changed how governments operate and how citizens participate, and how we live, work, and learn.

Earlier this year, CBC reported on a story in Tuktoyaktuk, where a voice teacher from Alberta was able to teach students at Mangilaluk School using Facetime. From thousands of kilometers away, this teacher was able to deliver lessons and communicate with students, without the extreme expense and complications of flying in specialty teachers for special sessions.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment also delivers a program that incorporates new technology into our curriculum. Through the Beaufort Delta District Education Council's e-Learning Program, students are able to access classes they wouldn't normally be able to take, thanks to video conferencing and information sharing programs like Moodle, students can access the classes they need without having to leave home.

Just this past year, 11 students in the first semester and 15 students in the second semester were able to access classes unavailable in their home schools. Through distance learning, students from Ulukhaktok and Tuktoyaktuk, as well as Fort McPherson, Fort Liard, and Fort Resolution were able to broaden their school experience.

In the years to come, both high school and post-secondary education will be essential in learning and holding jobs in the NWT and beyond. We must help as many students as possible pursue their full learning potential especially in isolated communities who do not have access to curriculum as a student may have in the larger centers in the NWT.

I look forward to watching the distance learning program continue to grow, and also to the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line, when better quality internet will improve services like this. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the issue of power generation and cost in the Northwest Territories. Power generation, how it's done, what it costs, and who pays for it. These questions affect every aspect of life across our territory. Every individual, family, home, workplace and business have a stake in the decision about power.

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation is the agency that's charged with this task. Its job as a public agency, owned by NWT residents, is to make sure that all residents and businesses have the power they need at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.

In communities with a big enough population, power is delivered by Northland Utilities, according to franchise agreements with the municipalities. Northland is able to do that on a successful, for-profit basis. As it should, NTPC activities demand a high level of public scrutiny. So some of the recent events relating to NTPC are puzzling.

Without discussion or consultation in this Assembly, the Minister recently replaced the board of NTPC with deputy ministers, claiming this would reduce costs. Even so, he announced that a planned rate increase would remain in place in addition to millions in fuel subsidies that taxpayers have covered for NTPC in recent years.

Mr. Speaker, if the government is moving toward operating the Power Corporation like a department, taking a further step and dissolving the PUB, Public Utility Board, for example, this should be open for public discussion and debate. In Hay River, NTPC has announced a plan to compete with the private sector. Mr. Speaker, I question what impact this may have on the cost of electricity in other markets served by NTPC.

Northland Utilities has approached the government to consult on ways to reduce power costs, recognizing that high rates are a deterrent to industry and economic growth. Northland even took out ads highlighting some solutions to high power costs. Northland also requested meetings with this government to discuss power cost solutions. But I do not believe this meeting has taken place.

Mr. Speaker, the high cost of power affects everyone in this territory. NWT taxpayers deserve to have an open and transparent management of their power corporation, and to understand how it's working, and that the power they rely on is delivered at the best rates possible. Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today would be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on graduation season. We are into the middle of the season of graduation. As a matter of fact, I’m going to one here this coming Friday in Deline. Just recently went to some others including the Aurora College graduation here which seemed to beneficiary residents of the Sahtu in Yellowknife here. It comes to make me think, is there any support programs more referring to post-graduation career seminar supports in place after the students or the youths have graduated from their respective school? So later on today, I would have questions in that regard of support systems for our community youth, if they want to progress in institutions in the South, for example. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member’s statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The 2016 season of the Yellowknife Farmers Market kicked off its fourth season last week at Sombe K'e Park, in the heart of my riding. The market is an economic, social and environmental marvel that all Yellowknifers can be proud of. Here are the top 10 things you need to know about it.

1. The Farmers Market has an impact of up to $1 million in the City of Yellowknife because vendors purchase locally.

2. Fifty-seven vendors are taking part this year, half of them new.

3. There are vendors selling food harvested in the wild, produce and preserves, as well as food that's ready to eat. There are also 17 Artisanal sellers.

4. This year, vendors are arrayed across the park lawns, reducing congestion at start time.

5. A major Compost & Waste Reduction Program, funded by ENR, makes it mandatory for vendors to use compostable containers and utensils.

6. A grant from the NWT Arts Council is bringing back Music at the Market performances for seven weeks and a partnership with Northern News Services provides a weekly map and list of vendors in the Friday Yellowknifer.

7. A City of Yellowknife Sponsorship Grant provided funding for operational expenses. The City continues to provide in-kind help through supplying an organic waste bin on site, use of public washrooms, access to drinking water, a children's activity table and garbage collection.

8. The Farmers Market continues to offer tables for community organizations wanting to promote their programming.

9. The Farmers Market continues to work on the development of a just and sustainable food system through the Yellowknife Food Charter.

And most importantly of all,

10. The Farmers Market runs every Tuesday right through to September 20th.I'll see you there in the heart of Yellowknife at the market.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, supporting small businesses is one of my number one priorities. Northern entrepreneurs work hard for their success. My riding of Kam Lake is home to many of these successful enterprises that directly contribute to our economic well-being and create jobs for our residents.

We have an obligation as leaders of this territory, to expand employment opportunities and grow a resilient economy that can withstand the boom and bust cycle of resource development. The best place to start is by investing in our local economies through support for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Mr. Speaker, our businesses contribute so much to the NWT and they are critical to our future growth. This government made a commitment to lower taxes for small businesses. The cut in the tax rate by as little as one per cent will make the NWT the most tax competitive jurisdiction in Canada’s North.

Mr. Speaker, I have not seen such a commitment from this government in its recent budget and I’ll be asking questions of the Finance Minister today to find out when a tax cut will come for businesses and when they can expect to see some of that money flow back to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the mandate of this Legislative Assembly, states that we will take action so that seniors can age in place. There are good reasons we made this a priority. Aging in one’s own home provides a sense of comfort and independence. Financially, it makes sense for the government to support aging in place, considering the costs to provide a long-term care bed is about $130,000 a year on top of the initial million dollar capital cost.

We are taking some action right now, offering homecare services, a senior’s home heating fuel subsidy, and funding for renovations to help seniors make their homes more age-friendly. These programs are a start, but they don't address the full suite of services needed for a truly successful aging in place strategy.

We want to allow seniors to remain in their homes but we don't want to confine them to their homes. Most communities in the North, Hay River included, have no public transit or handi-van service. Many seniors and persons with disabilities in my community, who don't have access to affordable transportation, are forced to either take taxis, or rely on the kindness of friends and family. A study from the United States found that seniors who can't drive make 15 per cent fewer trips to the doctor, 60 per cent fewer trips to go shopping and to restaurants, and 65 per cent fewer trips to visit friends and families.

This study included communities with public transit, so I can only imagine how dismal our statistics are. This imposed isolation results in a reduced quality of life that can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. I don't want to just allow our seniors to age in place. I want them to be able to fully participate in society. Leading an active life and participating in social activities promotes good health, has been shown to help the immune system work better and lowers stress hormone levels.

The lack of transportation for seniors and people with disabilities is an issue that many constituents have brought to my attention and is one we need to begin addressing. We have long winters and even seniors who are relatively mobile in the summer can become housebound most of the year. I have constituents who have to pay for a taxi to the health centre and back three times a week to receive dialysis. I know people with disabilities who've had to miss medical appointments because of the lack of transportation. We need to do more, and we can do more. I will have questions for the Minister Responsible for Seniors at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi.

Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. With devolution, GNWT inherited the management of the Cantung Mine operated by North American Tungsten Corporation. There was a substantial shortfall in the amount of financial security that should have been posted to reclaim the site. Our government had and may still have surface leases covering the mine and its infrastructure, and there was insufficient financial security under those leases and the water licence to ensure an adequate remediation of the site.

As a result of the shortfall and our failure to ensure full financial security of the Cantung Mine, GNWT has now purchased the Mactung property using the $4.5 million special warrant that did not require any oversight of this Assembly. The new water licence was issued for the Cantung Mine in January of this year and calls for $28 million in financial security, an increase of over $16 million. Sadly, this has come too late as North American Tungsten is now in creditor protection and unlikely to go into production again.

This mine does not have a good environmental track record, as reported in the media recently, with 42 spills over the last ten years. In May of this year, more spills were detected and a notice was issued to the company to install erosion-control structures and report spills in a timely fashion as required under the GNWT spill contingency planning and reporting regulations.

Although GNWT was able to turn back the Cantung Mine to the federal government under the provisions of the devolution agreement, it is my understanding that we still hold surface leases for the property. It is not clear why we still hold such leases and whether we still retain any residual environmental and financial liabilities. Later today, I will have question for the Minister of Lands. Merci Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as of May 23rd, 2016, election for the Gwich'in Tribal Council President and Vice President have been underway. Mr. Speaker, as of today, we have Joseph Carnogursky, Bobbie Jo Greenland-Morgan, and James Wilson running for President of the Tribal Council. Also, Mr. Speaker, running for vice president we have Wilbert Firth, William Koe, Bridget Larocque, and Jordan Peterson. Election Day is June 27th, 2016, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to wish all the candidates good luck, and I look forward to a productive working relationship in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

[English translation not provided].

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about the Department of Health and Social Services’ budget, just briefly. I have indicated a couple of times with this 18thAssembly that we have a huge budget-sucking issue with alcohol and drugs. I have talked about this, about the amount that alcohol and drugs is costing every person in the NWT, yet, Mr. Speaker, the budget for community mental health and addictions has stayed the same as last year. The budget for Health Promotion and Community Wellness has also seen no increase.

Mr. Speaker, I know how much alcohol and drugs and mental health issues have cost our communities. Mr. Speaker, without alcohol, our correction facilities potentially could be only 10 to 20 per cent full. That, of course, is that all the people that committed crimes under the influence of alcohol did not commit those crimes.

Why, Mr. Speaker, would this department not see that to help the people get off alcohol and drugs would be a huge savings to the government by:

1. not having inmates in corrections at over $300 per day per person to the government;

2. not having alcohol abuse-related hospital stays at thousands of dollars per day;

3. having children attend school every day, giving them a better chance of success and growing up to be tax-paying people with their children in school.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of the reasons why the Department of Health and Social Services must begin to put more money into the area of alcohol and drugs. Thank you very much.

Masi. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the public in the gallery today. We have a group of students who are here with us, attending Corpus Christi College in Vancouver. I'd like to welcome them to our Assembly. Masi.

Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 7, acknowledgements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge Yellowknife North constituents recognized last week by the NWT Disabilities Council for increasing accessibility for disabled people: the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities Award to Mr. Anthony Whitford, the Disabilities Council Award to Ms. Jeannie Rocher, and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities Award to Best Buddies of Ecole St. Patrick High School. Colleagues, please join me in congratulating these winners. Thank you.

Acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about distance learning, and my questions are for the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, my first question is: when will the department complete an evaluation of the distance learning pilot project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that an accountability plan has been in place for the e-learning, the distance learning pilot, since 2014. The pilot has run for four semesters currently, and we're continually getting feedback from all participants as well as instructors that are teaching the class. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, my second question is: will the distance education program be expanded to additional communities in the NWT?

Currently, we have six communities that we're offering the program to. The department is reaching out to all regions to seek interest from some of the communities that don't offer similar secondary programming. In our next academic year we will be adding two more communities, moving forward. Hopefully as we see more success, we'll see more communities added, especially the rural and remote communities that currently don't provide some of the distance learning classes.

Mr. Speaker, my final question: is the department gathering the feedback from students and teachers on an ongoing basis to improve the distance learning program?

Yes, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I said that we continuously are getting feedback from our participants as well as our teachers. It does help us. It's very critical that we get that feedback so we can make adjustments to the program to make it a lot better, a little bit more efficient.

We've learned a lot of things already. One thing that we've seen as a strong success is the in-school monitor. We've also learned how the courses are being taught, which ones are being more effective. But one great success out of this program is the relationship-building between communities, participants that are in different communities. One of the great things that this program does is they bring them together for one time out of the year. I believe we had our participants from Resolution and Liard go up to Inuvik and meet with the teachers that they've only seen through video conferencing. So we're continually getting feedback and hope to expand the program and build on its success moving forward.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, I spoke about medical travel and some of the challenges we're facing. For the record, I know the staff are doing a great job in implementing the policies the department has in regards to medical travel. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Health and Social Services please tell the House when the last time the department reviewed the medical travel policy and who was involved? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the medical travel policy was revised on April 1, 2015 to remove some program-level details. This detail was moved into three ministerial policies, one on eligibility criteria, one on escort criteria, as well as one on benefits. A ministerial policy on appeal process was also created at that time, which is a new feature within medical travel.

In order to ensure that the ministerial policies reflect the needs of residents of the Northwest Territories, a review of the policies is ongoing. To assist with this review, a consultant, DPRA, was contracted by the department to hold public engagement sessions across the Northwest Territories from December 2014 to March 2015. A number of different stakeholders were consulted as part of this review, including residents and patients in communities of varying sizes across the Northwest Territories, Aboriginal governments and organizations, NGOs like the NWT Seniors' Society and the Canadian Cancer Society.

A report was prepared as a result of this engagement, called "Patient Escort Supports: A Report on What We Heard," which was made publicly available. One of the key recommendations that came out of this public dialogue was the creation of a medical travel navigation booklet for patients and escorts, which we hope to release soon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for his answer. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if medical travel staff get together yearly to discuss their issues and share their success stories to help improve this service?

I don't believe that we actually have a formal process whereby they get together on an annual basis, but we did bring some staff in, and we do engage with our staff to get their feedback on different aspects of medical travel. The staff across the Northwest Territories actually had a lot of input in what this handbook that we're going to release shortly is going to look like. Medical travel staff work in collaboration and on an ongoing basis to improve medical travel here, in the Northwest Territories.

I thank the Minister for his answer. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell the House if each regional office has a 1-800 number that the patients can call if they need immediate assistance? And, if we do not, why not?

Mr. Speaker, we don't have a 1-800 number for every region, but we do have numbers available for our medical travel staff in all of the regions, and that information is going to be provided to our residents who are travelling on medical travel as part of this new booklet that's going to be provided. It's going to show them the numbers they can call, who they can call, in particular, the medical travel staff in the regions.

It's also going to include the number for our system navigator, which is, actually, a 1-800 number, should they not be able to get in touch with their local medical travel staff, the staff they've been working on to help coordinate their travel.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. The Minister spoke about this policy was developed and reviewed ongoing. Could the Minister actually look at getting the staff together, the medical travel staff together, so that they can actually share their success and challenges so that they can work together and enhance what they have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the staff are already being engaged on this particular project. We're doing, as I indicated, different pillars. We're looking at the escorts. We're looking at the costing and funding. We're looking at a number of different things. We are bringing staff in. It's not always the same staff. We can't always bring in all the staff. But we certainly do our best to engage different staff at different times to make sure that we're getting a really well-rounded opinion and input as we move forward.

I commit to continuing to engage staff as we move forward, and I mean delivery staff, not departmental staff but delivery staff, as we move forward on all the pillars of medical travel and modernization.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. As I said in my Member's statements, recent events pertaining to NTPC raise more questions than answers about the government's intentions regarding the Power Corporation. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain, since high power rates are known to be a deterrent to industry and economic growth, why NTPC has been allowed to increase their power rates by more than 40 per cent in the last four years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, there have been increases of the power rates over the last few years. These were driven by increases in costs, many of them unavoidable by the Power Corporation, such as the increasing costs under collective agreements, increasing costs of fuel. Also, too, the actual amount of power that is distributed each year by the Power Corporation has not been rising to meet these costs. Therefore, increases were asked for of the PUB and granted. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, since NTPC is the agency charged with providing the most reasonable power costs to all northerners, can the Minister explain why it's planning to go into competition with the private sector in Hay River even though that may make it necessary to overcharge customers in other communities to provide the promised lower rates to Hay River?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I think that that ultimately is going to lead to more questions at another time. However, I move on. Can the Minister explain if it is the intention of the government to remove third party accountability of NTPC and make it a department of the government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there is no long-term changes of that nature presently contemplated by the Government of the Northwest Territories. We will, Mr. Speaker, of course be tasking the new board of directors. We're looking at the whole operations, and we're hoping they'll come up with creative solutions that will continue enabling the Corporation to provide cheap, affordable power to the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, what is the government's long-term plan to work with constituents, communities, and the private sector including Northland Utilities to stabilize or even reduce power rates for all Northerners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Of course, the new board is tasked with, as I mentioned, providing power at the cheapest possible rate that is reliable and safe. All applications for increases, of course, go through the PUB, which is an onerous process which enables the public utilities board to look at the operations of the Corporation and either grant, modify, or refuse the application, so the government will be working with the new board. Hopefully, we can achieve even more savings than we currently have. So ongoing, we will be looking at new solutions, new ideas with the new board.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned earlier in my statement here, my questions would be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I am really encouraged when I first read the material published by this government, Skills 4 Success. I think if there's more material published like that, it would be very encouraging to the reader and the students out in the small remote communities. There's a broad horizon out there, and a welcome knowledge to be accumulated in preparation for the career of choice.

So my first question to the Minister is: what post-graduation programs are available currently? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, Aurora College institutes that we have throughout the Northwest Territories, Fort Smith, Yellowknife, and Inuvik is an opportunity to develop skilled development as well as further education. We do have a lot of partnerships and provide through our Student Financial Assistance program which we made improvements to, provided to anybody that wants to further their post-secondary education.

If students are wanting to get through some specific programs, or any resident for that matter, they can go through our regional Education, Culture and Employment service centers. It's for all NWT residents, and there's a lot of programs that we've provided in terms of resumes, filling out applications, counseling, career counseling, education counseling and other things like interview skills, and I encourage everyone to go visit the regional service centers if they're looking at getting into post-secondary programs or filling out student financial assistance programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In particular, there's one course requirement for the students if they wanted to go to, say, NAIT or Grant MacEwan, for example. It's referred to as 30-1, 30-2, in preparation for that, and I understand it's not being offered in our Northern institutions. So that's just one challenge that could be placed on the agenda for this post-graduation seminar. Is that correct in saying that? There is those course requirements down South?

I will have to get more specifics on the 30-1, 30-2. We do have a lot of 30-1, 30-2 courses varied, whether it's math or chemistry, but I have to get specifics on that one that the Member is bringing up.

However, we do offer programs in the K-12 system. All Grade eight, Grade nine students in the NWT have opportunities to take a 25-hour career awareness course that involves developing a personal career program, so that's starting them very early, and then when they get into the high school, all high school students must take a three-credit course, which is 75 hours in career and life management course in order to graduate, so we are starting early. I have to figure out what specific 30-1, 30-2 program the Member is referring to. He might be referring to the CALM program, but one other thing that we are doing as he mentioned in Skills 4 Success program is you are going to get a handbook out into the schools in the fall time. As students are looking at their career developments, we wanted to show them what the in-demand jobs are going to be over for the next 15 years, as mentioned earlier in this session, when somebody brought up the same questions in terms of getting that information out into the schools.

Would the Minister support financially through a pilot project process on the Sahtu graduates recently and going to be graduated from their respective home school on a seminar a post-graduation seminar held in one of the Sahtu communities to provide orientation and mentorship guidance, should the individual choose to go down South?

All of our communities or in schools have guidance counsellors that will help students who want to go into post-secondary, give them all the information that they need. We do have that information at the Aurora College centers as well if you want to apply to some of our institutions that we partner up very closely with, such as NAIT, University of Alberta, and we make sure that the student has the right information wanting to go into post-secondary.

We also have career development officers, and most recently, employment transition officers getting out and doing this kind of work to create awareness on the programs that we have at ECE. I know a lot of communities also have career fairs throughout the year, and I know that our regional office in the Sahtu is very proactive in getting that information out to the students, and I believe they had a good one not too long ago in Norman Wells.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question to the Minister is: if the Minister would commit to 50 per cent of the costs for the students that graduated in one of the Sahtu communities for this summer to explore options of career choice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We can't commit the financial amount at this time, but we can get our regional office, contact the regional office and have them speak with the student to explore the options of what's out there in terms of wanting to get out and further their education, and that's something we support. We made a lot of great programs, enhancements to the student financial assistance program, and we know that students are really happy about those improvements.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement, I talked about the lack of increases in certain areas. I'd like to ask the Minister why was there no increase in area of mental health and addictions, health promotion, and community wellness work for starts? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we are discussing the budget inCommittee of the Whole, and yesterday I did point out that there is actually a $500,000 increase in mental health services in the Northwest Territories as a result of the new Mental Health Act. This is going to help us facilitate things such as the assisted community treatment that is a key component of the new Mental Health Act.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, we also know that we have to examine our programs and look at our programs. We need to figure out how to modernize our programs, make sure they're making best value for money. To that end, we are moving forward with a Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Framework which is going to help us set our direction moving forward, and it's going to build upon the good work of the last assembly and the former Minister of Health and Social Services, and his forum on mental health and addictions, which helped actually set the direction that we've been taking over the last couple of years. This new strategic framework is going to help us take the next step, help us make sure that we're spending our money wisely, help us target our money where it needs to be targeted, and it may also help us identify additional spending we may need. We really need to make sure that we're doing things right with the best value for money at this point, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister if the Minister is expecting initial sort of measurable results with the budget as it is with no increases, and in the $500,000 increase in mental health, although for me, it's more of an alcohol and drug issue rather than a mental health, but I also know that they're very closely linked.

I would like to know if the Minister has any measurable results that the department will be looking at, and at this budget year? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of things that we are doing to help individuals who are suffering from addictions here in the Northwest Territories. We have put in $1.2 million into addictions programming, which is a direct result of the Minister's forum in the last government.

As we discussed yesterday in Committee of the Whole, we are actually in the process of developing a comprehensive evaluation framework working with our partners so that we can have some long-term assessment on these programs to see how effective they are over time. I did commit to providing the Members with the immediate detail, how many people have attended, the general feedback they have provided us, those types of things. That will help us determine the effectiveness of these programs moving forward.

We also have contracts with four treatment facilities in the south, and we have actually included and put in an expedited referral process. What we have seen in the last year and a half is actually a rise in the number of individuals who were choosing to utilize those facilities. For years in the Northwest Territories, we had a fairly static number. There was 12 people in treatment at any given time. We're starting to see that rise as a result of the expedited referral process. I certainly can provide those details to the Member, and we do have some evaluation frameworks in place to try to monitor those in the long term. So there are a number of things we are doing to track the results of the good work that was done in the previous Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I agree, I think we're going to see very positive results in the treatment facilities in the south. I'd like to ask the Minister if the Department of Health and Social Services has done any work with the Departments of Justice and Education to start with in the area of how the alcohol is impacting the budgets of those particular departments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're always trying to break down the barriers between the departments. We have formed individual ministry or committees and one of them is community wellness and safety where we meet and we discuss how we can work together better and address the issues. We need to do more, obviously. I mean we're on the right path as far as providing services, but we need to do our additional work around the mental health and addictions strategic framework. And we need to do that in cooperation, and we are doing that in cooperation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows the old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any sort of concentrated effort by the department or any of the departments that he would do some work with in that area? If there's some sort of an effort to move to spending more money on prevention rather than cure? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Member's right. There's certainly a lot of value in focusing on prevention, but we can't focus on the prevention at the expense of providing somebody acute care services that we have to provide here in the Northwest Territories. Having said that, we are partnering with the federal government who is flowing significant community wellness dollars through the GNWT to the individual communities around the Northwest Territories who have all developed their own individual community wellness plans. Many of them are focusing on the prevention aspects, working with youth, working with families at risk and individuals at risk through different on-the-land programs, community services, and our Aboriginal Health and Community Wellness Division is really focusing on supporting these communities and people across the Northwest Territories in the area of prevention.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Regular Members have received some information on the Premier and Executive Council's meeting with our various Aboriginal Government partners, but it seems we're also forced to rely on public media releases to learn of some apparently major developments. I'll first refer to the Executive's media release of April 26thwhich says that, "in meetings with the Tlicho Government the topic of, 'establishing a joint working group on housing,' was discussed." Housing is one of the foremost priorities of this 18thAssembly and a huge element of our mandate, so can the Minister tell us what those talks were about? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have intergovernmental MOU with the Tlicho Government and as part of the formal arrangement we meet on a semi-annual basis with the Tlicho leadership and they raise issues of importance to them and we raise issues of importance to us. I believe in those discussions that the Tlicho wanted more presence of the Government of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in their communities and they wanted to work much more closely together in the riding and looking after the housing needs of the Tlicho and they suggested that we could possibly look at having some sort of a joint partnership in doing so. We're very open to exploring all possibilities of improving the effectiveness of the efficiencies of this transparent Government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi to the Minister for that answer. I'll turn to the Executive Department's media release of the same date on a meeting with the Northwest Territories Metis Nation which contains reference to discussions on the Taltson Dam on Cabinet taxation and on, "negotiation issues such as generalized interest and early land transfer.” Again, developments on topics that are news to me. Could the Minister please give us a few highlights on those discussions? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

For the benefit of the Member, the discussions with regards to Taltson Dam have been going on for at least three or four Assemblies and certainly there has been discussions about expanding the Taltson Dam in partnership with Aboriginal Governments and we went to bring the power to the diamond mines and the diamond mines would buy the power and it went as far as going for environmental assessment and part of the recommendations was to work more closely with the Akaitcho Government with regards to crossing some portions of land that was being negotiated and that has been stalled from there on and there's certainly significant interest by the NWT Metis Nation to see additional work undertaken in that area.

Thank you to the Minister for the response. Then there's the April 20thExecutive Department media release on meetings with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. I was particularly intrigued by the reference in that release to, "offshore revenue negotiations." Could the Minister give us a brief overview of what this refers to?

Thank you. As the Member may know, the offshore in the Beaufort has very significant resource potential in the area of oil and gas and this is an area that has been identified for negotiation. It was part of the oil and gas negotiations of devolution. There as a trigger in the devolution agreement that six months after devolution came into place that the trigger would be pulled so that negotiations could start with the Government of Canada for management of the offshore in the Beaufort and also collection of royalties and the whole regulatory process. We have indicated in conjunction with the Inuvialuit, the Inuvialuit have had land claims for over 30 years and joint management of the Beaufort has been a very important priority for the Inuvialuit and they want to get on with it. We want to get on with it. We think at this juncture where there is no oil and gas activity going on in the Beaufort and very little likelihood of it returning in the near future that this is a good time to do those negotiations and get it done.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. So despite the talk-down answers, we concede that these are all quite significant matters in which all Caucus Members would genuinely have an interest. The guiding principles in consensus government in the NWT by which we are all bound says under Principle Five: "Except under extraordinary circumstances, Members of the Legislative Assembly should be made aware and have opportunity to discuss significant announcements, changes, consultations or initiatives before they are released to the public or introduced in the Legislative Assembly.” Can the Minister tell us why the input of all Caucus Members was not sought on these significant matters and whether he will commit to seeking the direction of Caucus prior to future consultations with our Aboriginal Government partners? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

These are matters that are raised by Aboriginal Governments in their own right and when they raise it at the meetings we can't take the time to say, well, we're going to go back and check with all 19 Members before we can have this discussion, but we do have bodies. Like I said, every one of the instances the Member referred to is part of longstanding discussions and negotiations.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I've made several statements in this House about the need for our government to put in place a sound and robust system for financial securities from non-renewable resource development and its part of our mandate as the 18thAssembly. Earlier today I spoke of the financial security shortfall for the Cantung Mine and its poor environmental track record. Can the Minister of Lands tell me whether GNWT still holds surface leases covering the Cantung property? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the administration of control of the site is not being transferred back to Canada; therefore, the GNWT still administers surface leases on the Mactung site. Thank you.

As I understand it, GNWT was able to turn back most of the responsibility for the Cantung Mine to the Federal Government of the Devolution Agreement. Why do we still have surface leases covering the property? Can the Minister tell this House what his department is doing about turning those leases over to the federal government and what residual financial liability GNWT still has for the Cantung Mine?

Mr. Speaker, the transferred administration control will take place if Canada requests a transfer. As far as the liability goes through the devolution agreement, Canada took responsibility for the remediation of the Cantung Mine.

If I heard the Minister correctly, if Canada requests the surface leases they can be handed back. I'm hoping that we would actually do that. You know, in the interim we have these surface leases covering the property. We still have a duty to carry out inspections, especially in light of the poor environmental track record of this operation. Can the Minister tell us how many inspections have been carried out on our Cantung surface leases since devolution, what the findings have generally been, and how much those inspections have cost this Government?

Mr. Speaker, with the Department of Lands in the GNWT now holding the lease on the Mactung Mine and through devolution we feel that we're in a better position to try and adjust any of the liabilities, identify any liabilities and make sure we have adequate securities as has been mentioned in the past. As far as the actual inspections that have happened since then because it's a non-operating mine inspections weren't really required. I'll have to follow up and see how many we've actually done, but I could tell the Member in this House that ITI and Lands are planning on having boots on the ground this summer at the Mactung site to do some inspections out there. I would be more than pleased to give Members opposite an update as to the work when it happens.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the answer and the commitment from the Minister on the Mactung property, but I've been talking about Cantung. It's a nearby former operating mine, but I'd be happy to chat with him about this. Now that we have authority under devolution to bring in our own legislation regulations policies and processes for setting financial security for non-renewable resource development, we've had this authority now, Mr. Speaker, for over two years. Can the Minister tell this House what steps he has taken to engage the public and bring in a sound and robust financial security system for non-renewable resource development in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct: Mactung is the property; Cantung is the mine. It is the remediation of Cantung that Canada has taken the responsibility for. I hear the Member's point on the securities. It is a responsibility that we take very seriously because we are ultimately, at the end, responsible for it. We are holding approximately $562 million in security within the Department of Lands. I think there is about $5.5 million of that on the Cantung mines. We will continue to fulfill our role in making sure that the environment and Northwest Territories and the liabilities are up to date. As we move forward, I will make a commitment that we will work with Members, keep them up to date as to the work that we are doing, and also keep the public informed and up to date as to the work that we are doing and the amount of security that we hold.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Finance inform this House where, in the government's budget, are there tax measures to lower taxes on small businesses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is nowhere. This is the first budget since this Assembly has taken office. We have three budgets to go before the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I don't think our businesses can afford to wait much longer to see some real economic growth and progress. Is the Minister committing to doing this any time soon? Is it going to be budget two, three or four?

Mr. Speaker, as people across Northwest Territories know, we are going through an exercise right now where we are trying to identify a lot of savings within the budget. Part of the reason for that is to pass those savings and be able to invest in new initiatives that our small businesses across the Northwest Territories can take advantage of. As far as looking at the corporate or small business tax, this is a discussion that we can have. We have a business planning process coming up in September. I am sure the Members will raise it at that time again.

Mr. Speaker, Members in this House did discuss it when we set this government's mandate and were fairly insistent that this needed to happen. In fact, it was the Members on the other side of Cabinet that voted against this resolution. I will ask the Minister again if he will make a firm commitment to see this roll out sooner rather than later.

I would like to ask the Member to refresh our memory and let us know where we voted against this particular initiative? Thank you.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will ask the Minister to answer the question I previously asked. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Member makes a comment that we voted against something. My answer to his question is I wanted to know where that happened.