Good afternoon, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important areas we can invest in is early childhood development, and the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to do this by implementing its Right from the Start Framework. Ages zero to five are the most critical time in a child’s development, and the work that the Departments of Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment have been doing in partnership have been helping all of the children in the Northwest Territories.

Over the past year, we have made some significant improvements to the programs and services we offer and support in early childhood development.

Mr. Speaker, strengthening licensed early childhood programs through the improvement of resource materials and through increased training for early childhood workers is one of our specific mandate commitments related to Right from the Start.

Mr. Speaker, many of our children have the benefit of attending these early learning programs, and we recognize there are challenges in delivering programs in different communities. To account for these differences, we have reconfigured our model so operators can focus on developing quality programs for the children in their care rather than focusing on administrative paperwork. To ensure children with special needs have appropriate support, we have streamlined the Healthy Children Initiative into the Early Childhood Intervention Program. These program changes will be phased in over five years and will help our licensed early childhood programs better plan and meet the scope of the children’s needs.

Since 2015, the Early Childhood Staff Grant Program has provided a wage top-up to early childhood workers in licensed daycare facilities to upgrade their skills and education. Over the 2015-16 fiscal year, Education, Culture and Employment provided grants to approximately 240 full- and part-time early childhood workers.

As well, in 2016-17, we awarded five $1,000 scholarships to 13 post-secondary students enrolled in full-time early childhood development diploma or degree programs.

We also continue to work with our early childhood operators across the North, through symposiums, video conferencing, and ongoing discussions. They are often the first caregivers outside the child’s family, and we need to ensure they are supported.

Another one of our mandate commitments, Mr. Speaker, was to revise the funding support model for licensed early childhood programs. I am pleased to advise Members that Education, Culture and Employment has fulfilled this commitment.

A daily subsidy for each child attending programs will continue to be provided to operators. The previous Early Childhood Program Operating Subsidy had 10 zones. We have reduced this to two zones; Zone A for all southern communities with road access, and Zone B for communities in the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta and those communities without road access.

In light of full territorial implementation of junior kindergarten beginning in the 2017-18 school year, we have significantly increased the infant rate for operators across the territory. Operators in a Zone A community like Yellowknife can now expect to get $20 more, while operators in a Zone B community like Aklavik will get over $26 more.

In response to our mandate commitment to work with stakeholders and communities to explore options for free play-based care for four-year-olds, the government will be rolling out junior kindergarten to all NWT communities in the next school year, up from the 20 communities where it is currently available.

During both the review of junior kindergarten and subsequent engagements, we talked extensively with invested stakeholders across the NWT, including Aboriginal governments, ECE Service Centre regional superintendents, early childhood consultants, Aboriginal Head Start staff, the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association, Superintendents of Education, parents, teachers, and school principals and have received generally positive feedback on our approach and content.

We accepted all of the recommendations of the review and have enacted a revised funding model, enhanced the curriculum and teacher guide, increased training for teachers, developed a detailed communications plan, and engaged across the North to garner feedback for territorial implementation.

For five years now, we have been using the Early Development Instrument, which provides a snapshot of children’s school readiness at age five. The Early Development Instrument measures a child’s developmental health when they enter the school system. The preliminary Early Development Instrument results, after the initial rollout of junior kindergarten, is showing improvement among our five year olds. The promise of junior kindergarten as a way of ensuring our children are ready when they enter the formal school system at five seems to hold true. The results are preliminary, but very encouraging.

Mr. Speaker, healthy early childhood development is a priority for this Legislative Assembly. I believe it is also a priority for all of the communities and families across the North, and we are working to ensure we have the most responsive programs, services, and opportunities available for families and children, right from the start. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past summer a number of people noticed that there was erosion of the river bank and the ground slumping upstream at the Enbridge pipeline.

After hearing about this issue, the chief and council of the Liidlii Kue First Nations contacted Enbridge to inform them of the potential hazard.

Mr. Speaker, Enbridge is well prepared for these issues. It is my understanding that each September the company holds its annual emergency training exercise with local companies, Nogha Enterprises, Rowe's Construction and Great Slave Helicopters, and the local fire department, RCMP, and Department of Lands personnel to prepare them for these types of situations.

Luckily, this situation did not involve a spill or a break in the line. Fortunately, the company had and followed their erosion control measure plan. What does this involve, you might ask? Well, it is about how the company monitors, assesses, and remediates the situation. As well, the company has a good preventable maintenance and a monitoring program that alerts them of changing condition to the stability of the ground.

Mr. Speaker, this past November the company felt it needed to address the sloping issue in the pipeline, which led them to shut it down. The rationale was because of the sloping stability concerns.

Once this decision was made, the company informed the bands that were affected, Deh Cho First Nation and the village, of the shutdown. For the communities outside Fort Simpson, the company brought them into Fort Simpson to hear the message directly, then they followed up with a letter.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say Enbridge is working with Liidlii Kue First Nations to utilize the traditional knowledge to help address this sloping stability issue. As well, the local companies have taken the necessary safety training offered by Enbridge so that they can work on the project.

In speaking with the Enbridge regional contact, the company, including personnel from down south, was very impressed with the community and the region's ability to get the necessary workers and equipment to work on the remediation part of the project.

Mr. Speaker, as of December 31st, Enbridge expenditure was at $5.7 million, just for Fort Simpson.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding crews will continue installation and begin the borehole program the week of January 9 and it is expected to run until the end of February. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll try to take the marbles out now.

---Laughter

There will be approximately 40 people involved, excluding local contractors. Labourers and services will be contracted from Nogha Enterprises and Rowe's Construction as required.

All accommodations will be sourced from Fort Simpson businesses, and services such as water, fuel, and equipment will be sourced from Fort Simpson.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Enbridge for being so forthcoming with the information about this situation and using local companies to work on this remediation. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I made a statement about the need to invest in the biggest asset of the Northwest Territories -- our people -- and I stand by that statement.

Mr. Speaker, when world economies are soft, commodity prices are down, and markets are pessimistic, the time is right for new growth and opportunity. Some of our new areas of economic growth are very bright; one only has to look out at the streets of Yellowknife, filled with tourists from Asia, to see this.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was reminded that there is room to be optimistic in our established economies as well. Members of this House were privileged to get an update from TerraX Minerals. This is a company that is poised to spend roughly $40 million in exploration over the next few years; an investment that will benefit the entire territory.

TerraX plans to invest this money "on spec," meaning it has no guarantees of finding anything. It is investing in the area right around Yellowknife, one of the most explored areas of the North. Mr. Speaker, TerraX is using new technologies and theories, opening the possibility of creating opportunities that weren't available just a few years ago.

This is the kind of investment that we badly need and we must welcome it with open arms, Mr. Speaker. In my statement earlier this week I mentioned the "gloomy" outlook for the resource sector and, to be frank, between a forecasted drop in exploration spending of almost half, the loss of corporate head offices to Alberta, and Imperial Oil leaving Norman Wells, the outlook isn't rosy.

This makes it even more important that we create a welcoming climate for exploration investments like TerraX. This kind of investment has a multiplying effect, Mr. Speaker. While the principals of TerraX have no guarantees of finding a workable deposit, its investments will create jobs and activity for local businesses. While they take the risk, helicopter companies, diamond drillers, airlines, hotels, and other local businesses will reap the benefits. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. It's not only dollars, Mr. Speaker. TerraX is also investing socially in the territory. As we saw in their presentation yesterday, the company is taking steps to reach to NWT communities, the public, and Aboriginal governments. They are continually consulting to make sure that stakeholders are aware of its activities. Although TerraX has contributed to the NWT Ski Loppet on an annual basis, this year they announced that they will be the main sponsor for the Loppet.

So, Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier this week, I believe we must seek new opportunities to grow and diversify our economy, but that does not mean that we should turn our backs on new investments in the mining sector. TerraX's exploration efforts will create growth and opportunity in the NWT economy, Mr. Speaker, and the company has demonstrated that it is a good citizen. We should do everything we can as a government to welcome and encourage it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to speak today about protecting NWT consumers from false advertising and ensuring the integrity of our tourism products and branding for our visitors.

Most people remember the high-profile case of pickerel offered at a local restaurant which was actually a fish from Kazakhstan called Zander. The real news turned out to be the lack of protection for our consumers through no penalties under our NWT Consumer Protection Act. There does not appear to be any power to lay charges or seek fines. Municipal and Community Affairs, which administers the legislation, has set up a complaint system. The department acts as a mediator between complainants and businesses. At the time of the fish story, the deputy minister is quoted as saying that, after a complaint was filed, "We hope that they can work it out themselves." He said public awareness plays a role by putting pressure on businesses not to mislead consumers.

Mr. Speaker, I don't think that's good enough. We should actually expect a lot more from our government. In Alaska, a media report indicated a restaurant was fined $50,000 for selling New Zealand elk as Alaska reindeer. In Quebec, misleading customers on the composition of food will get you a $500 to $9,000 fine.

There are two issues here. One is to provide a mechanism ensuring consumers who have been intentionally misled can get redress with legislative requirements that forces retailers to give a refund and make things right. The other issue is one of deterrence, to actively discourage misrepresentation. A tourist on a five-day trip from overseas is not likely to file an English-language complaint, even with the potential for a refund. We need a stronger consumer protection system with powers to investigate complaints and lay charges on behalf of the public and fines robust enough that retailers make sure products are as they are described. As more and more livelihoods are based upon the world-class quality of our tourism destination, we want to actively discourage bad players from hurting our reputation. This does not happen often, but we must be vigilant.

I don't want to give the impression we are uniquely behind. Our Yukon neighbour is not much further ahead in this regard, but with our growing tourism sector we need to begin thinking about protecting our resident consumers, our Northern products, and reputation. I'll be asking questions later today of the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statement. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government loves to subsidize housing. The Housing Corporation provides social housing; ECE pays individuals' rents through the Income Assistance Program; and even the Department of Justice provides subsidized housing by forcing private landlords to house delinquent tenants for months on end.

Let me explain. Say a tenant falls into arrears for the month of January and an application to evict is filed with the rental office in February; there likely won't be a hearing for two or three months. If the tenant continues to skip out on rent during this time, there's nothing the landlord can do except sit idly by as potentially unrecoverable arrears grow and a revenue stream worth thousands runs dry.

Mr. Speaker, I understand we have to protect tenants' rights, but there are tenants who are aware of this and who work the system.

In the NWT, there is one company that controls around 85 per cent of the rental market. I'm not concerned about that company; it can absorb the costs. My concerns are for all the other landlords in the territory who contribute to their local economies, are trying to make a living or earn some extra income, or who count on a few rental properties for their retirement income.

In Hay River, it's tough to find a place to rent, and when you do, it's not cheap. A big part of the reason for that is it's hard to convince individuals or businesses to invest in constructing new apartments or rental units because everyone knows the hassles that landlords have to go through in the territory. The system doesn't just hurt landlords; it hinders growth of our economy. The lack of rental housing makes it extremely difficult to attract and retain employees that we need to address our labour gap and help grow the economy. It could also make all the difference for a family considering leaving town.

There are tweaks to the Residential Tenancies Act that can help remedy some of the problems, but the immediate issue is the understaffing of the rental office.

Two years ago, the office hired a deputy rental officer. That brought the total of officers up to two. Unfortunately, half the staff recently retired, and now we're back down to one. Nowadays, nearly half of all applications take over two months to be heard. Mr. Speaker, the rental office doesn't just deal with private landlords; it is also used by the Housing Corporation to collect arrears, and aggressive attempts by the corporation at collecting arrears have further disadvantaged small landlords.

I know the Minister is aware of this issue; I've discussed it with him before. I was assured that the rental office was taking steps to tackle its workload problem, and hopefully that means hiring another officer. I'll have questions for the Minister of Justice at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our NWT economy is based on a number of factors, and involves a number of players as well. In the global economy price sector, downturn places governments in taking a lead role in diversification. However, targets of balanced budgeting is a measurement for sound consumer confidence.

Economic indicators such as gross domestic product, net-to-debt ratios. Other factors on stability can be seen by monthly reports from the Bureau of Statistics. Benchmarking our physical progress to other Canadian jurisdictions provides evidence of maintaining sustainability, as set out in our budgetary deliverance.

Mr. Speaker, core social programs through five departments are supported by 63 per cent of this budget. Being mindful of the economic players and resource development, confidence remains consistent with the Assembly's mandate. Attracting industry will see benefits that we have seen by contributions to the local school in Tulita in the amount of $30,000 for the breakfast program. Similar contributions were made by TerraX as mentioned by my colleague earlier. Physical responsibility compliance are other factors on management's prudent progression.

Mr. Speaker, from this budget the Sahtu region will see 25 career positions, jobs that weren't there before, long-term jobs that will help and support families to place their footing within the community as well as contributing to the local economy and TFF income. From this budget, my region will see true independence and have the ability to make decisions on their own for the destiny that they wish to choose. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I asked you where you think the highest average rent in Canada is, I assume you would say a major Canadian city like Toronto or Vancouver. Mr. Speaker, you would be wrong. If you were wondering what the answer is, you need look no further than out the windows of this building.

Mr. Speaker, according to a 2016 report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Commission, the average rent for a two-bedroom unit in Yellowknife is $1,636 per month, while in Vancouver a similar unit costs $1,450 and in Toronto the rent would be $1,327. That means Yellowknifers on average pay $200 more per rent than tenants in the two largest cities in Canada.

To be fair, Mr. Speaker, there has been a 2.2 per cent drop in the rent from 2015, but that is due to roughly 206 people who have left the territory, prompting local landlords to offer rent reductions in order to fill that vacancy rate. This trend can also be attributed to new purchases and the construction of condos, but also because some people have just given up on renting. Mr. Speaker, there is a large community of young Northerners who are becoming permanent house-sitters or even moving back in with their parents, effectively putting aspects of their social mobility on hold.

Being that there is no CMHC data on other similar communities' rental prices, we would likely see higher rental prices in communities such as Inuvik, Hay River, and Fort Smith.

Mr. Speaker, in our mandate document, we are committed to addressing the high cost of living. Although not explicitly mentioned, easing the burden from renters is something we need to focus on. Renting is usually the first step before buying your first home as an important aspect of the middle class experience. That element is being taken away from young people, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, when young people come here, they are looking for opportunity, they are looking for mobility, and they are looking to make a future in the Northwest Territories. If they can't even afford a home while they build that future, we are in trouble. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister on what she plans to do with the new rent subsidy program she mentioned yesterday in the House, and we will see exactly where we are taking affordable rent for the future of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we know that mental health is a critical issue in our communities. The Department of Health and Social Services has set out a five-year plan, called Mind and Spirit, promoting mental health and addictions recovery in the Northwest Territories.

Within Mind and Spirit, the department plans to focus on children and youth, mental health, and addictions recovery, all areas where communities badly need support. Mr. Speaker, to get this work done, we will need trained experts on the ground, people who are committed to our communities in the long term.

Residents of Tsiigehtchic recently had the benefit of a local mental health worker, someone who could provide counselling services, help with case management and suicide prevention, promoting mental health, and coordinating medication and monitoring for Northern people where they live.

Unfortunately, that worker was needed somewhere else and now works out of Inuvik. That means the worker was in Tsiigehtchic just long enough for people to start getting used to them, to become comfortable with them, and now they are gone. Even if another mental health worker comes to town, residents will feel like they are starting from scratch.

Working in mental health is a position of great trust, Mr. Speaker. When communities are used to people coming and going, it can be hard enough to welcome someone new, much less to open up to them about their most personal questions and challenges.

Moves like this are disruptive, Mr. Speaker, and the anxiety and uncertainty they cause run counter to our goals of supporting good mental health.

Of course, we can't control how individuals feel if it is time to move on to try different work or even life in a different communities. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Of course, we can't control when individuals feel that it is time to move on to try different work or life in a different community. When our health authorities assign work or move positions, they need to consider the impacts of those decisions on the people who they serve.

To deliver reasonable services and adequate support, we need to build a mental health system committed to encouraging long-term presence in our small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in recent years the idea of a sugar tax levied on sugary drinks like pop and juice has generated debate about outcomes. I would like to share my findings from a review of existing programs and best practices.

Sugar taxes typically focus on naturally or artificially sweetened beverages and are calculated based on volume, and might also include syrups or artificial sweeteners. They are usually implemented at the federal level, as in the countries of Hungary and Mexico. Here in Canada, the federal government has said only that it will continue to monitor emerging evidence on the effectiveness of such measures.

Media coverage often boils down to one of two narratives. Supporters argue for a sugar tax to take action on an obesity crisis. Detractors argue that a tax would increase taxes and interfere with consumers' free choice.

What is more, because sugar tax programs are still young, we don't have conclusive evidence of their results. Some promising results from Mexico suggest that their sugar tax has led to decreased soft drink sales in the order of 7.5 per cent over two years, but they are unable to calculate the effect of this drop on health.

It seems to me that this conversation speaks to the desire for policy that empowers consumers to both choose and access healthy food, a critical issue here in the NWT. I want to offer the finance Minister a couple of best practices for his budget commitment to explore a sugary drink tax.

First, the department must have clarity of purpose. While the budget address linked sugar taxes to health, a 2016 revenue options paper had dismissed the idea, arguing, as have other jurisdictions, that the expense would likely outstrip the income. I was also troubled by the same paper's suggestion that seeing low-income people paying a larger share would not be an issue. That sounds less proactive and more punitive.

Second, I point to the recommendations of both the Senate Committee and the Canadian Diabetes Association. Both suggest that a sugar tax is not a stand-alone magic bullet for better health. Instead, government needs to develop clear plans for dedicated use of levied funds and revise existing practices respecting healthy food affordability and regulation, labelling, and marketing of sugary beverages. Here, the GNWT may have a head start. For more than 10 years, Health and Social Services has encouraged students, families, and schools to "drop the pop."

I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, modern treaties, land claims, and self-government agreements are a key component of governance in the North.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has released a statement of principles on its approach to modern treaty implementation. These principles must be upheld in all our negotiations with Indigenous groups.

Modern treaties promote strong, sustainable Indigenous communities that create enduring intergovernmental relationships between treaty partners and certainly around the lands and resource ownership and management. They support a stable climate for investment and promote broader economic and policy objectives to the benefit of all Canadians.

Many modern treaties set out Indigenous groups' lawmaking powers and equip them to develop programs and services that are tailored to the unique needs of their communities.

Mr. Speaker, modern treaties are reconciliation in action. Treaty rights are recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act. Treaties establish a mutually agreed-on and enduring framework for reconciliation and ongoing relationships between the Crown and Indigenous people.

Mr. Speaker, modern treaty implementation is an ongoing process and must reflect the agreements entered into. Modern treaties must be implemented in a manner that upholds the honour of the Crown, recognizing that Indigenous groups and treaty rights are constitutionally protected.

Mr. Speaker, through the implementation of modern treaties, Canada shares a set of broad objectives with its Indigenous treaty partners, including the promotion of social, economic, and cultural well-being of Indigenous peoples and contribution to the development of prosperous and sustainable Indigenous communities in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, modern treaty implementation requires a whole-of-government approach and effective intergovernmental relationships to be successful. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that Canada has articulated these principles, and that the Government of the Northwest Territories' approach to land claim and self-government agreements also reflects these values. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize David Connelly. David Connelly is the community liaison for TerraX Minerals, also a Yellowknife North resident. I also want to take this opportunity to recognize and welcome Deneen Everett, the executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Ms. Deneen Everett, the executive director for the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce. She does incredible work for that organization, and I always appreciate the strong partnership she works to develop between many levels of government and the business community here, in Yellowknife. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize three Pages from Yellowknife South, Aidan Allan, Jade Leathem, Sarah Chapman, and I also recognize all of the pages and all of the good work they do here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mya Grossetete, who was sitting right there until just now, who is a Page joining us from St. Patrick School and a resident of Yellowknife Centre. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize that my relative, Patrick Joss, and constituent from Ulukhaktok has been here all week. Welcome, Patrick. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we have missed anyone in the gallery, welcome to our proceedings. It is always great to have an audience. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I spoke about Enbridge and the communication process, and so I am asking some questions of the Premier. Does the government have a protocol or a policy in place to communicate with Regular MLAs when it comes to challenges such as the pipeline shutdown and that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to report that we do have a process convention on communications between Cabinet Ministers, standing committees, and Regular Members. This was approved by caucus, and it sets out the obligations and requirement around information sharing on all Members of this House. While there are provisions for sharing information on emergencies that the Government of the Northwest Territories is responding to, it is silent on the subject of sharing information about non-emergency situations or information about the activities of a body other than the Government of the Northwest Territories, like a private business.

Having said that, with respect to the example that the Member used, on the pipeline shutdown, the senior vice president of Imperial Oil did phone me to advise that there would be a temporary shutdown of the Imperial Oil operations in Norman Wells because of issues with the pipeline going across the Mackenzie River. I asked him if I could share this information with the MLAs, and he said there would be no problem with that. He asked for a slight delay until he contacted other communities and Aboriginal governments. So within a couple of hours, all of the MLAs were advised of it.

We also have other reporting. We have the NWT-Nunavut oil spill response line. I believe MLAs can be put on that line, but that is something I will have to concern. Also, I believe the RCMP has some arrangements with Aboriginal governments to advise them of incidents. That is another thing that we could look into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Premier for his answer. That is very helpful as we move forward. I guess the next part I am looking for is: is there a specific department that is responsible for that, or is it each department has a protocol to get that information out there?

The process convention provides that MLAs representing communities or regions affected by an emergency will receive summary operational reports on emergencies that the Government of the Northwest Territories is responding to. It further provides that reports will be provided by the responsible Minister for situations involving one department, and by the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs for situations involving multiple departments.

I also received information from Enbridge, and they stated that their protocol is to inform the government immediately and maintain regular contact with communities, government, and regulators and regular contact during any incident. I can assure the Member that we make MLAs aware as soon as we are made aware.

I thank the Premier for the answer. It kind of answers my third question, but is there a timeline out there that they are able to communicate to the Regular MLAs?

Under the process convention, the government has committed to providing it to MLAs as it becomes available. As soon as we get the indication that is public information or that we are free to share it with the MLAs, whether they have any restrictions on the information but generally we share right away.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for that answer. I guess there is, again, a little bit of delay in getting the information out there, and I appreciate the Premier explaining the process here today in the House. Has the government looked at how information gets out there and how we can improve this information to get to the people of our regions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The process convention that we have may be amended at any time at the agreement of caucus, the executive council, and the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. We would be happy to consider recommendations for amendments at the appropriate time, and as the Member knows the "Moccasin Telegraph," I guess, as some people refer to it, is a lot faster than any convention, so we will try to take that into consideration. Also, we are prepared to check to see if any reporting -- like for example the oil spill lines, I do not see why MLAs cannot be added to the list and you know eliminate bottleneck so that they are advised at the same time as we are. So we are prepared to be able to look to see if there are lists like that that can be changed to accommodate in the interests of having everybody know on a timely basis.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Lands. Earlier as I mentioned in my Member's statement, TerraX Minerals intends to spend nearly $40 million in the next few years in exploration in around the Yellowknife area, and so, Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife Peripheral Area Land Use Management Plan describes how lands around the city will be occupied by various users. Can the Minister commit that he will work with his Cabinet colleagues and department staff to make sure the development of this plan will be transparent and include exploration permits? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can advise that the department has done a number of studies to gather information on the Yellowknife Peripheral area, and I can advise also that they had a public telephone survey. So they have sought input from various groups including industry and they will considering, as the plan is developed, current and future land uses and values, they will identify high-quality public sites, culturally significant sites, ecologically sensitive sites, and future economic opportunity sites. So hopefully we will be able to develop a plan that will satisfy, if not everybody completely, at least take into account all those variants' interest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for his reply. Also, Mr. Speaker, TerraX has shown its interest in collaborating with other land users and lease holds in and around the Ingraham Trail area. Can the Minister provide assurances that the GNWT will refrain from awarding additional leases in these areas where mineral exploration permits have already been awarded?

No, I cannot give that guarantee; however, it is important to remember that all leases contain clauses that explicitly note that the lessee does not have rights to the subsurface. That would apply to all leases.

Thank you to the Minister for providing that clarification. Mr. Speaker, part of the Yellowknife Peripheral Area Land Use Management Plan involves developing GIS maps of the area. Can the Minister commit that he will support the inclusion of the NWT Mineral 10-year Data Sets which are publically available online from the GNWT in the plan?

I can advise that we are looking at all sorts of areas and information, including the submissions made by various parties including industry. We would be prepared to look at the NWT Mineral 10-year Data Sets referred to by the Member opposite. As to whether they will be including in the plan, that is to be determined.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, maybe the Minister can answer this last question. It correlates with my line of questioning, but it is relevant to power. The development of a potential or future mine requires significant power, of course, and over the long term development of enough hydro power to support multiple mines could also lower the power rates for both industry as well as residents. Will the Minister commit to working with his colleagues to support the development of safe, reliable, sustainable energy on a scale that will make industrial development economically feasible in the area? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government and the Power Corporation are always interested in development of safe, reliable, sustainable green energy. As to whether for a specific project we would have the resources to have a project on the scale that might be necessary, it would have to be determined by the parties, and I understand that the Power Corporation has been in touch with several industrial groups to discuss that very issue.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As my colleague before mentioned on the incident there related to the Enbridge line 21 referred to, one element of land management is responding to infrastructure. In this case, line 21, several months ago our government first learned of this incident. My question to the Minister of Lands is: what monitoring systems are in place currently after learning from the incident? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, the difficulties with the line included were rather in an area that is the jurisdiction of the National Energy Board, so that would be the primary party that is responsible for issues arising from difficulties with the pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is common knowledge there from the mirrored legislation and Devolution transfers and terms of the agreement that it is within the NEB jurisdiction on line 21; however, we shall move on because outside the parameters of the right-of-way it is our land, so I think we should take precautionary measures and at least have some method of communication. Therefore, my next question is: are there land inspectors out in that area, in the Fort Simpson area, where the situation is crossing the Mackenzie?

Yes, of course some of the areas adjacent to the pipeline and the right-of-way would be the responsibility of OROGO, and I understand that they do have a procedure under which if there are difficulties those incidents are reported to them. As to the second part of the question, as to whether there are inspectors out there right now, I would have to get back to the Member opposite.

We could answer it now or we can answer it later on as the budget deliberations go. There are resources that need to be approved for the hiring of inspectors. However, a potential catastrophe of this nature would only need the attention that it deserves and the resources to support that. I would encourage the Minister to be forthcoming on the question. Do we have people on the ground looking after our better interest and the health of the environment and the health of the people, knowing the fact that this particular infrastructure is across from the Mackenzie River, and there are a lot of affected communities downstream that could be affected? My question is, I would encourage the Minister to keep us abreast of the learnings of the situation and to please share that with us.

I will keep the Member's office appraised of any developments that are under our jurisdiction. I understand also that the oil company or the transmission company, Enbridge, does as a courtesy advise us of difficulties or issues that they are facing. There has not been a cutback in the number of inspectors that Lands has. I realize of course that this is a serious issue, and I can advise that the department will be monitoring it carefully.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today I talked about the Finance Minister's budget commitment to explore a tax on sugary drinks. The government's revenue option paper from last year rejected a sugar tax as uneconomic in terms of administration because the expense of implementing it would be greater than the income earned. I was surprised to hear about it in the budget. What has changed the Minister's views in the last year? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have to state the obvious when we talk about diabetes and obesity amongst the Northwest Territories. It is one of the reasons that we have decided to explore this option. The second one is the constant harping from the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That is good news, that health is the focus of bringing the tax into consideration. Is that the primary purpose that the Minister sees the Northwest Territories sugar tax serving? That is, will it be a revenue-neutral tax where the savings are reinvested in health measures?

I am sure the Minister of Health and Social Services would like that. One of the reasons that we have decided that we want to do it, we actually already have a letter of support from the Dieticians of Canada with their 6,000 members across the country. I think they have 15 in Northwest Territories. They have provided us with some excellent starting points for our discussions on a sugar tax. We don't know yet about the revenue. These are details we have to work out. As we go into the process, I would be more than pleased to sit down with committee and get their input. Then we will work to put together a good product for the people of the Northwest Territories.

Does the Minister have any preliminary ideas about how he will engage members of the public during the exploration of imposing this tax?

As I said before, we are early in the process, but an issue such as this, this is something that we would need to get a lot of input from committee and the public. As we go through the LPs and introduce an introduction of bills, the opportunity is going to be there for committee to take the bill on the road. We will ensure that we have a lot of good feedback and a good-quality product that we are able to present before the Legislative Assembly.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my new favourite Minister when we can expect him to report back to us about the next steps, such as the introduction of the LP. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my honourable friend from Yellowknife Centre. We are early in the process. We are just starting to put our plan together. As I said, we have already received some fantastic information from the Dieticians of Canada. I am sure we will be getting a lot more information. We will process a lot of this information. We will put a timeline together, and then we will work with committee on seeking their input on our timeline as we go forward.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to go back to my own favourite Minister, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. The situation for consumer protection that I described earlier today, I think, is one that requires some improvement. I would like to think there is more to a complaints process than hoping customers can work it out with retailers. Can the Minister tell me what specific actions her department is taking to protect our consumers, tourists, and the reputation of our northern products? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actions that we are currently taking to address the needs of consumers within the Northwest Territories, basically I want to state that we don't get a lot of complaints. First of all, we have only gotten 18 complaints in the last three years. Changes to the act are usually made based on the number of complaints that we receive. We are wondering if that is maybe a communication problem.

In this fiscal year, we have developed a plain-language guide on the current consumer affairs programming and what we do. Within that guide we have where we explain the government's role in consumer protection, we are explaining consumer's rights and their responsibilities, we are explaining the consumer's protections available for the residents of the Northwest Territories in the areas that we currently regulate, and we are providing a simple method by which residents can lodge consumer complaints. This document will be spread widely this coming spring, and we will be looking at a broader campaign to improve consumer awareness. Basically, what we are doing right now is trying to put in awareness that we are there and just letting the consumers know where they can go to for assistance on consumer issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for her response. It is good to hear that there is a campaign that is going to get under way, and I look forward to getting a copy of the booklet.

We have a lot of tourists who come through the Northwest Territories, and they really do rely on making sure that our advertising is accurate and fair. I know our government does license tourism operators, although it might be a different Minister. What kind of collaboration is there between MACA, consumer affairs staff, and ITI tourism licensing staff to ensure tourists and the reputation of our Northern products are protected?

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs regularly works with ITI on consumer-related tourism issues. However, most of them are related to public safety, such as fire protection, etc. Again, we haven't had a lot of complaints. We tend to work when we have complaints in the area. Any time there is an issue, we work cross-departmentally to define those. We also work federally as well, because the federal government also has a role in consumer complaints. When the issues are federal, we will work with them as well to address the issues.

Thanks again to the Minister for that response. Once we promote consumer protection a little bit better, maybe there is going to be a need for better collaboration there too. I am just wondering if the Minister can tell me when the last comprehensive review of the consumer protection act was undertaken?

The last review to the Consumer Protection Act was last updated in 2011. However, it was only looked at in relation to the cost-of-credit disclosure, so that was the last time that the act was actually reviewed.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. It is good to know that the last time it was looked at was 2011, and I understand that the Minister has a lot on her plate in terms of legislation. We have got 911; City, Towns, and Villages Act; Fire Prevention Act, and so on. It seems to be a long legislative slumber in the department going on. I am not making it a demand for immediate action on this issue of improving consumer protection, but can the Minister commit to placing the need for improved consumer protection into the departmental business planning and report to the standing committee this fall with when we can expect some further improvements in the Consumer Protection Act? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In an effort to try to keep as many of the Regular MLAs saying that I am their favourite Minister, what I will do is I will add these changes to the list of acts and regulations that we will be bringing to the five communities to review it on their priority list so that the communities actually can delegate which are the priorities, which ones we should be dealing with first. Then I can bring that back to the MLAs.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke of the understaffing at the rental office and the negative effects that it has on landlords, who are essentially small-business owners. I am sure the Minister of Justice, in his former life as a small-town lawyer, has fielded questions from landlords on how they can evict a delinquent tenant or how they can collect on arrears, so I am sure he is very familiar with this issue. I would like to ask the Minister: what steps will the Department of Justice take to reduce the wait times and restore landlords' confidence in the rental office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, the average time between the filing of an application and the actual hearing in the Northwest Territories is two to three months, and that is consistent or about the same as you would find in other jurisdictions. We have been trying to make the system more efficient by, for example, using three-way teleconferencing and scheduling face-to-face hearings outside Yellowknife. I know, in 2015-16, 61 per cent of the applications were heard within 60 days and, the prior year to that, only 55 per cent were herd within 60 days. If the load continues to increase, certainly, I think an option we could consider is the appointment of a second rental officer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister mentioned that it is consistent with other jurisdictions. It seems like it is convenient to be uniquely Northern and have a unique situation in the North when it benefits us, but it is okay to be consistent with other jurisdictions when it benefits the government, as well.

There have been significant efforts across departments to collect arrears tied to public housing, and these hearings have been partially responsible for the long wait times to the rental office. It is private landlords who really bolster the availability of rental housing in the communities and really add to the economy, and they have just as much right to be paid by tenants as the Housing Corporation, so is the department going to take any steps to support private landlords in collecting arrears instead of focusing their efforts on the government itself?

All applicants are treated equally, whether landlord or tenant, and there is no special preference given to the government in its applications before the rental officer.

I suppose when the biggest client is the government, it seems like that is a little unfair when it is a government office and the biggest client is the government. It is not the public, really, being served.

I think that, if the department formally assessed the business case for increasing the complement at the rental office to at least two permanent, full-time rental officers, it would see that this is a net benefit for the territory. Those thousands of dollars of revenue that landlords miss out on when tenants can't be evicted in a timely manner and the lowering of rates when there are more rental units available, I think it would pay dividends to have another rental officer there. Will the department formally assess the business case for adding another rental officer to the rental office?

Yes.

Masi. I am not sure what other kinds of questions there will be. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That might be the first commitment from the Minister this Assembly. Thank you. Thank you to the Minister.

I am sure the Minister is aware of this. There are problems collecting costs for damages. A tenant might leave, causing more damages than the damage deposit covers, and it is very difficult for the small landlords to collect on these. Is the department doing anything to help out small landlords collect on these damages? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the issue raised by the Member opposite is a problem generated with civil judgments that collection is always difficult, whether it is a judgment for arrears or on a contract. I don't think the problems are any greater in this situation as they are in any other civil cases, so I don't think we are contemplating change of legislation.

The whole point of the Residential Tenancies Act was to establish a balance between landlord and tenant. I do appreciate that that balance, when it comes to residences as opposed to commercial tenancies, is somewhat weighted in favour of the tenant, but the legislation is consistent with other jurisdictions.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I spoke about the need to take action on very high rents in the City of Yellowknife. The Minister yesterday committed to developing a new rent supplement program by the end of six months. Can the Minister provide a bit more detail about the development of that program and what the scope of it is going to entail? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would love to be able to stand here and say that we have all of the answers figured out. The honest truth is that we don't. However, I do know that the data shows that one in six households in Yellowknife are in core need due to affordability. That tells me that we have a serious problem with people being able to afford the rental accommodations in the Yellowknife area and, therefore, a rent subsidy program makes sense. It actually makes more sense than building more public housing when you do it on a cost-analysis basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister. I appreciate that she is well aware of this problem. It seems like this new program will not build houses. How is it going to save money or subsidize the cost of living for renters? It does not sound like we have much of a program, just an idea of one, but we do have that six-month commitment, so I am trying to tease out a few pieces of this so we can understand where we are going to be in six months.

It probably won't be a big leap to actually develop this program. It would be a program on its own. Public housing is still a need, and we will still be looking at that. However, we do currently provide a transitional rent supplement program that is ineffective because it ends after two years and, in my opinion, people don't often have the skills that they need or the income to be able to be left without that support. So instead of having a transitional rent support program, it's merely transferring it over and actually having more of a long term. Like I said, it is more cost effective to provide subsidies to people to deal with affordability than try to build new buildings. The longer-term plan would be to have buildings, but the shorter-term intervention is to provide subsidies.

Does the Minister have an idea about the range of these subsidies? Is it going to be targeted at lower-income earners or is it going to be a broader range that will capture the middle class as well, people with good-paying jobs but who are still facing a very high cost of living burden? So what's the range, the income range?

Due to the high needs of residents within the whole Northwest Territories and our current wait list to access public housing support, we will not be, probably, at this point extending our income threshold. So it would be for people who are at moderate to low income. I don't know the exact rate for Yellowknife, but I believe it's under $100,000 a year.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Mr. Speaker, it would be nice if the Minister did have that information because I know from personal experience that the current rent supplement program doesn't capture middle class earners and it does not do a lot to support that bracket, and that's a very important bracket. When we want to attract new labour, when we want to encourage young people to stay in the North, we've got to do more than just offer SFA, student financial assistance, and municipal loans; we need to offer real opportunities in the North, and that starts with a place to live.

So again, will the Minister commit to developing a program that supports renters and specifically that supports middle-class renters, expands that income bracket so we can support more people who are struggling to make ends meet in the City of Yellowknife? Thank you.

As I stated earlier, we have a huge number of people in need within the Northwest Territories as a whole. We have over 600 families with children that do fall within our current income assessment. At this point, I am not willing to expand the income thresholds as they currently are. If we ever get to the place where we can address all of the low-income people within the Northwest Territories, then I would look at expanding that, but at this current point we cannot.

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

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Lands on the leases and taxes and rent or whatever the term is for land tenure. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would look at lowering the cost of land lease or rentals at least in the communities I represent. I don't know what the situations are in others. So I'd like to ask that question first. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Mr. Speaker, the department is attempting to rationalize the leasing procedures so that the amounts of lease payments on both Commissioner's lands and territorial lands will be the same. I don't think we could make specific exceptions for any communities.

I just didn't want to speak for other communities, but that's generally what I'm looking for. So if they're making them the same, I'm assuming that the Minister is now talking about going with a more reasonable amount? On the leases, previously we were getting leases in small communities for about $600 a year, and for the value and if you compared to other communities that's very much in line, but now we have new leases on old houses that could be as high as $4,000, which is kind of comparable to paying taxes on a house that's worth $750,000 to $1 million in the City of Yellowknife.

Yes, we are contemplating an increase of the current minimums. There hasn't been a change for many years. Again, the lease payments are based on the assessed value of the property.

The assessed value being applied to any piece of property when you're developing a tax, you use a mill rate; currently, the department is using 10 per cent as a mill rate. So effectively it's not really a mill rate; it's a rent, but they're essentially using 10 per cent of the value.

So you have a piece of property there that's appraised in accordance with the land policy at roughly $40,000, which is pretty standard across the small communities; the taxes or the rent or the lease on that property is $4,000. That's totally unreasonable. I don't want to talk about the increase to the minimums; that's another matter altogether. We're increasing either from $250 up or $600 up, but to go to $4,000 is very unreasonable. Will the Minister look at that?