Welcome. Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I usually don't recognize individuals from other ridings, but today I have somebody who I have known for a long time, Raymond Michaud, who was my supervisor when I was in Grandin College. I just acknowledged Mr. Clifford Cardinal had gone to school in Grandin, so I'd like to recognize Mr. Ray Michaud.

Also, I want an opportunity today -- it may be my last opportunity to recognize the translators, because I won't be in tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Mary-Rose Sundberg and Dennis Drygeese, who are interpreting in the Denesuline and Willedeh language. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Fraser Oliver, a constituent of Kam Lake and president of the NWT Teachers' Association. Welcome.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, members of the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, Northern and Remote Health Network, are with us here today. The foundation was one of two organizations to be highlighted in the federal budget for enhanced funding from Health Canada. This network meets twice annually to share success and develop collaborative approaches to share challenges in delivering healthcare in remote regions like the Northwest Territories.

I would like to welcome the following network representatives: Gregory Cumming, Stephen Samis, Laura Wessman, Sonia Isaac-Mann, Helga Bryant, Lynn Ryan-MacKenzie, Patricia Kyle, and Susan Gillam. I apologize if I have missed any of you. Welcome to the gallery. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to recognize a couple of constituents: Pam Schlosser and Dean McInnes, who are both educators.

There are also some folks in the gallery from the Northern Frontier Visitors Association: Mr. Kyle Thomas is the chair of the board, and Ian Henderson is on the board as well, and Tracy Therrien is the executive director, and I believe some of her staff are here as well. I am sorry if I missed anybody, but thank you very much for joining us today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Annemieke Mulders, who is with the Northwest Territories Status of Women. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to recognize a man of many hats, a resident of Yellowknife North riding, Mr. Tony Whitford.

I would also like to recognize and welcome from Yellowknife Glassworks, Matthew Grogono as well as Emily Lossner are both here today. I also want to recognize Yellowknife resident, professional development coordinator for the NWT Teachers' Association Amanda Mallon, and as well as Adrian Amirault is also a resident of Yellowknife North and the executive director for the NWT Teachers' Association. I apologize to anybody that I missed. Welcome. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize some of our executive from the NWT Teachers' Association. Our president, Mr. Fraser Oliver; Executive Director, Adrian Amirault; and our past president and past Canadian Teacher Federation vice-president, Ms. Amanda Mallon.

Mr. Speaker, together they have over 91 years of teacher experience in the Northwest Territories and I want to thank them for that. That is a lot of experience and a lot of hearts and minds that they've touched. Any other educators who are here joining us today, welcome. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Ray Michaud, who is a former mayor of Fort Simpson and a very strong candidate for our region, and I welcome him here.

As well, Tracy Therrien, who is a long-term friend; we've known each other for a long time. Welcome to the Assembly along with everybody else. There are some former bosses of mine from the deputy minister's office, I'd like to thank them and welcome them here. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, pertaining to my statement earlier, I have questions for the Health Minister. Mr. Speaker, my first question is: what food safety education is available to residents of Nunakput and across the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have environmental health officers employed by the Department of Health and Social Services who can offer NWT food safety courses when requested by a community. They can go out and do that. They are usually waiting until they get at least 10 individuals who are interested in that course. However, we do know that, in some of the smaller communities, finding 10 individuals has proven to be difficult, so that can be offered by Telehealth as well, but we would need a request from the community that they would like that course provided and we can certainly provide it.

There are also a number of other training opportunities or training courses available online. They are available on our NWT Health and Social Services website. I would strongly encourage the Member to encourage his residents to review those courses and see if any of them meet their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response from the Minister. It looks like we can work with Inuvialuit on that. Mr. Speaker, my second question is: what steps can be taken to make sure small businesses will pass food inspections and get local foods into local stores?

Currently local meat must be inspected to meet food establishment safety regulations in order to be sold in stores. The Department of Health and Social Services is working with ITI to set out a method for legal sale of locally harvested and grown foods. This method needs to ensure that food are safe, which I think is understood and supported by the Member and all residents so that it is safe and the residents will not get ill by eating the food.

My third question, and this may overlap with the previous answer, but: how is the Department of Health working to help small operators sell locally sourced meat products?

The environmental health officers are working with small operators and people applying for temporary or permanent food establishment permits to ensure the food they provide is safe. Providing for locally sourced meat products will require revisions to the Public Health Act and regulations, and it may require other regulations or amendments to be done, regulations and legislation that might exist in other departments, like ENR, Lands or ITI, so we would need to work with those departments to ensure that any sales or distribution of locally harvested foods is safe for the residents when it involves for sale.