Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to introduce Bill 31, Northwest Territories 911 Act. The purpose of the Northwest Territories 911 Act is to create a Northwest Territories 911 service for the reporting of emergencies through a public safety answering point or call centre.

Bill 31 requires communities, communications providers, and emergency service providers to participate in the establishment and operation of the 911 system, which is necessary for its effective operation throughout the Northwest Territories.

Bill 31 authorizes development and administration of policies, standards, and guidelines that are necessary to operationalize the system, deter inappropriate use of the 911 system, and authorize the call centre to perform additional work on behalf of community governments, such as direct dispatch for their emergency first responders.
A significant aspect of Bill 31 is the setting of a cost-recovery fee. As Members of this House are aware, the goal of the 911 system is to ensure it operates on a full cost-recovery basis. The fee will apply to all communication devices used in the Northwest Territories which connect to 911, including landlines, wireless devices, and Voice Over Internet Protocol connections.

Much work is under way to implement 911 throughout the Northwest Territories, including preparations for a 911 call centre; hiring and training of qualified staff; working with community governments to improve civic addressing; creating an inventory of available emergency services; implementing a public awareness campaign; system testing; and developing an effective means to evaluate our progress.

Municipal and Community Affairs has worked with the legislation division of the Department of Justice on Bill 31 and will continue working with them on the drafting of the regulations required to set the cost recovery fee. Municipal and Community Affairs intends to bring the act and regulations into force prior to the go-live date for the 911 system. The projected go-live date remains June 2019.

That concludes my opening remarks, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that Members may have regarding Bill 31. Thank you.