I am also seeing the issues with it. I know that I have had many discussions with the RCMP, and the RCMP themselves, particularly one corporal who had a discussion with me, said that it was very difficult to go through the whole process of actually charging a bootlegger; getting a person to buy alcohol for you is just one step, and there are many other steps. I want to ask the Minister: I wonder, I recognize how late in the term we are, but if the Minister could start the department looking at maybe having initial discussions of perhaps surveying the people of the NWT, to have some key questions in there on a way to restrict the amount of alcohol an individual can purchase or possess at one time?

I cannot commit the next government to anything, but I will have a conversation with the officials, see if there is an opportunity where we could do a bit of a questionnaire or some consultation on how far the people in the Northwest Territories want to take this. I commend communities across the Northwest Territories who have voted to become dry communities because they, too, recognize the effects of alcohol in their community and they are trying to do what they can to combat that. I think we should provide some type of support to those individuals who want to fight the amount of alcohol that is sold to the people of the Northwest Territories.

The restrictions or the prohibition of alcohol does not seem to work, and we all know that. That is one, I think one, tool that the communities have done out of desperation, but they themselves have made the law to restrict alcohol. Yet, they are watching what is happening in the community, and it's largely because the bootlegger has no limit to what he can purchase, absolutely no limit at all. So, if there were some sort of a limit, and I am sure that most of the people of the Northwest Territories will agree, with the harmful effects of alcohol, that I think that this limitation has to be territorial. It cannot be left up to the communities to restrict or to limit and so on. I know we have limits in some communities and so on now and prohibition in others, yet this bootlegging continues, so I would like to ask the Minister if there is a way that he could start discussions with his department to harmonize the alcohol act and the Cannabis Products Act in order to put restrictions on both of those substances.

We all realize that cannabis was just recently legalized and that there will be an opportunity for a review, and it would certainly make sense to look at those elements that are within the GNWT's control as part of that overall review. There will be a review. There should be a review that's done on this, and we could probably take advantage of that time to do a review of the overall cannabis/alcohol that's within GNWT control.

Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, around the time when cannabis became legal, I also know that it's legal for the RCMP to pull an individual over in a vehicle without having cause to do so, just to check. If it is possible to restrict the amount of alcohol that an individual has, I think that we will actually curb a lot of the bootlegging. I think we would be able to even reduce bootlegging in half. What's happening right now, I think it would be a good thing. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any possible way to begin discussions, recognizing again that we're very late in our term, to begin the process of asking the department to look at a legal way to limit the alcohol for the purchaser for the entire NWT instead of by a community-by-community thing?

First of all, a lot of times this winter in the news reports we saw pictures and stories being filed of alcohol that is being seized going into some of the communities. I commend the RCMP for the work that they're doing. I commend those who have reported that. I don't recall seeing a winter where there has been so many pictures and stories posted of alcohol being seized. That is a start. We are late in this Assembly, but it's never too late to start the discussion on what we can do going forward. I will have a conversation with the department on maybe coming up with ways that we can work on this going forward, and possibly some advice we can provide to the next Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke again about an important project that's going on in the riding of Yellowknife North, and that's the Giant Mine Remediation Project. I would like to maybe start with asking the Minister of ENR a couple of questions. We often realize that this is a project managed by the federal government, so the public is always wondering exactly what role, if any, that the Government of the Northwest Territories has in this project. I would like to ask the Minister: does the GNWT retain any ownership in management of the surface lands at Giant Mine during or after the remediation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, the lands are Commissioner's lands, and the remediation project is operating under a land reserve to Canada. Discussions regarding future land ownership are under way.

Thank you to the Minister for his reply. I would also like to ask the Minister what role the GNWT has played in the surface remediation, and how it's protecting the interests of stakeholders such as those that I've mentioned earlier, the Great Slave Cruising Club and the Yellowknife Historical Society? Even the City of Yellowknife has interest there, as well.

The Giant Mine Remediation Project, they meet regularly with the NWT Historical Society and the Great Slave Sailing Club and discuss issues concerning impacts on both subleases by the Giant Mine Remediation Project. The Giant Mine Remediation Project will continue to work with both the NWT Historical Society and the Great Slave Sailing Club to accommodate access to their operations wherever feasible throughout the remediation project.

Thank you to the Minister for his reply. We know that, right now, the Land and Water Board is going through a process. They're accepting submissions and will be having a public hearing at some point in the future. I would just like to ask the Minister if he knows what role, if any, will the GNWT play in the upcoming Giant Mine water licensing?

The GNWT is a co-proponent in the Giant Mine Remediation Project, and we will continue to work with Canada through the water licensing process.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The remediation plan proposes significant quarrying along the public highway known as Ingraham Trail, and this could potentially have adverse effects on altering the aesthetics of the gateway into the Ingraham Trail. I'd like to ask the Minister: what is ENR doing to ensure quarrying needs are done in a way that will not provide a destroyed landscape to those who travel and traverse the trail?

Again, we will work with the project team to try and mitigate as much as possible access and that to the residents who use the site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As all Members know, we do have a capital plan to address housing needs across the Northwest Territories. As the Member knows, I don't really have to inform him, but we have done good work in Aklavik with the Joe Greenland Centre. We did do some renovations to that building. He was there. We opened up the Northern Pathways to Housing, which is a great program. We're also working on a seniors' complex in Fort McPherson, which should be completed this summer. Most recently, as Members know, and we're working on getting that report completed, we did have a housing summit in Inuvik, where we had leaders from the Member's region and from right across the territory. We also had the standing committee attend that housing summit, as well.

As I have said in this House many times, Mr. Speaker, we are working on community housing plans, and we initially were looking at just developing six during this fiscal year. Right now, we're working on 10, and we'll continue to encourage and work with our leaders in the communities to approach myself, as well as approach the NWT Housing Corporation, to look at addressing those.

I have said a number of times in this House what a good job the department is doing, building new homes, but a lot of times all we're doing is replacing units, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask: when can our residents expect to see our number of housing units increase rather than staying at the same level?

I have mentioned in the House that we did get a carve-out of the Co-Investment Fund. We signed our bilateral agreement as well with the federal government, and we do have a great partnership with CMHC, as well as industry, and working with our Indigenous government organizations to address the issue. As I mentioned at the Housing Summit, it can't all be relied on government. We've got to have a partnership. We've got to work together to address this, and that includes CMHC. It includes industry. It includes our Indigenous government organizations, and we have been seeing that, Mr. Speaker, over the past year.

We will continue to promote our programs, and we want to focus on having our leaders in the communities reach out to myself and the NWT Housing Corporation to see how we can work together to address the housing needs throughout the Northwest Territories, but in this case, have the leaders in the Beaufort-Delta reach out, and we can have this chat.