Good afternoon, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be absent in the House today due to illness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to update this Assembly on negotiations toward the shared management of oil and gas resources in the NWT offshore, along with our ongoing work to undertake a five-year, science-based review of the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas activity in Arctic waters.

Mr. Speaker, the devolution agreement commits Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories, with the participation of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, to undertake negotiations for the management of oil and gas resources and the sharing of revenues in the offshore. Canada made a similar commitment to the Government of Yukon.

Northerners should be in charge of decisions about the future of the North and need the opportunity to grow the Northwest Territories economy based on the responsible development of the Northwest Territories' rich reserves of natural resources.

As Members are aware, negotiations began in April of this year in Inuvik. Since that time, two additional negotiation sessions have been held, one in Yellowknife in May and one in Calgary in June. An approach to guide ongoing negotiations has been agreed upon and will anchor the negotiation across the federal and Northwest Territories election periods.

Negotiations are set to resume in January 2020, but work will continue with ongoing discussions and preparation for negotiations to continue until then.

Mr. Speaker, concurrent with negotiations, a separate table has been established to oversee the five-year, science-based review process for the federal moratorium on offshore activity in the Western Arctic, which was unilaterally imposed by Canada in 2016 without any consultation with our government.

Parties to this table include Canada, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon. This provides the GNWT and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation with direct input into the science-based review and also the decision on whether or not the moratorium will be lifted following the completion of the five-year review.

This work is a priority of our government and is a mandate item. To show our commitment to this important work, we have established a small Office of Devolution Initiatives within the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, comprised of three staff. This office will lead our work on this file, along with work associated with a review of the transitional provisions under the devolution agreement with respect to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT remains committed to ensuring that northern decision-makers have a strong role in resource management decisions that will directly affect NWT residents. Decisions cannot and should not be made unilaterally from Ottawa. Our work to negotiate an offshore resource and revenue-sharing regime in the Beaufort region is a tangible step towards empowering Northerners through self-determination.

I look forward to the work ahead and hope that this important work will be successfully completed early in the life of the 19^th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of property tax arrears has often been cited as a barrier for residents trying to purchase land, obtain a mortgage, or access various Government of the Northwest Territories programs. Frequently, a significant portion of these arrears are attributable to interest charged on outstanding debt. The impact of this interest compounds over time and can leave residents with significant challenges to recover.

To address the issue of accumulated arrears, the government has established the Property Tax Arrears Program. This program is designed to provide property tax interest relief to residents of the General Taxation Area who have property tax or residential lease arrears in excess of 24 months. This program does not apply to Municipal Taxation Area property taxes, as those are the responsibility of the tax-based municipal governments.

In order to qualify for interest relief through the program, applicants will be required to enter into legal agreements that require the property holder to make agreed-upon monthly payments on the principal owed on their property taxes. Remission or forgiveness of interest on arrears will be granted in instalments when the property holder has met their financial obligations under the agreement.

To be clear, there is no forgiveness of the principal owed for property taxes under this program, only on the interest calculated on arrears.

To illustrate an impact of the program, I will use the example of a homeowner who owes over $34,000 in property tax arrears. This is comprised of about $4,900 in taxes and approximately $29,000 in interest. Should the homeowner choose to participate in the Property Tax Arrears Program, we would enter into an agreement to pay the $4,900 in affordable monthly payments, and the $29,000 in interest would be forgiven. This is not a unique circumstance.

I believe the Property Tax Arrears Program will provide a path forward for residents who want to address their current property tax arrears. This program, along with the Standard Interest Rate Statutes Amendment Act, should ensure that these large accumulated property tax arrears are a thing of the past for most residents in the General Taxation Area.

The program is now being advertised and communication is being undertaken to advise residents of the program and how they can apply. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is following through on our mandate commitment to strengthen connections with our public- and private-sector partners in the transportation infrastructure.

Marine transportation is an essential lifeline for residents and businesses in many small communities of the Northwest Territories. Communities on Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River, and the Western Arctic coast rely on tugboats and barges for the resupply of essential goods and fuel.

With this in mind, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues work to develop, maintain, and improve marine infrastructure and services by exploring ways to increase economic benefits in this industry, minimize environmental impacts, train Northerners, and regularly address needs and gaps in marine infrastructure and services.

We continue to improve our capacity to operate a reliable, professional marine shipping service in a challenging Arctic environment and remain committed to providing the best service possible to all of our customers. To date, the Marine Transportation Services is on schedule toward a successful 2019 sailing season. This season's schedule was designed with substantial contingency to minimize risks and to avoid interruption to service.

We are working with our partners at the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Ice Service, and others to monitor water levels and ice conditions, and we will adjust the schedule if conditions demand. Marine Transportation Services has added a customer service position to answer questions from the public and advise customers of progress and of anticipated dates of arrival to each community.

Mr. Speaker, this sailing season, we anticipate the completion of more than $36 million in commercial marine services and maintenance contracts, and the delivery of 45 million litres of fuel and nearly 10,000 tonnes of cargo.

Five of our tugs are operating on Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River, in the Beaufort Sea, the Amundsen Gulf, and the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. Two other vessels have been activated, one repositioning from Churchill to Tuktoyaktuk and the other operating on Great Slave Lake. We expect that 184 employees will be engaged to support the 2019 operations at peak season, 97 of them NWT residents, 33 of whom are local Indigenous persons.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that our activities proceed in a way that minimizes environmental impacts. The Department of Infrastructure continues to work with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to carry out environmental site assessments on sites operated by Marine Transportation Services. Assessments will continue at specific locations to determine if there is any risk of contaminants migrating off of site.

We also continue to explore opportunities to partner with other Government of the Northwest Territories departments, Indigenous governments, and development corporations to provide business opportunities, training, and employment.

Mr. Speaker, in the area of training, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport Canada, and the Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium joined forces to establish what has become a thriving Marine Training Centre at the Hay River Marine Terminal, a facility that has now delivered hundreds of courses to Northwest Territories students. The expansion of the Marine Training Centre this year includes additional classroom space and course offerings, including a Bridgewatch Rating Program, Small Vessel Operator Proficiency, and a Fishing Master's Program.

The Marine Placement Program matches graduates from the Marine Training Centre with jobs and economic opportunities. In the 2019 sailing season, saw six graduates from the Marine Training Centre take deckhand positions with Marine Transportation Services, including one placement on each operational tugboat and two positions on the Hay River harbour tug. Graduates from the Marine Training Centre have secured employment with the Canadian Coast Guard, and some will sail on the icebreakers that will visit our coastal waters this season.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to training and employment opportunities, the Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the need to support the marine industry by improving marine infrastructure and services. A great deal of maintenance and repair work has been done and continues to be done at the Government of the Northwest Territories Hay River cargo terminal and shipyard facilities, but much work remains to improve marine infrastructure and services in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, one of the ways the Government of the Northwest Territories will improve our marine services is by upgrading our fleet. Four double-hulled barges are being built for delivery to Tuktoyaktuk in August of 2020. An extensive overhaul is being performed on one of our own tugboats, the Jock McNiven. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel the Eckaloo will be undergoing major maintenance at the shipyard this winter. These initiatives will employ about 30 people throughout the off-season.

We also continue to pursue federal funding to support investment in marine assets and infrastructure. The Government of the Northwest Territories has applied for funding from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency for a study that would examine the impacts of climate change on marine assets and services in the Beaufort Delta. The study would recommend operational and infrastructure improvements to mitigate risks to community resupply, as well as potential economic, employment, and community development opportunities that could be leveraged.

Mr. Speaker, there is also work that remains to be done in support of marine operations in the Northwest Territories that requires the federal government to step up to the plate. Restoring the Hay River Harbour and other vital initiatives, such as icebreaking support and remote federal marine resupply sites, require action by the federal government, and I will continue to press my federal counterpart on the importance of working with us to find solutions.

Through our federal, community and industry partnerships, the Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to strengthen and support the marine infrastructure and services in the Northwest Territories for the benefit of Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ensuring that housing programs and services reflect community values and priorities has been a key commitment of this government. Implementing Northern Solutions for Northern Housing also means working in partnership with other orders of government to develop more affordable housing. To meet these commitments, we have been working hand-in-hand with local governments to develop community housing plans that will guide and support their housing aspirations.

Mr. Speaker, the community housing plan process is well under way, with 12 communities across the Northwest Territories engaged in this work. We are close to celebrating the establishment of a community housing plan for the community of Whati, as well as Paulatuk and Fort Liard close behind.

We recognize that we have set ambitious goals for ourselves with this initiative. It takes time to do these community plans right. We are committed to working with our partners and residents in a meaningful and respectful manner. It is important that we take the time to listen and learn from each other, and sometimes that means that we cannot rush things.

This respect will ensure that community leaders and residents have full involvement in the creation of these plans, feel a sense of ownership, use the plans, and see them as a great tool to guide housing decisions in their communities.

In that spirit of respect, community leadership is critical and we are working closely with local leaders. Chiefs, mayors, and their councils have recognized from the beginning how important it is for their communities' voices to be heard.

We have also hired local housing facilitators to assist with the community planning and outreach to community residents. These contacts have been invaluable, and we could not do this work without their help.

Housing is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Having a roof over our heads is the starting point for successful, healthy living. Historically, our territory has faced many housing challenges, and talking about those challenges can be tough. Despite that, the turnout when we have our community meetings has been huge.

I am impressed by the broad participation. I want to thank everyone at the community level for coming out and sharing their knowledge and for working with us to develop your community plans.

Mr. Speaker, when I say that these plans belong to our communities, I mean it. Without the investment of time from community leaders and the residents, this would be a top-down exercise. We are taking the time to make sure these plans reflect local wisdom, experience, and a vision for the future. Several community housing plans will soon be complete, and I am confident communities will use them strategically to help meet local housing priorities. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about funding for the NWT SPCA. This organization serves 31 communities in the NWT, with the important mission of providing humane treatment of animals.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and want to offer credit to this government that it came through with $43,000 in stabilization for the NWT SPCA. It was a hard-fought achievement, and it is a good-news story. I appreciate that the government came around, and so will many Northerners. Everyone who worked to make this funding possible should be proud of the achievement.

Just last weekend, I was part of the SPCA's public fundraising event. Even with the one-time funding that was provided previously by the GNWT, the SPCA has to work constantly to find the financial resources it needs, and no wonder. It employs up to 12 people. It spends $30,000 a year providing dog food and straw to NWT communities. It spends $50,000 a year on medical supplies. It fundraised to buy its own piece of land and build its own new building, which it now pays to operate. It relies heavily on volunteers including its board members. These are people who volunteer their time because they care about the welfare of our animals.

I am proud that the NWT SPCA receive these funds, but I think this government has to go another step further and provide ongoing financial support. The City of Yellowknife supports the SPCA to the tune of almost $20,000 a year. Individuals and businesses contribute thousands a year. The territorial government needs to step up and provide ongoing annual funding to support the SPCA's important work through whatever means.

Mr. Speaker, 31 communities count on the services the SPCA provides. Those include the community spay-neuter program, the pet food and supplies for communities program, animal rescue and protection, and the animal health initiative program, and the demand is growing.

The SPCA has achieved a lot, and this territory needs its services, but it's warning us that it can't continue without the right support. Our government needs to commit to help relieve the burden with dependable, long-term financial support. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise in the House to speak about some amazing accomplishments for some constituents from the Nahendeh region this summer.

Mr. Speaker, in December 2017, Jessie Loutit received a call from Rowing Canada's head coach, officially inviting her to join the national team starting in January 2018. With this official invitation to join the team, she is now a carded athlete with Sport Canada with an ultimate goal of representing Canada at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

On August 8, Jessie and her partner, Larissa Werbicki, took another step towards this ultimate goal by winning Canada's first rowing medal at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru. Jessie and her partner remained in second place throughout the race, finishing just behind the Chilean duo with a time of 7:30:06. This is Larissa's and Jessie's first Pan Am Games, and Jessie's first international medal.

Mr. Speaker, Brenda Moreau, single mother to four, has been a dart player since 1993, with many achievements under her belt representing the NWT in darts. In 2008 she received a distinguished award with the National Dart Federation for Athlete of the Year. She has been to every province and travelled extensively to attain a ranking for her territory to be proud of. This past March, she was in the play downs in Hay River, coming out first for the NWT. In June, she travelled to Saskatoon and ranked fifth in the "Land of the Living Skies" ladies' single event; and July 17^th at the National Canadian Women's Championships. On August 3, 2019, she took home a huge victory, placing first at the Calgary Open.

Currently, Brenda Moreau is ranked third in Canada, and plans to remain in the top 16 for the 2019-2020 dart season running up to April 30, 2020. With the plans to attend six more ranked tournaments her main goal was to get a coveted win and receive an invitation to the World Masters to represent Fort Simpson, the Northwest Territories, and Canada.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday three Nahendeh youth were part of the Northern Youth Abroad graduation ceremony with other participants. They got to share some of their things that they accomplished this summer. I'd like to congratulate Jolan Kotchea from Fort Liard, Emily Hardistay-Marcallais from Fort Simpson, and Holly Norwegian from Jean Marie River and Fort Simpson. At this point in time, Mr. Speaker, I would like unanimous consent to finish my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. As I said, Holly Norwegian from Jean Marie River and Fort Simpson on completing the whole program. I have witnessed their personal growth and look forward to their next adventure.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Dehcho Braves, mixed slo-pitch team, for winning the B Division title this past weekend in Yellowknife. This team has been doing a great job representing the community of Fort Simpson throughout the year. I wish them the best, and the other teams that are attending this weekend's tournament in the Annual Fort Simpson Slo-Pitch tournament. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the Northern Housing Summit that was held in Inuvik this past April. This summit was attended by over 100 subject matter experts and community leaders from across the Northwest Territories and beyond. The focus of the summit was on communicating housing investment opportunities to stakeholders, providing a collaborative forum for partnership building exempting community design and capacity building tools, and boosting community and stakeholder relationships, an excellent networking engagement.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that this summit has been discussed here in the Legislature in detail before, but now, more than three months after the event, I would like to talk about what came out of the summit and what are the next steps.

According to a summary report by the NWT Housing Corporation that was tabled in the last session, the summit was largely successful. Communities, Indigenous organizations, and other stakeholders who were given valuable information about investment opportunities such as the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. It gave stakeholders the chance to consider how to realize their housing aspirations and plan for healthy communities now and into the future. It allows allowed for building partnerships and deepening relationships between many individuals and organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I am interested in where we go from here. As I see it, we have an opportunity to develop some meaningful, local, appropriate housing initiatives all across the Northwest Territories. If we can make efficient use of the National Housing Co-investment Fund, there is a $60-million carve-out just for the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, colleagues. Let's ensure we use this money to support the housing aspirations of all our communities, and let's ensure we start identifying and starting projects under this fund in the very near future. I also think that the community housing plans currently being undertaken by the corporation could provide a useful and helpful roadmap for communities in this regard.

Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2016, at the start of the 18^th Assembly, the GNWT continued to acknowledge that there exists a gap between the core funding and needs of community governments. The government has set a target of nine years to close this gap, and here we are, four years later. MACA's 2018-2019 Business Plan says we're still nine years away from balancing this deficit.

The NWT Association of Municipalities identified a $40-million deficit in funding. In the attached report prepared by the Conference Board of Canada, which was included with their submission, it stated that closing the funding gap would create more than 200 jobs a year and would have a net positive impact on the economy of the Northwest Territories as a whole.

Every budget that this shortfall in funding to community governments remains. The amount of difference compounds. In effect, this means that the gap that exists today is bigger than it was in 2016, simply from inflation, let alone adding up every extra unanticipated costs that community governments have to cover. It is unacceptable that such a significant and well-known issue has had its timelines blown through and pushed to the next Assembly. I caution the 19^th Assembly that, when this issue is raised, "further study will be needed," be aware that this is what committee and community leaders have heard on this issue for some time now. Community leaders from across the territory have expressed to me that the department has been updating them on the new pending release of the strategy to close the gap, but they have been kept in the dark and have been insufficiently consulted on the work done to date.

Mr. Speaker, we need a costed strategy, followed by real dollars with incremental funding increases year-on-year until the gap is closed. Yes, finding this funding may be difficult, but we must not keep our heads in the sand hoping that this issue will just resolve itself in a few more years with dollars from Ottawa that we don't know are coming.

This deficit hurts people in our communities most. It stifles economic growth, access to services, and leave communities in a worse spot each year than they were before. Most importantly, it adds to the cost of living, because, if municipalities don't have enough to cover their costs, they pass that on to their residents. We must stop this. We must support our communities, respect our community leadership, and live up to our promises of full community funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. By now, most Canadians are aware of the history of residential schools. What they may not know is that there were also over 700 Indian day schools operated by the federal government between the time the first one opened in 1828 until the last one closed its doors in 1997. It is estimated that over 200,000 Indigenous children attended these schools. While these students were able to return home at the end of the day, many still suffered trauma, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of the authority figures entrusted with their care.

More than 35 of these day schools operated in the NWT from 1958 to 1969 in at least 26 locations, including the Trout Rock Seasonal School, the Rocher River Day School, and schools at Pine Point and Reindeer Station. I attended the Elizabeth Ward day school in Fort Providence, and my parents attended the Sacred Heart Residential School, also in Fort Providence.

Mr. Speaker, on March 12 of this year, the Government of Canada announced that it had reached a proposed settlement agreement regarding the national Indian day schools class action lawsuit. This lawsuit was brought on by Mr. Garry McLean, an Indigenous leader and mentor, on behalf of all former students who attended these schools. Mr. McLean sadly passed away of cancer in February of this year at the age of 67, but as part of the settlement, a $200 million legacy fund has been established in his name. The fund will provide grants on application from charities and not-for-profit organizations to support commemoration projects, health and wellness programs, truth-telling events, and the restoration and preservation of Indigenous languages and culture. The proposed settlement agreement also includes $10,000 in individual compensation for those who suffered harm while attending Indian day school. For those who have suffered the most severe abuses, additional compensation, ranging from $50,000 to $200,000, may be awarded.

On May 13 to 15, a hearing took place in Winnipeg for the court to decide whether the proposed settlement is approved. Until that happens, no payments can be made, but people who may want to make a claim can register as part of the class action group. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. You can also make sure that the school you attended is listed on Schedule K, which is the official list of federal Indian day schools.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that all of the residents of the Northwest Territories who attended federal day schools learn about their rights and obligations related to their settlement, which also covers people who have passed away since July 31, 2007. I encourage anyone who has questions to visit the official Federal Indian Day School Class Action website at www.indiandayschools.com. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People don't like to think about what will happen after they pass away. Unfortunately, this means that, on top of grieving the death of a loved one, families are left to deal with their estate. This is made even more complicated if someone died without a will.

The Department of Justice has a Legal Aid Outreach clinic which can provide free advice on wills and estates, and I encourage the Minister to ensure that this important office continues helping residents by assisting with wills. By clearly putting your wishes on paper, families will know how you wanted your estate dealt with. This will make handling the estate after death easier for everyone.

Unfortunately, across the NWT, there are many people who do not have wills. Over the last number of years, my constituents have had to deal with estates of their loved ones, and many have had to hire a lawyer to assist them, a cost that many of my constituents can barely afford. This is going to become a larger problem in every community in the NWT in the future, as elders are one of our fastest growing populations.

The public trustee can assist with some causes, but only in certain situations. This leaves most residents trying to figure out the legal questions on estates by themselves, a frustrating and exhausting exercise. Many of these estates are small, but some involve family homes and potentially several heirs with claims to them.

I don't think that we want to be in a situation where the children have to mortgage the home to pay for a lawyer to settle the estate. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. The Legal Aid Outreach office can only provide advice on how to deal with the estate, but, if there are complications or a dispute between heirs, lawyers are often needed. If Legal Aid was able to assist in probating wills, this may help address this growing issue.

I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT is implementing its strategy to revitalize the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery. I am very supportive of its goals, mainly to develop a commercial fishery into a sustainable industry and to increase returns to fishers. However, I am very troubled by the approach that the Department of ITI has taken in its dealings with the fishermen, which, from what I hear, sounds like a paternalistic way of doing business that should have been dead and buried decades ago.

A key component of this strategy is the construction of a new fish processing plant in Hay River. From what I can tell, the $12-million facility will be owned and managed by ITI and, at some point, the Tu Cho Fishers Co-operative, a co-op of local fishers, will somehow come to own the plant, or maybe they'll lease it, or maybe they'll just manage it. It is all very unclear to me, and it is unclear to the fishermen, as well.

The GNWT used the names of the Tu Cho Cooperative and the NWT Fishermen's Federation to access $10 million of federal funds to help build the plant, but is treating the fishermen more like pawns than partners. The government has well-paid employees and budgets for consultants, all of whom can work to advance the department's own interests on this project. They are actually in the process of hiring someone to manage the plant right now.

If ITI thought of the fishermen as partners, then they would ensure that they had similar supports. Neither the federation nor the co-op has the administrative capacity or the budget to hire someone with the skills needed to help them fully participate in the project and to advocate on their behalf, and ITI uses this power disparity to steamroll ahead while fishers are kept in the dark. Their participation is further eroded by ITI's insistence on engaging individual fishers instead of the elected heads of the federation or the co-op, and approach that has sown division among fishers. That's colonialism 101, Mr. Speaker.

The government has also actively taken steps to reduce influence of fishermen. The GNWT has a seat on the board of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, which has always been filled by a fisherman, but this summer the GNWT installed one of its own on the board. That directly contradicts the very first recommendation of the federal ministerial advisory panel that has been studying freshwater for the past number of years, which recommends increasing fisher participation on the board.

I have also been informed that ITI has discouraged the fishermen from pursuing partnerships with Indigenous governments and has worked to thwart the efforts of Indigenous entrepreneurs who want to invest in the industry and help it grow.

Mr. Speaker, ITI should not be working to consolidate its power and crush its competitors. The department has lost sight of the goals of the strategy and who the strategy is meant to benefit, and that needs to change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The fibre optic line now runs from Alberta to Inuvik, a project completed in 2017 that will cost about $95 million and $3 million a year to operate. That fibre link was funded on the understanding of big community benefits down the Mackenzie Valley. Let's go back and look at the record. As early as 2011, the then-Minister of Health was promoting "a very ambitious plan that would provide a fibre optic link to all the communities. There would be cell phones, Internet, TV, all those systems in the community."

When the budget proposal was reviewed in 2015, the Finance Minister was asked if the proposal was for "getting a fibre optic line right in the homes." He said, "The intention is to have a clear point of presence in all the communities."

The March 2017 media release announcing the completion of the line said that residents and businesses would now have a hook-up point "located in Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Inuvik, and in High Level."

This Finance Minister's 2017 statement in this House said that "the completion of the nearly 1,200-kilometre fibre link brings affordable, high-speed telecommunications to six communities along the Mackenzie Valley, including Inuvik."

Unfortunately for the communities along the route, few of these magical promises have come true. The fibre line hook-up point is not in all the communities. For Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, and Fort Good Hope, the fibre line runs past the communities. As I understand it, it will cost $1 million plus to run the line into the communities. Without that money, the line might as well not be there.

This is extremely serious, Mr. Speaker. The Members of this House approved millions of dollars in expenditures of public funds because the government promised the project would deliver services in these communities, not past them. The justification of improved Internet service for these communities was repeatedly used in approving these expenditures. At the same time, numerous predictions were also made of large revenue streams to help offset the costs of this project.

Later today I will have questions for the Minister of Finance as to why the anticipated improvements to community Internet services along the fibre link have yet to happen and why the anticipated revenues from this project have not panned out. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about the urgent need to accelerate the economic diversification of our economy. Members learned this lesson during the first week of this Assembly, when De Beers told us they plan to close the Snap Lake diamond mine. It was a timely reminder that all the diamond mines are forecasted to close in the next 10 years, starting at the end of the 19^th Assembly. There may be ways to extend the life of each of them, but their best days are probably done.

Mr. Speaker, there is no ready replacement for diamond mining and the benefits it provides. This is a particular worry for residents whose development corporations provide training and work at the mines; Det'on Cho Corporation, for example, employs nearly 1,000 people in its own companies and joint ventures. The last thing any of us wants to see is most of these people out of work, but there are few alternatives in this area, except for the Giant Mine remediation. Clearly, it's time to ramp up our economic diversification efforts.

Yesterday the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment told us it's all good, but the fact is that the government has not made investment and diversification a priority. In fact, there is less money being spent on it in this budget than there was two years ago. Some industries are thriving anyway. Spending by tourists has doubled since 2012 and government support has gone up, too, but it's still peanuts compared to the support that is needed. Most glaring is government's failure to invest in new visitor services in Yellowknife. There is a road to the Arctic Ocean, but no campgrounds there. How is the government helping Whati prepare for an influx of visitors?

Business is leading the way with services, but it's up to government to provide the necessary infrastructure. This investment would benefit communities throughout the NWT, creating jobs and revenue. We know from the 100,000-plus visitors who travelled to the Northwest Territories in 2017-2018 that they are interested in the North's unique culture and landscapes, but are often stuck for a place to camp or stay or get out on the water. Where is the action on that?

Mr. Speaker, the government has a track record of backing the big at the expense of the small, but there is no reason to sneer at the small enterprises that will create a broader economic base, greater stability, greater employment for dollar of input. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no reason to sneer at the small enterprises that will create a broader economic base, greater stability, greater employment for dollar of input, and greater economic multiplier for dollar earned. These jobs won't look so small when the diamond mines have closed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about an unfortunate recent passing of two residents of Ndilo, Muriel Betsina and JR Abel, both of whom were related as grandmother and grandson.

To begin, I would first like to talk about Muriel. Muriel has been a long-time resident of Ndilo, but she was born in Tulita on May 25, 1944, and passed away on July 22, 2019, at age 76. Muriel is survived by her seven children; Ernest, Eileen, Norman, Dianne, Allan, George, and Frank Jr.; her 40 biological and adopted grandchildren; and more than 10 great-grandchildren, as well as her siblings Be'sha, Alice, and Joe Blondin. She is also a sibling to the late George Blondin.

Mr. Speaker, Muriel was an outspoken advocate for most of her life. She often talked about her experience as a survivor of residential school and about the importance of preserving a positive cultural legacy for the Dene of the NWT. She was also known for her strong beliefs in forgiveness and for sharing a strong sense of love and acceptance with all people with whom she interacted. She will surely be missed by the people of Ndilo and many people across the Northwest Territories.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to talk about the life of JR Abel. JR was born in Yellowknife on January 2, 1990, and passed away on August 9, 2019, at the age of 29. JR is survived by his parents, Eileen Betsina and Edward Abel; his siblings, Martina, Eric, Christopher, and Shalbe; along with countless cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, and six nieces and nephews.

Mr. Speaker, JR grew up in the community of Ndilo, where he was surrounded by much of his family most of his life. JR was known to have a generous heart and never hesitated to offer his help to any of his family or friends, especially when it came to his nieces and nephews.

JR also loved to be out on the land and was considered a star pupil for the GNWT environmental monitoring program. Over the years, he also worked as a wildfire fighter during the summers and, in the wintertime, ice road flooder. It is truly unfortunate that JR passed away at such a young age. His memory, however, will live forever in the hearts and minds of those he touched. This goes the same for his grandmother, Muriel. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Our condolences to the two families, as well, and also to the community. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would like to recognise Dana Martin, vice president of NWT SPCA. Welcome to the House and thank you for the tremendous work that you do on behalf of the territory. Thank you.

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

Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I forgot to acknowledge a Page who does tremendous work for us here in the Legislative Assembly. I want to acknowledge Joshua Drygeese and thank all the Pages for the tremendous work they do. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we are missing anyone in the gallery, welcome to our proceedings. It is always great to have an audience as part of our proceedings here today. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I again want to take the opportunity to thank the Minister and the department for the commitment that they have made to the NWT SPCA. Honestly, let's be fair, originally, there was some resistance to fund the SPCA through the NGO Stabilization Funding. I would like to ask the Minister: really, what was the reason for the change of heart, and why did the Minister see it fit to prioritize approval of this funding to the SPCA? Thank you, Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To be honest, we have a lot of non-government organizations that do a lot of really good work on behalf of residents of the Northwest Territories, our municipalities, our communities, our governments. As a government, we want to make sure that we can also provide support. This was the case with the SPCA. Previously, when the program was not through the Department of MACA, there was a one-time funding, I believe, of $25,000. As the Member has asked me in a previous session, we did give a one-time funding.

Coming from personal experience, coming from Inuvik, we do have the Arctic Paws. The Arctic Paws does have a really strong relationship with the SPCA. We really appreciate the work that they do in terms of providing safety and the health of the animals across the Northwest Territories. They did fall under some of the criteria that allowed them to get the funding. We want to make sure that, working with our NGOs who do work on behalf of the government, we want to support that. I think, moving into the next government, we are going to have to come up with some criteria.

As I mentioned to the Member, it is not core funding, but how do we support our NGOs to support the work that they do on behalf of residents and the animal population in the Northwest Territories. I really appreciate the work, and I am glad that we have a representative here from the SPCA today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for his response. Yes, indeed, we know, as does everybody, that a number of NGOs provide important and critical services to the territory, and they rely on the stabilization funding. We don't want to take away from that. Maybe, does the Minister have some other concepts or ideas that we can find a way to provide long-term funding to the SPCA while not impeding on the resources that a number of NGOs depend on?

I don't want to single out just the SPCA, here. There are a lot of NGOs across the Northwest Territories that do a lot of really good work on behalf of the residents and work on behalf of government. That is something that I think, because we are nearing the end of this Assembly, that the new government that comes in in the 19^th is going to have to take a hard look at and see how well we fund our NGOs and our partners and stakeholders moving forward.

At this time, I can't make that commitment to say that we are going to be looking at any kind of core funding or ongoing funding. I think that is something that needs to have a really good discussion, because it has come up on numerous occasions during this government.

I appreciate the Minister's response. Indeed, there are some challenges as it relates to the prerequisites when it comes to applying for this stabilization funding. I am sure that the SPCA might have looked for other alternatives, but one of the prerequisites is that you have to be receiving $50,000 from the territorial government by other means. If it is possible, can the Minister let the SPCA know or have his staff work with them to find ways in which other pots of money can be accessed so that maybe they don't have to go to the NGO Stabilization Fund?

I think it comes to the responsibility of all parties involved. I know the Member asked me questions in an earlier session, and I did say the responsibility also falls on the municipalities and the hamlets. We need all leadership. We need the NGOs as well as ourselves as a government providing this kind of funding to work together to see how we can find that type of funding to address the issue. If anything, I will commit to the Member that we will have those discussions.

I think it is something that the next government coming in in the 19^th Assembly is going to be something that needs to be talked about because, like I said, our NGOs across the Northwest Territories do invaluable service and they do a lot of really good work right across the territory. We will make that recommendation, but at this moment I can't commit to any ongoing continued funding or core funding, but that discussion needs to be still had. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Finance made a statement on the Property Tax Arrears program earlier today, and I thank the Minister for this statement. This has been a big issue for the community of Fort Liard, and I have spoken with the Minister a number of times on this issue. Can the Minister provide any further details on this program, besides what he has already said in his Minister's statement? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I noted before, the Property Tax Arrears program is designed to provide a path for residents to address the outstanding arrears. Residents can enter into a repayment plan for the outstanding property taxes, and the interest that has been building up will be forgiven; or, in other words, the resident will not have to pay the interest portion. Residents, we have to be quite clear, have to stay current on their payment plan on future property taxes to stay eligible for the program.

This is great news moving forward. Can the Minister provide some details on how some residents, especially those who live in Fort Liard, how they can apply for this new program?

We are sending letters to all clients with arrears, and we will provide them with details on applying for the program. We are also doing a communication effort in communities in the general taxation area, and we are working with our GSOs, and they have been trained to help residents apply for the program, as well.

That is good to hear, and I hope the Minister will actually reach out to us MLAs, too, and get that information out to us. Will the Minister's department be working with residents as part of this program to establish an affordable payment program, and how does it have an impact on people who have already entered into a payment program?

The quick answer is yes, when a resident applies, we will work with the client to come up with an affordable monthly payment plan, and, if there are some that have entered into repayment plans already, we would expect them to honour it, and this program would apply to them, as well.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point in time, I would like to thank the Minister for this information. My final question is: we have been considering the standard interest rate act in this session; how does this legislation relate to this new program?

These initiatives, they are related. The Property Tax Arrears program will help residents that have built up appears in the past. It is a time-limited program, however, to deal with these circumstances. Going forward, the standard interest rate establishes a more reasonable interest rate on any outstanding amounts owed to the GNWT in property taxes. These two initiatives taken together should help address the historic problem we have had with property tax arrears. That said, though, residents will have to pay their property taxes, and, if they do not, the arrears will start to grow again over time. With the other piece of legislation that we were dealing with, we had varying interest rates across the programs in the Northwest Territories. I think we had some as high as 18 percent. We are starting to standardize all of those, so I think it will do well for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday I made a Member's statement on the Housing Corporation, the core need housing programs, and so on. I have questions more specifically towards the core need of the social housing in the Northwest Territories. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation when the new needs survey for determining the core need numbers across the NWT will be released. Thank you.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Member did make his statement, I was waiting for some questions earlier this week. I want to let the Member know and all Members that have an interest in housing, which is every Member in this building, that the NWT Bureau of Statistics has been conducting the 2019 core needs survey, and it should be ready for release in November of this year. In the past, I have given updates in how we are addressing the core need with various programs. Looking at the target of 250 per year, I can share with committee and I can share with Members that I believe we are exceeding that, and we can show how we are doing that through the various programs that we are conducting.

Often, individuals who have perfectly good housing units, suitable and adequate units, because they have an affordability issue identify as being in core need for housing, so I would like to ask the Minister if he could give the House a definition of "core need."

The Member and I had a discussion around this, and, you know, it can be a little bit complex in terms of what core need is. However, the definition of "core need" is a federal standard, and it is used by all jurisdictions right across Canada. The core needs survey does allow us to look at the number of households affected by each area, and, while the definition of "core need" includes affordability, the majority of our program is used to address adequacy as well as suitability, and that was the exact conversation that I had with the Member earlier today. That is something that needs to be addressed more, not only within the territorial government, but I think it's something that needs to have a bigger discussion with the federal government and our municipal leadership or territorial leadership.

I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister feels that people who currently reside in public housing are in core need.

As I just previously said, we have a target of addressing 250 households every year, and we work with our local housing organizations to address any inadequacies, whether there are repairs, maintenance, as well as suitability and any issues that do come up. I know because I get those questions from Members almost on a daily basis. At this point, I think we are addressing the affordability, adequacy, and suitability problem. Being in the Legislative Assembly for the last two terms, the last eight years, I think we have made a very big impact on addressing core needs across the Northwest Territories, and that is not just me. It's the previous Ministers responsible for housing as well as getting questions from Members to address this. So, at this point, I want to say that I do believe that we are doing the best job that we can and we are addressing that issue.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason that I asked the last question is because public housing takes people out of core need. I suppose that is what public housing is all about. Individuals that can't afford adequate and suitable housing end up in public housing. We have 2,400 public housing units, I understand, across the territory. I just wanted to get an answer for the House from the Minister to see if the Housing Corporation considers the 2,400 families that are in public housing in core need currently. Thank you.

I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Victoria earlier this year. In our agreement with the federal government, we were committed to providing public housing units for our jurisdiction. I think it is about just over 1,300. We go above and beyond, and I made sure that everybody at the conference knew that we provide the 2,400, and we also look at market rent and other projects that we do.

We do have a number of programs that are going to address this need. For seniors, for singles, I made some comments the other day about the fuel tank replacement issues; Rapid Rehousing, our community housing support initiative; over the last three, four years, we have seen some very successful programs working with Indigenous governments and local governments, as well; we do have a new home program, which will address suitable housing concerns; and our community housing plans, as I mentioned earlier in my Minister's statement.

We need to work with local leadership and stakeholders to address what their priorities are and how we address the core housing need. I think that that is something that we will continue to focus on, work on, and I appreciate that all Members of the 19^th Assembly bring that forward so that we can work with families and communities to address this issue.

We have been doing things. Like I said, being in the Assembly for eight years, two terms, right from day one, we have been seeing some changes, policies, and programs. We will continue to support them and also lobby our federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statements on housing, my questions are for the Minister of Housing. We are now more than three months after the Northern Housing Summit in Inuvik. Can the Minister talk about what came out of the summit and what next steps might be? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very proud to hold this summit up in the community of Inuvik, only because we have looked at some new initiatives and the way we do housing in the Arctic, especially with discussions around climate change. I think that this was the first one of its kind, in terms of where we had a lot of leadership right across the territory. We invited leaders to come to the forefront and discuss the issues.

We have identified four key outcomes in our report on the summit. I can, in due time, make sure that I can give the Members and the committee -- we did have committee there, as well -- and share with them some of the outcomes that came out of that summit. If anything, I think that I have put responsibility not only on the territorial government, but also federally and locally, in making sure that we all have responsibility in addressing housing across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for the reply. We look forward to the information. My next question, then, Mr. Speaker: I certainly appreciate that the Housing Corporation did a lot of work organizing and bringing communities, Indigenous leaders, and other stakeholders together to learn of the opportunities at the forum, such as the co-investment fund. Organizations in my riding want to put forward proposals under the co-investment. How would they pursue this?

As I mentioned in a Member's statement in the House during a previous session, we did negotiate a $60-million carve-out of the co-investment fund. I would like to let all leadership across the Northwest Territories and other partnerships know that we can go above and beyond that and still put in an application to the federal government to access more dollars.

We also have a strong partnership with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. We have been working with them to work with our local leadership and our Indigenous leadership to access that funding. We have been pushing that during the summit, as well as in our bilateral agreements. Hopefully, we will see more access and more applications to the program to make sure that our communities can access some of this housing funding moving forward.

I will relay that message on to the regional leaders in utilization of their bilateral. My third question is: I know that there has been a lot of work on the community housing plans. Can the Minister provide an update on those plans and what is going on in the Sahtu riding?

As Members know, initially, when we were doing these community housing plans, it was a pilot project and something new to the Northwest Territories. I think that it is something that should be pushed right across Canada, especially in our rural and remote communities, on how we address housing issues.

Initially, we had three that we wanted to pilot. To date, I can tell the Member and all Members in the Legislative Assembly that we have 12 that we are working on. I made a statement earlier today that Whati, Paulatuk, and Liard are communities that we are working on. I think that it is going to be a good news story, and it is going to help us learn how we invest our dollars into community housing plans and encourage all leadership to approach us, work with CMHC, and work with our leadership here at the Legislative Assembly and in our communities to work on seeing what our priorities are in our communities across the territory.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that information. My last question, Mr. Speaker, is: I understand that the Government of Canada has dedicated funding for Indigenous housing. Can the Minister tell us where we are at with allocations under this fund for the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.

We have had meetings with various federal Ministers across the board on funding for on-reserve, off-reserve. In terms of housing, we have worked with, I have said in the House before, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. They were successful working with ITK to get funding to do some work, and then they partnered with us to look at our capital planning and our strategy, and that came right from the federal government. That went to the national Indigenous organization. One of the, I won't say the "priorities," but focuses out of that summit that we did up in Inuvik was to bring all of our Indigenous organizations together to lobby not only the federal government but the Assembly of First Nations and the national Metis organization to see how we can be recognized here in the Northwest Territories, because we are an over-50 percent Aboriginal population, that we should get some of the funding that the federal government gave to the NIOs and see how we can use that funding to address our housing issues across the Northwest Territories. We will continue to lobby not only the federal government but our NIOs, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As per my Member's statement, the state of community funding in the Northwest Territories has a major problem, and we have known about this problem for a long time. I would like to know what the Minister responsible of Municipal and Community Affairs has done to properly address the deficits and shortfalls in the municipal funding formula. Thank you.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Let me catch my breath. No, just kidding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding strategy will be released prior to the end of this session. I do know that Members are being, I won't say "pressured," but I know they are getting questions on how do we address the funding gap. We will be releasing a funding strategy prior to the end of this session. We have taken input from the NWT Association of Communities since I have been in this position. We have had meetings with the executive. We have let them know that this funding is really for, I won't say the core need, but, you know, what are the priorities for their communities. We will continue to work with them.

In terms of the strategy right now, I think that is going to be something that the 19^th Assembly is going to have to really take a hard look at and continue to work with the federal government on how do we address municipality shortfalls. The climate change is going to be a big one, especially up here in the North, that we need to address. We are already seeing it. We have met with the NWT Association of Communities, and we will provide feedback by the end of this Assembly on how we are moving forward. In reality, Mr. Speaker, this is going to be something that is going to need to be addressed in the next government.

Well, this is not just something that Members are getting pressure from now. It's something that Members have advocated for for four years, since we got elected, and to hear that it's going to be the next government's problem is a naked example of passing the buck to our successors. What can be done in this sitting to address these issues?

---Laughter

We have a capital budget -- and the Ministers laugh at this request. This is a request that has been brought forward by the NWTAC. This is a request that has been brought forward by community leaders time and time again, and, to be met with laughter now? Mr. Speaker, we have an upcoming capital budget that includes funding for municipalities. Is there a way that this Minister will advocate for our communities, in consideration of that budget?

I do apologize. You know, I did laugh, but, at the same time, it does not fall only on us as a territorial government. There has also got to be responsibility in terms of the priorities that our municipalities have in their communities. We made some big announcements today. We made some big announcements yesterday with the federal government, and we are addressing some of these issues, and they are big issues. In terms of the funding gap from our territorial government, we will continue to work with our partner, which is the NWT Association of Communities. You know, like I said, I do apologize that I did laugh, but we are doing things, we are working, we are investing, and, as Members know, as all leadership know, we are in a four-year cycle, and, at some points, it doesn't always fall on the same timeline, but we all have to work together to address the needs. In some cases, these needs were not addressed in the past, but we are working with our mayors, or leadership, and we all have to work together to see where our priorities are, and we will continue to do that.

The federal government comes through with the gas tax funding; it comes through with additional money. This is not a federal issue. This is our issue. We created this formula, and we are not funding it. That is the issue here. This gap is entirely the responsibility of this government, no other government. I am sure the municipal governments respect what the Minister is bringing forward in support to get those federal dollars, but it's not enough. We need to plug it here, so has the Minister met with the newly elected mayor in council since the last election, and the NWTAC, and heard from them on this issue, and what have they told him?

Yes, I have met up with the NWTAC executive on numerous occasions since I have been elected, and I did let them know that the funding that we provide through our capital planning programs is for priorities in the communities. I did let them know that we also need to lobby the federal government and that we continue to need to work together to address the funding gap issue. It's something that's not going to be easily fixed, and I think everybody in this room knows that it's not going to be easily fixed. We need to work together to see how we can find a solution, but it's going to be something that this government within the two weeks we have left is not going to be addressing. I will let the Member know that I have met with them on numerous occasions, the executive, and we did have this discussion.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister keeps talking about priority projects and prioritizing municipal infrastructure needs, and that sounds like a different process than what this funding is. Can he just clarify if the municipal funding gap is somehow conditional on municipal priorities or if it's funding that is flowed through to the municipalities? Because the issue I am talking about is funding that flows through as a transfer to our community governments that they can then use. The Minister is talking about working on priorities, which are, you know, a completely different ball game, so can he clarify what he is talking about? Thank you.

Yes. You know, you have got to look at the priorities for each community. Do you want sewage and water, or do you want a nice gym? You know, we are all elected leaders here across the Northwest Territories. Do you want safe water, or do you want a nice swimming pool? If I can put it in that context, then I will. You know, do you want a nice track and field, or do you want people provided with the essentials? You know, we talked about housing earlier today, and we just want people to have a roof over their heads, but, when we have municipalities that are asking for above and beyond what the essential needs are for our people just to have a normal type of life, I mean, those are the decisions that we have to make. As elected officials in territorial government, as elected officials throughout the municipalities and the hamlets, those are the discussions that we need to have, and we all have a responsibility to address that.

Moving forward, we will continue to have those discussions. We are not passing the buck, Mr. Speaker. If we had an endless credit card, sure, yes, but right now, we don't. It is not just the territorial government. It is right across Canada and globally, and really affects how we do our business in the North.

Masi. Oral questions. Member or Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister responsible for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link. In my statement, I recounted how this was justified to this House as a means of connecting our communities to faster Internet services. All of the references portray the project as delivering high-speed fibre optic services in the communities. Can the Minister explain why the promised improvements to Internet service in the communities on the fibre link have not happened? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line is a backbone transport link to GNWT asset. Linking this backbone to the community is what's called the "last mile." This service is provided by the local service provider as GNWT is not in the business of providing local Internet service. Building this backbone significantly improved the telecommunications infrastructure in the Mackenzie Valley, replacing the aging and costly microwave system. It isn't accurate to say that there haven't been improvement or promises made. The only promises I make are to my grandchildren. We have seen new service providers enter the market in Inuvik and Norman Wells, and I have seen an increase in speeds in communities that was only made possible by the construction of the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic lines. It was officially opened, I think, in June of 2017, and we have seen improvements, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

That is great to hear about improvements in two of the many communities that the fibre optic line passes by or through. In addition to the examples I cited, though, we have the Premier on November 23, 2016, talking to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, "We are connecting all of our communities up and down the Mackenzie Valley." Given that the promise was to have service in the communities, what steps will the Minister take now to deliver on the promise and literally go the extra mile to ensure that the improvements and Internet service actually happen?

I would be interested to hear from some of the smaller communities down the valley to see if their services have improved at all. We know of the federal announcement where they have committed a whole bunch of money to improving broadband in northern communities, and I think our service providers up here was able to take advantage of some of that. We own Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line. I think we're responsible for getting it out to pop-out, as it's called in the community, and then their service provider would go from there.

Again, Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't be throwing around promises. I don't recall making a significant or a particular promise. What we have committed to do, and "committed" is probably a better word, is to improve the service to people down the Mackenzie Valley. I think that is happening, maybe not to the speed as to what the Member might like, but you can talk to people in a lot of the smaller communities, and I am sure they will agree that their service has improved significantly, and will continue to do so.

I didn't make those promises. Ministers did in this House, or even outside the House. All I am pushing for is to make sure that we fulfill those promises. There were further promises made to extend the fibre optic link to Tuktoyaktuk. Can the Minister explain the status of this work, its costs, and whether it will happen in advance of real connections and improvements in the communities that were supposed to be served by the fibre link in the first place?'

The GNWT has done some high-level estimates regarding the cost of extending the fibre line to Tuktoyaktuk. This project is being considered as part of the Investing in Canada Plan. The GNWT, we are committed to working on a more detail plan related to this project which will ultimately determine the final cost and timing.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for that. Let's move on to the promised revenue stream from the fibre link, which seems to be in the neighbourhood of about $3 to maybe $20 million, I'm not sure. The costs are set out in the public accounts at $3 million a year. Can the Minister explain what the anticipated revenues were supposed to be for this project and why they haven't panned out? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, revenue forecasts were developed for the project that were projected to increase over time. Revenue has grown at a pace of around 20 percent a year since the inception of the Mackenzie fibre optic line in 2017, and has met its projected forecast. With the recent approvals related to the Inuvik satellite station, I expect there will be more interest and, coming from small communities such as Inuvik, we see that interest firsthand. Finance continues to work with the federal government on the development of a satellite station facility to further increase revenue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral question. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier, ITI's relationship with the NWT Fishermen's Federation and its economic arm the Tu Cho Fishers Co-operative have fallen apart. This is very concerning because of major changes in the commercial fishing industry, such as the construction of a new fish processing plant and changes to the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. I have some questions for the Minister of ITI. The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging that it exists. Does the Minister acknowledge that the relationship between the fishers and the department are strained, and that the strain is negatively affecting the prospects of achieving the goals of the revitalization strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I do not believe the relationship with the Tu Cho fishermen are strained. Just because there was an article on CBC and an interview based on what an individual has said in the Northwest Territories, I would not say it is strained. I have talked to most of the fishermen since that article came out, and there is some real concern about what is being put out there by the press and our relationship with ITI and our staff. In particular, I don't appreciate this individual trying to single out our staff in Hay River who are doing a great job on this. He reaches out to the co-operative all the time, and we will continue to deal with him on a professional basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No problem, I guess. Everything's peachy. Traditionally, when the GNWT would put forward a name of someone to sit on the board of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, they would consult with the Fishermen's Federation. Earlier this year, the fisher who sat on that board received a letter saying that he had been removed. The federation had not been consulted, so it came as a surprise. They later learned that a bureaucrat would be filling that seat. The move directly contradicts the very first recommendation of the report of the Ministerial Advisory Panel on the Transformation of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation that was released last month by DFO after years of study. Why did the government choose to remove the fisherman from the Freshwater Board and fill it with a GNWT employee?

I am well aware of the Member's relationship with the person who we removed from this board. This guy was on the board for the last 20 years. You have a look at the fishing industry in Hay River and the challenges that we have had around the fishery in the Northwest Territories. The DFO was making changes. They have a governance model that they are looking at changing around the Freshwater Marketing Corporation, and due to the transition of this period that has to take place, I took the precedent of removing this person from the board when his appointment was done and insert our superintendent from Hay River.