Good afternoon, Members. Ministers' statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories made a mandate commitment to finalize a strategic plan to enhance existing programming and build new partnership initiatives to support healthy and sustainable traditional lifestyles and to develop country food programming to promote the consumption of wild foods.

This month the Department of Environment and Natural Resources released its Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan, a strategic document that will meet those mandate commitments by helping to provide better support to Northwest Territories communities in the overall development and implementation of on-the-land programming.

Mr. Speaker, this government understands the importance of sustainable country foods systems, traditional economies, and being on the land, as well as the challenges communities face and the changes they see socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally.

The government supports the continuation of a prosperous, diverse, and sustainable traditional economy that helps communities invest in their renewable resources and traditional harvesting practices, and that increases cultural programming and education, alongside food security. The Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan outlines a number of actions that will help us to achieve a vision where all NWT residents have opportunities to connect with the land in ways that are meaningful to them.

These actions focus on removing barriers to going out on the land, building land-based skills and knowledge, supporting community harvesting programs, promoting intergenerational learning between youth and elders, and improving the promotion of existing programs and opportunities.

The action plan was developed through extensive public engagement, including gatherings in 18 NWT communities, regional meetings, online surveys, a youth photo and writing contest, an advisory committee meeting, and direct outreach to individuals and organizations.

The plan reflects the needs identified by Northerners and helps to guide our way forward as a government in establishing priorities for programs, services, capacity, and funding.

Mr. Speaker, Environment and Natural Resources is committing to supporting the continuation of culture and traditions in the NWT. The Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan helps us to promote and support the sustainable use and development of natural resources in the NWT and to protect, conserve, and enhance our environment for the social and economic benefit of all residents. The department looks forward to working closely with our many partners to ensure successful implementation of this action plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize the athletes, coaches, and mission staff who represented Team Northwest Territories at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan from August 9^th to the 18^th. This year, Team NT fielded 167 participants in seven different sports, including soccer, swimming, athletics, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.

I am happy to report that this year's results at the games ended with more medals than the Northwest Territories has ever seen in 20 years. Good job to the athletes and the coaches. As Members may recall, during the first half of competition, Team NT had some great results, particularly in swimming, where Leo Konge won a gold and two bronze medals. Our basketball and soccer teams also had great performances, standing up well against the larger provinces and our friends from the Yukon.

In the second half, athletes from volleyball, wrestling, and athletics accomplished some great results, including three bronze medals:

• in tennis, women's doubles, Ofira Duru and Monika Kunderlik;
• in athletics, our male medley relay team, Struden Hult-Griffin, Bryce Smith, Zackary Horton, Nicolas Bennett; and
• in wrestling, Cameron Courtorellie.

There were other noteworthy results and achievements in the second half:

• Katie Hart broke three Northwest Territories records to finish fifth overall in javelin; and
• Nick Rivet of Yellowknife was also the first-ever on-field official from the Northwest Territories to adjudicate soccer matches at this level.

Mr. Speaker, I am also proud to recognize Team NT for their efforts to make all sport more inclusive. On August 15^th, the team launched its "You Can Play" program promoting inclusivity and respect in sport.

The Western Canada Summer Games included teams from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. There were nearly 1,700 athletes, coaches, managers, and staff and approximately 2,000 volunteers engaged in the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games. The Western Canada Summer Games are an incredible event because not only do they combine athletic competition, they also provide an opportunity for building lifetime friendships with fellow Canadian athletes.

The Government of the Northwest Territories was extremely proud to promote our team at the Western Canada Summer Games through direct financial support and indirectly through a range of other programs that encourage the development of athletes, coaches, and officials at the local, regional, territorial, and national levels.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Rita Mercredi, chef de mission for Team NT; Damon Crossman, assistant chef de mission for Team NT; and all of their mission staff. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers who were responsible for supporting Team NT, including the Sport North Federation and all of the territorial sport organizations who were responsible for selecting and managing the team. Their contributions play an important role in helping create a healthier Northwest Territories.

I would like to make special mention of all the parents and caregivers who supported children and youth in their athletic pursuits. Their dedication to the development of all our youth is evident through the number of parents and care-givers who attended these games in person, and it is appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, we have much to be proud of in our sport and recreation system, and these Western Canada Summer Games were a great example of the good that can come from supporting these endeavours. I am sure all Members of this House will join me in thanking all our volunteers at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games and congratulations to all who participated. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be tabling the Child and Family Services Quality Improvement Plan. The Quality Improvement Plan sets out actions that we have been taking to address issues identified as part of our internal reviews, the 2018 Auditor General's Report, and from feedback from staff, standing committee, Indigenous governments, and other stakeholders throughout the system. Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of children and youth in our care, and this plan provides clear direction, priority areas, and actions for improving our child and family services system in order to achieve better outcomes for children, youth, and their families while ensuring our system operates in compliance with legislation.

The plan integrates four underlying strategic directions, enhancing a culture of quality, human resource planning, building staff capacity, and engagement, into 10 priority areas that the Department and Health and Social Services and health authorities have been focussing on to improve the child and family services system.

We have begun embedding quality improvements into the foundation of the child and family services system. Based on the new approach for quality improvement, planning, monitoring, and acting on the findings, we are establishing a culture of accountability and responsiveness.

Feedback from our stakeholders over the past several months, including a face-to-face meeting with Indigenous governments in May, helped reprioritize and refine the action items in this quality improvement plan. We have a total of 70 action items, of which 19 are completed and 51 are on track.

We have piloted enhanced investigation skills training in April to ensure staff have the skills needed to conduct critical interviews and investigations to better serve our children, youth, and families. We also developed an enhanced child and protection worker statutory core training program in May, which includes a partnership with the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation to enhance cultural safety. In June and July, the foundation delivered a full day of on-the-land learning experiences and facilitated in-person testimonial from a former youth in care.

Human resources planning is another strategic driver of the plan. To decrease the number of vacancies of Child and Family Services staff, we developed a comprehensive human resources recruitment and retention plan in May. We also acquired 21 new Child and Family Services positions in April that will help us address capacity and staffing challenges across the Northwest Territories. By reducing vacancies, staff will have smaller caseloads, which will allow them to provide better support to the children, youth, and families that they serve.

In February and April, refresher training on the four established Structured Decision Making® Tools was also provided to all supervisors and managers, and frontline staff in the Sahtu and the Beaufort-Delta, as well as the piloting of advanced interviewing training with 15 Child and Family Services staff.

An oversight mechanism for the practice of transferring guardianship was also established in April. This mechanism gives the statutory director increased oversight over the practice of transferring guardianship and ensures that files are reviewed and completed in a timely manner.

Quality improvement is a process, Mr. Speaker, and not an event. We have built flexibility into the plan to help make sure that we are on the right path, are adjusting our approach when needed, and are considering all options for success. The actions I have detailed are just some of the highlighted improvements that we have already made in the system since we began our work in developing the quality improvement plan. Many of the actions identified are ongoing to ensure that they are integrated and sustained into how we provide these important services, instead of simply becoming checkmarks on a list.

Mr. Speaker, transparency and partnership are the foundation of our quality improvement approach. To ensure that the public and key stakeholders are kept up-to-date on the progress on each of the action items identified in the plan, we have launched an online progress tracker that can be viewed on the Department of Health and Social Services' website. This tracker will be used to report regularly on how we are doing in meeting our improvement outcomes.

It is important to acknowledge that there is still a lot work to do on our quality improvement journey. The quality improvement plan is intended to be a living document that will allow us to continuously respond to, learn from, adjust, and improve our services to children and their families over the longer term.

To realize our goal of better outcomes for children, youth, and families, we will need the continued support and engagement of our partners to inform our quality improvements. Through ongoing engagement with frontline staff, Indigenous governments and organizations, the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories, standing committees, key stakeholders and those in our care, we can ensure that we remain on the right path.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize and thank those who have contributed to the development and implementation of the quality improvement plan. This work is reflective of our staff as well as many stakeholders and partners who are deeply committed to improving outcomes for children, youth, and families, and is a commitment to working together to ensure the safety, well-being, and future successes of those in our care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I spoke about the grizzly bear problem in Aklavik. This is becoming a major issue for my constituents. Bears are wandering throughout the community and making everyone feel unsafe. Parents are worried about their children walking to school soon or playing outside unsupervised.

Mr. Speaker, bears will travel up to 100 kilometres to get back to an easy food source like town dumps. Once a bear is food-conditioned and human-habituated, it will keep coming back. The Yukon government has been proactive in putting information about bear relocation on their Facebook page, and notes that it is not always the solution. It is expensive in both cost and time. Sometimes, the bears need to be put down. The Minister last week said he would check with his officials on what steps can be taken. I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue surrounding GNWT sourcing and procurement systems are, sadly, nothing new. Over the life of this Assembly, my colleagues and I have heard from countless stakeholders from the private sector about the recurring and yet unresolved issues surrounding procurement. We are now at a crossroads. The GNWT cannot continue to deny the significant lack of confidence concerning public procurement expressed by the northern business community.

Together, Regular MLAs have supported calls for procurement reform and have worked cooperatively through standing committees to bring forward a comprehensive report on procurement issues. Conflicting policies and practises are key concerns of the business community. The stated goals of these procurement and sourcing systems are to help ensure a healthy and prosperous northern private sector, and yet small companies are expected to compete with much larger southern ones who will utmost always be able to bid a lower cost than their local counterparts. This underbidding by southern firms who have access to beneficial supply change and the GNWT's inconsistent and opaque policies fail to ensure that the core of the business incentive and other procurement incentive programs are achieved.

This report and years of advocacy from this side of the House should be a wake-up call for our government that it needs to do better on procurement and meaningfully change how it does business with our hardworking private sector. If we wish to see northern businesses thrive, then we need to see the GNWT's procurement policies updated to reflect the high cost of doing business in the NWT and to ensure procurement opportunities are, above all, fair, transparent, and benefit Northerners above all else. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I was very glad to witness the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle awards. Congratulations to all four individuals and one community group. This event recognizes the individuals, youth, elders, and groups who exemplify excellence and dedication and promotion, preservation of arts, heritage, and cultures in their communities and regions.

Mr. Speaker, listening to our Dene elder, Mr. Alfred Taneton, one of the recipients, a large part of his remarks was directed on working together, a statement that I cherished while listening to our elder. The spirit of collaboration and partnerships between GNWT Indigenous groups and residents of our territory was addressed in my Member's statement of last week.

Maintaining these fundamental principles of engagement will be, and my continued efforts when I review the great need for improved programs and service delivery in our smaller rural and remote communities, communities that experience hardships and barriers of limitations and the high cost of supplies, and dependent seasonal supply chain systems.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, it would be prudent of our next Assembly to continue with building on relationships with our federal counterparts. Mahsi.

Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the idea of a city charter for Yellowknife. Currently, the powers and authority of the City of Yellowknife are described by the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, but the CTV act applies the same rules to all communities. That means the City of Yellowknife, with 20,000 residents, has the same authority as other communities with only a few hundred, let's say.

Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree Yellowknife has different circumstances that aren't shared by smaller communities. Its city government deals with unique issues, opportunities, and challenges that other communities may not. That's why a city charter is long overdue. City charters recognize the unique challenges and opportunities a larger centre faces every day. It provides authority to the city over areas that directly affect residents' lives. It recognizes that a larger centre deals with demands at a scale and level of complexity that other communities may not. It gives the city the tools to deliver quality infrastructure and services to its residents. It allows local solutions for local needs, and it allows the city to respond and adjust to changing times in a timely fashion.

City charters in Canada date as far back as 1785. Many major cities today, including both our neighbours Calgary and Edmonton, have city charters that define their powers and authority. A city charter for Yellowknife would make that possible. This would be achieved by legislation and regulations giving Yellowknife authority in areas like lands, homelessness and poverty, policing, and economic development. Local decision-making would be more sensitive to the specific, unique needs of the city and its residents. It will also lead to increased collaboration between the city and the territory, and, through a devolution agreement, we can better clarify roles and responsibilities so there will be greater efficiency of community government and improved services to residents.

I believe, just as the territorial government took some powers from the federal government through devolution, it makes sense that we begin to devolve some authorities and powers to the city government. This will make for better community administration and much better services to residents, businesses, and visitors alike because the city will have the tools it needs. Going forward, Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful this idea will get meaningful attention and direction from the 19^th Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Most of the communities in the Northwest Territories are in locations that have been long used by Dene, in key locations on rivers and waterways. Fur traders and priests later built permanent settlements around the trading posts and churches, and our traditional gathering places have now become our permanent homes.

Mr. Speaker, [translation] if we do that, it would be good for us. We need to do that with Fort Providence. People, we still remember where the gathering is. That is why we need to protect those areas, and sometimes we need to protect the water. Sometimes, it's hard, but still we paddle. It's really hard sometimes because it's shallow. We need to protect those areas. We know that we have to keep our boat launches area that way. We need to protect it for the future of the people. Now, there is a big river. Still there, there is a trail. [Translation ends].

Starting in the community and heading to the Big River service station, this trail will give travelling tourists an opportunity to walk a scenic path of history along the mighty Deh Cho, a chance to stretch their legs after a bumpy ride out of Yellowknife. In the wintertime, this trail could be used for skidooing and dug-mushing.

It is a priority at this Assembly to improve the health and well-being of our residents. Building a recreational trail will promote a healthy lifestyle and enhance tourism infrastructure in one of our oldest communities. Interpretative signs along the trail can explain the Dene history of the area, the sad legacy of the residential schools that used to exist in Fort Providence, and our long relationship with the mighty bison who still roam the forests.

We are blessed in the Northwest Territories with beautiful settings for our communities. We should do everything we can to ensure that tourists and residents can experience all they have to offer. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When I campaigned for this position in 2015, residents of Yellowknife Centre identified homelessness as one of their priority issues. That was the year when the city calculated homelessness had increased 14 percent in 12 months. People were sleeping in bank foyers and stairwells and in tents and cars. That spring, a 43-year-old man froze to death in an alleyway downtown. His death galvanized the city to respond to the expanding population of homeless people.

In my first statement in this House, I talked about how a Housing First program could help by providing housing as a harm-reduction tool for people who are chronically homeless. Residents are supported by staff, who help them access services and mentor them to become stable tenants. The Yellowknife Women's Society took on Housing First with federal and territorial funds. They quickly ramped up the program to accept 20 clients. This program still only has funding for 20 clients, although program staff estimate there are 170, that is right 170, people on the waiting list who qualify for this service. This is a successful program that requires more investment.

Mr. Speaker, in the meantime, the territorial government has acknowledged the need for transitional housing. There are eight semi-independent units at the Yellowknife Women's Society, and more will be built by the end of the year with help of industry. The SideDoor is offering a Housing First program for youth up to 25 years old, and YWCA NWT continuous to offer transitional housing for families, despite the loss of the Rockhill Apartments.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate all of the good work being done to address homelessness in Yellowknife, and I also appreciate the Northern Pathways to Housing units that have opened in Fort Simpson, Aklavik, and Behchoko to assist homeless people in those communities. Some people may choose to return to their home communities if housing is available.

I think that homelessness is always going to be a problem in Yellowknife. The city is a magnet for people across the NWT because of the services it offers. I acknowledge that there is more accommodation available for homeless people than there was four years ago, but the waiting lists for non-profit housing together number in the hundreds of people. The 19^th Assembly will have the important task of allocating more funding for this proven solution. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I have made many statements on the caribou crisis, in this House. During my time here, the Bathurst caribou herd has plummeted to about 8,000 animals, while our government has taken little action beyond continued restrictions on harvesting. Over the same time, the budget for Environment and Natural Resources has been slashed by 10 percent. Nothing has been done on our side of the border to temporarily or permanently protect habitat. The only new funding approved for the caribou crisis was for further study and a slight increase of the wolf bounty.

Our Minister of Infrastructure continues to announce more money for the Slave Geological Province road that will cut through the heart of the Bathurst caribou range. During the most recent announcement in the great hall last week of $40 million, there was no mention of caribou. The ministry even boasted about this government's support of the Grays Bay road that would carve its way through what is left of the calving grounds of the Bathurst herd, this after our House passed a unanimous motion to oppose US development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.

I and the remaining 8,000 Bathurst caribou are still waiting for a public announcement of Cabinet approval on the range plan. The plan provides some guidance moving forward, but it is rather meek on the issue of road planning and management. Having been weakened over time, there are few specific actions or costs identified, particularly around habitat protection. It's the only plan we now have to save the herd, and Cabinet continues to sit on it with no further funding. I truly hope that someone takes up this cause in the 19^th Assembly when the supplementary appropriation comes forward for the Slave Geological Province road funding of $10 million from this government and nothing appears for the Bathurst caribou herd range plan.

I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources later today on what our government intends, when our government or whether our government intends to take any real action to save the Bathurst caribou herd. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to share my concern about a mindset that I have noticed taking hold over this government over the course of my time here. Increasingly, it appears as though the GNWT, under this Cabinet, considers its direct participation in the economy as increasingly important and the role of small and medium-sized businesses as becoming less important. I will give you some examples.

The GNWT purchased NTCL out of necessity. It was justifiable. However, in the years since the acquisition, we have seen the government using public money to actively compete with established companies in the private market. Concerns were also raised when MTS sold surplus barges and claimed that publicly advertising the sales was not necessary because those in the shipping industry were aware that MTS was selling equipment. However, after those sales were completed, someone who is very much in the shipping industry, completely unaware of the sales, asked me whether MTS was going to sell any of the surplus equipment or if it was going to keep it out of the hands of potential competitors, which is apparently what NTCL was known to do.

In addition to barging, the GNWT is also getting into manufacturing and construction. Earlier this year, MTS constructed their own modular office building. Why was it manufactured in-house instead of acquiring it from any of the three approved manufacturers in the territory? The answer provided: it was done to keep staff busy. Similarly, instead of putting an RFP out, the Department of Infrastructure decided to use its own people to tear down the old Hay River Hotel, also known as the Zoo.

During the life of this government, the GNWT has also announced its plans to manage a for-profit fish processing plant. Although it is supposed to be a partnership with the fishing industry, the GNWT is 100 percent behind the wheel. The changes at NTPC provide another example. Filling the board with deputy ministers has brought this market-driven corporation under GNWT control at the same time that NTPC is working to increase its market share by competing for contracts with private power distributors.

Contrast these moves, Mr. Speaker, with the government's position on procurement. Self-interest in terms of saving a couple of bucks always seems to trump supporting local businesses. I have made statements about this in the past, and this issue has been well-canvased by other Members during this sitting, so I won't go further into it. Government has a vital role in society, but making incursions into the private market is not one of them, especially at a time when we desperately need to diversify our economy by supporting small businesses.

This emerging mindset needs to be dealt with by the next Assembly before it becomes even more engrained and while there are still small businesses left to support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have often spoken about the critical need for housing in my region. Today I would like to focus on a particular need for transitional housing.

Historically, transitional housing has been focused in our larger communities through organizations like Inuvik Transition House or the YWCA here in Yellowknife. Homelessness isn't a problem limited to the regional centres. Residents themselves have made their voice heard, calling for more transitional housing with options spread across the Northwest Territories.

The NWT Housing Corporation responded with the Northern Pathways to Housing Program, a five-year partnership with three communities to introduce new transitional housing units and fund ongoing case-worker support. The program is intended to help tackle homelessness in small communities specifically because even though public housing is typically the norm, some residents are unable to access housing. They are simply being left out in the cold.

Mr. Speaker, Northern Pathways to Housing is making significant headway on a serious problem. Unfortunately, it is not enough. Nunakput communities are not included, and neither are some of the communities that rely on ice roads during the winter shipping season.

Although the funding agreement between the Government of Canada and IRC has brought much-needed housing replacements to the region, that money did not result in additional units. Today we have current residents in need and many Nunakput residents looking for other options.

Mr. Speaker, this is an area that needs urgent attention. Looking at options for tiny homes in remote communities in the Northwest Territories should be on the radar of the Government of the Northwest Territories. As the fall arrives, we are still awaiting completion of buildings that had missed the shipping season last year.

In closing, I believe that we need to be planning two to three years in advance for remote communities who rely on ice roads in the winter and the barges in the summer and the fall shipping season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today, there are a couple of elders, Edward. I want to do a prayer for them. [Translation ends]

I would like to eulogize a couple of brothers who have passed away in Lutselk'e in the last several months. The first is Joseph Victor Catholique, better known as Joe V. Joe V is somebody who I visited often, as he lived in the senior citizens' home. He often talked about being involved in the construction of most of the houses around Lutselk'e. Most of the houses were built back when he was younger. Joe V was a carpenter. He worked here in Yellowknife on some buildings and some of the larger buildings up in the uptown core. He often spoke about how he felt, that he ended up in a small senior's apartment with his wife, Wanda, and his sons Miles and Edwin. He had built many houses himself but never ended up actually owning a homeownership unit.

Also, I would like to speak about Edward Catholique. Edward Catholique was Joe V's older brother. He passed away several months ago, also. Edward was known as Edward Cho. When he was a young man, he was a big man. He lived the majority of his life with a wooden leg, as they say. He lost his leg in an accident. It never seemed to affect him much. He was able to do just about everything. He was able to do as if he was completely able to so, even though he had one wooden leg.

Edward was a person who I visited often. Almost every trip into Lutselk'e, I would visit Edward and his wife, Mary. They were wonderful people. When I was coming into town, he would make sure he had enough dry meat for me to take back to Yellowknife. I was always interested to go visit. He had laid out all the dry meat for me and tell me, "Pick what you want out of that."

He was quite a person. He has left a wife, Mary. They, themselves, didn't have any kids, but I know he was very close to his nephew Herman. I noticed that often, when I went there, Jerry Lockhart would also be sitting with him.

I would like to pass my condolence onto their one sister, Loraine, who is left and their one brother, John, who is left. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Our condolences to the family, as well, and to the community. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I regret to inform that Floyd Daniels passed away on Sunday, August 18^th, at the University Hospital in Edmonton after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.

Floyd was born December 16, 1956, to Beatrice and Victor Daniels in Fort Smith. Floyd retired March 2017 after a long, committed, and dedicated career with the Department of Public Works with the GNWT. Floyd was a journeyman carpenter for many years, then he and the family decided it would be a good idea to go back to school to get his Project Management diploma from NAIT.

His career took Floyd and his family from Fort Smith to Inuvik, Fort Simpson to Hay River, where he retired.

In the Deh Cho and South Slave, there were a number of projects that had Floyd's fingerprints on them. Floyd ensured that the projects were done properly with professionalism and great attention to detail. Floyd took a great deal of pride in the work he did for the people.

Floyd was well-known across the North for his athletic ability. As a young athlete, he became known as a tough competitor with a strong work ethic, as well as being an exceptional team player. It was never about him, but instead, it was about his teammates and always ensuring he gave 100 percent of each effort in each sporting endeavour as an athlete. However, if you look at his trophy room, you could see how good he was. This is what he practiced throughout his life. If I could say one thing about Floyd, he did things with intention.

As he became older, he became a coach and transferred his skills to mentoring young players to love sports as he did.

I had the privilege of playing against him and alongside him. To be honest with you, it was much more enjoyable playing alongside him as a teammate than against him.

I may be a tad biased, but I believe he was one of the best pitchers in the NWT and Canada. He was like a fine wine. He got better and better with time.

His beloved wife, Janice, would always joke that his teammates spent more time with Floyd celebrating their wedding anniversary than they did as a married couple. September 2^nd would have been their 41^st anniversary. They were like all couples, had their ups and downs, good and bad times, and easy and difficult times. It was love at first sight, and you could see their love when they were together.

When he travelled with his team, Floyd would always ensure that he had daily conversations with his wife and family. He would always talk about Janice and his children making a big, huge difference in his life. He would always speak of their accomplishments and how proud he was of them.

The most recent conversations people had with Floyd were about his grandchildren, how he was looking forward to spending time with them. Floyd always spoke with pride and love in his voice. He was always very proud of his family.

Floyd is survived by his wife, Janice; his three sons, Tanner, Trenton, and Brantley; his daughter, Richelle; and daughter-in-law, Amanda; and his three grandchildren, Arabella, Lena, and Victor; as well as extended family members.

I honestly believe Floyd is looking down on us with a big smile on his face as he stands on the pitcher's mound, ready to throw his next perfect game. Floyd, you've pitcher a perfect game in life. Thank you for my friend and the other lives you have enriched having known you and your legacy of hard work and dedication will live in your children in life and your lovely wife as your greatest fan.

The family would like to thank the University Hospital staff for all they did for Floyd and the friends who passed on their condolences and prayers. Rest well, my friend.

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

Mr. Speaker, our culture is our identity, and throughout the North, we have many individuals and organizations working to preserve, revitalize, and promote our cultural practices. I want to recognize the recipients of the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle from our ceremony this morning.

• For the Youth Award, we have Mr. Corbin Sinclair from Fort Smith.
• For the Individual Award, Ms. Karen Novak of Yellowknife.
• The Elder Award goes to Alfred Taneton of Deline.
• The Group Award goes to the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre in Fort Smith, represented by Ms. Rachel Dell.
• The Minister's Choice Award today goes to Ms. Mildred Edwards from Aklavik.

Thank you all for being here today. Thank you all for the important work you do for the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the elder from Deline, Alfred Taneton, the recipient of the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle, and his escort, Morris Neyelle, and all the recipients of the award. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to recognize friends and constituents of Yellowknife North. We have today Rhonda and Sean Ivens who are here with us. Of course, Karen Novak is here, and congratulations on your award. I see up there, as well, Jerry Sharpe. Welcome and thank you for being here.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two of my constituents from Aklavik, Mildred and Agnes Edwards. Mildred received the Minister's Choice Award earlier today for her passion to our culture, tradition, and preserving traditional knowledge. I also had the opportunity to serve alongside her when she was Chief of Aklavik and I was the Chief of Tsiigehtchic. We had a lot of good discussions at the board of directors and a lot of the meetings, so it is good to have her with us today. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Rachel Dell, the curator of the Northern Life Museum and Culture Centre in Fort Smith. I would also like to recognize Corbin Sinclair from Fort Smith on receiving the Youth Award from the Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle. Mr. Sinclair is 17 and has embraced his culture through drumming, hand games, and Dene games. He demonstrates hand games at school and at cultural events. He attended the 2018 Arctic Winter Games, where he won a gold ulu for stick pole, and the 2019 Canada Winter Games, where he was a demonstrator of Dene and Inuit games. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery, thanks for being here with us. It is always great to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister responsible for GNWT procurement policies has made a standing offer to hear complaints on the floor of the House concerning government procurement, and today I rise once again to bring forward the concerns of my constituents.

The Business Incentive Program statement of policy is to "provide an incentive to NWT-based businesses in a manner that recognizes the higher cost of operating in the NWT." I have a constituent now who asks why certain companies have been grandfathered into the Business Incentive Program registry without having to meet the same requirements as northern-based businesses. To quote their concern, "a grandfathered company can move its operations to Alberta, leave a one-person office, and bring in cheaper labour and equipment, but still enjoy the same BIP adjustment." My question for the Minister is: how does this grandfather clause of the BIP policy promote private sector growth and fairness in the NWT? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is one of the Member's favourite discussions that he is having on the floor of the House. To be honest with you, I can't even answer his question. If he would actually give someone a heads-up on a question, I might be able to answer it fully on the floor of this House, but the question that he is asking me right now, I have no idea. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This issue isn't new to the Minister, and he should be able to know his file well enough that he doesn't need a heads-up. Section 2 of the Business Incentive Policy is all about the eligibility for register. That is section A through E, and then you have section F, which says that anyone on schedule 3 is grandfathered in and doesn't need to meet any of those other requirements. For companies that have moved their operations and are no longer resident-owned businesses, how does grandfathering them into a policy that benefits northern resident businesses consistent with the BIP policy?

I will take this question as notice.

Masi. The question has been taken as notice. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. As I mentioned, we have an issue with grizzly bears in the community of Aklavik, upwards of 14. I would like to ask the Minister: can the Minister update the House on what steps are being taken by ENR officers to deal with the grizzly bear problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I share the Member's concern with the number of grizzly bears that are in the community of Aklavik. We continue, obviously, to respond to bear reports. My understanding is that we have destroyed three grizzly bears in Aklavik due to public safety concerns. Our local renewable resource officer is on-call, and an additional renewable resource officer will be travelling to Aklavik to assist with monitoring the bear situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad that the department is taking some action. Has relocation been looked at, and what would be the cost to relocate one or two grizzly bears or more?

I know that, from questions from the Member in the past week, he asked about the relocation. I had committed to getting costs. I have not seen those costs yet, but I would imagine that it would be fairly expensive. Again, we need to have a look at it and explore all options in trying to alleviate the grizzly bear problem in Aklavik.

I know that it has only been a week, but have discussions started with co-management partners on increasing grizzly bear hunting tags for bears?

We will have to have those discussions with our co-management partners, because, as we know, a number of years ago, they implemented the grizzly bear tags because there was a lot of hunting of grizzly bears, but it seems like it has done what it is supposed to do and brought the population back up. We will have to have those discussions with our co-management partners to see if they would be receptive to maybe increasing the amount of tags. We will have those discussions and see where that takes us.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we have a huge problem, especially after dark. Yesterday we had three bears coming into the community. Will the Minister make sure that the department have officers on patrol in the evenings while they are in the community, just to make sure that there is safety? Safety is always number one for the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I agree with the Member that protection of our citizens should be the number one priority of this government, and as such, as I said before, we do have another renewable resource officer who is going to the community, and I am sure that they will be doing some patrols to ensure that the bears are not becoming a problem and coming into the community. I think we've seen a number of cases of bears in the community, in some of the communities around the Northwest Territories. Our staff are being vigilant and, if we have to, we will bring in extra people to help with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my questions will be for the Minister of Infrastructure. When we are looking at the Manufactured Products Policy, and I was looking at it, and it said at least 25 percent has NWT value, the price is no more than 20 percent greater than similar products, FOB the site of a manufacturer, or 25 percent greater than a similar product, FOB the destination for final delivery. Can the Minister, please advise us what that policy entails, and what is the amount of percentage that manufacturers get in the North? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You see, this is what happens when someone gives a heads-up and you give a full-hearted answer. There is no cap or ceiling identified in the Northwest Territories Manufactured Products Policy. The Northwest Territories manufactured products, however, is pursuant to or enabled by the Business Incentive Policy, and that means, technically, the ceiling of $500,000 would also apply to manufacturing.

That said, our manufacturing policy only pertains to goods for the maximum bid adjustment of $500,000 to apply. We would need to be in the position of buying $16 million worth of a single product. I think we can agree to deal with that when one gets there.

The Minister actually answered my next question, so I will go back to the first question. The question I asked is: what is the percentage? Is it 20, 25 percent for a northern manufacturing company? Is that what they are allowed, additional cost to it?

The Northwest Territories Manufactured Products Policy and the Business Incentive Policy follow the same principles of northern preference. However, our Manufactured Products Policy is an independent process and works slightly different. In order to be able to be purchased by the Government of the Northwest Territories under the manufactured policy, at least 25 percent of the product's value has to be created in the Northwest Territories by an eligible company registered under the Business Incentive Policy. Provided this requirement is met, the product can be priced up to 20 percent higher on a southern product, including freight on site at the manufacturing facility. The product can be priced up to 25 percent higher on a similar product including freight if it is priced at delivery as required location.

I thank the Minister. He kind of answered my third question, so I am just going to go to my last question here. When you look at the procurement policy, at (b), it says, where two or more manufactured supply, approved NWT manufactured products, only those manufacturers will be invited to bid on a contract. Can the Minister advise this House how that part of the policy works when we're talking about the free trade? Because the Minister has advised us in this House that BIP, with some challenges he has faced, and he was able to get it grandfathered, but can he explain how this policy actually is grandfathered in?

As I said in the House the other day, the most important element for Members to understand is the context of what the Canada Free Trade Agreement is. As the Minister of internal trade and external trade, these things have to be negotiated with other governments when we are signing this agreement, and that is the only reason that this government can negotiate an exemption. That is where we have to deal with the other provinces and countries when we are doing these agreements, and that one exemption that we fight for all the time is the Business Incentive Policy.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about transitional housing in Nunakput, and my questions are for the Minister of Housing: can the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation give an update on the transitional housing in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have been working with a lot of our community governments as well as NGOs. At the same time, we are working, as the Member has known, as I've made statements in the House, on the Northern Pathways to Housing Program. Those have been successful. They have been pilot projects. In Simpson and Aklavik, we have seen some really good things moving forward, as well as in Behchoko. Moving forward from this program, I think we can work with our community governments to possibly access some of our co-investment dollars or the community housing support initiative dollars to address some of these transitional needs in housing. It is a big issue across the territory, and we will encourage our leadership to work with us to address those needs.

Look at my region. I believe there's at least one community that has a contract for the LHOs. I think programs like that seem to work for smaller remote communities. My second question is: how does the Government of the Northwest Territories implement services that are funded directly from the federal government to Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories? I am going to use IRC and Housing, for an example.

One of the biggest things that we have done through the NWT Housing Corporation is we have been really advocating on behalf of the Indigenous governments in all of our communities across the Northwest Territories with the federal government. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is one of the communities that have been able to access funding dollars through ITK, and one of the things that came out of that was we started the housing summit, first housing summit, where we had all our leadership in attendance, and working on trying to build a one voice to take to our NIOs, our National Indigenous Organizations, as well as the federal government to ensure that we get the funding that the federal government has given to the NIOs to meet the needs throughout the territories. The housing summit that we had earlier this year is a good indication that we are getting that information out to our leadership and our non-governmental organizations.

I appreciate the response. I am a strong believer that, when Indigenous governments get funding directly from the federal government, I think we need to work with Indigenous governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure that we implement that funding properly so that it is not lopsided. There are a few examples out there, but I won't dig too far. Can the Minister give an update on the community housing plans, and will the idea of tiny homes be a discussion during these planning sessions?

The community housing plans, as I've said, are going to be a game changer for our communities across the Northwest Territories on how we address housing. Every community has their own special needs, and when we develop these community housing plans, it's going to be the communities that are going to tell us what their priorities are, rather than us telling the communities what they need. This past weekend was also the first time that we just had a meeting with all of our district offices across the territory, on Saturday, as well as our board chairs. It was the first time that we sat down and listened to what the concerns were in all of the regions across the NWT and how do we address them. I want to let the MLAs know that I did let the board chairs know as well as the district office managers know that all MLAs have been bringing up these concerns to me and the office, and we are working on addressing those issues. The community housing plans are going to be a game changer moving forward to addressing our housing needs.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's good to see that we are having meetings and having discussions about these issues. You know, action plans and follow-up as we move into the next government is very key. It's more of a comment than anything. I am just wondering what the Minister's plans are as we close up these last five days of this Assembly.

I have chatted with the staff and talked about putting a transitional document. I know we do have a transitional committee here within the next government, but I really wanted to make sure that, with something as important as housing, that I would sit down with my staff and we would look at creating some type of a transitional document moving into the next government. Over the past two governments, we have made some really big strides and we have had some great leadership from our past Ministers who were responsible for housing, and I just want to carry that forward and make sure that we continue the continuity of the programs, the services, the partnerships, and promoting the programs that we have, and continuing to work with the federal government, our Indigenous governments and making sure that they are prepared for housing issues moving into the 19^th Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In some ways, my questions continue on from my colleague. In my statement today I talked about the growth of the Housing First program throughout the NWT and the success it has had moving chronically homeless people out of shelters and into stable transitional housing. It's very clear that the demand for Housing First has outstripped supply. Can the Minister tell us what advice he is including in his departmental transition report on Housing First? Thank you.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will just obviously continue on this theme here. Here in Yellowknife, we have been working with a lot of our partners in terms of addressing some of the housing needs. Obviously, we do have the Housing First program; we have the rapid rehousing program with YWCA; and the Yellowknife Women's Society, we did make a good announcement; we are working with industry to see how we can address housing here in the Northwest Territories; Northern Pathways to Housing program that we have in the three communities that I just previously mentioned, we have been working with ECE and working with Health and Social Services to see how we can increase our shelter funding for homeless shelters and how it's just a one-stop program for applications to address that need. So there are a lot of things that have been going on over this government, and any input that Members and any input that our leadership across the territories and our non-governmental organizations can give us, we are willing to work with them, and we just need to sit down and have those discussions. The big one announcement that we have given was the co-investment fund and how can we access that and have a bigger partnership to address homelessness and transition or even housing needs of the NWT.

I appreciate that, not only does the Minister buy half-page ads to talk about his successes, he also gobbles up question period to do the very same thing. The City of Yellowknife has attempted to count the number of homeless people in Yellowknife, and I would like to know very specifically, without the words "community plan," is that work to understand to full dimensions of homelessness being undertaken in any other communities?

Obviously, the Northern Pathways to Housing program is one of our successes that we have seen, and we will continue to work on that. It's a piloted project. I just want to also say, Mr. Speaker, our staff have been doing a great job in meeting with our leadership, meeting with our non-government organizations to address homelessness, and we all need to work together. I think that's one of things that we came out of the housing summit that was up in Inuvik. We also have the Reaching Home program that we are pushing out, and our staff has been trying to get out to as many communities as they can across the NWT. Initially, we were looking at three community housing plans in this initial year, as a pilot program. After myself and the staff have been meeting with leadership, we have 12. I made a statement last week that we have 12 community plans on the go to address the housing needs in each of the communities.

So I just want to let all Members know and leadership, you know: reach out to us; we are willing to work with you, but we are going above and beyond to address the housing issues across the Northwest Territories, and our staff are working very hard to make sure that happens.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In Fort Providence, there is an interest in terms of establishing a trail from perhaps the base of the Deh Cho bridge all the way to Fort Providence, and the community wants to create a project to draw in more tourists at the same time as trying to create a decent option up there for people who drive long ways up north, to give them an opportunity to walk the historical trail along the Deh Cho. My question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: is there a program or funding available to create historical or interpretative signs for trails? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within Education, Culture and Employment, there is no direct funding for signage for trails. However, the good thing about consensus government and the departments is we do try to work together, so I have spoken to my colleague with Infrastructure. There is actually funding within Infrastructure, probably within the community access program, that can be utilized. We are more than willing to work with the MLA if he would like some more information on that.

I don't know where this trail is leading to, but I will try my best. Would the Minister have her staff in the Small Community Employment Support Program reach out to the community on how they can access funding for this project?.

I would love to be able to say yes, I will do that right away, but I would rather, actually, just because I know how busy we are, if the MLA could send me an email with the request, then we would be more than interested to get the staff to action it. We will work with both the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Infrastructure because there is also money under the small business employment fund that maybe we can use to get people to actually do some brush cutting in the trails. There are other resources that we would like to be able to support, so, yes, if the MLA will send us an email, we will make a commitment to work hard to make this a success story in his his community.

I was trying to highlight the Small Community Employment Support Program that has been in existence for some time. It is available for small communities to try to create employment projects in their communities. I am supposing that the Minister is quite familiar with that. I wanted to ask her: what are some of the successful projects that have been carried out so far with this program?

The small community employment fund is actually one of the successes of this government, in my opinion. It is actually putting money into the communities based on where the community thinks that it would be most appropriate. I can't stand here and say what successful projects are, because, in my opinion, every single community is a successful project because that community has defined where they want that funding to go.

One thing I would like to say, though, and I have said it to the communities that I have had access to, is that most of the applications that I have noticed coming in for the small community employment fund have been for one-time projects. I am trying to really stress to the communities that you can actually hire, for example, one person to drive that gravel truck, get that load of gravel, and dump it in the community, or you can actually start thinking more creatively and figuring out how we can actually make sustainable employment so that we can have our own truck and our own business with that. I am trying to get the communities to stop thinking so individually focused and start thinking about economic development, because that is the key.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has touched on some key points in terms of, perhaps, long-term views of the Small Community Employment Support Program. Will the program continue, and what are the future plans for this program? Mahsi.

As we all know, this Assembly is coming to an end at the end of the month here, so I can't commit that the program will always continue. I can certainly say that that program has been successful. I want to, again, thank some of the MLAs on the other side who have come forward to actually get it funded more. It is successful, it is working, and I am hoping that future governments will carry it forward into the next Assembly and in Assemblies to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Earlier today I talked a little bit about the need for the City of Yellowknife to maybe consider developing a charter for the City of Yellowknife. This is where we start to recognize some of the unique and evolving needs of the City. I just want to ask the Minister if he or his staff in the department are starting to see and understand that the City of Yellowknife is starting to take on a lot more different responsibilities and pressures. Is there a need for maybe developing a charter for the City of Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since I have been in the role for Municipal and Community Affairs, we have had some very good discussions working with the NWT Association of Communities, as well as the local government administrators of the Northwest Territories. This is something that is new. We are nearing the end of this government, and this might be something that might be pushed into the transitional documents moving forward. We are in our last week, but it is something that, I think, does need to be discussed to see how we can address the concerns from the Member, as well as leadership across the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for his reply. If there were such a charter or devolution of responsibilities that were to come to the city, what would it begin to look like? Are there some kind of amendments that we would have to do to the Cities, Towns and Villages Act? Is there some special type of devolution agreement similar to the process that we had to go through when we dealt with the feds devolving responsibility to us? Just so people can get a little understanding of what this might look like, does the Minister have something he can share with us in terms of what the next steps would look like?

At this time, I have nothing in terms of what the next steps would be. Obviously, as I said in the previous answer, it is something that can go into a transitional document as something that might be taken under consideration for whoever is going to be sitting in this House. Those are the only next steps that I would say, to have those discussions moving forward, but it is really going to be on who is in this House next government to have those discussions. Like I said, we have a week left, and we will see what we will begin doing. I will make sure that our department has an indication that this is something that needs to be considered.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources on the crisis of the Bathurst caribou herd. In the last sitting in June I asked the Minister about a trip that he took to Kugluktuk to meet with Nunavut officials. He has since provided a copy of the agenda for that meeting. Can the Minister provide an update of any further discussions with the Government of Nunavut to protect the Bathurst caribou herd? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I always appreciate the Member's questions on the caribou, because it gives us an opportunity to speak of our dedication to the preservation of the caribou across the Northwest Territories, because they are very important to our existence. We have to do what we can to protect them.

Having said that, I did say that we met with the Nunavut Minister. I appreciate their dedication to the preservation of the caribou herds across the north, because they are very important to their people as well. We did ask our officials to initiate some technical discussions on the proposed content for a new memorandum of understanding, and the updated memorandum of understanding will build on the existing MOU, cooperation on managing shared population of caribou, signed by our two governments in February of 2017. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the Minister for that good information. It is great to hear that we may finally get an updated memorandum of understanding. Can the Minister tell us whether this agreement will provide for any temporary and/or permanent protection of habitat?

We did task our officials to come up with some technical information, and we have a very close relationship with the Government of Nunavut. The 2017 MOU helped to formalize and support our longstanding relationship. The new MOU will focus on several key areas, including research and monitoring, data sharing, harvest management, predators, habitat, and co-management. We will continue to work with our partners over in Nunavut on the proposed MOU with the goal to complete this by the upcoming fall of this year, actually. We will be informed by ongoing discussions with our co-management partners in both jurisdictions.

I want to thank the Minister for that information. I don't think that I heard the words "habitat protection," though. I mentioned in my statement that Cabinet is still sitting on the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan. Can the Minister provide an update as to when Cabinet will approve this plan and announce that publicly?

My apologies; I did say "habitat," and I would assume that "habitat protection" would also be part of that discussion, as well.

We are committed to implementing the new Bathurst Caribou Range Plan, now that it has been approved by Cabinet. The range plan was developed collaboratively with 21 organizations, including Indigenous governments, industry, environmental groups, renewable resource boards, and the federal government.

Again, I have to give a shout-out to Ottawa Aboriginal partners who understand that the preservation of the caribou herd is very important to people across the Northwest Territories, and they are doing their part. Shout-out to them for the good work and leadership that they are showing.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that great news. I had no idea, nor did the public know, that the Cabinet had actually approved the Bathurst caribou range plan. I know there are a lot of people and the remaining 8,000 Bathurst caribou are happy about that. Of course, there is always money for roads, including $10 million more for the GNWT contribution for the Slave Geological Province Road. It will likely come forward as the first supplementary appropriation for the 19^th Assembly. Can the Minister tell this House: when will money actually start to flow for work to implement the Bathurst caribou range plan? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Member makes a good point. There is always money for infrastructure projects that creates employment across the Northwest Territories. It is what the people of the Northwest Territories have told us is one of their priorities, is to work. The range plan will serve as a document to guide the GNWT.

The Member's question about the funding: we have identified some funding as we went through our business plans. We have worked with Ottawa, trying to secure some funding. We have actually doubled our efforts in some of the initiatives that have been brought forward by the Aboriginal governments and partnership with us, including Boots on the Ground, which only happens once a year. With the new funding, it is going on twice year now. It proved to be a very valuable contribution in following the caribou. There has been some money that has been earmarked for it. We will continue to make increased investments, working with our co-management partner on the preservation of caribou in the Northwest Territories, which is very important to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Member for Yellowknife North.