Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for the question. There is a protocol in the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer that a team who are trained to do contact tracing then figure out who the contacts are and then confidentially call those people and make them aware that they are a contact of somebody who has tested positive. They give them advice on the next steps to take in the event that that has happened.

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I heard her mention that there had been training on contact tracing. Has the staff of the Department of Health and Social Services as well as the CPHO had formal training, certified training, on contact tracing?

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you. The training is done by the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer. I'm not sure what the Member has in mind with formal training. There is a national protocol that is being followed. I don't know if that's what she means, but this is not something unique to the NWT. There is a formal process, or a national process, that is followed in contact tracing.

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I'd ask then, if there has been training done, if the Minister would supply me with records of training for the staff of the CPHO and the HSS. In the recent cases of COVID in Yellowknife, were these protocols followed?

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I don't have an answer to the Member's question.

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

More of a comment: I can't believe the Minister doesn't know if her own protocols were followed in a case such as this.

The Speaker (Hon. Frederick Blake Jr) Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. I'll take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will continue my questioning of the Minister of Lands. He refuses to create a process guide for transferring land in fee simple for Aboriginal titled Indigenous governments because presently he cannot. We have a land lease only policy in the Northwest Territories. I believe it is a Cabinet policy. My question for the Minister of Lands is: is he willing to get rid of the lease only policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Frederick Blake Jr) Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Lands.

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Lands is undertaking a broad review of the effectiveness of the Land Lease only policy in collaboration with EIA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I appreciate that there is a review and work is being done. Will part of this review consult existing lease holders and see whether they can transfer their land to fee simple? I believe a great example is: I think we have six agricultural leases in the Northwest Territories. That's about six famers who would be better off getting mortgages, getting loans, and running their farms if they had their land. Will such work conduct a review of leases we can convert to title?

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

As I said before, we need to consult with EIA and with our Indigenous governments moving forward.

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

That's not quite the answer that I'm looking for. That would be an answer that we are going to get rid of the lease-to-own policy and replace it with something that allows fee simple title. In this same vein, presently, about half of Akaitcho territory, half of the southern Northwest Territories, is withdrawn. Does the Department of Lands have any role or plan to decrease the amount of land that is presently withdrawn in interim land withdrawals?

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

The quick answer is no, but the Member should ask the Minister responsible for EIA that type of question.