I thank the Honourable Premier. Colleagues, before we continue, I just want to remind everyone to keep your questions short and also the answers because we're not even midway through here and we still have six people to go. Our time is 20 minutes. Just a reminder for the future. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I'd like to thank the Member for Frame Lake for doing the Member's statement and asking these important questions and saying how good the work that the ENR staff are doing. The suspension of the long-term water quality monitoring in Alberta caused significant concerns this summer. The GNWT was not notified about the suspensions of water quality monitoring. However, I must inform the House here, it should be noted, that there are provisions within the Alberta and NWT water management agreement that allows either government to take urgent action where needed to protect the health or safety of the public. COVID-19 was an example.

Mr. Speaker, as soon as we learned of the water quality monitoring suspension, I reached out to my Alberta counterparts, Minister Nixon, and the federal Minister of ECCC to express my concerns about reduced water monitoring in Alberta and ask that the GNWT become members of the oil sands monitoring committee. I'm happy to report that all provincial water quality monitoring has been reinstated in June and July, and the monitoring at key federal sites has been in place since August. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Minister for that. I'm not sure that industry relief qualifies for the sort of exemptions that the Minister said, but I understand that it takes some time to have water quality samples analyzed and that, of course, once that analysis is done, we can better understand adverse impacts from upstream. I think some of those impacts may have compounded by high water levels that have been carrying additional sediments into the NWT. Can the Minister tell us whether the analysis of this summer's water samples has been finished and whether there are preliminary findings?

In our conducted water quality monitoring in the North and South Slave regions on the Slave, Hay, Liard, Peel, and Coppermine rivers this spring, the department did additional monitoring on the Slave River at Fort Smith due to the concerns about flooding in Fort McMurray. Results for the July monitoring of the Slave in Hay River have been released, and analysis of the August sampling is under way. The department has committed to make these findings available to the public through our website, and we will also provide it to standing committee as soon as they become available. So far, the results have pointed to the effect of high water levels, including higher than normal metal concentration.

I want to thank the Minister for that. With the surprise reduction in water quality monitoring by Alberta and the federal government, this would seem to have some impact on our ability to detect water quality changes. We need to have repeated, continuous, long-term water quality monitoring, and that's one of the cornerstones of the Transboundary Water Agreement. Can the Minister tell us what impact the reductions in water quality monitoring have had on our ability to detect and predict adverse impacts on NWT waters and people?

Healthy water is of critical importance to the Northwest Territories and its residents, and continuous long-term water quality monitoring is a critical part of the Transboundary Water Agreement. While water quality monitoring in Alberta was suspended, the GNWT conducted our own monitoring at borders throughout most of the pandemic, with only slight delays at the start of the season. Our results at the border are consistent with those in other parts of the basin and point to the impact of high water levels. All Alberta monitoring and most key federal sites, including all key sites downstream of the oil sands, are now up and running.

Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response from the Minister. I'm not sure he actually understood what I was saying. We need long-term, continuous data sets, but I want to move on. I support the efforts of our staff to stay on top of the situation, but I am not convinced that the Transboundary Water Agreements are working as they should. Could the Minister tell us what lessons GNWT has learned from this experience and whether any changes will be made to the Transboundary Water Agreements? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

To just elaborate on the third question: yes, we continue to monitor, and we are continuing to do it with our transboundary agreements. This agreement is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, as it takes into account traditional knowledge, biological indicators, and indicators on early warning systems to detect changes in water quality before they reach the border. While there were some challenges this summer with its implementation, we have seen improved communications and notifications since then. Our bilateral management committee, which impacts the agreement, is led by ADMs from both governments. As well, deputy ministers are now meeting quarterly to ensure effective communication between our two jurisdictions. The GNWT continues to pursue a seat on the oil sands monitoring committee that would give us a stronger voice on related monitoring program decisions. The GNWT will continue to protect NWT interests with the context of the NWT-Alberta Bilateral Water Management Agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement today, I spoke about electoral reform, but I'll get to reforming democracy if I can get a few yesses out of the Department of Lands first. My question for the Minister of Lands is: will he develop land use area regulations for the Ingraham Trail? Perhaps I can get agreement that this work can be part of phase 2 of the Public Land Act and regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you. I should just say no, but I won't this time. The department has prioritized the implementation of the Public Land Act. This is a major body of work that involves the development of multiple regulations to bring the Public Land Act into force in early 2022-2023, or earlier. This work is to be completed within existing resources and requires a dedicated team whose main focus will be on this important work. This is the important part that the Member has been asking for: yes, we will look at this. As we are working through this process, we will identify issues and challenges that we need to amend to the Public Land Act and regulations, but it will be in phase 2 of the act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When I first ran for this job, I never thought I'd be so excited about an agreement to develop land-use regulations. In the past, we have tried to develop a Yellowknife periphery area strategy. This initially failed because it largely had a recreational focus and ignored the residential aspect that these are people's homes. It also failed to get proper consultation and engagement from the Akaitcho Government. I believe this work still needs to be done, to set out what the future of the Yellowknife periphery area looks like. Will the Minister develop a Yellowknife periphery area strategy?

For the Yellowknife peripheral area, it has become clear that land management consideration must consider a diverse set of land users. Planning needs to consider activities such as traditional use, tourism activities, mineral exploration, agriculture, residences, commercial use, and recreational use, and how these activities might coexist. The department is reviewing the work completed on the draft for Yellowknife recreation management and has been engaging with Indigenous governments and organizations. In light of these interests and input from Indigenous governments and organizations, the department is revisiting how best to develop a plan for the Yellowknife peripheral area.

I think that was a yes. I'm glad to hear that, and I'm glad to hear we are working with our Indigenous governments. Really, at the end of the day, what I am looking for is to give the vast majority of the land in Yellowknife North back to the Akaitcho and to keep a few leases in fee simple where my residents currently live. Can the Minister write to Akaitcho on what they would require to agree to land disposition of those leases?

As I mentioned, the department is engaging with Indigenous governments and organizations on a range of issues, including planning in and around Yellowknife. The Department of Lands also undertakes Section 35 consultation with IGOs and on all land distribution decisions, which will also include the process of completing a bulk land transfer of vacant public land to the City of Yellowknife. A technical review briefing has been offered to the MLA on related matters by EIA and Lands and may help answer these questions in their full context.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier just quoted, "How much money is one life worth," when speaking about the COVID budget. My question is: I ask the Premier how much are the lives worth of those who we have lost since March 2020 to addictions, which could be secondary to mental health issues and trauma? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Honourable Premier.

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. I stand by the Grand Chief's message: how much money is one life worth? We could use that in many instances. The Grand Chief used it with the secretariat and our measures in there, so I don't want to twist his words, but it can be used with many things.

Addictions and mental health has been something that all societies have been struggling with for many, many, many decades. It's not as simple, in my opinion, as just putting a treatment centre in Yellowknife. Treatment centres work for some; they don't work for all. AA works for some, but it doesn't work for all. On-the-land healing works for some, but it doesn't work for all. School supports, the child counsellors might work for some, but it won't work for all.

What I am saying is that we need a continuum of services, and this government is doing the best to provide that continuum of services to address our mental health and our addictions within communities. Again, it's something I hold to my heart. The reason I came in here was because of homeless people, and I have said that before. If I was to share some of the stories I've heard of the homeless women, I would shock Members on the other side, and that's why I came in, to make changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is a budget of about $86 to $87 million over two-and-a-half years for COVID. GNWT amounts for addictions and on-the-land have been quoted in the House last week: $2.3 million a year for addictions treatment; $1.8 million for on-the-land healing. That is $4.1 million a year. That is $10 million for 2.5 years. It doesn't add up for me. When is the Premier going to look at a better way of providing addiction services or if her Minister, if she wants to pass it on, can look at a better way of providing addiction services? We have mental health counsellors, all those types of things, in our system. They are burnt out, too. We are short-staffed, so we need to look at a better way. Maybe it is putting more money behind it.