This is page numbers 61 - 78 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was units.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mactung property has not been sold yet, as we are currently in the middle of a sales process. Our goal is to find a private-sector owner for both the Mactung property and the Cantung Mine as soon as possible. Our strategy is to market Cantung and Mactung together with the Government of Canada, and we believe this is the right approach. We will continue moving forward with this strategy during 2020. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. It is not clear to me why these two properties are being marketed together. They are 140 kilometres apart; that is by air. If you try to drive from one site to the other, it is 700 kilometres. Can the Minister explain why we are marketing these properties together?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Selling the Mactung deposit together with the Cantung Mine allows prospective buyers to evaluate and propose a more comprehensive tungsten business plan that could possibly include economically feasible mining operations, remediation, as well as exploration. This approach is more attractive to responsible developers and increases the potential viability of renewed tungsten mining operations in the Northwest Territories. Our priority is to identify and establish an experienced proponent whose proposed business model will maximize benefits to Northwest Territories residents and businesses.

I am happy to update the Member that we have completed a request for qualifications process to shortlist suitable proponents, and we are now defining the terms for the request for proposals to send to the shortlisted candidates. We are actively engaging with Indigenous governments and organizations in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories throughout this process.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. This property has been on sale for at least six months and nothing has really happened. I want to ask the Minister about the terms of sale for it because they are certainly not very clear. Can the Minister tell us what, if any, liabilities does a purchaser assume and what liabilities, if any, stay with this government?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

One of the key goals when designing the request for proposals and negotiating with the preferred proponent will be minimizing the liabilities retained by the federal and territorial governments. The way that it is structured will be defined in the request for proposals. I will be happy, like I said, to update the Members when it is developed. I can only speak to Mactung as the Government of the Northwest Territories will be seeking a proponent that will assume all the current authorizations and the Mactung site in its entirety.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that and her words about minimizing liabilities. In fact, that is what this government should be doing all along, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It remains to be seen whether we can actually ever sell the Mactung property and recover our costs. I would like the Minister, though, to explain what lessons, if any, this government has learned from the Mactung property acquisition and possible sale. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I would agree with the Member that this government should be looking for efficiencies wherever possible. I would like to say that we have affirmed that there remains interest in our Northwest Territories tungsten resources in today's minerals industry. I would like to say that we have demonstrated that, through partnership, we can turn a tough situation around and set the stage for development with a responsible, collaborative, and local benefits-focused approach.

Mactung is a world-class tungsten deposit. Our involvement ensures that its development potential is recognized and remains secure. Our active involvement in the sales process helps to ensure that the right buyer will be found and that the potential of this property to create benefits for Northerners is realized. We also recognize that there is international attention on critical and strategic metals sourcing that strengthens the interests in our Northwest Territories tungsten assets. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There still seem to be many questions on the minds of Northerners, including my constituents and the students of Aurora College. Would the Premier please clarify how she was able to dismiss the president of Aurora College without having a statutory authority to do so laid out in the Aurora College Act? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a difference between the appointing of statutory appointments and employment contracts; totally different. There are actually a number of statutory appointments across the Government of the Northwest Territories. The appointment process appoints the individual to a position in the public service; statutory appointments are made by the Minister and assigns responsibility under the legislation. In some cases, a position may have more than one statutory appointment. For example, the territory executive director, who is not hired by the Minister, for Child and Family Services, in addition to their employment contract, is conferred through appointment by the Minister of Health and Social Services. The statutory appointment of director, Child and Family Services, is under the Child and Family Services Act and the director of adoptions under the Adoptions Act, so that Minister appoints the statutory positions but is not responsible for hiring.

While the associate deputy minister may be statutory-appointed to the position of a president under the Aurora College Act, the employment relationship of deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers is clearly with me as the Premier, and it remains in my sole purview to terminate the employment of an associate deputy minister across departments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Can the Premier clarify if proper written notice has been provided to the former ADM under the Aurora College Act?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I need clarification. Was the appropriate notice given to the associate deputy minister? Is that the question?

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Sorry, can the Premier please repeat her question?

---Laughter

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Oral questions. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does that mean I am open to ask the MLA questions?

What I was asking for was clarification. My understanding, correct me if I am wrong, was that the question was: did the Premier give appropriate notice for termination to the associate deputy minister? If that is the question, then appropriate notice depends on situations, and that is in various acts. If somebody is giving you, for example, termination that I am going to leave my employment, it is customary to give two weeks' notice. If somebody is terminated from a position, the custom is you don't have to give notice within that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the housing Minister today. The federal monies for those new units across the territory, for the 17 units in Inuvik, is that federal monies, or are they taken out of our housing authority funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your question. Yes, that will be federal money that will be spent on the RCMP units. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

The federal government, I guess they are really lucky to have that kind of funding to put 17 new units in one community. I support the RCMP 150 percent. I know that their units in Inuvik are in bad shape. For local businesses in Inuvik that are providing that service, for plumbing, all the necessities to fix the unit, now under the local housing authority are they going to be taking over their jobs and putting more out there to give them more units to watch over, those extra 17 units? Are they going to keep the local contractors, the plumbers, and everybody at work? Because if you are taking 17 units, that is a lot of money that could be in local businesses and not into the government coffers.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Member, for your comment. The federal government was interested in working with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in order to deliver their units. In looking at the maintenance, as well, we will be going forward and looking at the amount of workload that this is going to burden the local housing authorities and looking at opportunities going forward. Thank you, Member, for your question.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

I guess that wouldn't affect our local housing stock in our communities? For Inuvik, are they going to be taking down 17 units in the community, or is that just federal monies and they will have new units?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Member, for your question. This will not burden our current budget that we are forecasting going forward. The units are federally funded units, and they are not funded by the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Member.