I thank the Minister for that. When the seasonal worker goes in to get a reassessment in the LHOs, local housing authorities, are they able to do that right then and there when they are asked, or do they get told to come back another day? That's the problem we've been having. Is the LHO able to do that assessment that day?

I'm not too sure about the paperwork and the details that have to be submitted when completing a rent assessment, but the current information that I do have is that these assessments can be done at the local community level, with the support of the district offices and with the support of headquarters.

Could the Minister commit to me today that she will talk to the LHOs in the Delta, in my riding, to make sure, when somebody is going in to get an assessment, that they work together with them to get that assessment done? Because the cost of living is a lot more than it is here in Yellowknife, and anything helps, like I always say, for the constituents that we represent. If the Minister could just commit to working with our local LHOs in the Delta for that?

Yes, I will commit to that. I will have the district office just remind the LHO offices in the Beaufort-Delta, in Nunakput, and throughout the Northwest Territories that rent assessment should be done month-to-month, if we have seasonal workers occupying our public housing units, and they should be done without any complications.

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

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start for thanking the Member for drawing attention to this Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. It's a very significant problem all around, but especially in the Beaufort-Delta. She will be pleased to know that the program rolled out as planned in January of 2020. The response rate was low in Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok, so the kits were sent again in November of 2020 to those communities. In total, there were 1,157 FIT kits distributed, and the screening rates in the smaller Beaufort-Delta communities, that is, excluding Inuvik, doubled from 7.9 percent to 15.64 percent, and screening participation rates for the whole Beaufort-Delta region, which, of course, includes Inuvik, rose from 6.7 percent to 11.8 percent overall. Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister for that, and I'm glad to hear that that rolled out as planned. Those who are at risk require a colonoscopy. Can the Minister provide what the wait lists were before the pandemic hit for colonoscopies in Inuvik and Yellowknife?

I don't have information about what it was, but I do have information about what it is. Right now, the wait time from a positive FIT test to colonoscopy through the Territorial Colorectal Cancer Screening program in the Beaufort-Delta is approximately 88 days, so let's say three months. Our target for improvement is to ensure that patients are seen more quickly than that, and we are now working on a pilot project that will help us to identify where we can make improvements to reduce the amount of time that it takes to go from a positive test to a colonoscopy.

One of the issues that I know sometimes happens in the Northwest Territories is that, if you can't get in in Inuvik, because we do have an endoscopy room, you get bumped to Yellowknife, or vice versa. I'm just wondering, with the sterilization issues that happened at Stanton, did this impact any of the wait times for people accessing colonoscopies in our endoscopy rooms?

No, that's not a factor. The reprocessing of endoscopy instruments is in a different machine than that which was giving us trouble through the fall.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that. That's good to hear. I am very concerned about the pandemic's impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment, due to travel restrictions, appointment availability, and fear of travelling out of the NWT to the Alberta Cross Cancer Institute. Can the Minister tell us if the department has had these issues, and how are they handled? Because I would really hate for residents to be delayed for diagnosis and treatment, which could decrease the risks for survival. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

All services remain available now, as they were before the pandemic started. The travel restrictions have not impacted residents' ability to travel to Alberta, to the Cross Cancer Institute for Cancer Treatment, although people may have decided not to go because they were concerned about the number of infectious cases in Edmonton. There is regular communication between the Alberta Cross Cancer Institute and NWT residents, and that is facilitated by medical oncology and haematology oncology. These are two cancer speciality clinics that continue to be offered virtually at Stanton Territorial Hospital, and this is done in coordination with the cancer nurse navigators and oncologists. These clinics are managed virtually, unless the oncologist decides that the person has to be seen in person. Required diagnostics and virtual appointments are made in the NWT as often as possible because we are aware that some people are leery about travelling into regions with increased COVID infection rates, but all of these services are available to residents of the NWT, just as they were before the pandemic. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Enterprise is a proud community, and many residents lucky enough to find local jobs are counting their blessings. My question to the Minister is: in light of the gas bar business coming up for sale once again, is it possible to explore ownership of the business by the Hamlet of Enterprise? Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can say that the Department of ITI has been recently quite involved working with the community to support some of their economic development programs and projects. The deputy minister has been there several times, as has deputy minister of ENR, working with the community, again, specifically on their economic development. I am confident that they can, again, reach out to the community, continue that involvement, and continue to support them in looking for economic development opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am aware of ENR and ITI being into the community, but that was strictly to discuss another issue dealing with an AWP. The ownership of the gas bar, the convenience store, and the motel creates the jobs for residents of Enterprise, and it's always going through different ownership throughout the years. This is a really great business opportunity for the hamlet itself since no one else would be able to take it on. I am just wondering if it's possible for ITI and MACA officials to meet with the hamlet to discuss the options available for the purchase of this business opportunity with the help of ITI and MACA.

To the extent that there can be support from ITI with economic development or support to individual businesses with respect to their business plans, whether it's through economic development type supports or whether it's through the BDIC, with respect to, for example, loans, I can certainly ensure and direct the department to reach out so that they have all the available supports there for them.

As far as the government actually stepping in to buy private market assets, I don't want to give any false hope that that is not likely to be something the government is going to be doing, but we are there to support the private industry. We are there to support private businesses, and as I can say, if there is this reoccurring challenge, then yes, I will certainly ask that the department follow up with the business and make sure that they are navigated to the right supports that are available for them.

Mahsi to the Minister for that answer. I spoke about tourism potential for the hamlet through an aggressive campaign of incorporating signage from the border leading up to the community. The hamlet has the right to advertise the falls as their own as these are in their background. They also have the right to compete with campground attendant contracts. Can the Minister commit to having their officials meet with the Hamlet of Enterprise to discuss these tourism initiatives, including discussion on the campground contract opportunities?

It turns out that today, in fact, the tourism development officer from the South Slave is meeting with the SAO from Enterprise. I will personally follow up so that I can see what transpired in that meeting and will communicate with my colleague the MLA to let him know also what transpired at that meeting and to hopefully advance whatever projects might be discussed and whatever ideas might be discussed.

With respect to the campground contracts, those do go through a procurement process. I will follow up with the MLA to ensure that he is aware and that the SAO in the community is aware when those contracts are coming up so that everyone is well-placed to put themselves forward for those.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Deh Cho.