Thank you, Member. Minister.
Debates of March 9th, 2021
This is page numbers 2383 - 2438 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 work.
Topics
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. Because of the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program and the way that it works, there are advances that are made and there are grubstake payments that are made to trappers, so they have already received some funding before the auction happens. This is the reason that the system was built the way that it is, so we kind of have built-in insurance where that is concerned. Obviously, there are ways that we can do things better and with COVID changing the lay of the land where fur is concerned. We are definitely looking into this, and it will be part of the discussions that we have when we look at the innovation opportunities for the industry. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Rocky Simpson Hay River South
Thank you, Madam Chair. With respect to the fur, is any of it actually sent south and prepared there and brought back to the NWT for use by northern artisans? Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. My understanding is: yes, that that does occur. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Rocky Simpson Hay River South
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is good to know because I usually get people asking me where they can buy fur from. I just want to go to Take a Kid Trapping in case I want to take one of my kids.
---Laughter
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Rocky Simpson Hay River South
Anyways, can you talk a little bit about that program? I see it went in 2019-2020 from $48,000 up to $125,000, so I suspect that is the interest in it since that is what's happening. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
I will start, and then I will turn it over to the deputy minister. Take a Kid Trapping is a combination of a couple of departments working together. ENR is the lead on it. We have seen a decline in applications in the previous years, but for the detail of the discrepancy, I am going to turn it to the deputy minister with your permission. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would definitely say that the actuals in that year were lower because of COVID, as well. A lot of the Take a Kid Trapping program happens later on in the spring of the year, and at that point, we were not doing programs like that. However, as the Minister mentioned, there has also been a decrease in applications. I know that the people in our on-the-land unit are hard at work trying to promote this program to make sure that it can be happening in communities in the NWT. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Rocky Simpson Hay River South
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will just move to that disaster compensation, as well, and the $15,000 there. With respect to what happened around the Fort Smith area and that with the trappers because of the high water, I am not sure if that is looked at as a natural disaster or what, but is the department looking at maybe defining what a disaster actually is with respect to trappers? There seemed to be something just in the news, whether it is true or not, that government first came out and said it was not our fault, so I am just not sure if we have any definitions or how we take responsibility for high water or whatever. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you. As for the definition, I will probably get the deputy minister to try to give that. It was not the Taltson Dam. That did not cause it. It was Mother Nature, a whole bunch of tributaries, lots of water, lots of snow and rain, so it had an impact on it. We do have a definition that we use, and that there is part of it. For the definition and detail of what we do, I am going to turn to the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Kelly
Thank you, Madam Chair. Flooding is certainly one of the natural disasters that one can apply for funding under this program for, but there are criteria that are part of that program. For the program at the $4,500 level, which is the program that is usually available, it has a relationship to 25 percent of your income coming from trapping. With respect to what happened this year on the Taltson, because of the magnitude of effect, it's unprecedented, the amount of damage that happened in that area. We have set up a program specifically for Taltson, and it's up to $40,000. The criteria are being finalized right now, but they are slightly different to accommodate the situation that we're in at this particular moment in time. Again, that is specific to the Taltson issue, but flooding that happens in other areas of the NWT would be eligible as long as the people meet the criteria, the claim meets the criteria of the fund. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Rocky Simpson Hay River South
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to turn to traditional knowledge. With respect to that fund there, I see that it was $7,000 in 2019-2020, and it's gone up to $65,000. I'm just wondering, I would ask how it's used. I see that it says here that it carries out specific wildlife and forestry research. Does that include getting information from elders, picking the knowledge that they have, and if so, is there compensation related to that? Thank you, Madam Chair.