Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be back in the House for the Fall sitting of the 19th Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, just over three years ago, many of us were elected to this House to represent residents in constituencies across the territory. With just under one year remaining in the life of this government, we have much to accomplish. I look forward to working collaboratively, and respectfully, to ensure we make the best decisions for the Northwest Territories. This means ensuring future Legislative Assemblies are in a good position to continue to make progress on some of the important work we have and will achieve in this government.

The past three years have been like no other experienced by previous Legislative Assemblies in the Northwest Territories, or by governments around the world. The first global pandemic in over a century required us to shift our focus. Mr. Speaker, we prioritized the need to protect the health and well-being of residents and communities ahead of the mandate we had set mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. While government resources were mobilized to support our pandemic response, not only from a health perspective, but also a social and economic perspective, the regular business of government could not and did not stop because of the pandemic. We continued to work on the 22 priorities outlined in the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Some areas moved more quickly than others, but the work continued to be advanced.

I am extremely grateful for the many public servants who have supported this work over the last three years - your collective efforts and dedication will have lasting impacts on residents.

Mr. Speaker, people are our priority. As a government, we are focused on making sure all residents have what they need to thrive. This includes food, shelter, financial security and health care. The gaps we experience in the North were exacerbated by the pandemic, and it became evident that we needed a plan to move forward with our social and economic recovery post-pandemic that was complementary to the priorities outlined in the mandate. Emerging Stronger, our plan for social and economic recovery post-pandemic, is an extension of our mandate priorities and offers a roadmap on how we can address the gaps that the pandemic brought to the forefront. Mr. Speaker, we remain focused on advancing this work, along with the priorities outlined in the mandate.

Since February, we have had a 6.9 percent increase in fulfilled commitments and I am confident that we remain on track to meet most of the commitments, including delivering on our commitment to deliver 100 new housing units across the territory - the largest increase in new housing stock in decades.

Over the course of this sitting, you will hear from Ministers about the work that continues to be done to bring stability and improved prosperity to residents and communities of the Northwest Territories. As life began to return to a new post-pandemic normal earlier this year, the world was thrust into uncertainty when Russia invaded Ukraine, bringing with it geopolitical instability that has had an impact on nations around the world, including Canada.

Mr. Speaker, costs continue to rise and inflation in Canada reached a 40-year high this past summer. We know residents are feeling this in their pocketbooks as groceries, gasoline, home heating fuel increases, continue to raise an already high cost of living for Northerners. It is having a particularly significant impact on middle and lower-class residents. Those living paycheck to paycheck or who are on a fixed income, like those living with disabilities or seniors, are having to make difficult decisions about which bills they can pay and still put food on the table each month. Mr. Speaker, we recognize it is expensive to live in the Northwest Territories. We continue to do what we can for the most vulnerable residents during this difficult time.

As a result of this geopolitical instability, there has also been a renewed focus on Arctic sovereignty and security. As I have said before, northern security is not just about robust military presence. It is mostly about building strong, resilient communities through significant investment in critical infrastructure like roads, ports, telecommunications, and energy. This was part of my message last week when I attended the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland. Global powers are moving fast to extend their influence and control in the Arctic through massive investments, increased marine traffic, and partnerships to advance Arctic projects and positioning. These countries are ramping up their Arctic presence and level of activity within their borders and across the circumpolar world. Mr. Speaker, this is an effort to both secure opportunities for themselves and to influence the international rules and policies that will set the terms for what happens in the Arctic.

It is time for Canada to undertake bold new nation building projects in partnership with the territorial governments and Northern Indigenous governments that will allow all Canadians to benefit from the opportunities in the North. We want to be part of this work. Northerners need to be at the decision-making table, and I applaud Canada for its work with territorial governments and Indigenous leadership at regional and national tables for the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework.

Developed with all three northern territories, the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework sets a roadmap to make the North stronger and more resilient through strategic investments to close the gaps between Canada and its northern territories. Late last month, Cabinet met for three days with Indigenous leadership as part of the Council of Leaders table, and it was clear that increased funding is needed in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, securing investments and support from federal partners on the priorities we have outlined in the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework is critical to our future success in the Northwest Territories and the future success of Canada. We cannot continue to be an afterthought as a contributing part of Canada's economic future. If action is not taken now, we will be left behind as the federal government moves forward with its vision for a stronger Canada.

This past summer, Minister Wawzonek and I attended the Prospectors and Developers Association conference in Toronto to meet with industry and other stakeholders to talk about the resource development opportunities that exist in the Northwest Territories. What struck me during our time there was the number of political leaders from all stripes in attendance, alongside Indigenous leaders from across Canada. The geopolitical landscape is in turmoil and given its unpredictable nature, it is likely to face instability like this in the future. The federal government sees this and their plan to deliver billions in funding to support the critical mineral sector bodes well for the Northwest Territories. We have a lot of opportunity to be a green energy leader in Canada. However, to turn our critical mineral potential into a reality, we need the federal government to make good on large-scale investment.

The federal government has committed to aligning Canada's electricity system with its climate goals of net zero by 2035 and a recent report by the Canadian Climate Institute says significant changes are required to every aspect of the provincial and territorial power generation and distribution systems to meet the future demand. The Taltson Hydro Expansion can be a significant project that will advance Canada's clean energy goals.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to buy electric vehicles but due to supply chain challenges they are waiting months and sometimes years to get one. Investment in infrastructure projects will play a significant role in the NWT's economic recovery, while also supporting national climate change goals, including significantly increasing the number of electric vehicles on Canadian roads.

By investing in large-scale projects like the Taltson Hydro Expansion, Mackenzie Valley Highway, and Slave Geological Corridor, it will bridge the substantial infrastructure gap that exists here in the Northwest Territories, kick-start the territory's economic recovery, and help improve access to the territory's critical mineral potential. When it comes to climate change, these types of investments are needed to help the Northwest Territories to mitigate and adapt to climate change and will also act as significant economic drivers for our territory.

For the Northwest Territories to meet our climate change mitigation and its adaptation objectives, we need renewed energy, community and transportation infrastructure. We need to increase the use of alternative and renewable energies in a manner that is affordable, reliable, and sustainable. This cannot happen without the support of the federal government. Investment is critical to achieving these goals. This type of investment in the territory will bring with it economic prosperity. Residents want jobs. They want to be able to provide for their families, to be able to have a quality of life that gives them a better chance at success. By balancing our social investments with the need for economic well-being, we are setting residents up for a brighter future. We are in a unique position to build on the economic foundation that has provided so much to residents for many decades while planning for a future where Northerners will have more educational and economic opportunities available to them.

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic created many challenges for us, but at the same time it gave us the opportunity to look inward and begin to carve a new path forward for the Northwest Territories. It will take time, and will be part of the next government's work, but I am confident we are in a position where the hard work we have put in since coming into office in 2019 will pay off for generations to come. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, dredging. Mr. Speaker, last week I spoke about the importance of dredging the Hay River Harbour. Subsequently, I went home on the weekend and yesterday I witnessed a grounded coast guard vessel again outside the mouth of the Hay River being towed off a sandbar by MTS vessels.

Mr. Speaker, the statement made was followed up with questions to the Minister of Infrastructure on what it is her department is doing to ensure the Hay River Harbour is dredged prior to next season. After reviewing the answers received from that line of questioning, I can confidently conclude that her department, this government, and the federal government do not understand why dredging is significant to the community of Hay River and the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, we are assuming the obstacle for dredging is who is responsible when really we are talking about who is willing to pay. It always comes down to money. If this government wants federal support and access to funds, then we must do our homework and present a solid business case for dredging. After reviewing Hansard and other government documents over the weekend, the efforts of this and past infrastructure Ministers has been deficient. We cannot continue to go hat-in-hand to the federal government asking for assistance with no justification, and that is why we continually get the door slammed in our face.

Mr. Speaker, the 1995 federal standing committee on transport stated, I quote: Ports where there may be justification for continuing federal presence and support include remote sites, particularly in the Arctic, with support and marine resupply operations that are critical to the survival of remote and isolated communities, some of which are associated with constitutional obligations.

A later federal report on the standing committee on fisheries and oceans states, and I quote: Safe access to harbours depends on adequate water depth at all times. And that's why we get stuck because we don't have adequate water depth.

And further on states that annual dredging is part of the maintenance and repair obligations of the small craft harbour program as dredging is often considered essential to harbour operation. It is usually the priority.

From those reports, you can see there's a path for federal support for dredging in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I talk dredging for the Hay River Harbour, it is not only for the community of Hay River but it is for the benefit of the whole of the Northwest Territories. It is essential that we have a well maintained and navigable harbour, not only for the safety and navigation of vessels but tied to the many issues we discuss in this House that include community resupply, food security, cost of living, housing, climate change, resource development, financial costs, search and rescue, flooding, maintaining the northern transportation corridor, Indigenous rights, Arctic sovereignty, truth and reconciliation, and more.

Mr. Speaker, we need this government, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous governments, to develop a business case for dredging the Hay River Harbour and Channel and to do the same for those points along the MacKenzie River and Arctic harbours that require similar dredging supports. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure later. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The importance of community resupply has been spoken of in this House many times. It's been publicly stated private barging contracts will not take priority over essential community resupply services. In 2016, the GNWT took over operations in the marine transportation services when the GNWT took over MTS. It assured public and elected officials in the communities they'd remain priority service. The Minister assured us in this House that private contracts for barging services would not impact the GNWT, the ability to resupply NWT communities with fuel and food. In fact, the department recently purchased larger barges. MTS stated the new barges will provide us the opportunity to travel once each year of our communities providing them with the debt cargo and their entire quantity of petroleum products for that year. These newer barges, Mr. Speaker, were expected to provide an operational savings and reduce the risk of oil spill.

Mr. Speaker, the new barges purchased at MTS did not help the community of Sachs Harbour this year. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has waited once again until the end of the season, the shipping season, to provide essential fuel and cargo for the communities.

We don't have to look too far to remember back the first time the Minister of Infrastructure has failed to deliver a promise in the community resupply in 2018. While shelves in the communities developing MTS cancelled the barge resupply to Paulatuk due to impassable ice, Mr. Speaker, that the GNWT did ensure that this never happens again. I quote the mayor of Paulatuk at the time he said the community was never given clear delivery date besides original forecast in the barge to arrive early September. Now, Mr. Speaker, four years later, we find ourselves in the same situation.

It is now October. Why the GNWT is waiting for the communities until the end of the barging season? How is it possible for the department can deliver on contracts all through the summer of the barging season and do NWT communities in the High Arctic who pay the price. I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister of Infrastructure, in June of 2020 I announced $15 million in funding from the Investing in Canada infrastructure program to advance the Prohibition Creek Access Road. The scope of this project included planning activities as well as the construction of approximately 13 kilometres of all-season road from Canyon Creek to Prohibition Creek along the existing Mackenzie Valley winter road alignment. My department and I decided to issue this contract for open tender, or an RFT, just months before my removal from Cabinet in September of 2020. One year later, in October 2021, Infrastructure finally initiated the public procurement process for the construction of Prohibition Creek. A single construction bid was received at a significantly higher cost - 69 percent greater than the funds publicly announced as available for the work. Rationale for the escalated costs included substantial increases due to supply chain issues resulting from the pandemic. This wouldn't have been a factor had the road been issued for tender when I had given the order to my department. This leads me to ask, Mr. Speaker, what happened between June of 2020 and October of 2021 to delay issuing this RFT?

Currently, the department is working with Infrastructure Canada to secure a total of $25.5 million of funding and has changed the scope of work to only 6.7 kilometres of road between Canyon Creek and Christina Creek.

Mr. Speaker, rumors are swirling around the Sahtu that this won't even include the cost of fuel for the project. Add in the GNWT's portion, and we're talking about 30 to $35 million for 6.7 kilometres of road. I should quit this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, and get into the road construction business if it's that lucrative. And the icing on the inquiry, Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of Infrastructure has informed me that it is now going to be a negotiated contract. And not only will the minimum $30 million contract be negotiated, it's being given to a private company in Norman Wells, not a development corporation or other such Indigenous entity as is usually the case for negotiated contracts.

Furthermore, this is a company that supported a Member of Cabinet during the election, at least according to what the people from the Sahtu have been telling me since I took office.

In an email dated October 6th, I was informed by Minister Archie that the Minister of Housing has endorsed this private business in a written letter submitted with their ask. I will be tabling that email later today, Mr. Speaker. This is unacceptable. And I ask, when are we going to stand up and start addressing the cronyism and corruption of the GNWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Recent media reports indicate that the Anik F2 telecommunications satellite depended on by eight NWT communities could fail as early as February 2023. An on-board failure of equipment means the satellite could be out of service three years sooner than anticipated, cutting off phone and internet services. Obviously, this disruption in service can't be allowed to happen.

Not surprisingly, satellite failure will impact some of our smallest and remote communities that rely on satellite because they aren't or can't be looped in to microwave, broadband, or fibre link networks. This reliance on satellites already poses big challenges for community organizations and members faced with incredibly low data speeds and correspondingly high usage charges. It's a Telesat Canada satellite but the contractor and supplier of the service is NorthwesTel.

The telecommunications firm is reported to be working for Telesat for a work-around to maintain service. That could include temporary or permanent switchover to another satellite channel supplier, such as the current low earth orbit OneWeb satellite, or signing on to the SpaceEx Starlink system when it's up and running.

There's a potential collateral benefit that switching to another provider could actually improve the service, hopefully by bolstering data speeds. Telesat is quoted in media reports as having said that they are going to have "extensive mitigation strategies in place to ensure continuity of service" by "collaborating weekly with regulators and customers."

It is hard to understand mitigation when it's a matter of service being either there or not.

As the potential February failure date approaches, I am sure community customers are looking for reassurance and commitment from this government to make sure everything possible is being done to prevent even one day's outage. I will have questions for the Minister of finance on how this government is working on behalf of these communities to ensure continuity of telecommunications services when Anik 2 crashes to earth. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recall a statement made by our past elders, and I share this speech at graduation ceremonies. The elders stated, we want good education for our children to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and nurses.

Mr. Speaker, that statement speaks volumes of the expectations of our education system for our children of today and tomorrow. I am saddened that not one Indigenous leader or group has made their views known of the current education system in the Northwest Territories and especially in the small communities. I am equally saddened by the fact that the education department does not have updated and current statistics of the turmoil in our education systems in the outlying communities. This has been going on for quite some time. No attention paid to the small communities' education system. I constantly hear that we as leaders are failing the education future of our children.

Mr. Speaker, the university project has been pushed by this government without proper statistics to back it up. I am not sure what they don't see failing in our small communities. We want world class education facility then let's concentrate on improving our education curriculum and education systems in the outlying communities. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'm going to talk about the NTPC Crown corporation, and I am not going to reread my Member's statements from February 2020, February 2021, and also anything from our internal briefing we had on February 2022 with NTPC. But I'd like to raise this issue again, because here we are in the 19th Assembly when, according to all of the stuff that I can find why we became -- how we had the deputy minister sitting as the board was when the past Minister responsible for the Power Corp, on May 11th, announced that the power corporation announced that saying that the move was partially made due to the power corporation's reclassification as a government organization, meaning it's no longer operating at arm's length. And then in a Minister's statement on June 8th, the Auditor General, he stated the Auditor General had recognized these changes and directed that the corporation be classified from a government business enterprise to another government organization. The corporation must now adhere to public sector accounting standards given these changes. And I believe that it's time for GNWT to consider the most appropriate future governance model for the corporation.

And here we are, in this third year of our Assembly, and we on this side of the House are still asking where is this governance model? We haven't seen this governance model. So, Mr. Speaker, my questions today are going to be for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This last weekend, everyone in the territory got the benefit of two holidays giving us two four-day workweeks. And I had a number of people ask, you know, I'd really like to always have a four-day workweek. And well, Mr. Speaker, we could always have a four-day workweek if us in this House wanted to.

I've spoke of the benefits of a four-day workweek before, Mr. Speaker, but today I want to present my plan of how we could actually accomplish this.

First, I think you have to reframe it as a recruitment and retention exercise. The Northwest Territories presently has the highest employment rate in Canada. That can be seen as a good thing but we also know it comes with a labour shortage, and many businesses are having a hard time finding people to work and keeping people working. Certainly a four-day workweek would be a good incentive for that.

Firstly, Mr. Speaker, I must say that, you know, this has to be an employer driven. So if you're working -- if you're listening to this, you know, maybe contact your employer; see if you can change your work schedule. If you're in a union, maybe contact your union. But from our side, I think the first step would have to be to bringing this to negotiations, Mr. Speaker.

Now, I don't know if we could necessarily do a full reduction of a one day, but perhaps if we add an extra one hour a day four days a week, we're actually only asking for a three-and-a-half hour reduction over the whole week for our union. And I know that union's going to be asking for some record pay increases given inflation. So perhaps we can use a reduction in hours to see some ones or zeros in that collective bargaining agreement.

And then, Mr. Speaker, if we did this for the GNWT, you know what's going to happen? Everyone in the private sector's going to lose it. They're going to say oh, just another GNWT workers getting more time off to do less work. So, Mr. Speaker, I think we need to get some private businesses on board, small and large. This is what they recently did in Iceland to implement a four-day workweek. They got a number of companies to sign on to a number of incentives. Presently we charge small businesses in this territory 2 percent tax rate. Perhaps we could offer them zero percent tax if they want to adopt a four-day workweek. I think we'd get quite a few to sign on with that incentive, because no one likes paying taxes, Mr. Speaker.

And then, Mr. Speaker, after a few years of incentives, you could maybe introduce the stick, which is the Employment Standards Act, and require lowering the number of hours required in a workweek before overtime is required. And Mr. Speaker, I think if you did this with dedication, we could be one of the most attractive jurisdictions to work in the country and get people to come to the North and stay in the North because it would always be a long weekend here, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just got back from the community of Lutselk'e where I had a constituency meeting. And it was very touching when I was in the community, and housing still continued to be a big issue in my community. I had a mother that come up to me crying, looking for a place for her and her child, that's couch surfing in the community.

So also, I want to talk about this issue that I brought up back in March. Again, I just want to continue to speak on the housing in my riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, because these problems aren't going away and what's been done simply isn't enough to meet the needs of my constituents.

I want to remind the House of an issue I brought forward earlier this year, the case of Mildred Lockhart who -- there was a story done on CBC this year about her situation. And Ms. Lockhart is also a single mother and has two adult children. And she's also a cancer survivor. She's been battling cancer for a while, and now she's in remission. And she really needs help. And so I'm here to advocate for my constituents, and especially her, in our community of Lutselk'e.

In this case, Ms. Lockhart is also a resident of Lutselk'e whose home is in terrible state of disrepair, going on six years now. Every winter, Mildred finds sewage backup in her bathtub and the sink. Mildred must bail upwards up to 16 buckets of 5-gallon pail a day, and that's over 300 litres of raw sewage backing up into her bathtub and sink. Just hearing about the situation would make even the strongest stomachs queasy but it's far worse when you see the pictures as I have, Mr. Speaker.

Mildred has been idle. She's sought help from the Housing NWT through emergency repair program in March of this year. She was told her housing income was too high to qualify for the program.

Mr. Speaker, this story is just one of many in my riding of Indigenous people falling through the cracks of this government's policy. Despite efforts and those of my colleagues, the GNWT remains stymied by an excessive amount of red tape that prevents our constituents from getting the help they need. Furthermore, the nature of my riding as being unsettled and on seated First Nation traditional territory prevents the direct flow of resources from the federal Government of Canada to the Akaitcho communities. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Despite my efforts of my colleagues again, I want to emphasize that this is a very important issue in my riding. Furthermore, the nature of my riding being is unsettled, like I mentioned, there are $30 million available from housing projects by Ottawa and yet we see barely a penny because of this money must flow through the GNWT, often inflexible bureaucrats' channels.

Mr. Speaker, I have a feeling that if the office of the NWT Housing were knee deep in sewage backup, it wouldn't take the department long to find the money to fix the problem. All I am asking for is for the same compassion, flexibility to resolve Mildred Lockhart's problem, and to help so many more in all our communities in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister responsible for Housing has the money. She has the stash. She has the policy. She doesn't have to move mountains to help Mildred in her time of need. And I must address the fact that since I raised this issue months have passed without any changes to policy and procedures.

Mr. Speaker, here we are as MLAs who serve our constituents, not to defend the bureaucrats' status quo. I remain deeply saddened that this issue is so stubbornly persistent in my work as an MLA. It leaves me with one question for the Minister: will she show she has a heart and do the right thing to help Ms. Lockhart. Mr. Speaker, I also have further -- four more questions after this. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about a very common problem, that people facing evictions from public housing.

Recently I received a telephone call from one of my constituents who said she was facing eviction over $1,500 in arrears. The only money this person receives is through the income support program.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Government of the Northwest Territories has different programs in place to help with these types of problems, like the homelessness assistance fund. More concerning is that some people have children and the eviction from their homes creates a child protection concern that the Department of Health and Social Services ends up dealing with.

Mr. Speaker, I have been thinking about this situation. I have heard the Minister acknowledge public housing units are social housing. I thought about it, and I do not understand then why are we charging rent to low income families in social housing in the first place?

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT skips the bill that another department pays, like the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. So why are we paying GNWT bills with GNWT money? When the person does not agree to have it deducted from income support, they fall behind, and we end up dealing with it anyways.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know how much time the GNWT spends collecting housing arrears and how much it cost to keep track of all these internal billings. It represents many hours of staff time, not to mention the hours of time spent trying to collect $1,500 and legal costs and shares costs in doing these evictions. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, in this case, I am sure GNWT has thousands and thousands of dollars invested in collecting $1,500. And if the eviction goes forward, there is a good chance this becomes a child protection matter that will cost Government of the Northwest Territories even more money. Mr. Speaker, I will have question for the Minister of Housing at appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Raymond Ronnie Grossetete was born on June 21st, 1973 in Fort Simpson. He passed away on May 13th, 2022 at the age of 49. When we heard that he had passed away, the family and friends were very shocked and saddened. Mr. Speaker, his death has taken away a genuinely warm individual, more importantly a loving uncle, brother depriving so many of a good person. While the family and friends mourned the loss, they gathered in Fort Simpson to pay tribute and celebrate a life that was well lived.

I can advise you that he had left a lasting impression in the minds of his acquaintances and others. People knew him as a pleasant, cooperative, helpful, and dedicated individual.

Mr. Speaker, Ronnie, through his decorum and grace, endeared himself to many. This is particularly a difficult and painful time for the family. I am extending them my heartfelt condolences. I wish them courage and strength to bear this irreparable loss.

Mr. Speaker, was truly enjoyed by his nieces and nephews. They made him feel special, and he was always excited to see them and help out where he could.

Ronnie was predeceased by his parents.
Mr. Speaker, the family would like to thank everybody for their support during this difficult time. He will be forever missed by his surviving family and friend's. We'll sadly miss him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Member for Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the heaviest of hearts to deliver this statement on the passing of my dear friend Alfred Moses. I had the privilege of working alongside Alfred as a Cabinet Minister in the 18th Legislative Assembly.

Alfred was the type of person who would light up a room with his vibrant energy when he walked into it. Mr. Speaker, he carried the world on his back and took his role as Minister seriously. As a life-long Northerner, Alfred was committed to helping improve the lives of residents however he could. Oftentimes, he would be frustrated that he couldn't do more. He just wanted to see residents across the territories be successful in their lives.

Alfred was your biggest champion before you even knew him. He would encourage those around him to chase their dreams, to live life to its fullest. He believed in hard work and dedicated much of his life to helping youth and improving the lives of residents, especially those most vulnerable.

Alfred was loyal and cared deeply about anyone he encountered in his life. Whether it was a constituent with concerns, a colleague who needed advice, or a stranger who stopped him on the street, Alfred was always there for those around him.

Mr. Speaker, for eight years Alfred represented his constituents of Boot Lake in Inuvik with honesty and integrity. He spoke fondly of the work he did as a Regular Member, especially his role in the establishment of anti-bullying legislation in the Northwest Territories. As an MLA he put in countless hours on committees, travelling to communities across the territory to hear from residents. He was always willing to listen. As a Minister, Alfred helped implement 9-1-1 in the Northwest Territories along with junior kindergarten and a number of other important initiatives. He has left his mark on the territory in ways that many of us may not know.

The impact that Alfred has had on the Northwest Territories is hard to define. Many of us knew him, and I know that he lives on within all of us. He was inspiring, caring, and had a deep connection to the North. He wanted to make it a better place for all. I, along with many others, will miss him greatly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Our thoughts and prayers are with Alfred's family and the community and the whole territory. Alfred had many friends, especially here. I know a number of Members, including myself, have served with him and all the departments I am sure miss him greatly.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, before we continue, last week and over the weekend I had the pleasure of hosting delegates to the 42nd Canadian Parliamentary Seminar here in Yellowknife. We had more than 40 delegates from the House of Commons, eight provinces and two territories. The weather didn't really cooperate with us but we had excellent business sessions, including their attendance at session last Friday morning. I heard many positive comments about our system of government and particularly the thoughtful and respectful way you debated issues in the House. Thanks to each of you for being on your best behaviour; let's keep that going.

Organizing a national conference like this is a lot of work and involves many helping hands. I want to say a special thank you to Danielle Mager, Daniel Aviugana, and Katie Weaver of the clerks' office, and to my assistant Corinne Kruse who did most of the heavy lifting, and also all the staff that helped out.

I also want to thank each of you who attended the sessions, presented topics of interest to our guests, and demonstrated the northern hospitality for which we are so famous. Our delegates had an amazing time, learned lots, and hopefully have a new understanding and appreciation of the challenges we face here in the North. Thank you, Members.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize my constituent who is here acting as a page, Quade Simms. Unfortunately, I think he's actually stepped out of the room right now to do a water refill. But I love having the pages here, and one of my favorite activities for being a Member has been to be the page for the parliament. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday when we were done at about 12 o'clock and the Minister came down to my office and said the barge services won't be getting into Sachs Harbour. And that's one thing I dreaded and what we've been working together for the last three weeks to try and get in there but due to weather and stuff. But, Mr. Speaker, I just want a commitment from my Minister today, is she able to meet with my leadership that I invited down to -- after to do, like a post-mortem why this should not happen again and working together to make a schedule where everybody's on the schedule that's going to get service that year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I'm committed to working with the Member and the community, and I just also want to take this opportunity I've apologized to the Mayor Anikina that MTS was unable to make it into Sachs Harbour and would also like to take this first opportunity to apologize to the residents and businesses in Sachs Harbour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. The current resupply of diesel for home heating, power generation, gasoline, and aviation fuels is a major concern for my constituents in Sachs Harbour. Can the Minister tell the Assembly whether is there any need to have any concern? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thankfully there is sufficient fuel stock in the community to be able to meet the needs for a few months. So having sufficient fuel stock on hand does give our staff the leeway to properly plan and deliver products into the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My constituents in Sachs Harbour already have the highest living costs in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister inform the Assembly and my residents of Sachs Harbour whether any extra cost to the charter aircraft to bring barge freight and all goods and fuel into the community will be passed on to them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to assure the residents of Sachs Harbour that no additional costs will be passed on to them above and beyond what they have already paid for barge service for any barged goods that will have to be brought in by air. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, there will have to be some hard conversations on dealing with the oversized freight. We'll have those conversations with our customers and also be looking at each case and merit and need. So government departments and agencies are also having these conversations on just what can be delayed or what freight needs to get into Sachs Harbour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All freight has got to get into the community for the residents. The Minister can keep, and my mayor's informed of the barging situation, how it unfolded, few weeks. Can the Minister commit to keeping those lines of communication open with myself, Mayor Anikina, and we deal with the Sachs Harbour air resupply to making once it post-motorium 2022 shipping season is complete with the regional leadership to discuss and agree to a path forward and just a timeline for when are we going to start being able to see goods flown into the community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The one thing that the department and MTS have already have as a takeaway from this 2022 shipping season is the need for better communication with our customers and the general public, especially when circumstances result in changes to sailing schedules. So most of the questions that were forwarded to my office from MLAs, Ministers, community and leadership, general public had, in fact, had no basis. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, there were rumors that were started in the absent of regular update from MTS. One of my priorities is making sure MTS is resourced to provide these updates next sailing season. And yes, Mr. Speaker, I will keep the MLA and the mayor in the loop, consult as necessary, and provide progress reports. I will also commit in the House to be able to meet with regional leadership once the post-mortem on the 2022 sailing season -- so probably in the new year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everyone in this territory is quite aware of Donny Days, the mandatory time that employees get off between Christmas and New Year's. And, you know, that was brought to the table as a way to kind of counter some increases in pay that the union wasn't asking for; it was more time off. And I have no doubt that we're -- as we enter these next negotiations, given inflation, that similar conversations about fighting over how much of a pay increase is warranted will be happening. So I'm just going to give the Minister of Finance a suggestion there that maybe we offer some similar days off in the form of a four-day workweek. We can call them Caroline Days and keep it ambiguous which of the Carolines can take credit for this.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I'm aware that, you know, I'm not going to get the Minister to spell out her entire bargaining position heading into these negotiations. But I'm just wondering if a reduction in hours or some sort of path towards more four-day workweeks in light of perhaps some record high pay increases is on the table or something she would be willing to bring forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we can have this conversation without even delving into anything to do with bargaining that's upcoming. That, I just want to be very clear, that's the next conversation that's had with the union as a partner. But the conversation about a four-day workweek, I have some good news, I think, for the MLA, which is to say there's actually quite a lot of flexibility right now for many GNWT employees, that they do have the ability to seek flexible work arrangements, part-time work, job sharing. And I certainly would take this opportunity to encourage all employees, all public servants who may be considering that, to actually make the effort and put a proposal forward to their management. The remote work policy is an example that we took to try to increase the available flexibility. All, of course, does depend on meeting the needs of the specific workplace, meeting operational requirements. But there's actually quite a lot available there. So before I necessarily go in and revamp the entirety of the public service collective agreement, you know, again, there's a lot there that has been perhaps underutilized. And it's a post-COVID world, it's an opportunity now to start utilizing the tools that we have. If they're not being -- if they're not effective, if they're not being, you know, properly employed, then let's sort that out at the management level with supervisors and public servants so people can actually use the flexible tools we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah, and I'm glad to hear that. I encourage all employees to, you know, if they want to get on flex days, ask their management, and if they want to, you know, have a four-day workweek to contact their local president.

But my next question is, you know, I think we -- what is going on in this territory is every time the GNWT becomes a bit better employer, the private sector struggles and they lose workers to that GNWT. And I do believe that a four-day workweek, that private sector employers, if they adopt it, will be better at retaining and recruiting staff. And I would like our government to kind of push them in that direction.

So my question for the Minister of Finance is whether she would be willing to look into any of the incentive programs that other jurisdictions and countries have adopted to encourage private sector employers to do that, whether that be tax incentives or some sort of grant program when companies sign on for a four-day workweek. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd certainly like to know more about the results that may now be starting to come in with respect to four-day workweeks. I think there was an early idea that this was going to be better for people's mental health but since then, certainly in some of the reading I'm doing, suggests that some people don't like the instability or the constant change. I don't have those answers, Mr. Speaker. But I'd like to know what they are. I have not had a ground swell of private sector entities asking for me to do this. But look, there's always -- you know, there's always room for policy change if, in fact, it is something that will bring benefits to residents, to businesses and ultimately to the labour availability in the North. So if that information comes forward, I'm certainly happy to look at it and see what we can do with it. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify, my questions are not for the Minister of Housing, the Power Corp. It's for the Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

So my first question for the Minister is has the GNWT followed the Auditor General's direction to classify the corporation from a government business enterprise to another government organization, and if not, why? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was early in the previous government that a decision was made to replace the previous board of NTPC with the one consisting of deputy ministers. While that change has allowed an opportunity for greater alignment between the NWT Power Corporation with priorities of this GNWT, the corporation is the sole shareholder and we also recognize that this type of board governance should be reviewed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my question to the Minister is what work is being done on this review -- to review NTPC's governance model? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review that has been undertaken has looked at structures of other utilities and best practices related to any of the board governance through the Power Corporation. You know, if there are changes that are going to be made going forward, I want to make sure that the future government does not end up in a similar place making dramatic changes to a future board. So this is something that we need to thoroughly look through and be able to respond to this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm looking at Minister, from the -- Minister Sebert from the past government and when he stated, in 2016, which is a lot more than just the end of the last government, it was early on in the beginning of their government, that he appointed the six deputy ministers, and that was in May of 2016. So I'm just wondering how much longer does NTPC need to figure out whether they're a Crown corporation or not or what their board's going to be made up of, if it's a representative, is it people who are, you know, specialized in doing this type of work, or is it going to continue as deputy ministers? And if not, why don't we just make it a department and so that way we can hold them accountable in this House. So kind of my question related to this is all in one maybe, but how are we going to bring that into this House so that we can hold the Power Corp accountable by this Legislative Assembly so we can ask those questions like we do on every other department in detail? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It must be remembered that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation operates as a regulated utility under the Public Utilities Act. So this is meant to ensure that monopoly positions as provided and distributor of electricity does not result in unfair rates for customers. We have to recognize that as a regulated utility, Northwest Territories Power Corporation is different than other corporations. It cannot easily be converted into something that looks more like a department, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't mean that governance changes that do not require legislative amendment cannot be put in place. Mr. Speaker, a board made up of members with the appropriate backgrounds and potentially with a balanced orientation that can replace deputy ministers. Having deputy ministers on the board helps ensure that knowledge shareholders -- shareholder priorities, including alignment with our energy strategies, is ensured.

An option that might be -- that we might see continued participation of the GNWT officials as board members or observers or whatever the governance structure is also a possibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think that just kind of gave me a bunch of ideas for a new Member's statement tomorrow. Lots more questions on how we can incorporate the Power Corp with all our energy plans and what it's costing us. But all I want to know is when do we expect to see these changes on this governance model, and what is the timeline? Like my colleague says, like we want a date. We've been waiting -- I've been asking since 2020 when we first got in, February of 2020. So I just want a date as to when we're going to have a governance model and if you're not doing it, let us know that you haven't done any work on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are doing the work. I mean, this is not something that just happens overnight. This is a lot of thought process going into it. And like I said earlier, some of the work that we're doing, we need to make sure we're doing it right. Also I want the Members to know that we will share the information in the near future. So just before any final decision is made on Power Corporation board governance is we get the benefit of hearing from Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance who has responsibility for telecommunication services.

My statement outlined reports that the Anik F2 satellite is going to fail probably by February 2023, and we may have disruptions to service to eight NWT communities. So can the Minister give us the current status of the satellite's fate and maintenance of service and how this government is working to prevent a service outage? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the satellite is one of the service assets of the Northwestel who did put us on notice as early as I think they were able to with respect to what's happening with Anik F2. There is a fair bit of work happening on this. I am looking to an opportunity -- I have been looking for an opportunity to get this information out so I'm grateful for that here.

I can say that the information I received to date from Northwestel, they've got a couple of options that they're working on in order to ensure that there are, firstly, new additional satellites that they are purchasing services from so as to cover the affected area. And also, as the Member has noted, there are indeed eight satellite communities and ensuring that they have the necessary levels of hardware to make use of the new systems and to also potentially make use of new low Earth orbits companies that are coming on line to provide their services. So a few different things in play, but all of which is to say that we are being assured that there will not be an interruption in service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. But, you know, having lived here for a number of years, I'm used to service disruptions when it comes to electricity. But, you know, one of the things that I guess I've heard is that there's a company, OneWeb's Low Earth Orbit satellites that might be helpful.

Is the Minister aware of this and, if service improvements are possible, is the GNWT taking this opportunity to urge any improvements be made permanent? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the entity, when I had mentioned that there's other low Earth orbit companies that are being engaged, that is precisely the company I had in mind. So, yes, I'm aware of them. And Northwestel is aware of them. And they are, I understand, working with them on this project and to see that they are, you know, brought into the fabric of telecommunication services here in the Northwest Territories.

I can't say to what extent they are discussing a permanent relationship with Northwestel, but it is my understanding generally that they are looking, as I said, to be more involved in the Northwest Territories telecommunications industry generally.

And last comment, Mr. Speaker, again, as I've said in this House before, CRTC has mandated that 50/10 be available in all communities in the Northwest Territories. So those service standards are mandated and they are coming and on the way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Look, either you have a satellite service, or you don't. And there's not much in between. So has the Minister asked Northwestel TELESAD for a firm assurance that alternate systems will kick in when Anik F2 goes down, and how does the Minister intend to keep the public updated, because I don't think the companies are doing a very good job. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've certainly been assured with the, you know, for the same -- I think the same concern that the Member is raising that it's every resident, every business, government services; there are many in those satellite communities that are depending on the system working and the system not having service interruptions. So it is my understandings that the mediation solutions that I just described, having other satellites in place as I indicated, this is to be in place by the end of this calendar year, which does give a bit of leeway if, in fact, there may be some delays. But, of course, hoping that there are not.

As for keeping the public updated, Mr. Speaker, there's certainly -- I can certainly ask, you know, whether we can be putting out some sort of updates. You know, I get an update and then I give an update, that's not necessarily the most ideal way of getting information out into the public sphere. But certainly if that is of benefit, then I will certainly look into what ways we can do to, again, pass on information as we are receiving it and encourage those who are the actual providers of that information to be doing a better job of getting it out. Thank you.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. You know, we should be seeing a service expanding and improving, not threatened by crashing satellites. So does this government have any sort of a plan or strategy for NWT residents to get the same telecoms services as enjoyed by the average Canadian? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there's not an average Canadian, unfortunately, when it comes to telecom services. And one thing I've learned is that many rural, remote, and particularly northern communities, struggle with their telecoms. The upside of that is that that just lends a stronger voice at federal/provincial/territorial tables for all of us that are struggling with this issue. And it's one of the few times where, you know, I would say the fact that CRTC has as much involvement as they do on our telecoms industry does give a place where we can take that voice and take those concerns.

So as I have indicated already earlier, there's already a mandate that 50/10 service levels are to be provided to all communities within the Northwest Territories over the next couple of years. We do get regular updates from Northwestel with respect to hitting that target.

And then as was generally -- you know, I do think there's a next challenge of affordability and accessibility that we do need to face. And in that regard, yes, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to advocate very directly, I would say, on those issues, looking for very specific solutions and providing that advocacy to CRTC who are, again, the regulator over the telecoms industry here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday in the House, I questioned the education Minister on whether grade level statistics are being collected and reported. The Minister listed documents and reports that may contain this information.

Can the Minister point me to where I can find the actual grade levels of the students in the NWT and whether this information is available for parents, education leaders, and the public to see today? Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A child's grade level, so, you know, how they might be performing in class -- and I don't like to use that term for something like junior kindergarten, I don't know if they have a grade level at junior kindergarten, but that type of information is absolutely accessible to parents. I encourage parents to have conversations with teachers so they're informed, so they can make the best decisions for the future of their child. There is information on how children are doing that is in the possession of the education bodies, and there is broad general information that's available to the public in terms of how children across the Northwest Territories are doing academically.

In this House earlier this year, I tabled the document entitled JK to 12 Education System Performance Measures Technical Report from 2019-2020. And that contains information -- a variety of information about students of all ages throughout the JK to 12 system. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I see we still have problems with collecting data, especially the grade levels which is very critical at this juncture in our education modernization. The Minister identified that the data is effectively owned by the education bodies and now the teachers and the parents. The Minister alluded at that time that the information is not at our fingertips.

Can the Minister explain what is the delay in the education bodies sharing this information with the department? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if you look at the Education Act, in that act it lays out how information can be shared. The Minister doesn't have the same type of access to that information that the education bodies have. So there is a way for us to access that information, but it is not a simple straightforward process.

Each year education bodies table their accountability framework reports, which contains a significant amount of information, and so the department does have access to that. But there is no common shared system that ECE can reach into to look at where a child might be at a given point or even in a certain region. So the department has to reach out, have the discussion with the superintendent. Perhaps that -- it goes to the board. Perhaps the DEA has a conversation. What I can do is follow up with the Member and provide additional information, though, on some of the processes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There is a big problem with sharing that information. You know, the grade levels, we need to really get a handle on those because it's really hurting in the small communities where we're having graduates that are not achieving the grade 12 grade level. And I'm after, you know, that information, about what actual grade levels they're attaining in the small communities and maybe in some of the larger centres. It's very critical for the future of the education in NWT. We need to know that so we need to know what we have to fix moving forward. And I'm wondering why the Minister is having a hard time getting that information, because you're going to build a university and we don't have students that are attaining the grade 12 level to attend them. You know, that's going to be a problem. I just wondered if the Minister's got any comments on that. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'll say that there is information out there. If the Member would like to know how many students in small communities scored at acceptable, below acceptable, or excellent levels on their English language arts 30-2 diploma exams, we have that information. It's publicly available. So there is a level of detail that people can dig down into. I can't tell -- I don't have that information, but I can't tell you what a particular student in a particular community, I can't tell you what their grades are. But we have -- there's a lot of information that it is publicly available.

And I will say there are lots of students who could go to a university. A lot of students do go to university. I went to university. My dad went to university. A number of Members in this building grew up in the Northwest Territories; we all went to university. So I don't think we need to put down students and say that they are not achieving. A lot of students are achieving. There's students at med school. There's students who are in law school. There's engineers. There's all sorts of students; there's all sorts of success stories in the Northwest Territories. I fully agree that there are students who we can do better to assist. But I don't want to paint a picture of all students in the territory as underachievers. We have a number of very successful future leaders right now in the JK to 12 system and off at university. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I don't agree with the Minister. We still need the statistics for many of our education bodies, even in the local levels, and even at this level too so I can do my job properly. I don't have any stats. He doesn't have any stats himself, you know, of all the grade levels that we have in our schools. He hasn't come to visit Fort Providence or looked at the stats in the Fort Providence school over the last several years.

When I came into this House in 2019 and I told that story to everybody, that many of our students are heading through the colleges and universities that he's talking about in the South, and they are all returning within a month or so with sad faces and crying because they don't have the education level to continue in that post-secondary education. I've stated that many times. They all applaud that everything is good on that side. Where's the stats? Give us some statistics. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So here I have a document; you can see there's stats all in it, and I know I'm not allowed to use props so I apologize for that. But I want to show people this document does exist. It exists in the real world. There are numbers in it. Those numbers are correlated with outcomes in schools. So there are stats. There are stats. I promise you, Mr. Speaker, if someone wants to go online and click a couple links, you will find stats. They are not hidden. They are easily accessible.

We understand that we can do a better job with stats though; the Auditor General pointed out. So we are taking steps to make information more accessible so that we can provide more information to make better decisions. That work is underway. I don't want to say that we don't recognize it's an issue. We do. But it is incorrect to say that there are no stats available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of dredging has to be settled before next spring. And, you know, I'm hopeful, and I expect the Minister of Infrastructure to have a plan and also have funds available to do something. It's just gone on too long. It's been probably 25 years for, you know -- we can go dredging with MTS, and that's about it.

So, Mr. Speaker, I am certain the Minister was made aware of yet another marine vessel grounded on the sandbar at the mouth of the Hay River on the weekend. And I would ask the Minister to make a commitment to visit Hay River and hold a public meeting with the community members and also the stakeholders that we -- you know, that who depend on a safe and navigable harbour. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I am aware of the weekend's incident. We will be in discussions with coast guard regarding some of the assistance that MTS provided. I know the Member's asking me to come to the community. I think, you know, that's a discussion that will have to be made as we look at a business case in this situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd ask the Minister to confirm if a comprehensive business case was ever completed for dredging the channel and harbour at Hay River. Ministers before her have talked about it, and I've never seen a business case. I haven't, you know, been able to read anything put in front of me. So I would like to know, I guess, whether there was actually a business case done for dredging. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what we need to do is a full scope and operational plan for addressing the issue now and in the future for costing the same. Survey work was completed in 2016 which identified a number of things, including 100,000 cubic metres of mud and silt of mud and silt that was in excess of established grade requirements. Mr. Speaker, following the recent flood here in the territories, it was recommended that we take a two-phased approach to this.

So first we need to do a study to be able to assess the amount of silt and mud that has to be removed to restore established grade requirements. And phase 2, Mr. Speaker, would involve a program established to be able to undertake this work. So the department will prepare a proposal for federal government once we have a better understanding on the scope of this project. So I'm continuing to have conversations with my federal counterparts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I'm hearing on the other side is the same thing, is that we're complicating something that's not complicated. We have an area that's not that large that has to be dredged. We know the water is -- you know, we know the water is in around the four, five foot mark, which is about, you know, the draft of a vessel is probably five feet. And they're getting stuck. And it continues. We talk about climate change, but we do nothing about it. We just sit back. So, you know, we have to do our homework. So let's not complicate this because what I see here is the government now going to take, you know, another year or two years.

So I would ask the Minister if she would be willing to commit to updating the business case that maybe was already done, and if not, develop a new business case and once completed, provide it to the standing committee prior to submission and done before the end of November. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes I will commit to be able to share the proposal with standing committee prior to submission to be able to get some feedback and perhaps note we got a wealth of knowledge from the MLA Simpson. So I think that would be very appropriate to be able to share that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that, you know, the Minister travels back and forth to Ottawa once in a while, and I'm hoping that she has a meeting, you know, before the end of this year where she could take a business case that would be ready for submission to the federal government because like I said, you know, we're not talking, you know, something that's that complicated.

So would the Minister commit to having the business case ready for submission to the federal government before the end of this year? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of things that has to happen before we submit the proposal. For example, we have to do bathymetric surveys to be able to fully understand the scope of this work that needs to be completed. Most of this work happens in the summer, Mr. Speaker. So it would likely be next fall but, I mean, I would be happy to have further discussions with the Member in terms of, you know, a path going forward and to be able to working with the community as well because, I mean, this affects a lot of the activities that happen up and down the valley to be able to get our barges and our tugs out to get fuel into the communities, for example. So, you know, this is something that we can work with the Member and the community to be able to understand perhaps the timelines or some of the scope of work that's required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. June 23rd, 2022, CBC article concerning the matter raised in my Member's statement, a spokesperson is quoted stating that Housing NWT is reviewing its policies and programs. Can the Minister provide the outcome of that review to the House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for your question. I very much appreciate providing updates on the portfolio.

I'm proud to say that we've been working very closely, diligently, with the Indigenous governments and with the federal government as well too, and looking at the 100-unit delivery that we do have over $500 million coming to the Northwest Territories directly to the federal government and looking at our policies, I am committed to have those policies ready and available April 1st, 2023. And I'm hoping to have a few of those policies ready for review to the standing committee as well too.

I just got a message that the standing committee did accept our technical briefing to look at those policies that we have now completed. They have been reviewed by the Council of Leaders. I'm very excited. It also has been reviewed by stakeholders throughout the Northwest Territories and by our staff. A lot of input. We've got 12 reports that have been done. A lot of collaboration has been done to complete these policies. And it's about time we start changing the way we do business. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you Minister for your answer. What step has Housing NWT taken to assure that my constituents and other like her don't fall through the cracks and can reliably access Housing NWT programs and services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the questions coming forward as well too. We are in the middle of reviewing our LHOs and our local boards and authorities at the community and the ground level. We're reviewing our programs and policies as well too and also the delivery of our programs throughout the Northwest Territories. I do understand that we have issues with the threshold with the rent increase and the operation and maintenance of these units, and we also did speak about more money coming to Housing, to the portfolio. We have been working very closely with the federal government as well too, to access the co-investment funding.

The other thing I really wanted to speak about as well too is I'm thankful to this government for providing $5 million over three years for Housing NWT to support those federal applications coming forward and fulfilling the 25 percent obligation. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to personally reviewing the case file of my constituent Mildred Lockhart as soon as possible? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know we're not supposed to be speaking about specific files but I've already directed my department to provide me with an update. I will follow up with the Member. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister confirm if the local housing authority have any spare sewage tanks that's not being used and if there's a way we could use that for Ms. Lockhart's situation and have this tank replaced next year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a Minister, I am committed to be working with the residents of the Northwest Territories, and I do understand the lack of material and the delivery for each of these communities. It's quite unique.

I will ask the department to see if we do have sewage tanks that possibly are available and also I'll reach out to the Indigenous governments as well too, to see if there's interest to be working with them in looking at a community initiative project and being able to provide that programming within the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Housing explain the eviction process; is there a dollar value in arrears that triggers an eviction? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member. It's quite an important question to be asking because we are under our policy review right now, and we're looking at a submission and a technical briefing to standing committee as well.

The process for the evictions are very lengthy. We do have to work with the Residential Tenancy Act as well too for the Northwest Territories. The local housing authority, the board of directors, they do have the authority to be working with these clients. We do practice the last chance agreement providing advice and counselling to the tenants as well. And also repayment loans.

What I've gathered for the department as well is that preferably when we are exercising evictions that it's through the last chance agreement, and it's the last chance resort that we actually do have, and we try our best to counsel the tenants to try to keep them in our units. But unfortunately, we do get to a point where we have to really think about the health and safety of our tenants as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister explain how many notices are provided to tenants before an eviction occurs and what reduced payment plan options are available to tenants? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the policy review, I've asked the department to create a step by step for the eviction process. What I've noticed in the smaller communities is that they delay the eviction process as well. It's not as easy as a 1, 2, 3, and the file is transferred over to the rental officer. The LHOs do try to work very closely with the tenants. The last thing we would like is to have anybody evicted throughout the Northwest Territories. My preference, as a Minister, is I would like to see homeownership become an opportunity. But unfortunately, not all tenants qualify for homeownership throughout the territory, but the LHO and the Housing NWT does work very closely with each of these clients and counsel them before the eviction process is initiated. What I've seen since I've had the portfolio is one of the longest eviction processes was over seven years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay. Can the Minister of Housing explain whether families with children are approached differently than families without children when being evicted? What extra supports are in place for specifically low income families with children? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member. She's quite passionate about the portfolio for her riding as well too, and I very much sympathize with her because I hear a lot of these questions being asked throughout the Northwest Territories, and Housing tries to do its best to work with families in trying to keep them housed.

Looking at the criteria that we do have, we do work with ECE, we do work with the department of health as well too to try to find programs and services to try to prevent the eviction but also to try to support the families as well too.

One of the programs that we do have throughout the territory, that's really up to the local community governments, is we do have a housing support worker pilot project that was initiated also in Behchoko, and it was very successful. It was a pilot project that kind of mirrored the urgency to have that located in each of the communities as well too.

Just with that program itself, it was an advocacy position that would work with the tenant and with Housing NWT, with the rental officer, with Health and Social Services, with ECE, with Justice. And it was kind of like a wraparound service that we were trying to pilot in the smaller community, and Behchoko was our preference to have that program and it was very successful.

Currently we are working with the Tlicho housing working group to reestablish that position. We do have funding available for the position but it's right now on the table in the talks between the Tlicho government and Housing NWT. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi.

I'd like to get some more information on that as well.

Mr. Speaker, low income families at risk of evictions in public housing require a range of supports to climb out of their circumstances. It is not just a financial issue. There are many reasons why parents might find themselves at risk of evictions.

Can the Minister identify whether the GNWT, the Government of the Northwest Territories, triage any extra supports when low income families are at risk of evictions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I just wanted to just reiterate the housing support worker pilot project and the importance of that program because we do have those supports in the larger centres, and we don't necessarily have them in the smaller communities as well. And working with the local housing authorities, we're trying to change our approach and more looking at our approach as a social programming and providing those adequate supports in the smaller communities and engaging and working more closely with the appropriate departments that are located in the smaller community as well. I just wanted to point out that the social workers, the addiction counsellors that are there, because we do have a number of issues surfacing at the smaller community level and not only one department can provide those supports for the one individual. So I really work and want to work very closely with my colleagues as well too in trying to establish and find a more clear path into keeping people in their units. I don't want to see any evictions throughout the territory but we are trying to work with the tenant. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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