The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Welcome, everybody. Ministers' statements. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs.

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Madam Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the public service I can say without question that the employees are the GNWT's most important resource. An engaged workforce that is committed to its work is critical to the delivery of quality programs and services to residents across the territory. This is why the Government of the Northwest Territories, like many other public and private sector employers in Canada, wants to ensure that public servants are engaged and satisfied at work.

This past year, the GNWT completed the first Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey since 2016. This survey is conducted by jurisdictions across Canada. It measures employee commitment and satisfaction across all government departments and regions and serves as an important pulse check so that we can understand and respond to any areas needing improvement. The results of the survey guide dialogue between management, employees, and human resource specialists. The 2021 Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey response rate was 48.0 percent.

Madam Speaker, the majority of this year's survey indices remained relatively unchanged from the GNWT's 2016 scores. The three categories where the GNWT aggregate scored above the previous survey were development, leadership, and diversity and inclusion, with diversity and inclusion having the highest increase, 5.8 percentage points, as compared to the 2016 score. In comparison to other jurisdictions, the GNWT scored above the interjurisdictional average in over half of the questions, including for all statements under the capacity, development and excellence and innovation categories, and for two-thirds of statements under the culture category. Most notably, the GNWT scored 11.4 percentage points higher than the interjurisdictional average on the statement "my organization supports my work-related learning and development."

Madam Speaker, although we scored better in some categories than other jurisdictions, there are areas of improvement that need to be addressed, one being employee morale. Since the last 2016 survey, employee morale has gone down by 3.4 percent. While some of that decline is likely the result of running this survey in the midst of a pandemic that affected work-life balance, limited travel, and contributed to higher turnover rates; I do not consider this to be the only challenge we face, and it does not alter the need to take action.
There are also some notable disparities in scores between departments. Appropriately, departments have received individual guides with detailed results to help them interpret the survey results so that they can take the appropriate steps to address some of the challenges identified by their employees.

In addition, Madam Speaker, the Department of Finance is also establishing an interdepartmental working group with the aim of improving workplace satisfaction across the GNWT. This working group will provide concrete meaningful actions and resources for departments and agencies to adapt.

I want to thank all employees who took the time to complete the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey. The GNWT values your input and will do everything it can to ensure you are working in a safe, healthy environment that contributes to your success and the overall success of the communities in which you serve.

Our employees' outlook, priorities and expectations are changing, Madam Speaker, and we need to remain live to these changes and adapt accordingly. I look forward to seeing the good work that will come from these survey results. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister for Housing NWT.

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Madam Speaker, Housing Northwest Territories marks the 50th year. With our strategic renewal underway, Housing NWT is seeking to make improvements to the way we do business; and, in particular, focus on building and establishing stronger partnerships. Leading up to the National Housing Day on November 22, I would like to share with you some exciting things happening as well as we celebrate the people who have made a difference in supporting Housing's work over the years.

Madam Speaker, in previous statements I have shared with this House changes that we are making to improve our approach under the renewal, including our focus on collaboration with Indigenous governments. With our new mandate and a commitment to reconciliation and collaboration with Indigenous governments on their own housing priorities, we believe we are positioned to work together into the future for the benefit of all NWT residents who require housing supports.

Madam Speaker, as I have said many times in this House, the housing crisis cannot be solved by Housing alone. While recent federal funding announcements have led to many new and exciting projects, I also want to recognize the many community-based organizations that have worked with Housing NWT over the years to address unique needs in their community.

Housing has a small program called the Community Housing Initiative Program, and through that program we have supported organizations with engaging support to develop their community housing plans. We have seen organizations work to create housing solutions for their staff housing needs, and we have seen organizations work to support the homeowners in their communities by doing much needed furnace servicing and building ramps for seniors in need. These local organizations, with support from Housing NWT, have supported the local needs and priorities in their communities. Now with the significant amount of federal funding flowing to Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories, I only see opportunities for these partnerships and supports to grow and multiply.

While the renewal is about positioning ourselves for the future, it is also important to recognize our history. In the past 50 years the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, now Housing NWT, has existed, it has been supporting Northerners with housing needs. To do this, there have always been dedicated and passionate employees behind the scenes, working for the residents of our communities.

On National Housing Day, I want to celebrate the hard work and perseverance of so many individuals, past and present, who have worked for our local housing organizations, our district offices, and our offices here in Yellowknife. There are so many board members and contractors who have been involved in housing at the local level. Many of these individuals have gone above and beyond in carrying out their duties. I have heard stories about employees helping flood victims safely evacuating from their homes, helping fire victims find a safe place to spend the night, and helping clients navigate government programs and services. Housing NWT is composed of dedicated individuals whose hard work changes lives and improves communities. As we mark our 50th anniversary, we will be highlighting some of these incredible employees.

Madam Speaker, we want residents of the Northwest Territories to mark this anniversary with us. Housing NWT is encouraging our local housing offices to have community-based celebrations to mark National Housing Day on November 22 and acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of Housing NWT. Whether they hold open houses, throw a feast, hold a skating event at their arena, we are hopeful that these community events will provide an opportunity to celebrate all the local housing boards and organizations do to support housing programs in their communities.

I am pleased to announce that Housing NWT is working towards developing an educational grant that will be awarded annually to NWT students entering a field related to housing. Housing NWT already strongly supports the development of apprenticeships across the Northwest Territories in the maintenance trades. These scholarships will provide additional support for those who are entering into the field of study related to housing services. Details for this initiative are currently being developed, such as how students will be able to apply and how the recipients will be selected. I look forward to sharing these details in advance as we launch of the application process.

Madam Speaker, Housing NWT feels strongly that it has, and will continue to, play a significant role in the development of housing capacity across many fields in the Northwest Territories like maintenance, architectural, engineering, property management, and board development. It is our hope that these new educational grants encourage future generations to follow their passion and pursue excellence.

As Housing NWT advances its renewal strategy, I will continue to work with the federal partners, Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, community governments, and stakeholders to make housing across the Northwest Territories more affordable and accessible to those most in need.
Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I feel I must continue to share my frustration and disappointment with the overall state of Housing NWT and its service delivery to all people in the NWT.

Madam Speaker, throughout this entire term, all Regular MLAs have shared stories about their constituents' negative experiences with Housing NWT, and I don't blame them. The overall state of the housing units across the NWT are several decades old and are in severe disrepair. Most of the required repairs in public housing go unaddressed for many weeks, months, or even years by housing staff. So in cases where significant repairs to a public housing unit are required but housing staff fail to examine or repair said damages, is the onus on the tenant to cover all the damages? At what point does Housing NWT take responsibility for negligence towards the maintenance of housing units? Where is the line drawn?

Moreover, Madam Speaker, several of my colleagues have recently highlighted the issue of housing arrears, particularly for low income people and the difficulty for many in paying off their housing arrears. I agree with my colleagues that there is a real need for this government to examine all policies around housing arrears. Everyone's situation is different, but often it is low income or vulnerable people who owe housing arrears in public housing and it takes them considerable time to pay that off. There has got to be a mechanism of relief or additional support provided to these types of people in situations who are indebted with mounting housing arrears.

In addition, Madam Speaker, I support the idea of having a competent and dedicated board of local housing authorities because they provide a local perspective and a voice on all housing matters within our communities. At least, they're supposed to. However, it's been brought to my attention that the local housing authority in Fort Smith does not have a full slate of members right now, which is concerning. The reasons for vacancies are varied. But it is my understanding that once a board member is chosen by the local housing authority, it takes three months to get approval out of Yellowknife from Housing NWT to confirm any new board members. That is not acceptable. It is a bureaucracy like which disempowers local housing --

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Member for Thebacha, your Member's statement has expired.

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

That is not acceptable. It is bureaucracy like that which disempowers local housing boards and gives greater power to Housing NWT to dictate local housing decisions.

In closing, Madam Speaker, I really don't like ending a session like this, but I hope the housing Minister will take note of all the concerns we have on this side of the House and will enact some positive concrete changes within Housing NWT as soon as possible. And I hope to see more houses built and more retrofits done in Fort Smith because there hasn't been anything new on this for this year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this past four weeks my Member's statements focused on those issues residents of Hay River have concerns with and that have implications for the continued existence of our community.

Madam Speaker, one must realize, and as long as I can remember, the community of Hay River has relied on the presence of marine transportation infrastructure, whether for commercial fishing or the transportation of goods and equipment. Without a navigable harbour and channel, we may well lose our ability to provide a service that, for decades, has sustained our community and provided services to northern communities and regions accessible only by marine vessels and air.

Madam Speaker, losing the harbour could result in:

• losing marine infrastructure;
• losing the coast guard base;
• losing fisheries and oceans; and,
• the demise of the commercial fishing industry.

That, Madam Speaker, would further impact other Hay River infrastructure, business, and jobs. It may also result in an exodus of residents who find themselves unemployed and with no employment opportunities within the community. We are already seeing a decline in our population, and we must do something to reverse that before it becomes a trend.

Madam Speaker, if access to the harbour is lost, where would that leave Hay River and the Northwest Territories? Currently, we all know that the railhead terminates in Hay River, and we all know that highway freight destined for those isolated and remote communities, or resource development projects, ends up at Island C where it is transferred to barges.

Madam Speaker, we have Cheetah Resources on the east side of Great Slave Lake needing access to our harbour for marshalling of their rare earth mineral concentrate. We have Osisko Metals needing the railhead to transport ore from the old Pine Point mine site to processing facilities in the south. We have projects, such as Sabina Gold in Nunavut, relying on our harbour to get material and equipment to site.

Madam Speaker, as this House does not resume sitting until February next year, then going forward and at every opportunity between now and then, I expect this government to relay a strong message to the federal government and that message being that the revitalization of the Hay River Harbour is a priority for the stakeholders, for the town of Hay River, and for the Northwest Territories, and that we need their support. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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