Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do believe that -- there's a couple of things I heard in there and so I'm just going to take it, and then I'm going to transfer it to a different Minister actually.

Housing is one thing, and yeah, so I mean, years ago when we thought it would be cheaper to bring in modular homes is that modular homes don't transport well to the far communities in the North. So that -- you know, it's not going to be a reality for that. However, you always have to do the balance. Is it -- you know, is it -- you can get five modular homes for $500,000 versus one stick-built for $500,000, and you got like a huge waiting list of people that need housing. So there's always that balance, you know, jobs versus people and housing.

But bigger than that is, you know, having the housing program for three months and building one stick house in the community, that might answer it for a year, maybe two years, but I think ECE is doing some exciting work around the community labour market development plans. And so if you'd allow me, Mr. Chair, I'd like for the Minister of ECE to talk a little bit about what those are about and what he sees coming from those. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Premier. Minister Simpson.

Thank you. And ECE does support communities, including community governments, so that includes Indigenous governments, in those communities to develop their community labour market development plans. And those contain a lot of information that -- I know we talked a lot today about why we need information to make decisions. And that also allows us to provide funding based on those decisions.

I will say we're also working with the Housing Corporation to better utilize the trades persons that are employed by the Housing Corporation and the LHOs. This is something that the Minister and I had been speaking about since day one of this Assembly basically. We have the SNAP program, the -- I can't remember this acronym. I've always known it as the SNAP program but it is a way for students to learn a trade, earn some money, and earn some credits all at the same time. And we are doing more to promote this program. And we want to promote it in small communities so that those small community students can learn those trades.

We are also revamping the standards for the housing maintainer program which the college has -- hasn't offered for a couple years, but that's also a program that, you know, much needed in communities. And I will say that in terms of stick-builds and modulars, I know the Housing Corporation does a mixture, but even in regional centres where you might build some modulars, I know that there's a number of people from small communities who work on those builds, and I've seen it myself. So there are opportunities, and we want to take advantage of those as well. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Edjericon.

Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There's a lot of questions in that and just kind of trying to figure out who to -- best to answer.

I think I'll start with saying it's multifaceted. It's not as easy as that. The working group is done; there's one aspect of it. ECE is doing things around regional plans. EIA is working with the Indigenous governments on their own economic achievements. And I kind of like that model because I always feel that it's not good to always have your eggs in one basket. The more that we branch out, the more flexibility. But I think I'll take the chance because I did hear about the purchasing of modular units from down south. So I think I'll -- if you're all right with that Mr. Chair, I'll let the Minister of Housing talk about what she's doing with the modular houses that we're -- homes that we're taking into the North. I'll use that one. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So when we had applied and received the federal funding, with that federal funding we were to deliver modular units. And that was the criteria that was build into receiving those additional 30 units for that program. But what we had done as well too is we met with northern modular manufacturers as well too. So we were able to look at northern builds here in the territories. And one of the things that we've done for -- with the corporation is we've done our best to try to keep that money spending here in the North and try to maximize on all that we can here in the North but also emphasizing on the communities as well too, to keep the money for local employment as well. And modular units versus stick-built, obviously there is a dramatic price increase but the Housing Corporation has looked at those builds and those opportunities to try to balance that out through the Northwest Territories.

Right now we have partnered up with one of the companies in the territories as well too. But the other thing that I've noticed is the Indigenous groups are partnering up with local businesses that are here in the North. And that is something that the Housing Corporation works with those Indigenous groups and works with those companies to making sure that we increase local employment as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong, one question, please. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The one question that I want to ask, I know that in a small communities, most of the employers are GNWT and the local governments and LHO. So I just wanted to ask if they can hold -- the GNWT can hold a strategic workshop in communities to talk about creating jobs in small communities? Can the Premier answer that, please. Thank you.

Thank you. Premier.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to transfer that to the Minister of ECE.

Minister Simpson.

Thank you. I don't think we're going to be doing that at this time. We've seen a reduction in our travel budgets as well as our, you know, contract services are tight, and it is difficult to -- you know, we have to make some difficult choices. So we have many avenues where we work with Indigenous governments and communities. And you know, we're going to continue to do that in the best way possible. But at this time, I can't commit to something like that. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any further questions on increase employment in small communities?

Seeing none, committee, we will move to pages 34 to 37, make strategic infrastructure investments that connect communities, expand the economy, or reduce the cost of living. Questions? I don't see any questions. Mr. Edjericon.

Yeah, thank you again. I guess overall, we've been talking about the high cost of living here in the Northwest Territories for some time and anything and everything we can do to try and help save a dollar for our constituents and our people in the Northwest Territories is -- will go a long ways. I mean, the other day I filled up my truck. It was like $250 now. I mean, seven years ago, it was like $85. So everything's going up in terms of the cost of living here in the Northwest Territories. So I guess overall -- and last week I did talk about, you know, the reduce of the gasoline surcharge and -- similar to what they're doing in Alberta that's going to take effect on Friday, and I guess the -- I know the -- there was some -- my response back from the Minister of Finance, I read it a few days later, you know, I wasn't really too happy in terms of, you know, looking at how we're going to address this issue. But going forward, maybe the Premier could maybe -- maybe, what do you have on your radar in terms of how we could address the high cost of the fuel here in the Northwest Territories and what are your plans for the next number of years in this area? Thank you.

Thank you. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do know that it is one of the issues that we will be addressing at the Council of Leaders coming up because all of the Premiers are experiencing that. We're looking at what we can do with the prices. However, I can't make a commitment on that.

We spend a lot of money in this government and, you know, at some point, we're going to have to make hard choices and so are residents. But I would like to turn it over to the Minister of Finance to see if she's got anything more that she can give to the Minister online. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Minister Wawzonek.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I don't necessarily have an update. I didn't anticipate this being part of the mandate discussion. You know, obviously two years ago when we did the priorities document and the mandate associated with it, we certainly didn't anticipate COVID, let alone the inflation that -- and that might result in part from that as well as some of the other crises we've continued to see over the last two years.

So I mean, just by way of general comment, as I think I've said a couple times in the House recently, the Department of Finance is paying quite close attention. I'm well aware that this impacts the cost of living and to that extent there are elements in the mandate that do, you know, speak to the -- the need and the desire to reduce the cost of living, and that I think is in the mandate document tied to energy costs.

As far as fuel costs, again there's, you know -- we won't be in a position to do necessarily what Alberta's doing but Alberta, to the extent that there's rising fuel prices, benefits most significantly arguably and most significantly of any jurisdiction in Canada. So they're not going to be necessarily the -- the jurisdiction we look to as our model. But that doesn't mean that there won't be things we can do, things we will look to do once we have a sense of what's happening across Canada, once we have a sense of what options there might be coming through from the federal government, who would certainly have the larger coffers. And as the Premier's already said, once those conversations are being had with all those jurisdictions across the Council of Federation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Mr. Edjericon

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the finance minister's comments on that, and the Premier.

I guess what I think about this document here now, and even know it's two years old already, and and going forward, I know we are working through COVID right now as we speak and concluding and hopefully we can start focusing on the economy here in the Northwest Territories and going forward.

We already know the mining industry is -- you know, on the process of being winding down, reclamation, etcetera.

But I'm just wondering if the Premier is thinking outside the box as well for the Northwest Territories to forge new relationships with Alberta given that the Mackenzie Gas Project that fell down back in 2014 and 2015, you know, to really look at how we could build maybe relationships with the Alberta government to strengthen the economy here in the Northwest Territories in oil and gas sector. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. Premier.