Colleagues, before we begin today, I just got a reminder from the interpreters to please slow down, they're having a hard time to keep up with everybody so just be mindful. Take your time; we have all day. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, eliminating anti-Indigenous racism in the health and social services system is an urgent issue in the Northwest Territories and across the country. I rise today to reaffirm our government's commitment to advancing cultural safety for Indigenous residents. This is a commitment we will continue to act on and today I will provide an update on the progress we have made in the past year.

The principles of cultural safety and anti-racism are widely recognized as best practice when it comes to providing services in health and social services settings. The Department of Health and Social Services began this work in 2013, partnering with Indigenous communities to establish a strategic vision and action plan based on the information gathered from consultation with Indigenous residents and through research.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we have made significant progress in this area. I want to recognize the cultural safety and anti-racism training initiated in June 2021. A team of Indigenous staff designed this made-in-the-North training over a four-year period. They took a "nothing about us without us" approach by piloting 13 different training sessions and seeking regular guidance from the NWT Health and Social Services Leadership Council and Indigenous Advisory Board. Over 200 staff participated in the pilot training program.

Mr. Speaker, since the launch of the final mode last summer, approximately 100 staff have taken the training. Monthly sessions will be offered in 2022-2023, beginning with Fort Smith and the Beaufort Delta. The training is delivered in-person over two days and includes a mix of guest speakers and activities to build the knowledge, skills, and self-awareness of staff. The goal of this training is to enable staff to better understand anti-Indigenous racism and improve cultural safety for Indigenous clients.

Mr. Speaker, training is an important component of this work, but it is not enough. That is why we have established the new cultural safety and anti-racism unit within the Department of Health and Social Services. They will lead our efforts to embed the principles of cultural safety and anti-racism throughout the system.

I am pleased to advise this unit is now fully staffed. These positions focus on priority areas, including Indigenous knowledge and wellness, child and family services, and training and content development. The people in these positions will also serve as expert consultants within the system, ensuring that our commitment to cultural safety is present in guiding all policies, programs, and documents. This new team is comprised almost entirely of Indigenous staff from the NWT and uses a decentralized approach that allows staff to work from their home community.

Mr. Speaker, we know that Indigenous staff within our system often experience anti-Indigenous racism themselves and have ideas about how to make things better which are not always heard. A community of practice for Indigenous staff is being planned. It will provide a supportive peer network and a safe forum to share innovations, wise practices, and offer solutions to address anti-Indigenous racism.

Mr. Speaker, cultural safety has been at the heart of the development of the new Indigenous Patient Advocates Program that will launch next fiscal year. This team of regional Indigenous staff will provide direct support to Indigenous residents to help them access services in Fort Smith, Hay River, Stanton Territorial Hospital, and Inuvik. This team will also help to inform and drive this work being done to promote cultural safety and address anti-Indigenous racism.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we are committed to this important work and expand on these programs when and where possible. We will continue to collaborate with Indigenous partners, communities, and staff to ensure this work is being driven by Indigenous people as we strive for every Indigenous person in the NWT to experience a culturally safe environment every time they interact with the NWT health and social services system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' Statement. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the weather warms, we are seeing more hunters heading out on the land, including many who are traveling up the winter road to harvest caribou. Most are harvesting safely, respectfully, and following traditional practices. Unfortunately, a few hunters' illegally and disrespectful harvest puts unnecessary pressure on the barren-ground caribou herds. These herds are already facing challenges related to changing climate which can impact their habitat and food sources.

Today, I would like to talk about this year's caribou hunting season along with the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road, and how we are working with co-management partners to encourage a safe and respectful harvest. This is particularly important given the significant decline in many barren-ground caribou herds including a 99 percent decline in the size of the Bathurst herd since 1986. The Bathurst herd is now comprised of at least 6,240 caribou.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the importance of caribou for the food security and know that current harvest restrictions have been hard on Indigenous people. ENR is working closely with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations to support the conservation and recovery of the Bathurst herd while also supporting harvest from healthy caribou herds and other wildlife species.

As a Minister, I have been working with leaders from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Tlicho government, Lutselk'e Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, Deninu Kue First Nation, Salt River First Nation, and the Northwest Territories Metis Nation to support the recovery of the Bathurst herd. An important part of this effort is the mobile zone, which was created in 2015.

The mobile zone is based on the current location of Bathurst herd by using satellite collars. It provides a buffer around the herd, which is kept as small as possible, and offers protection to the herd by prohibiting harvesting within this zone. This zone is maintained using a collaborative approach by the GNWT, the Tlicho government, and the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board. It is also supported by various co-management partners.

Weekly maps are posted at ENR and community offices, online on the ENR website, and along the winter road to let people know where the mobile zone is. Officers along the winter road provide information to hunters and can help them load the map on their GPS.

ENR continues to have a strong enforcement presence along the winter road, including regular patrols by vehicle, snowmobile, and helicopter. So far this year, we have had three ongoing investigations of illegal harvest involving a total of 22 caribou. We are also working with community-based monitors and guardians established by some Indigenous co-management partners. They work with harvesters to provide up-to-date information about the mobile zone and about where caribou harvesting can be done legally.

But Mr. Speaker, enforcement is just part of the equation. We want to encourage traditional practices that will help sustain wildlife populations and support recovery of the Bathurst herd. ENR has many programs designed to encourage communities and individuals to get out on the land and to harvest, including the Community Harvesters Assistance Program and the Take a Family on the Land Program.

For many years ENR has provided funding to communities on the range of the Bathurst herd. This funding is intended to support harvesting from other healthy herds, and other species. I am pleased to hear from several successful community hunts which have provided meat to communities, including moose and caribou from the Beverly herd.

Last year we learned of the accessible Beverly caribou in an area outside the mobile zone where they had not historically been found. We worked with partners to provide harvesters with the appropriate authorizations to legally harvest in that area. Last December, we worked with the Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations to hold a gathering with respectful harvesters to listen to their advice on how to encourage safe and respectful harvesting practices.

In January, I met with Indigenous leaders to consider eight recommendations that came out of that meeting. We used "what we heard" from those harvesters to develop messaging, and we have improved our overall communications to reach a broader audience.

Mr. Speaker, respectful harvesting is a cornerstone of traditional values. The GNWT, and the support of co-management partners and Indigenous leaders, is working to encourage friends, family, and community members to harvest respectfully and legally. If you know anybody who may have wasted their harvest or hunted illegally, remind them that our collective goal is to ensure that there are caribou for our children and grandchildren. Encourage them to follow the Indigenous knowledge shared by leaders, elders, and respectful harvesters. Remind them to take only what they need from the area where harvesting is allowed, to take bulls and leave cows, and to share their caribou meat with elders and people in need.

Respectful harvesting is an important part of ensuring that these caribou herds remain healthy for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to begin today, Speaker, by acknowledging how good I look in my new vest, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the artisans who made it, Georgina Franki, a very talented seamstress, known to many of us as a Tlicho language instructor and to more of us in this House, particularly as our clerk, Jen's mom.

In addition, this beautiful beadwork, Mr. Speaker, is second to none and some of the best work I've ever seen and made none other than the Member for Monfwi, Mr. Speaker.

And there's a bit of a point to my fashion acknowledgement, Mr. Speaker, and that I would like everyone in this House to do everything they can to support our local artisans. And with March 1st and the return of tourism, Mr. Speaker, I'm proposing operation shakedown, where we do everything we can to get the money out of the hands of tourists and into the pockets of our local artisans, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to see the Minister checking bags at the airport to make sure as people leave, they got enough furs, enough moccasins, enough carvings, and enough paintings, and they get on that plane and went what just happened?

In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife North, I'm starting to see tourists back already and it -- when you walk around Yellowknife North, you see lots of tourists, and I understand that; it is the best place on earth. But I often think, Mr. Speaker, that just coming to Yellowknife is not truly seeing the North. We all know that, that you have to get out into our communities and experience that. So, in addition to operation shakedown, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to propose operation get outta town.

And Mr. Speaker, I believe with a targeted approach and partnership with operators in our communities, we can get some of those visitors to make sure that when they visit the North, it's not just Yellowknife. I believe even a small percentage of those visitors who come to Yellowknife, if they tack on another destination, that is good for business for the small communities. It means jobs in those communities, and it really means an all-around better experience for those tourists.

I'll have questions for the Minister of ITI on what we can do to support our artisans and tourism in our small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after that Member statement I think that we should just move on to oral questions.

Mr. Speaker, as we move from pandemic to an endemic response, our small communities will continue to be susceptible to COVID outbreaks and will require ongoing support and resources. Mr. Speaker, subject to weather conditions and location, several small communities are not easily accessible. With limited housing options, many families are experiencing overcrowding in homes which may create an unhealthy environment.

Furthermore, as reduced monitoring enforcement of CPHO orders begin, combined with increased number of workers, visitors, and residents entering the NWT, I am concerned for the health of those in small and remote communities. I do not want to see anyone forgotten once we are in our endemic response and beyond. Therefore, it is imperative that this government develop a well thought out plan that incorporates health supports to address any COVID or potential COVID outbreaks in any community going forward.

Mr. Speaker, as a start, one of the tools I would like to see provided to remote and small communities at no cost is antigen rapid test kits. These test kits must be made available through grocery stores, health centres, community governments, RCMP detachments, and NGOs. This would make certain that anyone who may require a test can access them in a timely manner which may help to reduce potential COVID outbreaks. It may not be the ultimate solution, but it allows one to monitor themself and family members.

Mr. Speaker, another tool we have is communication. Communication is an important aspect to providing health services in the NWT. At times, we disappoint in this area. We rely on professional healthcare staff in those small communities to do more than initially asked of them. That includes communicating this government's healthcare initiatives, programs, and limitations to residents.

Mr. Speaker, to provide comfort to residents, healthcare staff, communities, and Indigenous governments, we must effectively communicate to them that health supports will be provided post-COVID. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'm going to talk about the funding gap between the small communities, regional centres, and that of the capital. Mr. Speaker, as an MLA representing a regional centre in the NWT, it is challenging at times to constantly have to fight for funding to be allocated to my community for certain initiatives, projects, or programs. I find myself getting frustrated and discouraged at times because it is always a battle between the capital and other regional centres and small communities for who or what gets funding. The rationale for where and what gets funding is sometimes unclear, unreasonable, and not logical.

Mr. Speaker, some communities are always taken care of no matter what. It's just a matter that the allocations of the budgets do not seem to be fair and do not address the needs of regional centres and small communities. The majority of these allocations almost always come at the expense of smaller communities and regional centres.

Mr. Speaker, I often wonder how budgetary funding allocation decisions are made by Cabinet. Is it broken down on a percentage basis, or is it allocated to each region and community based on population, on a per capita basis? Is it based on the needs and priorities of the government? Or is the budget based on the subjective views and opinions of Cabinet alone? These are very open questions.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that budgets always need to be negotiated. And being an MLA, it is not an easy job. However, I do not think this process needs to be as demoralizing or hostile as it can sometimes be. I also understand that regional politics has always been a factor in our democracy on both a national and territorial scale. That is the nature of our system. However, we also need to be able to bridge that divide and work together to find a mutual solution for all communities and regions. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.

Mr. Speaker, the small communities and regional centres seem to always be fighting over crumbs within our territorial budget. That does not seem fair at all and does not seem to be in line with the values of consensus government in my eyes. In fact, I sometimes question the effectiveness of consensus government given the way that some things are done in this building.

Overall, Mr. Speaker, I think our territorial budgetary process needs to be reevaluated as it currently stands. In my opinion, funding in our budget is allocated unevenly and is leaving the smaller communities and regional centres with less. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today our theme is focusing on small communities.

Small communities of the NWT are a major part of the identity and the uniqueness of the Northwest Territories. We have many beautiful communities and cultures from Alberta border all the way up to the Arctic coast, and our territory covers vast distances.

Mr. Speaker, our small communities also have a lot of needs some of the other largers take for granted. Some small communities have no doctor, and few don't even have a nurse full-time in their community. Some have no RCMP. Schools struggle for teachers in their community due to many reasons but one we've heard numerous times is the lack of housing. If someone is injured in a small community, they can't call an ambulance to bring them to the health centre. The graduation rates in our smaller communities are lower than the rest of the Northwest Territories. The unemployment rates are high in the small communities. Our residents in all communities struggle with mental health and addictions but in our small community, there are less support for them in their community. There is lack of housing available, which leads to family overcrowding. With overcrowding, Mr. Speaker, we have seen in the past years, like TB go through our communities, and then most recently COVID-19 hit some of our small communities very hard.

Mr. Speaker, these are things that I've heard from residents of the Northwest Territories coming from small communities and my colleagues here in the House.

Mr. Speaker, with the pandemic hopefully behind us now, it's time for us to get back to work on these and other important issues for our residents that they deserve. So, I look forward to working with my colleagues here today to really try to bring positive change for the people of small communities. Thank you, colleagues, and thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand in this House today to express my community and other small communities' concern with the recent budget spending. Of course, the small communities do not see any new spending on their wish lists, new jobs, nor any decentralized positions, which will add value to our workforce and community.

Mr. Speaker, since coming into the 19th Assembly, when one mentions the word "decentralization", it is like an unfathomable term and a threat to government employees who do not want to uproot, leave the city, or a regional centre. We, on the other hand, who live in small communities, see this as a lifeline to our very existence, and this can only enhance our local economy. We would then be able to plan for much needed infrastructure, such as office space to accommodate new employees, and perhaps there will be no questions with providing childcare spaces.

Mr. Speaker, we in the small communities look up to the large centres with envy as to what they have in terms of jobs and infrastructure. We scratch our heads and wonder why we constantly get turned away when we bring our plight to this government. Yet, when last minute proposals come in, right away they make a budget line item simply because they come from a large centre.

If COVID has taught us anything in regard to small communities, it's the lack of infrastructure and staff to house homeless residents of our communities. I believe I brought such a situation to this government with no end results. I didn't even receive an apology for this situation and the situations our communities find themselves in.

This government needs to issue an apology to our residents for the lack of improved services to our healthcare, lack of infrastructure, lack of attention to our education system, and for the lack of jobs faced by our residents.

Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on and on, but I believe small communities' issues have been brought to the forefront many times without much success. This government needs to start touring into our communities to hear our experiences and wants of the people. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the need for safe affordable and well-built housing has been the North's primary social challenge for decades and is consistently identified by Assembly standing committees as a root issue at the core of NWT social challenges.

Levels of government have spent over 60 years trying to house Northerners. Historically, territorial homeownership programs helped low income families access mortgages and home repair programs. These programs were introduced decades after the federal government's housing programs pushed homeownership through the Matchbox Home Housing Loan Program and the Northern Rental Purchase Program for residents to purchase old rental stock.

What we have now is a high number of homeowners created by government homeownership programs who now deal with high mortgage arrears and houses that require thousands of dollars in repair. But these homeowners are sounding alarm bells as the houses they live in require major repairs in communities with limited access to trades people and high costs to bring in contractors.

Housing repair needs are not exclusive to privately owned homes. The government's public housing stock also has a long list of required housing maintenance.

This past week, my colleague from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh asked the housing Minister to provide a detailed housing assessment to bring homes in his riding out of core need. The Minister pointed to community housing plans as a solution to "look at what communities want to plan and what they want delivered in their communities."

But Mr. Speaker, the community housing plans identified existing housing, additional housing infrastructure needs, and the barriers faced within each community. Along with its three community housing plans, the NWT Housing Corporation published five-year action plans.

The Whati action plan contains a target to inventory all private housing to identify the number of units with major and minor repairs. The deadline for the target is year 2, or 2021, and does not include public housing infrastructure. So the requested detailed housing assessment for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh is years away, Mr. Speaker.

But Mr. Speaker, that doesn't mean that we are years away from action. Concerns raised through the Whati housing plan identified access to qualified local home repair tradespeople as one of the community's biggest challenges and the community requested education supports on home maintenance, paperwork, and money management.

The Minister is right - listening to communities, what communities want, is key. But the foundation of that has been made clear through discussions, reports, and conversations in this House. People want safe affordable adequate and suitable House and they are asking for the training to be part of the solution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. On the theme of small communities, I want to turn to the issue of building energy self-sufficiency. I firmly believe this is exactly what the NWT Power Corporation should be doing, that is, basically doing itself out of a job by starting to finally face the transition that all utilities must deal - our overreliance on big grids, crumbling assets, a shrinking user base, and ever higher power rates that leads to a self-fulfilling spiral out of control.

On the very last day of the last Assembly, I tabled information on costs for many hydro projects for the Tlicho communities of Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti. As I understand it, these three projects, which would eliminate the use of diesel in three communities, could be built for around the same cost as the much-delayed Whati transmission line. When I raised this issue in the last Assembly, I got no real answers.

Mr. Speaker, I don't expect much more here today. That's because the Department of Infrastructure and the NWT Power Corporation are still locked into the old paradigm of big grids and centralized power rather than adapting to new realities of renewable and alternative energy and building energy self-sufficiency in small communities.

In 2019, the department had not even done any evaluation of energy options for these Tlicho communities but was plowing ahead with the transmission line of questionable cost and value. I will have questions later today for the Minister of Infrastructure on building energy self-reliance for smaller communities, especially in the Tlicho region. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am doing it on illicit drugs in small communities. Today I am going to talk about illicit drugs, specifically crack, crack cocaine in small communities.

There are many people dealing with addictions and crack addictions, especially crack addictions in the regions. Mr. Speaker, everyone knows someone who is using crack. Crack is a much different addiction than alcohol. The withdrawals are different. Mr. Speaker, we cannot pretend that there is no drug problems in small communities. Mr. Speaker, community needs more education about crack and how to help friends and family members who are struggling with crack addictions. Mr. Speaker, at one time we all know there was no alcohol or drugs in small communities. Now we see them everywhere.

As I have said before in this House, kids as young as 12 years old, 12 years old are experimenting with drugs. A report from 2012 showed that among Northerners aged 15 and over, one in nine people have tried crack in their lifetime. This number rises to one in seven in small communities. The physical appearance is obvious when they are abusing crack cocaine.

Mr. Speaker, the problem for people in small communities is that there is very little opportunity to escape the influence of drugs in small communities.

Mr. Speaker, we hear from parents in the communities who are doing their best but fear for their child because the child falls into the grips of drug dealers.

As we know there is little employment opportunities and many young people fall dependent on income assistance. Mr. Speaker, in communities there is only one place to cash income assistance cheques and people who sell the drugs know that, and they are waiting. So are adults, both young and old, are caught as soon as their income assistance is cashed. They have to fight to stay clean and sober.

We can see today in the Yukon, they are fighting -- Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude?

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, we can see today in the Yukon they are fighting an opiate crisis. Today in the news, the headline reads, Hay River leaders pledge for action on drug dealers profiting from death. Drug dealers are talking money away from families and it is the child, the future generation, who pay the price. We are losing people, youth and parents, to drugs, especially in small and larger communities. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I'm ready for you today, so.

Mr. Speaker, when I put my mind towards the economic and social issues of this territory, I always come back to the thought we are only as strong as our weakest community. Therefore, despite being a Yellowknife MLA, I always try hard to keep my mind on the bigger picture for this territory and all residents.

In my career, and from my time as a Minister, whenever I traveled into a small community, I've always been struck by the lack of basic infrastructure. It's for this reason, Mr. Speaker, that I've spent a lot of my time in this House speaking about building roads and bridges and other infrastructure in communities far from the confines of the district of Great Slave. And I thank my constituents for allowing me to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I'm talking about a topic today that I've raised many times in this House - the Great Bear River Bridge.

When I ask the Minister of Infrastructure questions, I'm always assured that things are progressing and that the project is moving forward. And I appreciate that. However, Mr. Speaker, when I speak with leaders in the region, they feel in the dark and not engaged in the process at all. They don't know what the government is planning and feel a worry that the project money may lapse without ever seeing an excavator bucket dig into the ground.

In the past, Mr. Speaker, I've spoken about the procurement process for the bridge and emphasized the need to ensure local business and local people get work. However, there is much more to this project than just contract dollars. The community wants to be part of the discussion when decisions are made - decisions such as, should 30,000 truckloads of granular material be run through the town, or should money be put into looking at bypassing it using the existing winter road access?

There's concern about the use of the winter road to haul granular material. Will more money be allocated in order to repair the road as degradation will occur more rapidly than in a normal season?

What about the influx of southern workers that potentially bring with them illicit drugs, or express racism to our Indigenous people causing further trauma?

How will the training be doled out and who will benefit? What are the goals of the community itself from the project? What capacity are they lacking? What trades do they need, and how can this project be used to address their gaps?

These are all questions that need to be answered before any government project is kicked off in a community, and the GNWT, Mr. Speaker, needs to ensure that community voices are always at the table. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Oh, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk again about the Affirmative Action Policy. The GNWT is the largest employer in the NWT. As all employment in the small communities is limited so employment with the GNWT in the small communities is highly valued. It provides stability, it allows people to stay in the -- afford homes and raise their families. But Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the pathway for people to get into the GNWT and work their way up to managerial and leadership positions is not clear as it should you be.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT signed a socio-economic agreement with the mining industry. In those agreements, the GNWT negotiated ambitious employment targets for Northerners, specifically Indigenous hires. Not only is the GNWT holding the diamond mines to account to report on employment targets, the GNWT also requires the diamond minus to report on these employment targets by job category.

The diamond mines have to report on the number of Northerners, Indigenous employment by entry-level jobs, semi-skilled labour, skilled labour, and professional and management.

Mr. Speaker, this is an area that GNWT and DEAs to need to address.

If the GNWT had to report employment targets by category by department, this will help to identify where attention is needed. For example, any entry-level jobs always be filled with Indigenous applicants. If that job is not filled by an Indigenous person, there needs to be internal mechanisms in place to report why. Mr. Speaker, the NWT holds the diamond mines to higher standards of hiring, training and development of Northerners and Indigenous employees. It's time for the GNWT to catch up, be accountable, and transparent. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize one of our interpreters, Mary Jane Cazon. She's from my home community of Liidlii Kue First Nation, or Fort Simpson. She does a great job and I thank her very much for the work she does for the people here and the territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Oh, Inuvik Boot Lake.

Quanainni. Today I would like to recognize our Inuvialuktun translators, Valerie Steffanson and Lillian Elias. And it's Lillian's birthday today, so Happy Birthday.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

I too would like to recognize our translators, Val Steffanson and Lillian Elias. And to our Minister where he says we need to try and speak our language so I'm going to try this, and Lillian can laugh at me after. [Translation Unavailable] Happy Birthday.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Ian Down of Northern News Services who has been in our gallery quite a bit over the last while. I felt that it was time that someone recognized him for being here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Welcome. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber and I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience with us here. Also, to the interpreters, you're doing a great job; keep it up. Okay. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions will be for the Minister of Health.

Mr. Speaker, I've heard that Health Canada's starting to supply rapid tests through the Northern stores and North Marts in the territories. How do people get access to these tests, and is there a cost? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the question from the Member for Hay River South. It's true, the federal government has reached an agreement with the Northwest Company and is about to reach an agreement with Arctic Cooperatives. And the nature of this agreement is to supply rapid antigen tests through the Northwest Company and Arctic Co-Op stores that are located in NWT communities. People can go to those stores, ask for a test, and it is available to them free of charge. There are a few places that don't have a North Mart or an Arctic Cooperative such as Yellowknife. We're working on an agreement with the City of Yellowknife to give us access to one of their facilities to give out tests. So, there are a couple of other exceptions as well. Colville Lake doesn't have either of those stores, Lutselk'e, Sachs Harbour. So there are discussions going on between the GNWT and those communities to ensure they get a supply of tests and there's someone to give them out. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if those tests are meant to replace testing currently being provided or given out at the health centres, or are the rapid test kits just another option in addition to the health centre testing? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that question. It enables me to clarify that the community health centres, where they exist in NWT communities, will continue to offer point of care testing. The rapid antigen tests are an extra to that. So there will always be testing available in the communities that have health centres.

I just want to make a point at this point that the purpose of the test is not to replace masking, vaccination, social distance, and so on. It's a way for an individual to test themselves if they have symptoms before making an appointment for a confirmatory test or deciding not to make an appointment. But in any case, it's not supposed to be a shortcut around vaccination. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not all communities have a Northern store or a North Mart, and I understand the Minister said that they may -- they're talking to the -- or the federal government's talking to the City of Yellowknife to be able to hand out those rapid tests. But in the communities that don't have them, the smaller ones, like I'm thinking Kakisa for instance, would they be made available, say, through an NGO or through the Indigenous government offices, or are they kind of left out? Thank you.

Yes, thank you. In all cases, the Northwest Company is still doing the delivery, but they're trying to connect with community leadership to provide the test to them. And the list of those communities does include Kakisa but also Gameti, Wekweeti, Whati, Jean Marie, Nahanni Butte, Sambaa K'e, Wrigley, and Enterprise. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if those tests will be handed out to those entering the NWT at the border monitoring sites while those monitoring sites are still in place? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the tests being given out at the airports and the land borders will stop being given out at the end of this month when the public health emergency ends. But for schools and businesses, non-profits and so on who are involved in the ProtectNWT program, they have a good stockpile of tests now I'm told, and they will be able to access tests in the future. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Finance tell us if she believes the current process for budget allocations among communities is done fairly and equally? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the budget allocations are done based on needs of the whole of the Northwest Territories. So when the budgets are being prepared, firstly, Mr. Speaker, it's incremental budgeting. So we're not a party system. We don't have a party that comes in, gets elected, shows up with their platform and has the money allocated to go with it. What we are, by consensus, is we operate on tradition and as such, each department has to get done basic work, has to get done basic services. Each department is responsible for their budget. They put it together. They bring it forward each year. There's forced growth that goes into that, things like -- those are unavoidable expenses. Inflation is one example. Or a collective agreement increase is another one. And then as a consensus government when we have a set of priorities, Mr. Speaker, we look at the fiscal situation that we're in, figure out what can be allotted to those new priorities that we've all come up with, and that's the number we came up with at the beginning of this Assembly, you'll recall two budgets ago, $25 million over the life of this government. That was before COVID, before various other fuel increases, before floods, and yet, Mr. Speaker, that's the situation we're in. So that is how the money gets allocated. Again, it's to make sure that the government keeps functioning, that all of the Northwest Territories gets the programs and services it requires, and that we as a territorial government make our best efforts to achieve every single one of the priorities set for us by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain how funding allocations among all of the communities of the NWT are decided? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, again, Mr. Speaker, there is not a geographic determination. We don't say, you know, for example that one region needs to get more or less than another. The department -- each department would come up with what its needs are. So, for example, if ECE -- and I'll make perhaps an example out of the Infrastructure budget since that's not on the floor of the House right now.

Mr. Speaker, if one of the communities says they need a new school, even if the community is only a few hundred people, if they're in line for a new school and that community needs a new school, it goes on to the infrastructure acquisition plan. I know Colville Lake, for example, is in dire need of a new school, and that is one of the areas that's being looked at. It's not looking at the size of that community because if it were, Mr. Speaker, they might never get a new school and that's not how the Government of the Northwest Territories is going to serve its residents. So it's not looked at geographically. It looked -- again, is on the basis of need as known to each department, coming in through the -- each Assembly coming in through each Minister who puts that lens of need and knowing the priorities that we decide for ourselves, that's how it gets allotted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us if funding allocations from the territorial budget are divided based on population size on a per capita basis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, similarly to what I said with respect to this not being parceled out bit by bit or to one community over another depending perhaps on where a Minister's from or where they might like to go, that is simply not how the budget here gets allocated. And it is not done on a per capita basis. Again, it's done on each department looking at where the areas of need are, what are the areas where we need to spend more.

So again, I gave an example earlier, Mr. Speaker, with respect to ECE and schools. Same issue with respect to healthcare. I mean, the medical travel costs for certain communities on a per capita basis would not serve those communities. If folks who need to leave from certain of the most distant communities of the Northwest Territories wouldn't be able to get medical travel if we did this on a per capita basis, and that is not how the Government of the Northwest Territories functions, Mr. Speaker. We want to ensure that, again, every resident has the best possible chance based on the need, based on the limited resources we have. And so each department brings forward to FMB what their needs are, what they see areas of particular concern are, and we're trying to allocate the money as best we can across all regions, across all departments, for all the residents in the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if budget allocations among the communities are based on the need of the community or are those based on political decisions by the Cabinet? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we're coming full circle to where I started, Mr. Speaker. So each department, again, has a set budget that allows them to perform the basic functions, programs, and services that they have to undertake. When there's an ask made and for example, Mr. Speaker, I undertake budget dialogue. It's something I've done for two years in a row now, and that's done in the summer to give time for the departments to react to what we might hear in that process. Community governments attend, individual NGOs, nonprofit sector attend, business chambers attend, and individual members of the public also attend, Mr. Speaker. And every single one of them is bringing forward a different ask, a different need, identifying a different area where there's pressure points. And when they've done that, Mr. Speaker, and again as I've said, each department that delivers those programs and services can go back and say, have we met those needs; are there new needs that we didn't know about or that we weren't focusing on? And we can do that to bring through the business planning cycle in the summer which builds upon and gets us to where we are now, which is the main estimates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure about the Great Bear River Bridge.

The quarry permit for the bridge states that there could be up to 600,000 cubic meters of granular material hauled. Given an end dump generously hauls 20 cubic meters, that's 30,000 loads going across the bridge and such. So can the Minister -- or sorry, going across the roads.

Can the Minister speak to what is the plan for that hauling? Will it be going through the town on the municipal roads? Who will pay for the wear and tear on the roads? And how will safety be addressed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for infrastructure.

Quanainni. Details associated with the implementation of the project will be developed once the project is procured. The method of procurement is yet to be determined. I can say that considerations of saving existing community infrastructure and consideration of the environment are paramount as we go forward on a lot of these -- on these infrastructure projects. Quanainni.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I do appreciate that we're still fairly early in the process, but I don't think it hurts to start looking at these ideas or these issues now to ensure they get captured. So my next question is about the ice road.

Similar to my first question, the amount of traffic on that winter road because all the material will have to be hauled during the wintertime across the Mackenzie, I'm concerned that that's going to create greater degradation of the road faster than it would with a lighter more less commercial traffic.

So I'm wondering has an ice engineering company been contracted already to provide an ice control plan for this work? Will there be extra monitoring during the hauling? And what would the costs be somewhat around that and has that already been incorporated into the budget? Thank you.

Quanainni. Consideration of traffic on the winter roads, proper monitoring, will all be considered once we get to the procurement stage. And I thank the Member for her suggestions on third party professional consultation. I do want to add, Mr. Oqakti, that procurement and construction are anticipated to take place in the summer of 2023, and the bridge opened for traffic on January 2027 if all things go in line with the project and timelines. Quanainni.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there's sometimes a bit of a disconnect to communications here because while the department is often chugging ahead with their project, I'm not sure that that's filtering down into the community level. And as I mentioned in my statement, there is worry about money lapsing and issues not being addressed as well as community improvement not being captured.

So my next question is can the Minister commit to creating a community impact advisory group with local community leadership that includes regular in-person meetings, say bimonthly, in order to hear their concerns and properly consult? I think that the community is always best situated to know what will work for them and what won't, and as well too, they always know where all the quirks and the skeletons are. So I think engaging them quickly and having a regular ongoing conversation and being proactive would be helpful in this case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Quanainni. Several rounds of community engagement sessions, traditional knowledge studies, pre-engineering, and award of the engineering services contract have been completed, and these continue -- have been completed, and these continue with the next schedule for Tulita in the coming days. A meeting with the community of Tulita is scheduled for tomorrow. You know, it is logical to be able to involve the community in all these consultations. So that's what we're attempting -- that's what we're doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that now that we're moving into the next fiscal year that you know, things will -- there will be new things starting to happen this summer. I'm assuming, and I know actually, that this meeting tomorrow would be a virtual meeting between the Minister and the town and so I guess I would like to re-ask, will the Minister commit to visiting the community of Tulita to speak with leadership about the Great Bear River Bridge within the next three months? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Quanainni. You know, right now we are planning bilateral meetings in the next couple months. The community is fully engaged. I have met with them in the past and, you know, talked about discussing some of the procurement process going forward. I just want to say that the GNWT, Department of Infrastructure, is starting these discussions early. I already mentioned in the timelines that we're not set to start until next summer. But I feel like it's important that we continue community engagement, reach out to the leaders, and to be able to have that discussion so they know what's happening with these projects. Quanainni.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure.

Small scale hydro projects for three Tlicho communities would allow them to meet their energy needs, offset diesel for electricity, and could displace home heating oil while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of living.

Is the Minister aware of these, any hydro studies, and can she tell us whether the cost of these mini hydro projects as comparable to the proposed Whati transmission line? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Quanainni. We are aware, and we have been involved in several pre-feasibility studies of mini hydro projects in the Tlicho region. We are actively working the Tlicho government and the community government of -- community of Gameti to advance the Whati transmission line and the Gameti mini hydro projects.

Our initial estimate, used to inform the 2030 Energy Strategy, for the Whati transmission line is about 350 per lifetime GHG reductions as compared to the 750 or more lifetime GHG reduction for something like Gameti mini hydro.

Gameti is the most promising of the potential mini hydro projects in the region. Oqakti, it is important to note that these are projections and will be subject to change as these projects advance. Quanainni.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I didn't really get an answer so I might have to try it as a written question.

But it's my understanding of the costs of some of these mini hydro projects should go down specifically to all-season road now providing easier transportation. Can the Minister tell us whether there's been a comprehensive evaluation of energy options for the Tlicho communities, including mini hydro transmission lines from various sources and, perhaps most importantly, looking at value for money in terms of greenhouse gas reductions. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Quanainni. Actions under the 2030 Energy Strategy are assessed against the main goal of having reliable, affordable, sustainable energy systems here in the Northwest Territories. This means that we must consider more than just GHG emissions, but we consider things like cost of energy, keeping the lights on, keeping people warm during the winter, economic development, as well as community support and community security. We are following the 2030 Energy Strategy which was developed through an extensive public engagement and informed by many years of feasibility studies to help us compare options.

The -- you know, I respectfully disagree with the Member that we're not evaluating things seriously. I encourage the Member to be able to look at and review our energy initiatives report which outlines all the excellent work that the government is undertaking to meet our goals, including $38 million invested in this area in 2020-2021. I also encourage the Member to share his thoughts as we continue with public engagement in the next three-year energy action plan, which is currently underway. You know, it's feedback from these engagement sessions that really be able to give us directions and actions over the next three years. Quanainni.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Of course she well knows that I don't support the doomed 2030 Energy Strategy. It's not going to meet its targets no matter what the Minister says. She knows that. But we may be able to reduce or eliminate all three -- all the diesel for three Tlicho communities for the same cost as building a transmission line to just one. Given that there hasn't been this evaluation of options that I've mentioned, why is the Minister proceeding with a transmission line to Whati only? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Quanainni. We are not proceeding with the transmission line alone. We are working in partnership with the Tlicho government, the community government of Whati, to be able to advance the transmission line and the community of Gameti on the mini hydro.

It's important, Mr. Speaker, to note that the transmission line is entirely on Tlicho lands. There are projects that our Indigenous partners want to advance, and we are -- and we agree in this regard. We look forward to moving these important projects forward in partnership. We're also working with Northlands Utilities to support feasibility work to better understand the better energy options for the community of Wekweeti. Thank you.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that and, of course, my Member's statement was about making small communities self-reliant in terms of their energy needs, and this 2030 Energy Strategy, the doomed strategy, is not going to get us there.

So what assurance can the Minister give us in this House that the new energy action plan will start to seriously evaluate options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, value for money, and build community energy self-sufficiency when we can't even get a transmission line right? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll answer the fifth question here. You know, I did talk about the actions under the 20 energy -- 2030 Energy Strategy that is assessed against some of the main goals of having the reliable services here in the Northwest Territories. You know, it is our mandate to be able to reduce emission of greenhouse gas. You know, we are looking at public engagements. I encourage everybody to take part of the engagements because it's the feedback from that that helps us go forward in the action plan. That's all I'll say. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI. And I'd like to know what kind of training initiatives are currently being offered to our small communities to help them build tourism capacity? And I know many of these, COVID kind of threw a wrench in it, but when those programs will be available in person again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, quite a number of training opportunities are available. Some have continued; some have gone virtual for example. And I'll just note that they're available on ITI's website so if I don't get through them all, keeping in mind our time, I certainly would commend anyone interested to go to ITI's website. And perhaps we'll put something out more specifically on this given that tourism is hopefully restarting with a vigor.

Northernmost Host is a two-day customer service workshop that's available. It is generally done in person but it's certainly going to be ramping up now with regional staff. They're Starting a Tourism Business; it's a half-day workshop. Business Market and Trade Ready; again, Mr. Speaker, something that is making sure that the companies are ready to go. Business mentorship opportunities, formal program there that does not necessarily require anything in person. Youth tourism mentorship. Mr. Speaker, there's funding available through Tourism 2025 for most of these programs as well. So again, quite a variety really aiming to connect with businesses at whatever point they might be in their business lifecycle. And again, commend folks to go to the ITI website and make sure they're finding their way or talk to their local program coordinator. They will -- they will find something to meet them where they're at so that we can get tourism up and running. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate those programs, and I think it's good to get the word out that anyone who wants to take them can do that.

My question is, can the Minister speak to any work currently being done by the department to prepare small communities for the return of tourism and specifically any work that's being done to make sure that, you know, tourists don't just come to Yellowknife and they can actually have the opportunity to visit some of our other communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with that, and the simple fact, Mr. Speaker, is that if folks are coming into the Northwest Territories looking to go and have an experience outside of a major centre, that is going to benefit the whole of the Northwest Territories. They're going to be landing in one of the major regions, likely spend some time there, and then be able to go out and travel. So this is a full win for everybody.

Mr. Speaker, we've not ever stopped. Tourism has been one of the areas that received quite a lot of the relief and recovery effort and focus. I mean, all of these are all the snappy acronyms you might recall - GRIT, and PREP, and TRIP. There's also the Tourism Product Diversification Marketing Fund. That one's been around a while. And Community Tourism Infrastructure Contribution Programs. Again, I do believe communities are well aware of them but, Mr. Speaker, we will be making every effort to make sure that those programs are getting ramped back up and that folks are aware because this -- we do certainly hope to see a return to tourism as fast as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to speak a bit to the role of tourism development officers, especially as we seem to be placing more of these positions in communities, but I think there's a bit of a -- sometimes those communities simply don't have the operators or tourism infrastructure already. And I think we could look at some other models. I point to the McPherson tent and canvas company, a subsidiary that we own that loses money every year, but I think it -- it's worth it. It's worth owning that to provide services. And I'm just wondering, given tourism development officers are often there to inspect operators, are they actually empowered to maybe work with the Indigenous governments or work with communities to establish some sort of other model where we provide services and if we got to subsidize it for the first few years, Mr. Speaker, I'd be more than happy to see that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This sounds like it might be a bit of a full program revamp that I have not certainly turned my mind to here on the floor of the House. Community tourism coordinator positions do indeed assist the community-owned projects and community governments. So Mr. Speaker, yes, they already perform that role of not only monitoring but of actually being a conduit of information. Similarly, tourism development officers, Mr. Speaker, they're the ones delivering on those programs that I had mentioned earlier in a lot of cases. So I do think there's -- they have an important role to connect local operators to bigger funding opportunities, to connect local operators one to another, if they're developing a product, to be able to facilitate and sell, and to help ensure that communities and community tourism operators are aware of all these funding pots that I've been talking about.

So Mr. Speaker, more than happy to have conversation with the Member if there's something that is not being achieved in all that, because that certainly is the vision that we have is to make those connections and to be that enabler for this important industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife North.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think similarly to the McPherson tent and canvas model, which, you know, I do consider a success, I think is the win -- or Indigenous governments through the development corporations become operators, and I think this is, you know, being acknowledged as a priority for the department, is to develop the Indigenous tourism sector. I'm hoping the Minister could just speak to some of the work being done to partner and work with our Indigenous development corporations to get tourism operations off the ground. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think this is going to be a growth area in the Northwest Territories, ecotourism opportunities to experience Indigenous communities and culture firsthand. I really -- I fully believe this is an area where the Northwest Territories is on a leadership track. We do already have some good positive examples. The Sambaa K'e Development Corporation, down on the shores of Trout Lake, this is an opportunity. Similarly in the Sahtu, it will be one of the development corporations that's looking ultimately to be involved in the Canol Trail which would be, you know, world class in terms of what it may offer historically and in terms of hiking. So this work is happening, Mr. Speaker, and would fully agree that there is opportunity here to do even more. So I'm happy to bring some attention to that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Department of Health and Social Services about crack cocaine in small communities. I want to ask the Minister, does the Department of Health and Social Services have services available for people who are addicted to crack; are those service available in the communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not aware that we have community specific or drug specific treatment. I think that we deal drugs -- we deal with drug addiction as a whole and with alcohol addiction separately from that. So in terms of a detox, we are working on a medical detox model. It is possible to go to do detox here in Yellowknife. For full scale facility-based treatment, the person would need to be south to one of our six options for residential treatment. Thank you.

Thank you. Will the Department of Health and Social Services increase services available to people in the community?

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an area that we continue to invest in. We have created some specific funds like the Aftercare and Addictions Recovery Fund which was not fully subscribed in this fiscal year. The Peer Support Fund which helps people who are coming back from treatment, also not fully subscribed. The On the land Healing Fund, which is worth almost $2 million, also not fully subscribed. So I feel that we have a selection of services available to people to try and meet them where they're at and for the needs they have and that -- I think our biggest challenge is making that known to the public rather than increasing the number and variety of services. Thank you.

Thank you. Can the Minister commit to undertaking a pilot project where a team of Indigenous counsellors and services are available to provide more direct intervention to people caught in the cycle of addictions? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the point of the addictions and recovery after -- Addictions Recovery and Aftercare Program is in fact to assist communities to hire their own counsellors to deal with issues around addiction and recovery. And in particular, as you may know, there are -- there are 16 people being trained in BC who are called the Dene Wellness Warriors. And there's money available to communities to hire those folks and help them with their addiction services. That fund is not fully subscribed so I would encourage the Member to speak to her leadership about applying for it. Thank you.

Thank you. Could the Minister commit to working with the Minister of Education and Justice to ensure youth are educated and supported within the school curriculum and through counsellors to help youth in small community choose healthy lifestyle free of drugs? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have different kinds of media engagement with youth to warn them about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and I believe that that is delivered within the curriculum at the schools although that is really not my department. But we certainly agree that talking to youth at a very early age about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse is important to keeping them healthy and ensuring that they get the best possible start in life. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation.

Yesterday, the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation said that on April 1st, 2020, the Housing Corporation amended its construction contracts to require general contractors to support at least one northern apprentice on work assignments for the duration of the construction project.

The Minister identified 33 new apprentices working on assignments to date. This is great news, Mr. Speaker, and I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how they are monitoring general contractors, what the reporting requirements are, and what are the consequences for not hiring a local apprentice on a project? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question as well too.

When we were looking at the 90-unit delivery throughout the Northwest Territories and looking at our repairs as well, I wanted to make sure that we did have opportunity for smaller communities and employment. So just to answer the Member's questions that she had asked, the requirement to provide an apprentice work assignment applies to the Housing Corporation's new construction contracts. So in all of our contracts, there is a requirement that they have to hire local and we need to include an apprentice as well too. The contractor is required under this term of the contract to report all labour content, including apprentices, to the Housing Corporation as part of their interim progress payment request, providing an apprentice work assignment, it is a contractual requirement, and if not satisfied, the contractor could be deemed in breach of the contract. To date, I am pleased to advise that the Housing Corporation has not seen these issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And that's great news from the Housing Corporation.

My next question is about supporting these apprentices beyond the project. So how is Housing Corporation helping see these apprentices through to their completion of their program to become journey persons? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The apprentices would have a range of opportunities to continue to advance in their program. Opportunities would include future construction projects with the government, private sector and others, including Indigenous governments. The Housing Corporation also continues to promote apprentices -- apprentice opportunities with the local housing authorities. Currently, the Housing Corporation supports up to 12 apprentice positions in our local housing organization each year. Each apprentice is supported by a career development officer out of ECE regional service centre, who can advise an apprentice on employment opportunities and job -- and jobs in demand across the Northwest Territories. The career development officer supports the apprentices through their apprenticeship typically three to four years. These supports include career counselling, resume writing, access to technical for each level of their apprenticeship, financial supports during the technical training, academic supports during their technical training. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering -- and I'm happy the Minister brought up the relationship with ECE because I think that's a really important one in order to build local trades capacity. So I'm wondering if the Housing Corporation works along ECE to maintain a list of apprentices within each community that contractors can access? And I'm also wondering is if as part of that relationship with ECE if career advisors actually have access to the needs of a community as far as trades development so that they can encourage high school students, when they go into high schools, to take on these roles in their communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I heard three questions in that question. But it's good to get the information out to the public as well too.

The Housing Corporation continues to work closely with ECE in providing opportunities for apprenticeship with our local housing organizations. The Housing Corporation also plans to participate in upcoming career fairs and other venues to promote these apprenticeship opportunities.

The Housing Corporation participates in a departmental working group with ECE and provides regular reporting to ECE on apprenticeship hires with local housing organizations as well as those supports through our new construction contracts.

The Housing Corporation works with ECE to verify the apprentice hires under the new construction contracts and the Northwest Territories registered apprentices. ECE administers the apprenticeships, trades and occupation certificates, which includes registration of apprentices.

Due to the privacy legislation, ECE does not share names of apprentices with employers; however, ECE does provide advice to employers who are looking for apprentices.

Further, each apprentice is supported by a career development officer who can advise an apprentice on employment opportunities and jobs in demand across the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for my 7th question today, I was wondering if the Minister can share if maintenance and repair plans are shared with the community in order to engage local residents on what the plans are of Housing Corporation and how people can get involved in that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation district offices work closely with the local housing organizations to identify priority repair projects in the community. In addition, the Housing Corporation continues to work with development of community housing plans with communities that identify priority investment areas, including repairs project priorities. The Housing Corporation continues to report -- promote, sorry, the Community Housing Support Initiative Program that engages community leadership to identify housing solutions for their community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to just touch a little bit on the Affirmative Action Policy. It was first discussed back in 1976 when Stuart Hodgson was still the -- was still around. And back in that time, they felt the need of creating a policy. So it's been 46 years now since that discussion's been ongoing and it's something that needs to be looked at. And at this point, I'm not too happy the way it's -- where it's going. It's -- it needs a lot of work and I'm hoping that the recruitment and retention action policy plan that the Minister of Finance spoke about the other day, they will take that into consideration.

Anyway, I have a question but I had mentioned earlier the GNWT holds the diamond mines to high standards for their employment targets, also in reporting. Can the Minister commit to producing annual reports that demonstrate whether the GNWT has reached the employment targets by department and brought to this House? Mahsi.