This is page numbers 4497 - 4544 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)

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Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I always love when there are additional children in the room with us today. And thank you very much to the Member for Yellowknife South. She is right - there are blind spots in this room, and I can't see. So welcome to Laila Pegg for being in the House today, and thank you for joining us. Thank you.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)

Page 4523

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Once again, I'd like to thank everybody for coming in today. It really lightened the atmosphere in the room today. I hope you all enjoyed the proceedings. And always good to have an audience. Mahsi.

Colleagues, we will call a short recess. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery (reversion)

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Okay, written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Now that's a tough act to follow.

My questions, I have three sets of written questions. The first one, my question's for the Minister of Infrastructure.

Please provide a list of all contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Slave Geological Province Corridor from April 1, 2020 to present, and:

  1. Indicate the date of the contract signing, date of completion or anticipated completion, whether the contract was sole-sourced, the value of the contract, the general purpose and scope of work, whether there were any financial or scope amendments and a summary of same, the name and location of the contractor;
  2. In providing the list of contracts, indicate whether any of the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy and received such consideration in the evaluation of bids or proposals; and
  3. What future actions are planned to maximize northern employment, training, and business opportunities in future contracts related to the Slave Geological Province Corridor.

Number two, my question's for the Minister of Infrastructure.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Please provide a list of all contracts entered into by GNWT for work related to the Taltson Hydro Expansion, including studies on submarine transmission lines, from April 1, 2020 to present, and:

  1. Indicate the date of the contract signing, date of completion or anticipated completion, whether the contract was sole-sourced, the value of the contract, the general purpose or scope of work, whether there were any financial or scope amendments and a summary of same, the name and location of the contractor;
  2. In providing the list of contracts, indicate whether any of the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy and received such consideration in the evaluation of bids or proposals; and
  3. What future actions are planned to maximize northern employment, training, and business opportunities in future contracts related to the Taltson Hydro Expansion.
The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Before we continue, please be mindful of the interpreters. They're in overdrive right now. Written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I apologize to the interpreters and the House.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The "Review of Royalty Regulations in the Development of Resources Legislation in the NWT" research paper states that "government and investors should share pre-tax cash flow over the life of a mine roughly on a 50:50 basis." There are a number of scattered references to post-devolution government revenues in this research paper but no clear, systematic, and detailed presentation of post-devolution government revenues from mining.

Please provide the average annual total of retained revenues from mining to the Government of the NWT from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2022 including the following:

  1. An itemized listing of all the sources of revenues included in the annual average retained revenues (For example, mining royalties, corporate taxes, property taxes, payroll tax, fuel tax, and any other revenues);
  2. The average annual value of diamonds and any other minerals produced and exported from the NWT over this period of time;
  3. The average annual values of any mining revenues shared with Indigenous governments over this period of time; and
  4. An analysis of whether the net retained revenues from mining to the Government of the Northwest Territories meets the target of between 40 to 60 percent of pre-tax cash flow generated by a project as the government share, as recommended by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I've done my three.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Okay, sorry.

You still have one more to go. No, I'm just kidding.

Written questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Status of housing renovation in the Tlicho region.

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

According to the budget for this fiscal year, there were 22 housing units that were to be renovated in Behchoko during this fiscal year. Summer is here and renovations should be underway, but the community has not seen progress.

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister is how many units in Behchoko are actually being renovated in 2022-2023; and further, for those units:

  1. How many of the units renovated are empty units that will be renovated to make them available to people on the waiting list;
  2. How many of the renovation contracts were awarded to businesses located in the Tlicho region;
  3. How many Tlicho residents received training or apprenticeship through the renovation projects in Behchoko; and
  4. How many renovations of units will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year.

Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, NWT State of Environmental Report 2022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, 2022-23 Consolidated Budget; Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022; and, Socio-Economic Analysis of Parsons' Procurement at the Giant Mine Site - Summary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, The Cost of Addressing Core Housing Need in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents, Child and Family Services Quality Improvement Plan and the Strategic Approach to System Reform April 2022; and, Northwest Territories Health and Social Services System Human Resources Plan 2021-2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Colleagues, pursuant to Section 5 of the indemnities, allowances and expense regulations of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the summary of Members' absences for the period February 21st to May 25th, 2022.

Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Motions. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A Strategy to Match Canada's Population Growth.

WHEREAS Statistics Canada's projects lower population growth from 2018 to 2043 for the Northwest Territories, at 9 per cent, than for Canada, at 25 per cent;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics projects that by 2035, the population will decline in 18 of 33 communities, including Inuvik (-407 residents), Fort Simpson (-233 residents), Fort Smith (-80 residents), Fort Resolution (-68 residents), Whati (-68 residents), Fort Providence (-64 residents), and Tuktoyaktuk (-42 residents);

AND WHEREAS over 6,300 dwellings, or 43 percent, in the Northwest Territories have an affordability, adequacy, or suitability issue, and upwards of 900 households are on the public housing waitlist, despite a stagnating population;

AND WHEREAS growth in Territorial Formula Financing, which provides an average of 70 per cent of the Government of the Northwest Territories' revenues, relies heavily on Northwest Territories population growth relative to Canada;

AND WHEREAS population growth of the Northwest Territories is one of the most effective ways to increase federal transfer payments and government revenues;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories' Mandate for the 19th Assembly directs Cabinet to increase the number of resident healthcare professionals by at least 20 per cent;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories' faces acute labour shortages in the next decade, including 13,700 total job openings, 270 for nurses, and 140 for other professional occupations in health;

AND WHEREAS other Canadian jurisdictions are offering increasingly competitive publicly-funded benefits for healthcare workers, such as recruitment benefits and fertility treatments;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories does not fulfill its annual immigration quota allotted by the Government of Canada through the nominee program;

AND WHEREAS the Northwest Territories offers one of, if not the most, competitive post-secondary student financial assistance in the country;

AND WHEREAS the rising cost of living, which is reaching 30-year high, can be reduced by increasing our territorial population;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories lacks a unified framework to sustain and grow the territory's population;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife North, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to create a comprehensive strategy to match Canada's population growth;

AND FURTHER, that this strategy aimed to sustain the population of each community and grow the territory's overall population by 25 percent by 2043;

AND FURTHERMORE, that this strategy is linked with a goal to add at least 3,700 new homes, or 25 percent, by 2043 and an update to each community's housing plan to make this priority;

AND FURTHERMORE, that this strategy bring together existing policies, programs, and campaigns aimed at keeping residents in the North and attracting new residents;

AND FURTHERMORE, that this strategy include:

  • an analysis of what brings people to the North;
  • an analysis of what keeps residents in the North;
  • a plan to address the increasing cost of living to keep residents in the North;
  • an immigration strategy;
  • a communication strategy to attract people to the North; and
  • a review of business programs to help residents establish and grow their business in the North;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Kam Lake.