Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform this House that the draft NWT energy management strategy is out for public feedback until February 21, 2023. This strategic approach will support both Housing NWT's energy goals and objectives, as well the strategic objectives of the GNWT's 2030 Energy Strategy and a long-term view towards guiding energy management decisions and investments. The strategy will also support skill training, economic development opportunities, and more reliable and sustainable energy systems for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, recognizing the importance of public engagement in the development of this strategy, in January 2023 Housing NWT released a draft strategy for public review and comment. As noted earlier, this public comment period will be open until February 21st, 2023 and provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to offer valuable feedback.

Mr. Speaker, over the past several months there has been key engagement work completed, including hosting technical workshops with experts in the energy sector, meetings with our local housing organizations, letters to Indigenous organizations seeking input, and presentations to the Council of Leaders. From the valuable input received and the analysis of the energy use of our housing units, Housing NWT drafted an energy management strategy. Housing NWT recognizes the importance of energy efficiency, especially in times when we are aware of how climate change is affecting our lives. We know we must improve the energy efficiency of our housing and investing in long-term alternative energy products and solutions. Improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energy provides benefits such as lowering operating costs, improving living conditions, and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions which is vital in our fight against climate change. Working to plan, build, and manage our assets in an energy-efficient manner is part of Housing NWT's new mission, values, and vision.

As I spoke previously, Mr. Speaker, we are striving to meet all our new mandate commitments. The new energy management strategy will inform change to policy and programs necessary as part of our renewal, speaking directly to the well-being of our communities, especially considering the issues caused by climate change. As Northerners, we must take seriously the impact that climate change is having on our environment.

I can confirm that since 2010, Housing NWT has invested over $5.1 million in 13 alternative renewable energy projects such as solar and biomass projects in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Behchoko, Dettah, N'dilo, Fort Resolution, Fort Liard, Whati, and Aklavik.

Mr. Speaker, I very much look forward to the release of this new strategy and blueprint in the spring of 2023 as Housing NWT continues to work closely with Indigenous governments, community governments, the private sector, and non-for-profit sectors, and our federal funding partners in realizing the goals and objectives of this energy management strategy. I would also like to thank the staff of Housing NWT for contributing and putting this document together. It's much appreciated.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to working with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations on conservation in the Northwest Territories. The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources has spent the last three years implementing establishment agreements, drafting site-specific regulations, and establishing management boards for existing territorial protected areas, Thaidene Nene and Tuyeta. The network of protected and conservation areas in the NWT comes with many benefits:

• Conservation areas protect ecological and cultural important space;
• They help to maintain biodiversity, which is critically important for the ecosystem's health; and,
• They empower and employ communities.

Today I would like to share some of the successes in implementing that network and the work we will continue through the rest of this government. Mr. Speaker, this past December, the Deline Got'ine government, affirmed along with the Governments of Canada and Northwest Territories their commitment to enhance the conservation and stewardship in the Great Bear Lake watershed. As part of this commitment, the Deline Got'ine government announced their intent to create the Sahtu K'aowe Indigenous protected and conservation area. This will enhance and formally recognize the stewardship the Sahtu Got'ine have had in the Great Bear Lake watershed within the Deline district for millennia. This project means active stewardship of the world's eighth-largest lake and much of its watershed and reflected meaningful steps forward for reconciliation.

Mr. Speaker, ensuring that we have a strong economy is essential to ensuring the people of the Northwest Territories, in all communities, have meaningful jobs and opportunities. To this end, our government is working with Indigenous leadership who are bringing the public and philanthropic sectors together to explore options for the long-term investment in the NWT conservation network that will also benefit our environment. This arrangement is known as project finance for permanence, a dedicated fund to support implementation of protected and conserved areas, support the economy, and empower Indigenous communities.

Last December, as the world came to Montreal to negotiate a new framework for preserving biodiversity, our government was there alongside Indigenous leaders and the federal government to promote investment in our territory's conservation network. This included support for community economic development and Indigenous-led stewardship programs through a project finance for permanence in the Northwest Territories. We will continue to pursue this initiative and ensure the interests of all NWT residents are presented.

Mr. Speaker, advancing conservation starts with a good plan. To this end, we are near to finalizing a renewed work plan for advancing the conservation network. This plan has been built upon engagement with Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, stakeholders, and the public.

Mr. Speaker, there is much more work to be done to advance conservation in the NWT. This work includes advancing decision-making on the establishment of Canada protected areas, supporting territorial protected area management boards, providing conservation network information to the public, and supporting Indigenous-led conservation and stewardship initiatives. Alongside Indigenous leaders, we are seeking long-term funding so that conservation can bring real benefits for the communities that support social, cultural, and economic well-being of people across the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, February is Indigenous Languages Month in the Northwest. Territories. [Translation unavailable].

This month let us celebrate the territory's nine Indigenous languages and learn about the important role language revitalization plays in advancing reconciliation in a real and meaningful way.

Mr. Speaker, for generations Indigenous people have lived under systems designed to erode their cultures, strip their identities, and erase their languages. Here in the NWT and across Canada, we have seen a profound loss of language among Indigenous residents and communities. I am one of the countless Indigenous people who never acquired the language that was spoken by my ancestors. This is a reality that many people face and one that must be addressed. We have a shared responsibility, Mr. Speaker, as a government and as NWT residents, to advocate for the territory's Indigenous languages and revitalize them. This month I encourage NWT residents to connect with these languages through radio, podcasts, books, and television, and learn simple phrases and original place names.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has put together several resources and activities for residents, including a video on Indigenous Languages Month and a virtual scavenger hunt for tips on how each of us can support Indigenous language revitalization. Across the territory, residents will find coffee sleeves promoting Indigenous Language Month at their local coffee shops, and I hope everyone can take the time to enjoy a coffee or tea while practicing new vocabulary and common phrases in one or more of the NWT's official Indigenous languages.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is working diligently to achieve its vision of an NWT where Indigenous languages are supported, respected and thriving. Every year, we feel the momentum growing as more and more people are accessing our Indigenous languages programs. We saw proof of this in December when we received a record 37 applications for the Indigenous Languages Revitalization Scholarship. These individuals are studying to become Indigenous language teachers, interpreters, translators, and linguists.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate the participants of the third year of the mentor-apprentice program who recently completed 200 hours of Indigenous language immersion. Their dedication is an inspiration. Increasing the number of fluent speakers will help expand services available in Indigenous languages across the government, in schools, early learning and child care programs, and other public services. The fourth year of the mentor-apprentice program will begin accepting applications on February 13, and I encourage everyone to consider participating.

2022 marked the beginning of the United Nations' Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Mr. Speaker, the aim of the decade is to draw attention to the critical loss of Indigenous languages and the need to preserve, revitalize and promote them. The GNWT's Indigenous Languages Action Plan, which was recently extended to 2024-2025, focuses on meeting these same goals for Indigenous language revitalization and providing access to public services in all nine of the NWT's official Indigenous languages.

Mr. Speaker, learning and reclaiming Indigenous languages requires commitment from governments, communities and people. So let us all take the time this month to educate ourselves on the Indigenous languages spoken in our regions, support those who speak them, and encourage those who are learning them. By working together to revitalize the NWT's Indigenous languages, we will help strengthen NWT communities, regions, and the territory as a whole. Kinana skomitin, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi cho, Minister. Ministers' statements. Deputy Premier.

Mr. Speaker, Premier is here today. Thank you.

Thank you, Deputy Premier. Ministers' statements. Order. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on October the 5th, 2022, the Government of the Northwest Territories and Union of Northern Workers signed an MOU providing a one-time labour market supplement in the form of a recruitment and retention bonus depending on eligibility requirements. According to the MOU, the labour market supplement will be applied as retention bonuses for some registered nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, licensed practical nurses, and medical laboratory technologists. Eligible employees will receive between $5,000 and $7,000 depending on the NWT community they live in. An additional temporary labour market supplement in the same amounts would also be given as recruitment bonuses for new hires into eligible positions such as registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and midwives.

Mr. Speaker, while in theory this is a good idea being used by the Government of the Northwest Territories; however, in practice the way they are delivering these bonuses has been done poorly. The main issues with this are that the finance department is only giving these recruitment and retention bonuses to a select number of health employees. This means that there are many nurses across the NWT who are omitted from receiving the labour market supplement retention bonus. In fact, I've been contacted by several constituents who work in health, some of whom have worked in that area and have lived in Fort Smith for nearly 20 years, and they never received this retention bonus. This is unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, if the Government of the Northwest Territories truly wants to retain nurses, midwives, and laboratory technologist staff with the labour market supplement, then our government needs to seriously rethink their approach with this. The parameters around this policy are too strict, and it has needlessly created divisions among the new and old staff in the NTSSA. For the Government of the Northwest Territories to reward new nurses with bonuses and not give the labour market supplement bonus to long-term nursing staff who have lived in the NWT for years is not okay. The divide among this bonus has created tension and an unhealthy work environment for many staff who feel undervalued, left out, and forgotten by their employer the Government of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I've spoken to the Minister of Finance about this many times over the last few months but she's unwilling to revisit this and make any changes to this temporary recruitment and retention bonus. The Minister tells me that these bonuses are not designed to be a thank you to employees despite their length of service or the type of work they've done throughout their careers.

We all know there is a healthcare crisis across Canada right now so the retention of our long-term staff should be a priority, but that's not happening right now. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Youth in Nunakput and the Beaufort Delta communities are asking for more sports and recreation. Mr. Speaker, we all know how important sports and recreation are for the -- helps our youth to grow mentally, become more confident, develop skills, and have physical outlet. Sports gives a chance to meeting new friends, a positive environment, travel for tournaments, and all that goes along with that.

Mr. Speaker, recreation can improve the quality of a person's life but not all youth can participate. Some of the smaller communities that have to fly in and fly out, they don't have the money to pay for registration fees, sports equipment, or for travel, Mr. Speaker. Some communities don't even have facilities, staffing, or coaching. We're doing our best in Nunakput communities, but we need help.

Mr. Speaker, the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action number 90(1) says that, We call upon the federal government to ensure that national sports policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive to Aboriginal peoples, including, but not limited to, or establishing: In collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments, stable funding for, and access to, community sports programs and that reflect the diverse cultures, traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples.

Mr. Speaker, to support youth access to sports and recreation, to give this a better life, we need investment from our GNWT. And I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are now in a new year and inching closer to spring and potential spring flooding, and one can only imagine the anxiety of those Hay River residents affected by flooding last year.

Mr. Speaker, recently I have experienced an increase in the number of calls with respect to both remediation and mitigation questions. Considering that we expect the federal government to provide a majority of the financial support which comes with restrictions, it is important to ensure that the information received from the federal government is not distorted as it passes through the chain of command before it reaches the Pathfinders and those affected residents.

Mr. Speaker, not only is the potential for spring flooding an issue but so is the continued matter of rebuilding after last year's flooding. Many residents are still in disbelief as to the devastation and the stress it has caused. As the summer construction season is fast approaching, many residents are hoping to either complete repairs or replace their homes that are beyond repair. There continues to be questions with process including inconsistencies between the adjuster's confidential reports and mitigation assessment reports received by clients. These inconsistencies need clarification that goes beyond the authority of the Pathfinders.

Mr. Speaker, some residents are not familiar with project management, construction, engineering, or contracts. Although I have assisted some throughout this process, there are others who are looking for assistance and direction on how to begin their own process of rebuilding or replacing their home. We must understand there may be contractors out there who know that the cost of remediation is covered by government and who may be willing to take advantage of the situation. What we need to provide to these homeowners with is access to third party project management to ensure that the work, that is being done by contractors, not only meets code but that the timeline and budget numbers are fair and reasonable. The cost of this project management service must be a part of the rebuild cost.

Mr. Speaker, I am expecting this to be a very busy season for rebuilding in Hay River. Because of that, it is important this government has the staff in the community that can provide timely supports required for residents. I will be asking the Minister to direct his staff to hold a public meeting in Hay River to hear and address concerns from residents prior to this construction season.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize the work of the Canadian Red Cross Society. The CRCS is part of the largest disaster relief and humanitarian network in the world. Comprised of the International Committee of the Red Cross and many related organizations, the Red Cross movement works to help people and communities in times of need and to strengthen their resilience. There can be only one Red Cross Society in each country, and we are very lucky to have the Canadian Red Cross Society as part of our national identity.

Over the course of the pandemic, the CRCS provided a wide range of services and aid in the NWT. The CRCS environmental prevention and control team supported 38 NWT sites, ranging from schools to health centres to shelters. Fifty workshops were held over a six-week period at Stanton, and in Behchoko and Inuvik, to provide training on epidemic prevention, viral containment, and mitigation. The CRCS was engaged in COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, public health and community nursing, patient care, and various other tasks based on urgent need. The CRCS provided 22 qualified medical personnel to the NWT, including registered nurses and physicians.

The CRCS has also played a role in smaller NWT communities outside of COVID-19 supports: Two physicians supporting Hay River's health centres to prevent their closure as well as registered nursing support to Stanton Hospital's OR. In Fort Simpson, where the CRCS has a municipal agreement to collaborate, a psychological first aid course was held for community members. As well, an opioid harm reduction and first aid course was delivered to over 30 participants with 60 nasal Narcan kits distributed.

During the 2022 flooding, the CRCS provided mental health and psycho-social supports via CRCS safety and well-being volunteers, as well as a public health advisor, to help in both Hay River and in Yellowknife. And I don't need to tell you, Mr. Speaker, about the amazing work done by the Red Cross internationally, in all corners of the globe.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues. As we continue to face the challenges presented by our ever-changing climate, a strong relationship with the CRCS will be more important than ever. Climate-driven disasters and emergencies are only expected to increase in frequency and intensity, and it is crucial we respond rapidly and effectively. These emergencies will be more complex, overlap with each other, include a public health and/or mental health component, and be longer in duration requiring communities and governments of all levels to collaborate and coordinate with organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the call for more activities in the NWT communities is one Regular Members have heard multiple times in relation to child and family services, homelessness prevention, and suicide prevention.

Mr. Speaker, there is so much to be learned from sport - how to be a team player, how to focus on what we can control and let go of what we can't, and how to release some good old endorphins. Sports connect us, can help us learn to problem solve, and work wonders for our mental health. But activity is more than sport. It's recreation and physical activity that provide a link to culture, tradition, land, and physical and mental health.

According to the NWT Association of Communities, when the cross to municipalities increases, the first thing to go is programming which is often recreational programming. Over the past three years, NWT communities have felt inflationary increases and operating and infrastructure costs. And while this government will achieve its goal of putting an additional $5 million toward the municipal funding gap, with inflation this investment will not succeed in reducing the municipal funding gap by the intended $5 million.

Mr. Speaker, the municipal funding gap isn't a new budgeting challenge for NWT communities. But we have heard how it is going to become even further squeezed with the upcoming rise in the carbon tax, which does not include revenue sharing with municipalities or NGOs. NWTAC says carbon tax costs are expected to add $2 million to community budgets and that non-tax based communities, the NWT's smallest and most remote where increasing own source revenues is not an option, will need to cut programming to accommodate carbon tax shortfalls.

In the NWT's tax based communities, covering the carbon tax cost will again rely on yet another tax increase. Here in Yellowknife, 2022 saw a nine percent property tax increase. And in 2023, city council passed a 4.37 percent tax increase. Continued increases are already forecast for 2024 and 2025.

Mr. Speaker, our communities are calling for an increase in activity infrastructure and programming as we work toward building a stronger healthier North. But I worry the true cost of excluding municipalities and NGOs from carbon tax revenue sharing is the unintended consequence of reducing programs in so many of our communities that need it most and a continued increase in NWT cost of living that is hollowing out our middle class and threatening our population growth. Not only do we need to close the municipal funding gap, Mr. Speaker, but we need to ensure that our municipalities aren't further financially burdened by the carbon tax. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when COVID-19 shut down our schools, we know that it was difficult for all students. Many students struggled to attend online, online classes and keep up with the work. Now that we are out of the pandemic, we see the real effects that COVID-19 had on our education of our youth and our children. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is for the youth that were in high school during the pandemic, when the schools closed and opened and closed and then opened and went online and -- those are the concerns that I have.

What do we know about these youth? Do we know the impact that it caused these youth? I am concerned about the rate of attendance and if Indigenous students from small communities, regional centres were at a higher number, if they weren't attending or not able to access schooling online? And did they complete the required work? I know in my community that there are students, through the challenges of COVID-19, struggled and some unable to graduate high school.

Mr. Speaker, we have young adults who are challenged to keep up with school during the pandemic. Now they are young adults without a high school education or, some may say, a watered-down education as they were exempt from having to complete parts of their courses and even exempt from writing some of their exams. How can we support these youth? What programs are available?

Mr. Speaker, this is our future workforce, our labour pool. These are our future polytechnic university students, our affirmative action employees, but what does their future look like without a high school education? We know young adults are struggling to complete their education and so how is the GNWT investing in this success? I'll have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. It's time for another statement on the millions of dollars of preventable liabilities our government has taken on from our mismanagement of the Cameron Hills gas field once owned by Strategic Oil and Gas. Production stopped in February 2011, and it finally went into receivership in 2020. We accepted this site under the Devolution Agreement without full financial security and without an approved closure plan. Nothing was done to prevent the site from becoming a public liability. The final revisions to the fourth version of the closure and reclamation plan were supposed to be submitted in April 2021 and that still hasn't happened.

November 2022 was the last report from the court-appointed receiver. It shows that GNWT and the receiver have been trying to sell the property since July 2021. In July 2022, a request for proposal was issued for abandonment of some of the wells on site by the receiver. This is to comply with an order issued by the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas in July 2019. The first batch of 24 wells is to be properly abandoned by March 31, 2023 - just a matter of a few weeks away, Mr. Speaker - and the rest of the wells by 2026.

Environmental Liability Management Incorporated of Calgary has been selected to do this work and has negotiated some sort of an abandonment agreement. A land use permit for this work was issued in January of this year. It looks like the work may have started because there is a shiny new sign on the access road south of the border when I drove by in late January. It's also not clear whether a proper closure plan will ever be completed for the property and how the current abandonment work relates to that uncompleted plan. It looks like all the work has gone to a southern company and that none of that spending is taking place in the NWT to benefit our so-called "remediation economy." The last report says GNWT payments to the receiver have been about $3.9 million and all of the money held as financial security has been used up so all additional costs will be covered by taxpayers.

We also learned in the review of the 2021-2022 public accounts that $20 million has been added to GNWT's liabilities to cover some of the costs for Cameron Hills. It is not clear how much more taxpayers will have to pay out to remediate this site. Needless to say, Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of questions about what is going on with the Cameron Hills field, and why nothing has been done to prevent this from happening again and again. I'll ask the Minister of Lands for those answers later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, thank you. We know that the health system is collapsing. Every day there are more signs of distress. While I agree wholeheartedly with these words, they are not mine. Mr. Speaker, rather, they belong to the Canadian Medical Association who wrote, in August last year, there's no part of healthcare system untouched by the current crisis. The problem isn't physicians or nurses or healthcare workers. It's not one province or a territory.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents have been struggling with healthcare support for many years. The medical travel system is held bounded by the health department's inflexible and outdated policies, staff shortage at our state-of-the-art hospital here in Yellowknife, our chronic and services have been reduced and likely to be even more curtailed as the government struggles to come to grips with this crisis. This is not an easy problem to solve but there are solutions.

Mr. Speaker, last year the Canadian Medical Association brought together thousands of professional patients and policymakers to collaborate on workable proposals that will fix many of the problems in healthcare. Amongst these are * expanding team-based care so many Canadians have timely access to family doctors and other primary care practitioners; creating national human resources strategy to rebuild Canada's healthcare workforce in a proactive sustainable way; improving workforce data collection across healthcare systems to track ongoing gaps in progress; investing in new training and education infrastructure to increase the supply of physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners; introducing pan-Canadian licensure to make sure physicians are more mobile, potentially easing pressure on rural and remote communities, allowing for more quick and able crisis response amongst other benefits; scaling up virtual cases and leveraging the promises of artificial intelligence to improve access to care.

While the CMA may have solutions in the organized noted, what's missing is leadership and collaboration between all levels of government as well as with health professionals and patients who live in the current crisis every day. A lack of leadership and collaboration is all too familiar the story in this Assembly. Time and time again we have asked the government to work with this side of the House. Instead, we are stonewalled with policies and politics that get in the way of helping our constituents. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, Northerners want to know what the government is doing to solve our current health crisis; I mean real solutions and strategies, not lip service statements in the House and status quo in our health centres. So I'll be asking the Minister for a clearer and decisive action to make long-term overdue improvements in healthcare and I expect that she has the answer that my constituents, and all NWT residents need to hear, to be confident in their medical system is on the road to recovery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When are we going to remove Walmart from the business incentive policy, Mr. Speaker? I want to clarify it's not just Walmart, it's the entirety of Schedule 3 of the business incentive policy, which is a list of 54 grandfathered southern-owned companies that, about a decade ago, seemed to get grandfathered in. And, Mr. Speaker, these are some of the largest companies in the world, like Loblaws. Why do we have to give preferential bid adjustments to Loblaws, Mr. Speaker?

Another egregious example, Northwestel. Northwestel has a legally-protected monopoly in the North yet we have adjusted well over $60 million of their bids. They bid and we say oh no, that's not enough money for your legally-protected monopoly; we're going to add a little more under the business incentive policy, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, now there's a number of reasons why companies have got on there. But at this point, the only fair thing is to remove them all. Another example is Clark Builders, Mr. Speaker, who have won well over $200 million in contracts from the GNWT under BIP adjustments. At one point they had their start in the North, but they have grown to be one of the top ten construction companies in Canada. They no longer need their bids adjusted.

Mr. Speaker, also on that list is Golder and Associates, which has thousands of employees. And I'm happy they have an office with a few employees in the North, but they have grown so large they don't need their bids adjusted. And the reality is they compete against local firms and local environmental consulting firms who are actually BIP registered.

Mr. Speaker, there are countless examples where, whether it be paying for food, paying for construction, paying for consulting, these companies that have been bought and sold time and time again, until they are part of global consortiums with thousands of employees, are now having their bids adjusted for no justifiable reason and all it is doing is costing the taxpayer more money. I will have questions for the Minister of ITI on when we are going to update our BIP policy and remove this schedule. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Decentralizations of North Slave district housing office. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in this House many times about the housing crisis in the Tlicho region. There are not enough homes to house the people in Tlicho region. The homes we do have are overcrowded and undermaintained. Many homes have mold. There are no housing staff in district office that speak Tlicho language. Further, there are not enough housing staff in the Tlicho region, and they are overworked. Tlicho residents need someone who can speak the language to help them deal with their housing issues. If people in the Tlicho region have problems or issues or want to submit program application, they have to do so through the North Slave district office in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, this is a barrier.

Mr. Speaker, this means that residents from Tlicho region have to drive into the capital city, enter a government building which is intimidating for some people whose first language is not English, or they have to wait for the North Slave district office to visit the communities. The requirement to work with the North Slave district housing office in Yellowknife is not working for Tlicho citizens and other people living in the Tlicho region. Mr. Speaker, there needs to be decision-making authority within the Tlicho region. The North Slave housing district office needs to be decentralized into the Tlicho region so Housing NWT can actually improve the housing crisis in the region.

Mr. Speaker, we know there is a housing crisis in Behchoko, the largest Indigenous community in the NWT, yet the main estimate show that Behchoko housing support worker has been sunset this year. A local Tlicho position has been sunset but, Mr. Speaker, there are six new positions established in Yellowknife for this fiscal year. This is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, this government should be focused on decentralizing services to improve services to residents in small communities, not creating more barriers. I will have questions for the Minister of housing. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today it saddens me to stand in this House and speak about the passing of a well-known man from the community of Jean Marie River.

Eddie Gargan was born on November 10th, 1945, at Kelly Lake to his parents Celine and Charles Gargan. Eddie was the third oldest of his family. He passed away on October 20, 2022, with his loving family around him. The family told me about the day he was born. His grandma told his sister Beatrice and brother Phillip that he had walk to his mom when he was born. They were so excited to see the tracks outside their grandma's home. They danced around with joy that day. Later in life, they were told that those were whiskey jack footprints and not Eddie's. It was a family joke that they still share today.

Eddie grew up in Jean Marie River and Fort Simpson. In his younger days, he enjoyed being on the land with his parents and his siblings. Eddie was a very quiet person. Even when he was seriously sick, he didn't tell people about his pain or sickness. The family talked about how he enjoyed listening to his dad read the Bible very Sunday. It was one of his highlights of the week. To the day he passed away, you could always find the Bible near his chair.

Like his family, Eddie was a hard-working person who enjoyed all aspects of work he did. He took pride in getting things done right the first time. If he needed help, he would ask. I can tell you he was well-respected by his co-workers and bosses. He worked hard to get things done in a timely manner. As well, he was very respectful to his colleagues and co-workers. He would always find good in people and had nice things to say about them.

Eddie was buried in Jean Marie alongside his family that passed away with him. Eddie will be greatly missed by his daughter, two granddaughters, his brother and sister and great many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Speaker, the Gargan family would like to thank everybody for all their support and kindness during their time of sorrow. They appreciate everyone who was able to attend his funeral. And then as well, they would like to thank all the medical staff in Fort Simpson during the difficult time. Mr. Speaker, he will always be in our thoughts and our prayers. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a little bit of a list here today. So I'd first like to start with recognizing Jennifer McManus, the vice-president of the Red Cross for Alberta and the Northwest Territories who has provided a lot of help to us over the past few years through climate change events as well as COVID-19.

Next, I'd like to recognize Mr. Raymond Pidzamecky, who is a registered social worker with health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health branch. Mr. Pidzamecky has been working in the North with families of residential school survivors for several decades now, I believe.

And then behind me, I have from Canadian North, I have Jim Ballingall who is the vice-president of sales, distribution and marketing.

As well as Yellowknife's own Samantha Stuart who is the manager of sales and community investments for the Northwest Territories.

Welcome them all to the Chamber. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize Samantha Stewart, a constituent of Range Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Range Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Replies to budget address, day 4 of 7. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The 2023-2024 Main Estimates present pretty much a status quo budget for this government. I am going to talk about what's in the budget, what should be in it, and also about some priorities for the next Assembly in terms of fiscal sustainability.

While I can support most of the spending, there are still some serious shortfalls and trouble is still on the horizon. Both short-term and long-term debt continues to increase, and we remain very close to the debt limit. There is the largest operating surplus of the 19th Assembly at $178 million, but that is largely due to the scaled back over-budgeting on the capital side. This much healthier surplus comes despite slow growth in revenues, higher inflation, and unforeseen flood remediation requirements. The healthier surplus should also provide greater room for the spending associated with the issues and priorities identified by Regular MLAs.

It's unfortunate that input from Regular MLAs is not sought earlier in the process, something I've recommended for the last seven years I've been here. There should be a meeting between the Regular MLAs and the Finance Minister to share priorities and issues before the budget is developed.

There are some good initiatives in this budget, such as funding for the labour market supplement for some healthcare workers, which should be expanded, and more for recruitment as well. There is more funding for some non-governmental organizations, apparently a 2.2 percent increase with a total value of $780,000. However, it's not clear why some departmental contributions and grants funding was not increased, and I will single our Environment and Natural Resources, Lands, and the Executive and Indigenous Affairs departments where there were no increases. About two-thirds of the NGOs seem to be targeted for the increase but this should be applied to all of the contributions and grants provided by GNWT, especially during this period of high inflation. Better yet, we need a policy change to our funding arrangements that incorporates increases into multi-year funding arrangements to allow NGOs to continue to do the valuable work that makes the NWT a better place. The GNWT also needs to do a better job in disclosing, on an annual basis, all of the grants and contributions provided along with the organizations that receive them.

With this budget, the Cabinet will complete its very low and less-than-ambitious commitment to increase funding by $5 million to make a small dent in the municipal funding gap. That $5 million probably doesn't even begin to cover the increases in that gap that have taken place since 2015. We can't even get a new calculation of the current municipal funding gap from Cabinet. This gap will continue to grow and will do so even more during 2023-2024 due to the carbon tax increases and the decision by Cabinet not to share any of those revenues with community governments.

I understand that the increased carbon taxes will cost community governments an extra $2 million in 2023-2024 and this will climb with further carbon tax increases. Tax-based municipalities will be forced to raise property taxes and smaller communities will likely cut programs and services to cope with the carbon tax increases. If GNWT is to continue the administration of a carbon tax, or receives carbon taxes from the federal government, we must share some of the revenues to cover these increased costs and treat the communities as if they were diamond mines.

And while I am talking about the diamond mines, Mr. Speaker, I remained unconvinced that GNWT is doing anything serious to support the workers at Diavik which is scheduled to close in 2025. I got vague statements from the Finance Minister last week that GNWT departments are at some meetings on the socio-economic monitoring agreement. That's not good enough in terms of planning for economic transition. I would welcome any specifics on what we are doing as a government to help these workers but I don't see much in this budget that is likely to be of assistance.

A few other observations on the budget I would like to make:

The first is a $75 million bond issuance for the NWT Hydro Corporation. There are absolutely no details in the main estimates about this increase in debt and what this spending is actually all about. I am still waiting for details, Mr. Speaker. This Cabinet has failed to restore public governance to the NWT Power Corporation and our energy planning is, quite frankly, a mess. Crumbling and underutilized assets, reliance on big grids and old technology, no way of properly analyzing and disclosing trade-offs, I can't begin to express how out of touch with reality this system has become. A new focus on energy self-sufficiency and smaller scale solutions is urgently required.

There are some interesting references in the budget and papers to a review of the fiscal responsibility policy that has failed to keep us out of growing debt and huge over-budgeting of capital projects. It appears the Minister has finally heard Regular MLA calls for the calculations associated with the determination of compliance or non-compliance with that policy that will now regularly be found in financial documents. We need more detailed financial reporting and accountability throughout the year to ensure that sound financial management continues. There needs to be some consequences for non-compliance with the fiscal responsibility policy and, at a minimum, a requirement for a plan to be made public to bring our finances back in order.

I am particularly concerned with this government's increasing reliance on public-private partnerships as a way to finance larger capital projects. There has been little to no analysis or disclosure of the impact this has had on our operating budgets as P3 servicing costs eat away into our ability to provide programs and services. There should be a firm cap on P3 servicing costs just as there on debt servicing as part of a renewed fiscal responsibility policy.

One would also think that something as important as the fiscal responsibility policy would go through some form of public engagement as we do with such mundane matters like the renaming of the Stanton Legacy Building, or a survey on liquor and cannabis products. I will pursue this further with a Member's statement and questions for the Finance Minister at a later date.

The Government Renewal Initiative appears to have ground to halt, and I've yet to see anything made public or much that is very useful. While I support the concept of program evaluation and review, this work cannot possibly find enough spending cuts to fund our unsustainable path when there is over-budgeting on capital, growing debt, and no willpower to raise more revenues.

I would like to turn to some future priorities that I will pass on to future Assemblies in terms of fiscal responsibility that I do not believe have been adequately addressed during the budgets presented in this Assembly.

1. Review own source revenues and undertake a fair taxation review

• Increase the number of personal income tax brackets to five as seen in most other Canadian jurisdictions;
• Increase own source revenues as much as possible in the territorial formula funding arrangement and work with federal opposition parties to make that happen;
• Increase our resource revenues that have been characterized by world experts as some of the most charitable in the world. We are giving away our resources when we should be maximizing the benefits.

I will give some credit to the Finance Minister who appears to have listened to my concerns, and those of others, about the lack of transparency around the disclosure of resource revenues. For the first time ever, there is a statement showing the past and anticipated net fiscal benefit in these main estimates; in other words, what we actually get to keep from non-renewable resource development. This is good but can be improved by separating mining and petroleum revenues. We should also be accounting for payments from the federal government for Norman Wells. Of course, we should go even further and disclose royalty payments from each facility as is already done in Quebec and elsewhere. Mr. Speaker,

1. Focus on Economic Diversification

There are lots of statements in the budget address, and the economic and fiscal reviews about the pending closure of the diamond mines with little prospect of anything similar on the horizon. The next potential mines are financially and environmentally risky, in many cases already fully licensed, and what is holding them back is financing and commodity prices which we have no control over. Past efforts at concerted economic planning and diversification in the NWT have largely failed. We need to focus on economic diversification and self-sufficiency by building greater food security and import substitution. In an uncertain world with a climate crisis, economic diversification and self-sufficiency will provide greater security for all our residents. Mr. Speaker,

1. Housing, Housing, and More Housing

Cabinet has promised 100 new public housing units over four years of the 19th Assembly. Nunavut will build that many this summer under its new plan. If this government is serious about economic development, poverty, reconciliation, and virtually everything else, people need safe and affordable housing. This needs to be the priority for the next Assembly. No more mega-projects over housing when Cabinet goes to Ottawa. Treat housing as the mega-project for the next Assembly.

1. The Climate Crisis

The current Cabinet continues to pussyfoot around the climate crisis or climate emergency. I would have thought that two successive years of extraordinary and catastrophic flooding would have convinced this government that we are now in the midst of a climate crisis that will change virtually everything we do. I think I have only once ever heard a GNWT senior staff person say "climate crisis" once.

Our government continues to fail on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Our public reporting is so convoluted that no one understands it. The only reason we may reach the old and outdated greenhouse gas reduction targets is because of the closure of the Diavik diamond mine. I will be watching very closely to see if the new Department of Environment and Climate Change actually uses the terminology of a "crisis" or an "emergency" and has the responsibility and tools to coordinate and lead GNWT's efforts. If this is not part of the establishment policy for the new department, this Cabinet will have failed again. This government needs to stop being part of the problem, acknowledge the crisis or emergency, show leadership, and make better decisions on mitigation and adaptation.

In terms of the budget process, I can say that the relationship and negotiations with Cabinet over financial matters has been respectful and fruitful, a much different and welcome change from the previous Assembly. I will be happy to work with my colleagues on this side of the House to push for changes to the current budget. We still have more work ahead of us to ensure that the priorities of Regular MLAs are more clearly reflected in the budget, but I am confident that working together we can reach a reasonable compromise and a better balance. Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Replies to budget address. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Schedule 3 of the business incentive policy is quite a long list of companies, and I don't want to go through the reasons of why each of these got in here or others that, you know, seemingly have the exact same situation in this territory didn't. But can the Minister just give me some explanation of how we got here; why is there a specified list of southern companies that we give preferential treatment to? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the story starts way back in 2010. There was some policy revisions made at that time. And essentially any business that was already here at that time, and that was already operating in the Northwest Territories, was grandfathered in under that policy. And that has not changed, and so those companies continue to be on Schedule 3. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think at this point the only fair thing is to scrap the entire list and have a policy that anyone can apply to, and maybe some of these companies will reapply. But when you look at many of them, it's clear they have been bought and sold tens of times since they were put on this list and many are owned by, you know, global consortiums around the world. It just doesn't make sense to be spending extra taxpayer dollars on them.

So my question for the Minister of ITI is when is this procurement review going to be finished and will it remove this schedule? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, there's a number of different things happening with respect to the procurement review. Some already have seen some changes. There's been, for example, vendor performance management is now underway. Contracts are being updated accordingly. There's significant work happening led by EIA on Indigenous procurement, being codeveloped or codetermined with Indigenous parties that would benefit from that. There's also work happening in ITI, Mr. Speaker, around the business incentive policy and around the manufacturing policy to look at ways to improve that. And that is all expected happen still within the course and the lifetime of this government. That includes determining exactly what the definition of a northern business should be, which is certainly a little more complicated than just one department making that determination. Should it be an entity that has a place of business here, that does a majority of its business here, that has a certain number of residents that are employed here; that's certainly proved to be rather more contentious than simply a blanket decision to be made. But, again, I can certainly say that there will be work ongoing and it will be happening in the life of this Assembly. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to try again once more. Okay, perhaps we have to wait for the new policy that answers, you know, some of these companies -- and I get it's difficult to say if your base of operations are here but you've sold -- since been sold, should you fall under the new policy. But to me the answer to that is the new policy. So I don't want to see a situation where we create a new policy and then we keep Schedule 3. So we go well, we're just going to leave those people there forever.

So will the Minister commit that once we have a new policy in place, we will be removing Schedule 3? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, that is certainly -- was exactly the recommendation in the procurement review, was indeed to remove Schedule 3. And the work that's going on about what that will look like to be replaced and how businesses might find themselves, that work is underway right now. And I'm afraid the Member's going to have to wait and see how that unfolds and then any business that's in Schedule 3 can determine whether or how they find themselves reflected in the new policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, you know, and I think this is a tough policy question. There has to be a way to write it because take Walmart, for example, one of the largest corporations in the world, we presently -- if they bid on food services, we buy a few hundred thousand dollars-worth of food in this territory, we give them some extra money. And I get they have a building here and they have staff here but my question is, will the Minister remove Walmart from Schedule 3? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Walmart's the easy one. Walmart and Loblaws and, in fact, many of the other businesses on Schedule 3 have not bid on any GNWT contracts in over ten years. And in that sense, they're sitting there but they're not really gaining much benefit from being on Schedule 3. Those aren't the difficult circumstances. The more complicated ones are those who are long-time northern-based businesses who have had the benefit of growing and becoming large -- larger businesses, which is really a good news story for the Northwest Territories and for having those businesses based here and who have been grandfathered in, and to determine what, in fact, or how, in fact, we might want to continue to encourage the growth of businesses in the North, to be based in the North, but competing on a national scale, that is the more difficult question. Walmart, I'm not too concerned about as we move forward with this process but, again, it's those northern-based businesses we want to consider how to be tracked and capture that kind of growth in our economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, before we continue, I believe in the gallery today we have Avery Parle, president of Northern Territories Federation of Labour. Welcome to the Chamber. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier. In these complex times, with increasing climate uncertainty and deteriorating healthcare systems, why would the GNWT not want to partner with the humanitarian organization such as the Canadian Red Cross that has experienced its share in skills to bring to the people of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually my understanding is that we do work with the Red Cross. The Red Cross provides valuable services to all of Canada; we recognize that. However, this government, because of what we've been facing, has bumped up our EMO, emergency response, from two full-time positions to hopefully ten after this budget. So we also work -- Red Cross really excels in what they do in areas of registration and donation management but it's not free, Mr. Speaker. There is a cost to it. So we've used them before. But like I said, there's a price for direct aid costs such as supplies, materials, logistics, transporting, storing and distributing aid, expenses for personnel and transportation, plus admin costs. So we do appreciate the services of the Red Cross. But we're a small jurisdiction, Mr. Speaker. We've been working focusing on trying to get our communities so that they can actually have the supports that work with emergencies that come. They're welcome; we've talked to them. They're more than welcome to reach out to the Red Cross as needed but our focus has been empowering the communities at this point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of that answer confuses me. First of all, why would we tax our communities that are already lacking capacity and overburdened to then create 33 individual MOUs with the Red Cross? But, also, I'd like to know where the Premier is getting her facts from. It's my understanding that there is a minimum administration fee to work with the Red Cross approximately around $5,000.

So can the Premier please tell me where she's getting this idea that it would cost us all this money to engage with the Red Cross? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my information comes from various departments. If I'm wrong, I'm more than willing to relook at that. If the Red Cross charges $5,000 for all their supports that they would do, including the cost of transportation, including cost of personnel, including the cost of supplies, etcetera, then, please, let me know. Send me a letter. I'd be more than willing to entertain that. My understanding is that each one of those components has an additional cost. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that you will be -- or the Premier will be getting some information to correct her misinformation. Perhaps if she had met with the Red Cross, as she promised to last year, she would know these things directly.

My next question is to do with why does the GNWT keep using the term "contract" when answering me when I'm talking about a memorandum of understanding, not a moratorium of understanding, which the Premier mentioned on Friday in her response, but a memorandum of understanding. This does not have any costs associated with it, and it is not a contract. Could the Premier please explain why she keeps conflating the two? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did state in the association of communities, I believe it was, that I was more than willing to meet with the Red Cross. I'm more than willing to meet with most people that ask for a meeting with the Premier. However, Mr. Speaker, at no time did I, as the Premier, get a letter requesting a visit so I would have expected that to happen. But, Mr. Speaker, departments did meet with the Red Cross, the applicable departments. And health met with them, MACA met with them. And that would be the route that I would go anyway, was to take the informed departments. Personally the Premier's office doesn't use the Red Cross at this moment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this just seems to be another instance where the Premier is passing everything off to her colleagues to take care of. A territorial MOU encompassing all departments would actually make things a lot easier for communities, for departments, for others to engage in contract with the Red Cross at a later date.

Can the Premier please tell me why such a prudent and timesaving measure wouldn't be explored by her office? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we've already explained that. We are looking at our emergency management structure in itself, trying to help the communities. They are the first on the ground. We do work with other agencies. We have used the Red Cross when needed. And my understanding is they were looking at a standing agreement. But, again, Mr. Speaker, if I'm wrong with that, then please send me a letter. I'm more than willing to entertain that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Can the Minister explain what is known about high school attendance through COVID-19? Can he describe the attendance in small communities versus regional centres? What do we know about Indigenous students' attendance? I guess my question is do we have this data, and if not, can he commit to gathering this data? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Attendance data is tracked. The most recent data that we have has been published, and that was for I believe the 2020-2021, and that is in our JK to 12 performance and measures report. That information states that territory-wide, the attendance rate was 79.9 percent. In Yellowknife, 87.23 percent. In regional centres, 76.3 percent. And in small communities, 72.8 percent. However, I will note that attendance can be difficult to take when things are done virtually, and teachers don't necessarily see the students. So like most things, the stats from COVID are not perhaps as accurate as we would like. But I can commit to continuing to collect this information and report it publicly when it becomes available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. And I know as a past regional board director that the data is all from kindergarten to grade 12, and our kindergarten to grade 6s are excellent at going to school, and then as we get into junior high, it starts to fade off, and we get into senior high, this is where we start to lose our numbers. So I would really like the numbers for that.

But, Minister, can you explain what kind of support is available to the young adult students? The ones that I am walking about are the ones in grade 10, 11, and 12 who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to complete their high school education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And students who are 19 to 21, they can return to high school. I know that a one or two-year age difference when you're a teenager is a big deal and so it can be difficult for students to return. I mean, a 21-year-old doesn't want to sit with 17-year-olds, and that's understandable. Some communities have alternative high school programs. Some of these are flexible programs. Perhaps you could attend on the evenings or on weekends, understanding that older students might have jobs that they need to attend to. In Inuvik, there is the Sunchild E-Learning Community program as well. And that delivers educational services to Indigenous students. We also have our career and education advisors who are available to help students determine what they need to graduate and move on to the next phase in their life. So there are a number of supports. However, I recognize that there -- and as I've mentioned before in this House, there is a gap in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, recognizing there are students who haven't completed high school, can the Minister commit to working with his department or with the regional school boards, you know, to identify these students that didn't graduate or identify these students that, you know, maybe just, just passed and may not be eligible to be accepted into some of our universities or our colleges and, you know, support these specific students to complete their high school education, maybe similar to the university and college PREP program but targeted to these students with additional semesters that they may require. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So there are currently a few options for people. Students can take upgrading at Aurora College. They can take the adult literacy and basic education program. And so that is -- it's upscaling programming, and there are no tuition associated with this program. There's also the university and college access program and the occupation and college access program at the college. There are fees associated with this, but they are supported through student financial assistance.

As the Member has stated, and I've also stated, we are aware there is a gap here despite these programs, and the department is looking at ways to bridge that gap. It's not going to happen today, but it is something in the near term we hope to be able to do. In terms of identifying those students, that's something I can bring back to the department and talk about any more near-term opportunities. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. You know, I hear the Minister that I know there is a gap, we know there is a gap; we need to know what the gap is before we can fix it so I'm glad that he's going to be looking into that. But, again, going back to, you know, maybe we have some students that might need a year and a half of university PREP, not just the one year that they could be funded for because I think for funding that's the cap. Is that changed with all the changes made? I can't keep up with some of the great changes that he's made. But are there students that are eligible to get into some of these university college PREP, especially these students that could be a year or two years that they might need to take, and they can get funded through our SFA program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that question deserves a full answer so what I'm going to do is take it on notice, and I'll return to the House with an answer. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Finance Minister explain why finance is providing recruitment bonuses to brand new eligible health staff but is not providing any retention bonuses to long-term healthcare staff in similar positions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the labour market supplement is something that we worked on, both Department of Finance as well is with the authorities, and just to be clear, it's not being paid out differently if you're brand new or otherwise. The issue is around the eligibility of the position. There are specific positions that were negotiated and discussed with the union. Those positions are all going to be receiving the labour market supplement. There are some challenges in terms of the length of time that someone might be employed. So, for instance, if someone's on a term position for one year, then they'd be getting a payment that is in line with the amount of time that they are employed and there would be some differences, for example, if somebody's on paid leave at the moment, there may be differences in terms of when they get their payment processed. But there's certainly not a line that's been drawn as between short-term or long-term staff, again, other than ensuring that they are paid in accordance with the policy and how that adapts depending on how long someone may be in the role. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if she considers the recruitment and retention bonuses to be fairly distributed among healthcare staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly do consider this to be one tool in the toolbox of recruitment and retention efforts that are underway within the health authorities and supported by the Department of Finance. The intention again is to ensure that we are finding those positions that have been hard to recruit here in the Northwest Territories and, again, to then pay according to the positions that were discussed between ourselves and the union and looking at the data available about what those positions are. It doesn't mean that every single person employed within the Department of Health and Social Services, or within one of the authorities, gets a labour market supplement. It was positions that were determined to be difficult -- particularly difficult to recruit for and that is in line with the labour market supplement policy. That policy applies not only to the healthcare field but to the entire public service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us what type of feedback Finance has received from healthcare staff about these retention and recruitment bonuses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would say probably the single thing that I have heard the most, that I have had to correct, has been the concept or the notion that these are thank-yous or that these are COVID bonuses. Every single public servant deserves a thank you and is valued. The bonus in the labour market supplement isn't the thank you, and it's not a COVID bonus. It really is a reflection of the challenging situation we are in right now all across Canada recruiting healthcare staff and wanting to ensure that our recruitment and retention personnel had every tool available to them, and that's where the labour market supplement came in. And so we have certainly been trying to ensure that folks are aware of exactly what it was for and what it was not for and certainly trying to ensure that we don't undermine people's sense of value and worth. These are all -- every public servant is valued, Mr. Speaker. But the labour market supplement is hopefully going to bring more folks in to those difficult positions to make it easier for everyone to do their job there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if the Union of Northern Workers considers the parameters of these recruitment and retention bonuses to be fair for their NTHSSA members? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I do hope to have a positive relationship with the union and hope to continue that, I'm certainly not in a position to speak on their behalf. I can say that there were -- this was an opportunity where, while not always a smooth path along the way, I do believe this was a reflection of a good collaborative effort between the GNWT and the UNW in terms of trying to identify ways to bring more healthcare staff in. With more staff there, it helps lessen the burden on each individual staff and it helps retain the staff that we have. And, again, without losing anybody, that helps maintain the overall staffing contingent that we have. So, you know, discussion around the labour market supplement continues. I expect it will continue given the labour market situation we're in in Canada, and we'll certainly look forward to participating in those discussions with the union. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Lands, who seems to have primary responsibility for the former Cameron Hills solid gas field.

Can the Minister tell us when the abandonment agreement with Environmental Liabilities Management Incorporated, or ELM, was signed and the value of that work or contract? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the question. The abandonment agreement with the contractor was signed on December 9th following a procedural process authorized by the court. The work is being undertaken by the receiver to carry out the order issued by the regulator of oil and gas regulations. The cost to complete this work is $15 million but as the workers -- or the contractor gets into the site, there may be additional costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. So during the review of the public accounts, it was revealed that an extra $20 million had been added to the GNWT's environmental liabilities fund as a result of Cameron Hills.

So can the Minister confirm this is the total amount of liability GNWT has calculated for Cameron Hills and whether any further funds will be needed for proper closure and reclamation? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to date, the GNWT's only calculated the liability required to carry out the order issued by ROGO. This order includes closure of oil and gas wells at Cameron Hills along with removal of pipelines and related infrastructure such as tanks and batteries. The cost of reclamation under the land use permit and water license, such as sumps and contaminated soil, has not been estimated at this time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. So there's going to be another hit coming our way? So as I understand, the closure and reclamation plan for Cameron Hills has never been completed, and there's no publicly-available cost estimate for the site. So it's not clear just what ELM is actually doing and how the public is supposed to have any input.

Can the Minister tell us when the closure plan and cost estimate work will be completed and why this work was not done before ELM was contracted? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The contractor is conducting work to meet the timelines in the order issued by OROGO to close the wells at Cameron Hill and remove pipelines and related infrastructure. This work is being inspected and certified by OROGO according to the legislation and standards. The land and water board issued a permit to allow this work to proceed. The land and water board has required the receiver to submit a revised closure and reclamation plan with other work at the site by June of 2024. This revised plan will be available for public comments through the land and water board process. The receiver is currently working on this plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. I'm learning a lot from these questions. The fourth report from the receiver shows that K'atlodeeche First Nation was not happy that the current closure and abandonment work went to a southern company. There's apparently some sort of northern benefits plan that has been required of ELM Incorporated.

Can the Minister provide us with some details about what is in that northern benefits plan, and will he commit to table it in this House? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The initial benefits plan for Cameron Hills was approved in 2002, was transferred from Canada at devolution, a draft of the 2002 documents of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is at the public registry. So it is already available publicly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the flood in Hay River last year not only damaged homes and businesses, it impacted the health of individuals and, more so, our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I've heard of possible PTSD amongst first responders, volunteers, and flood victims. In some, we've seen an increase in substance abuse, stress, anxiety, family violence, family separations, and senior health issues as well. And that is why it's so important to get residents back in their home and to get it right and provide the support that they need.

So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of MACA tell me how many homes affected by the flooding in Hay River have been either repaired or replaced to date? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to thank the Member from Hay River South, Hay River North, and the Deh Cho, for asking these questions, important questions, on the residents who were impacted by the flood.

MACA doesn't have the information because homeowners in Hay River are managing their own repairs and replacements. MACA only becomes aware of the work to repair or replacement when the homeowners completed a final claim for the disaster assistance. As of December 31st, MACA has processed approximately 100 claims for disaster assistance in Hay River and on KFN. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, deadlines were established for structural assessments, mitigation consultation, and final disaster assistance claim.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm that these deadlines have been reviewed and will they be revised considering residents have unanswered questions and the fact we have a long way to go before we see all affected persons back in their homes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the deadline to request mitigation assessment and structural assessment was March 31st, 2023. This is only a deadline to make the request. This is not the deadline to complete the structural assessment or apply for mitigation funding. Assessments are conducted to take place, and work will continue until all assessments are done. The deadline to request the mitigation and structural assessment was communicated directly to all registered disaster assistance clients and advised within the town throughout various means such as Facebook and radio ads. The deadline for the submissions of the final disaster assistance claim is December 31st, 2023. Municipal and Community Affairs will be contacting clients numerous times over the next year to check the status of their repairs and replacements, reminding them of the deadline and encouraging them to submit their final claims on time. However, Mr. Speaker, Municipal and Community Affairs will explore options to extend the deadline for final claims if it becomes apparent that the repairs and replacements cannot be completed by this deadline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of the people who have been impacted by the flooding, they're seniors. There's some people who, you know, can't even read and write and they're expected to, you know, manage the remediation of their home. And like I said in my statement, some of them have come and asked me for support. I've done that. But I think that's -- you know, that's something that this government should be looking at and trying to provide that support however they can.

So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to reviewing the need for added funds to help those needing third party project management services or, in the alternative, allow the cost for that service to come out of remediation funding? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member has said, and in our conversations numerous times, a few homeowners in Hay River have indicated they'd like technical assistance with contracting for repairs. MACA is following up with those homeowners to confirm the status of these repairs, particularly as many of these repairs are straightforward in nature, for example, replacement of skirting. MACA is working with homeowners considering replacement to system and obtaining property appraisals so that they can make informed decisions. MACA is also discussing having conversations with Public Safety Canada to determine whether the disaster financial assistance arrangements could cover the cost for technical assistance as part of the cost of repairs as the Member's been asking. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in some of these documents, such as the adjuster's confidential reports and the mitigation assessment reports, they contradict each other. You'll have one report that'll tell you this is what it costs. As an example, somebody was provided with $50,000 for remediation through the adjuster's confidential report. Through the mitigation assessment report, it says the building is non-repairable and it cannot be lifted or raised up. So what we need is somebody in the community to actually, you know, take a look at those reports and those contradictions and figure out if we have to do a reassessment with either report.

So, Mr. Speaker, I think it's important that MACA realizes that it's very important to have somebody on the ground come this spring. Not just the Pathfinders. We need somebody there that can actually make decisions. And, you know, right now, you know the person I think -- people that do it are in Yellowknife, but we need somebody on the ground in Hay River.

So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister, prior to this summer construction season, commit his staff to holding a public meeting in Hay River to update and discuss remediation efforts and MACA processes with residents? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got 25 minutes and I can talk for 25 minutes. No. The answer is yes, we will early in March. And I have to again thank the Members from Hay River South, Hay River North, and Deh Cho, for reaching out and doing a good job for their constituents. So we will be getting there in early March. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank the Aboriginal Sports Circle for this weekend and doing the traditional Dene games here in the City of Yellowknife and seeing all our youth coming from the outlying communities.

Mr. Speaker, that being said, the support of Indigenous sporting events and stuff like that, the funding, the monies where it comes from, would the Minister in spirit of the TRC Call to Action, 90(1), what kind of negotiation is the GNWT involved in with the federal government to secure federal funding for sports for youth in the Beaufort Delta and Nunakput and all that riding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the NWT there are no programs that we fund that are exclusively for ancestry. In other words, we don't recognize Inuit. We recognize all residents. When we provide funding through that, the pots, we work for all residents of the Northwest Territories. However, Municipal and Community Affairs has during engagement with the SPAR framework which will govern how MACA invests lottery dollars in the NWT. MACA will seek feedback on the type of specific action stakeholders want to do so that will be one of the opportunities to look at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we have to go a little bit -- sorry, do a little bit better than that. I think what the Minister has to do is talk to the federal Minister and hold TRC and that claim accountable for the funding that they're doing for Aboriginal students. Not only Aboriginal students - everybody who lives up in the Delta. I mean, right from the Beaufort Delta in Nunakput, the cost of travel, everything that comes into play with that, Mr. Speaker. Something has to be done. We're not getting -- the youth are not getting out travelling. They need help. We have to help them. Where's the money? Would the Minister back it up in regards to talking to the federal government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's a good segue to actually I'm going to be meeting with the federal Minister this weekend. I'll bring it up with her there. But right now what our department has been doing, through the lottery dollars and through the BDSRA, we do provide funding for the youth, an opportunity to participate in that there. Again, it's with the organization. I know there's a group that's doing a hockey tournament, sort of kind of interchanging between communities up in the Beaufort Delta and they're organizing that right now. So that money is -- some of that's happening there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how much money does MACA allocate for the youth of Nunakput and the Beaufort Delta on a yearly basis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, $250,756. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.