Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about NTPC. I want to take about aging infrastructure that NTPC has. I want to talk about frequent power outages. And I want to talk about temporary backup power. But my questions aren't for the Minister of NTPC; it's for the Minister of housing.

Mr. Speaker, during an extended power outage, what backup power is available to housing units owned by Housing NWT? Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd have to get back to the Member. I don't -- I'm not familiar if we do have backup generators for when the power goes out in our smaller communities. I'd have to get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Power outages during the winter months can result in considerable damage to equipment -- I mean to the house, to the appliances in there as well, and also, you know, it's hard on the people who may have to be stuck in a cold house for an extended period of time. So has the department considered this a potential issue, or has it been a potential issue in the smaller communities further north?

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since I've had the portfolio, I haven't been asked this question. I don't know if it's an issue in our smaller communities, but I can get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question, I know, the Minister will be able to answer because we just had a chat about it yesterday.

Is the Minister willing to have the department cost out an upgrade to electrical panels in existing units that would allow for use of small generators to power the houses during an outage? So it's a matter of flipping a switch and plugging in our little Honda generator or whatever you have. Thank you.

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am always looking for innovative ideas on how further look at cost savings, energy savings throughout the territory. And the Member is correct, I'm interested in looking at this further, so I'd like to bring this back to the department as well and looking at those emergency circumstances when it comes to power outages as well. We do live in such a harsh climate as well and looking at the harsh weather conditions in the winter as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And would the Minister consider having her department look at actually building, you know, that right into the new units that are -- that will be coming on stream or going forward? Thank you.

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will bring this back to the department as I'm quite interested in looking at emergency responses when we're looking at power outages in smaller communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Way to mix it up, Mr. Speaker.

Okay, first of all, this program is being evaluated because it was first introduced in 2018 and the rollout finished last year so it's time now to revisit its strengths and areas that require improvement. That's the reason that it's being evaluated.

What we committed to doing was changing things leading into the next school year as we found issues and ways to address them. So, for example, there's long been discussion about the threshold of education for the CYCCs being too high and excluding people who may have good cultural connections but not the same level of education required. So a second job description has been drafted to allow regional mental health teams more flexibility in capturing a wider variety of counselling candidates to fill those roles in schools. So in plain language, what that means is the master's degree is no longer the only qualification or the most important qualification for filling those jobs. Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.