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

Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to wrap up another school year, I want to highlight a number of exciting initiatives that reflect our government's commitment to improve student outcomes in the Northwest Territories. This semester, three high schools in the territory piloted the new Northern Studies 30 curriculum. This made-in-the-NWT high school course is the first in the territory to follow British Columbia's curricular framework. Topics range from oral history and traditions to historical land use, colonization, language reclamation, NWT treaties and land claim agreements, consensus government, and Arctic sovereignty. It also delves into the role of social media, mental health and addictions, and cultural appropriation.

Mr. Speaker, we are already seeing meaningful discussions and learning take place as part of this curriculum. At Ulukhaktok's school, elders advised and guided students to build an igloo village. This led to conversations about past, present, and future housing challenges in the North. Now, equipped with a deeper understanding, the class is working with elders and planning to build a permanent, accessible outdoor meeting space.

Mr. Speaker, this example highlights the benefits of hands-on, practical instruction based on competencies. This is core to the new, adapted junior kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum we will begin trialing in several grades this fall.

The British Columbia curriculum is modern, flexible, and emphasizes Indigenous perspectives and knowledge. It focuses on literacy and numeracy, not just reading, writing, and math but also communicating and problem solving. Rather than students memorizing definitions and dates, this curriculum encourages interaction and engagement. Students are empowered to get involved in their own education.

The curriculum committees made up of educators from across the NWT are working to adapt this modern curriculum to the NWT context. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has finalized several major steps toward implementing the curriculum, including the timeline for each school year, new graduation requirements, and the schedule for educator training.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to talk about the excellent online education tool we have renewed this year, the NWT Historical Timeline. From origin stories to present day events, this timeline depicts the history, cultures, and people that make up this territory. It features photos and documents from the NWT Archives, as well as objects from the museum's collection including artwork, tools, clothing and more. This valuable resource makes these stories, photos, pivotal events, and ways of life accessible to not just students and educators but to everyone in the territory and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, an update on education would not be complete without recognition of those at the forefront of this work. In every community and in every school, our educators and school staff play a vital role in student success. It was my privilege earlier today to recognize the inductees of the 2023 Northwest Territories Education Hall of Fame. I would like to extend my congratulations once again to this year's inductees. These remarkable individuals are truly making a difference in the lives of children, students, educators and communities, and I thank them for their dedication and passion. We have many with us in the gallery today, and at the appropriate time I will be recognizing them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. June is Seniors Month, a time for us to recognize the important role of seniors in our families, communities, and the territory. They connect us with language, land, and culture, and bridge the past with the future.

Under the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories 2019-2023, we are supporting this role by enabling seniors to age in place with dignity. We want to help seniors to remain at home for as long as they are able. In order to be successful, we must address the core issues. We collaborated across government and engaged seniors, their families and caregivers, municipal and Indigenous governments, and community organizations, to determine how we can improve programs, services, and initiatives to better meet the needs of seniors. The feedback we received helped the department to develop the Seniors Strategic Framework that will shape future efforts across government. The framework will be tabled this August.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the engagement process, we heard from seniors about their desire to be valued and included in meaningful ways in their communities. Today marks Intergenerational Day. Here is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and reach out across generations, fostering understanding, respect, and meaningful relationships.

Seniors want to connect with children, youth and adults alike, and share stories, culture, traditions, and wisdom drawn from a lifetime of experiences. Having strong intergenerational bonds not only contributes to wellness but also fosters a deep sense of belonging in communities. We need to recognize that many seniors experience isolation and loneliness which poses serious risks to their physical and mental well-being as well as makes them vulnerable to elder abuse. I encourage everyone to reach out and spend time with the seniors in their lives and communities today and every day.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge that World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is coming up on June 15th. The United Nations established this day to create awareness and encourage dialogue about all types of abuse and neglect seniors face. Governments, communities, and families must all play pivotal roles in safeguarding the well-being and safety of seniors. The Government of the Northwest Territories is reinforcing this point by providing a poster and fact sheet about the different types of abuse seniors face. These resources are available on the Department of Health and Social Services website and will be distributed to communities this summer.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge all residents to join me in celebrating the role that seniors play in our lives and to recognize their important contributions to create healthy and vibrant families and communities across the NWT. They have laid the groundwork for everything we plan to further improve and accomplish, a foundation that is critical to the future of the territory Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.

Mr. Speaker, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission is always looking for new ways to support employers and create a safer workplace in the Northwest Territories. Through ongoing communication and engagement with employers, the WSCC identified an opportunity to improve their services and provide additional supports for employers facing occupational health and safety challenges that is separate from their role as an enforcer of the Safety Act through penalties and fines.

Mr. Speaker, the WSCC is proud to introduce the new positions of safety outreach representative. These new positions will provide employers with technical expertise, analysis, consultation, and collaboration of services to improve workplace occupational health and safety programs, meeting occupational health and safety regulatory requirements and ultimately improve workplace safety outcomes. The WSCC's mandate is to promote and improve health and safety in the workplace. These new positions will help to achieve this by supporting employers in their understanding of occupational health and safety roles and responsibilities.

Mr. Speaker, safety outreach representatives will accomplish this through collaboration with employers and by providing resources and guidance to create or improve safety programs.

Mr. Speaker, these safety outreach representatives can directly help employers by helping them develop an OHS program, providing them with technical expertise to identify best practices to reduce workplace incidents, and sharing educational resources to improve OHS outcomes in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, the WSCC wants to assure employers that safety outreach representatives are not safety officers. They do not have the mandate to enforce regulations and laws and are not going to provide safety officers with information that could lead to an inspection or penalty. This is a proactive, supportive step that does not penalize employers for requiring guidance to improve occupational health and safety outcomes at their workplaces.

Mr. Speaker, although safety outreach representatives will reach out to employers, and the WSCC hopes employers will take the advantage of this new non-penalty supporting and making their workplaces even safer.

Mr. Speaker, it is also important to note that this improved service is provided by reallocating existing resources within the WSCC. Employers will not incur any additional costs and their rates will not increase as a result of these new resources.

Mr. Speaker, the three safety outreach representatives at the WSCC are hired and in place. Two are located at the WSCC office here in Yellowknife and one ready to support employers in the Northwest Territories. The third is in the WSCC's office in Iqaluit, providing support to Nunavut employers. The WSCC aims to reduce workplace incidents and injuries and these safety outreach representatives are a great resource to help employers within their own workplaces. Together, we can achieve our vision of eliminating workplace diseases and injuries. Any employer who is looking to improve health and safety in the workplace can contact the WSCC and request support from one of our safety outreach representatives today.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to add that my colleague in Nunavut is delivering a similar announcement and statement today as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, in 2021 the Government of the Northwest Territories released the Northwest Territories Arts Strategy, a 10-year plan to improve NWT's arts programs and services and strengthen the territory's arts sector. The first key action identified in the strategy was to complete a review of the GNWT's arts programs so that we could have a better understanding of the changes required to help us achieve our goals for the sector.

The results of this review were released in November as part of the Arts Program Review Report, reflecting the thoughts and concerns of NWT artists, craftspeople, and arts and cultural organizations. The report identifies areas of strength and weakness and provides recommendations on how to improve arts programs and services to better serve NWT residents. The GNWT will soon release its official response to these recommendations, providing a list of planned actions, their expected outcomes, and anticipated completion dates.

Mr. Speaker, a great deal of work has been taking place behind the scenes to advance the arts strategy. We are updating departmental arts mandates, implementing a way to continuously monitor and assess the effectiveness of our programs and funding, improving how artists can find and access funding, and making improvements to arts funding programs, eligibility requirements and distribution.

This government invests approximately $2.9 million dollars in arts funding programs each year, but we know that changes can still be made to funding structures to better support NWT artists. In recognition of this, we are restructuring our existing funding programs, so they provide support to artists and arts and cultural organizations at all sizes and stages of their development.

Emerging and mid-career artists, small groups, and artists from small communities will be eligible for grants of up to $5,000 per year for small-scale arts projects. Established artists and arts and culture organizations can receive up to $10,000 per year for medium-sized arts projects. For large-scale arts projects, events, and festivals that bring vibrancy and economic benefits to our communities, organizations will be able to apply for $10,000 to $100,000 per year. Arts and cultural organizations that operate year-round will be eligible to access operational funding that will provide them with $20,000 to $200,000 per year.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment partners with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment on implementing the arts strategy. I am happy to hear that ITI is currently developing artist guidelines for the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development, or SEED funding, as it pertains specifically to arts stakeholders. To bring it all together, Mr. Speaker, ECE and ITI will develop and release a GNWT Arts Funding Roadmap that explains which department provides funding for different types of activities, making supports more accessible to artists, groups, and organizations. The announcement of this roadmap is expected in the coming months.

Mr. Speaker, the arts contribute to a strong economy and enhance shared community identity and belonging. The GNWT is committed to making meaningful changes to government arts programs and funding to help establish a strong and valued arts sector that benefits everyone living in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I say it numerous times throughout this Assembly that Fort Smith is home to some of the oldest school infrastructure in the territory, and it is also home to some of the last remaining former residential school and indian day school buildings that are still in active use in the country. The buildings I'm referring to are PWK High School and JBT Elementary School.

Mr. Speaker, JBT School is 65 years old and was originally a federal Indian Day School until the building was purchased by the Government of the Northwest Territories and was converted into an elementary school which is still being used for that purpose today. In addition, the former Grandin College used to be run by the Catholic Church as a residential school until the Government of the Northwest Territories bought it and converted it to PWK High School. Since then, it has continued to be used as the former residential school building as PWK High School in Fort Smith.

Mr. Speaker, Fort Smith is the centre for education in the NWT. It always has been and always will be, and I want to stress that we have excellent staff all around. Fort Smith has some extremely caring and devoted educators so I do not want to knock them at all in talking about the historical legacy of JBT or PWK schools.

So my point is the links between federal Indian Day Schools and residential school is undeniable. They are extensions of the same systems of colonialism, oppression, and assimilation towards Indigenous people. Therefore, I believe it is totally inappropriate and unacceptable for these buildings to continue being used as schools for our youth of today. If the young people of Fort Smith knew and understood the history of those buildings, I am sure they would feel unsure of the school they attend because I know that most, if not all the staff there, know of the history as do the parents and grandparents of the students who attend there today. Does our curriculum even teach or acknowledge this residential school and Indian Day School legacy that still remains in Fort Smith and the NWT? Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the statement by the Minister today on acknowledging what I was trying to say.

Mr. Speaker, both these schools are 65 and 61 years old so it's high time that they are decommissioned and replaced with brand new schools for the people of Fort Smith. It doesn't matter if either school has been maintained well and can still be used longer; the bottom line is these schools carry a heavy legacy and the youth of the future deserve better. Fort Smith needs a brand new state-of-the-art-school for both elementary and high school students so I am going to once again ask our government to follow their own capital needs assessment and replace the aging schools in Fort Smith. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I went home to attend a meeting to discuss the operation and opening of the new fish plant in Hay River. Discussion on the subject lasted for four hours and was very informative and positive. However, another topic that arose outside that discussion was that of the Evacuee Income Disruption Support Program.

Mr. Speaker, fishers, and other self-employed business owners, have been affected by the evacuation order imposed by the Town of Hay River and K'atlodeeche. They have not only lost wages but lost business income as well and are unsure whether this program applies to them. I assured them it did and recommended they fill out an application if they wished to be considered for the $750 payment.

Mr. Speaker, the meeting about the fish plant ended around two in the afternoon at which time I went back to my office and found a lineup of evacuees, some with their children. They included both KFN and Hay River residents, some who were employed, some self-employed, some unemployed, some on income assistance, and some were pensioners; all were there to fill out the application for the $750 support promised by this government.

Mr. Speaker, each shared with me their stories and reasons of why they needed that $750 and why it was important they receive it as quickly as possible. Most of the people I met with were very stressed and traumatized by this event. Some I met with were crying as there was no other financial support options available to them except for what this government is providing.

The reasons for needing immediate support included:

• Limited savings and income;
• The need to pay rent or a mortgage payment;
• The need to put food on the table;
• The need for basic necessities; and,
• The need for temporary shelter.

Mr. Speaker, it is times such as this that we, as government, must show our compassion and go the extra mile to make sure people are listened to and supported in a fair and timely manner. And, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what each of the evacuees are looking for when it comes to the Evacuee Income Disruption Support Program. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2021, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation passed its first law, Inuvialuit Qitunrariit Inuuniarnikkun Maligaksat, meaning the Inuvialuit Family Way of Life law. Maligaksat draws down jurisdiction for child welfare for Inuvialuit children and youth under federal Bill C-92, An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families.

Maligaksat establishes IRC's inherent right over child and family services to:

• Ensure cultural continuity of Inuvialuit children and youth;
• Enhance supports available to Inuvialuit families to thrive;
• Improve information sharing with the GNWT; and,
• Exercise Inuvialuit jurisdiction in an Inuvialuit way.

At first, the GNWT publicly supported IRC's Maligaksat. In November 2021, the Premier's public news release congratulated IRC on a "big step forward." But in 2022, to everyone's surprise, the GNWT reversed its support for Maligaksat. The GNWT intervened in a federal court case to challenge the very law that enabled Indigenous law to prevail over those of the provinces and territories when it came to the care of Indigenous children. The GNWT argues that the federal law that enables Maligaksat, "compromises the jurisdictional balance between Indigenous governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories."

Federal Minister Marc Miller called the NWT's position "wildly disappointing" and affirmed that "a basic trapping of nationhood and identity is the ability to have control and custody over your own children."

The GNWT is putting its own interests to retain power and control above the interests of Inuvialuit children and youth. The GNWT's intervention is dangerous and it harms Inuvialuit children and youth.

In 2018, the Auditor General released a damning report condemning the GNWT's child and family services. The GNWT is failing Indigenous children and youth in care who are currently overrepresented, at 98 percent, of those in care. This injustice is tied to Canada's colonial legacy of removing, assimilating, and destroying Indigenous children and youth. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues. As I said, this injustice is tied to Canada's colonial legacy of removing, assimilating, and destroying Indigenous children and youth. I share this truth with the utmost care and respect for Indigenous families and communities that have had to reckon and are still healing from this.

Indigenous governments face significant barriers as it relates to child welfare. The GNWT intervention contradicts the spirit of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and damages relationships with IRC and, potentially, other Indigenous governments.

Mr. Speaker, at this point, I am calling on the GNWT to:

1. Immediately remove itself as an intervener from the federal court case even if it is only symbolically;
2. To repair its relationship with the IRC and other Indigenous governments with respect to children and family service; and
3. Support Indigenous governments' readiness to draw down jurisdiction for the welfare of their children and youth.

Until Indigenous governments have full control of their children, this will continue to be a colonial government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. In the last sitting, I raised a number of concerns with the review of the Fiscal Responsibility Policy. Apparently, that policy has now been revised effective April 1 although a thorough search of GNWT websites could not locate the revised version until yesterday.

The finance minister said in March that there was "fairly detailed" engagement with standing committee. I stated that the work we did as Regular MLAs on what was given to us is some of the finest feedback in my more than seven years as an MLA. Unfortunately, the public will probably never get to see that feedback and the recommendations we made. In my view, almost all of our advice was soundly rejected by the Minister. The Minister rejected something as basic as providing an opportunity for public engagement. It seems the Minister views the Fiscal Responsibility Policy as an internal policy and apparently not worthy of public input. However, the Minister revealed that credit-rating agencies did get a "check-in". It appears the review was aimed at appeasing the credit-rating agencies not the duly-elected MLAs or the public.

MLAs have politely asked and recommended transparent reporting on compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Policy and consequences, if only a remediation plan. We have asked for in-year reporting and greater accountability that was again rejected in Cabinet's response to the most recent committee report on the public accounts. I have expressed concerns about the growing use of P3 financing for large, and often questionable, capital projects and the need for greater disclosure of the impacts on our operating budgets to no avail. I will have questions for the finance minister later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today as the MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh in the Northwest Territories to address a matter of utmost importance that affects the most vulnerable members of our society - our children.

Recent revelation from the Auditor General of Canada reports into child and family services in Nunavut have revealed serious and damning faults in their system. This report calls for an immediate whole-of-government approach to address the challenge of protecting children in the government care. While the focus of this report is on Nunavut, it would be remiss of us not to examine our own situation here in the Northwest Territories. We must ask ourselves, are we immune to the same systematic deficiencies that plague our neighbours? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to protect the rights and well-being of our children?

In the 2018 Auditor General Report into the Northwest Territories Child and Family Services found serious deficiencies for children in temporary, permanent, and foster care. This is clear indication that we too face significant challenges in our child and family services system. We cannot ignore the warning signs, nor we cannot turn a blind eye to the urgent need for reform. Our children deserve better. They deserve a system that prioritizes their safety and well-being in the future. We have a moral obligation to protect them and provide them with the care and support they need to thrive.

The Auditor General's report in Nunavut highlighted the need for a whole-of-a-government approach. This means breaking down silos, working collaboratively across departments to ensure the holistic well-being of our children. We must bring together health, education, social services, and other relevant departments to create a comprehensive support network for children in care. It is only through this integrated approach that we can effectively address the complex challenge that our children face.

Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of community engagement. We must actively involve Indigenous governments, leaders, elders, knowledge-keepers, in the decision-making process that affect our children. Their wisdom and guidance are invaluable in shaping policies, practices, that are culturally sensitive and responsible, responsive to the unique needs of our diverse communities.

I'll call upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to take immediate action. We must allocate the necessary resources to improve the quality of care and support services for our children. We must invest in training, professional development for our child and family services staff to ensure they have the skills and knowledge required to provide the high standard of care. We must also enhance accountability and transparency within the system and ensure that proper oversight mechanisms are in place for the prevention and procurement of the deficiencies identified in the audit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to share the story of one resident's path to getting healing. It begins with a violent and sudden death of a family member, and that resident, you know, starts to struggle to sleep, develops severe anxiety, has nightmares, and it starts to affect their ability at their job, Mr. Speaker.

Some weeks go by and things don't get better in processing that trauma so they decide to seek help. They do what many of us do. They go to the GNWT website and they find we have a community counselling program. You know, it takes a few calls but eventually they get into a same-day program. But it becomes abundantly clear, in speaking with that counsellor, that this is not a matter just for a regular community counsellor. They have to get in -- they get in to see a psychiatrist. I'm sure that counsellor tries their best, but a psychiatrist is the place they are recommended to start. It takes a few more weeks, a number of phone calls to, you know, finally get in a spot with the psychiatrist. The initial assessment is quite obviously PTSD and some more time to get medication. The medication starts to help, but it is the psychiatrist's recommendation that a regular program of therapy with a psychologist occur.

That resident asks, can I get a referral to a psychologist and unfortunately that is not something we do. We have a few psychologists on staff, but they are not able to be referred for general members of the public. They said they have to go and phone psychologists which are found on a website who are privately funded. They make a few phone calls, Mr. Speaker, and then quickly finds out that some of their wait lists are years. Many of them do not specialize in PTSD, and many of them just rightfully can't add them to their wait list knowing they can't take on new patients.

This resident struggles - struggles to find a psychologist willing to treat their PTSD. Things are not getting better. They're struggling at work. Eventually this patient decides to go out of territory and find an online psychologist. This was not their first preference. They wanted to meet in person. It was not something they were necessarily comfortable with doing it virtually, but they begin to get help. It costs over $200 an hour to have those appointments. They are paid out of their pocket and as they are struggling to work, this becomes a significant financial burden where they are then faced with continuing to treat their PTSD or to put food on the table for their family.

Now, Mr. Speaker, this resident eventually pulls through. Through the help of medication and their own will starts to process their trauma and starts to heal. Yet, Mr. Speaker, it was not an easy path, and we know many people go through this and fall through the cracks. I'll have questions for the Minister of health about what we can do to make sure people have access to a psychologist when they need one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on March 28 of this year, I made a motion on Territorial Land Lease Only Policy in relation to Indigenous people having cabins for the rights-based purposes and how they should be exempt from lease payments for those rights-based cabins and camps, especially when the ones that have land claims.

Mr. Speaker, I know the GNWT has 120 days to respond to this motion, and I may not get a response this week but, Mr. Speaker, we still have Indigenous people who have leases and I would like to remind again, the government, that they raised these leases over 600 percent in the last government and is still charging those who would consider themselves as rights-based cabins.

But, Mr. Speaker, time and time again the Minister has said that they are working with Indigenous governments but when I speak with some of the Indigenous governments, they say they've been waiting on GNWT. So, Mr. Speaker, I have no idea when we'll figure this out and what they'll be doing for the NWT rights-based cabin owners. So I would like to find out what the process is for an Indigenous cabin owner who may have signed a lease but has been told by their own Indigenous organization that they don't need a lease.

You know, Mr. Speaker, I'm frustrated. My constituents are frustrated, and they really need to know what's going on and I feel for them, especially the ones that have been sent to collections because of our financial process and the way things work within our financial -- you know, land leases go into a system and if they're not paid, then they go to collections, you know, and so. Mr. Speaker, I will be directing my questions to the Minister of Finance to see what processes can be done for the Indigenous cabin owners in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about environmental health concerns in rental housing and the role of government in holding landlords accountable.

Mr. Speaker, this House has heard numerous times about how too many of our constituents are facing appalling living conditions.

In October, my colleague from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh brought up cockroach infestations in his communities. He talked about a family brought to tears when they couldn't cook Thanksgiving dinner because of cockroaches.

In November, my colleague from Great Slave brought up issues at Lanky Court, including horrific cockroach infestations and tenants forced to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to deal with mold issues.

And in February, my colleague from Frame Lake brought up Lanky Court again, with young children being plagued by bed bugs, mold so bad it caused breathing problems, and more cockroach infestations. Some tenants were forced to move, again with huge out-of-pocket costs.

Mr. Speaker, it's shameful we allow people to be treated this way. In all these instances, there's a common thread: Tenants experience unacceptable conditions but are left with no way of holding landlords accountable. Tenants are left to live in an unhealthy environment or fix the problem at their own expense or move but, with zero vacancy, most people need to accept the unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, the current approach to landlord accountability is broken. According to the rental officer's annual report, last year only three tenants were successful in getting an order against a landlord to fix their unit. Meanwhile, at least 700 units have mold or pest problems at last count. While the rental officer gets many inquiries about rental premises that are not fit for habitation, she says very few tenants follow through with the complaints process likely due to the amount of work. Tenants need accessible tools to ensure landlords comply with the law and provide healthy safe housing.

Other Canadian jurisdictions are making accountability accessible. Saskatchewan offers tenants an online complaint form to get an environmental health officer to investigate, and BC fines landlords that refuse to complete health and safety repairs. I am not looking to drive away development, Mr. Speaker; I'm calling on the government to adopt best practices and fill the accountability gap. Residents have a right to clean, healthy, safe housing and, when that right is denied, to have meaningful accessible mechanisms to fix that problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in the House today to talk about something that is very special in a student's life. It is graduation. I realize that I am a bit early; however, in the Nahendeh riding, we see a number of graduations from various schools this month, starting with kindergarten.

This is an important milestone for parents and students. We get to see the first stage of what we hope are many many more celebrations. I can tell you my own grandson is one of those graduates this year. Depending on the school and the riding, we see grade 6, grade 9, and grade 12 graduations as well. I can tell you each celebration is unique and special.

Today I would like to recognize nine students who have completed their elementary, junior, and senior high journey. To the three students from Echo Dene School and the six students from Liidlii Kue Regional High School, congratulations on completing this journey, a part of your life's journey. I know there have been some fun and challenging times, but I can tell you it has prepared you for your next journey whether it is going on to future schooling, trades, travel, or work.

Echo Dene School's grade 12 graduation is scheduled for June 13th and Liidlii Kue Regional High School is June 17th. I wish you all the best during your celebrations.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to tell the grads, as they turn the caps and gowns they will be wearing during their special day and take the tassels home, remember this: The diploma you receive today is your insurance policy paid in full by your hard work over the past 13 years. The value of this policy depends on how much effort you put into your education and what you do with it as you go out in the world. All the best to them on this special day.

Mr. Speaker, I do have some words of encouragement, and I would like to have them deemed as read.

To the parents and families, thank you for all the support for those graduates. You should be very happy and proud of your child today. In closing Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish all the 2023 graduating classes across the NWT all the best and congratulations on a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Encouragement:

1. "Buckle up. Like the school adventure that you went through, there are going to be some good times and not so good times ahead of you. Enjoy each moment as they are all learning opportunities for you and part of life. Please remember it is all right to cry and laugh about things. There is going to be a lot of opportunities to do both."
2. "Find a career that you will love. It is very important because once you do, it is not work. It is something that you wake up wanting to do and it is not work. Please remember not to settle on a career. Like love, find the one that makes you happy."
3. "You have two ears and one mouth. Please remember it is always wise to listen and understand what you have heard before kicking your mouth into gear."
4. "Please enjoy your celebration with family and friends. This is a major accomplishment and needs to be celebrated."

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Rosa Kisoun nee Cockney was born on March 5, 1956, to Walter and Winnie Cockney at Herschel Island, Yukon Territory. She grew up amongst several DEW line sites, as well as in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik, Northwest Territories. She attended Samuel Hearne Secondary School, Sir Alexander Mckenzie School in Inuvik and graduated in 1974. She met the love of her life, Gerry Kisoun, in early 1972/73. Rosa and Gerry were married on November 28, 1975, at the Igloo Church. And this was one of the first ecumenical weddings to happen in Inuvik.

Gerry was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member, and they were stationed in Calgary, Alberta; Manning, Alberta; Whitehorse, Yukon; Pelly Crossing, Yukon; Watson Lake, Yukon; Tuktoyaktuk, and finally back home in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, where they raised their family together. They have four children - Claudine, Patricia, Caroline, and Gerald Andrew.

Gerry was also the deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 2011 to 2017. Rosa always stood by and supported her husband in his working career as well as his personal life as he has volunteered for so many committees and organizations throughout Inuvik; as well as his tourism company where Rosa was always baking him bannock for his tourists.

Rosa worked as an accountant for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for over 20 years until her retirement. She took great pride in her work. She was also an avid seamstress and sewer that made many homemade Halloween costumes, dresses, fur mitts, slippers, beaded cardholders, and cross-stitched hangings, just to name a few, for all for her family, friends, and especially her special friends.

Rosa was diagnosed with cancer in 2011. She fought a long courageous battle and she was not ready to leave her family just yet. Rosa passed away peacefully on April 22nd, 2023, with family by her side.

She will be fondly remembered for the outpouring love she had for her family, friends, her baking, her sewing, cooking shows, an avid sports and music lover, especially the love for her husband of 47 years Gerry, their children Claudine, Dennis, Noah, Haili, Carmella and Winnie Blake, Tricia and KK Hansen, Carey and Autty Kisoun, and her only son Drew Kisoun, as well as her great granddaughters Aaliyah and Makena Vittrekwa. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Government House Leader.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I had the honour today of inducting a number of people and an organization into the Education Hall of Fame, and we have a number of individuals today who were part of that ceremony. So I'd like to begin by recognizing Kelsey Wrightson who is with the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning. Dechinta was inducted in the category of post-secondary education, and they received the Minister's choice award.

Charlene Liske from N'dilo. She was inducted in the community outreach category.

Lima Baroryee She was inducted in the early childhood category. And with us today are her daughters Remi and Lidia Costa.

Al Karasiuk from Fort Smith, and he was inducted in the junior kindergarten to grade 12 category.

And Colleen Eckert from Yellowknife, and from all over the North actually, was inducted in the leadership in education category.

Mr. Speaker, it's an honour when I get to participate in these events and honour such great individuals who contributed so much. So I just wanted to recognize them here in the House today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I see Ed Hoff in the gallery today. He is a neighbour, a retired engineer, and a solid community volunteer, and I'd like to welcome him to the House. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise to recognize Ed Hoff in the galley. I have known Ed since I was here 15 years ago. He has been a great mentor and friend, and I'm not sure that he actually has retired because I don't think engineers really retire; we just consult until the end. And I just want to say if anybody wants to know anything about Yellowknife's permafrost, Ed could give you a great walking tour of that. So welcome, Ed, to the gallery. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Ruth Wright here in the House today. She's a constituent of mine and she used to be my old dog's -- my dog sitter. He actually used to run away, run away when I was home to her house.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Angie and Clay Balsillie who are here to support me today as I do the eulogy for Rosa Kisoun. They were very good friends of hers and thank you for being here with me.

Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to recognize my brother Desmond. He is sitting up in the gallery. He's here today; he wasn't the other day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was also going to acknowledge Angela and Clay Balsillie who were here to hear the obituary for Rosa Kisoun. They're residents of Yellowknife South.

Mr. Speaker, and while we're on the topic of many old friends, it sounds like I have three new friends I also wanted to recognize. I have guests here today from PNWER. That is the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. And with me today in the House, we have president of the organization Chuck Winder who is also the president of the Idaho State Senate; vice-president of PNWER, Rick Glumac who is the British Columbia MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam. And, Mr. Speaker, we have PNWER's CEO and executive director Matt Morrison also joining us. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife South. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Charlene Liske. She's from Dettah, and she's also from -- and she also is the Dechinta Centre for Research Learning's director of traditional knowledge.

Also Kelsey Wrightson, a Yellowknife -- a Yellowknife Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning executive director.

Also I just wanted to acknowledge that Charlene also received the award this morning for Education Hall of Fame community outreach. And I just want to say welcome and mahsi and congratulations.

Another one, Mr. Speaker, is that -- I had to -- oh sorry. Thank you. Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I just want to also recognize Clay and Angie Balsillie. They're a longtime family friend. And, also, I just want to say that I played hockey with Clay when we were a lot younger and good looking. Now we're just good looking. But at the same time, we also have a good friend, his name is Alan Cardinal who's 77 years old. So we had to retire from playing hockey because he passed us. So anyways, we hung up our skates. I just want to recognize him. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Al Karasiuk, the PWK High School principal for many years in Fort Smith, and who's a resident of Fort Smith and plans on staying in Fort Smith. And he's also a great friend of mine and has done many great things for the community, all across the community, and I'll always remember how he looks after the students and guided them down the right path. And he's an incredible guy, and I'm glad that he's here today with us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There's a lot of friendly and familiar faces in the gallery today. I'd like to acknowledge Kelsey Wrightson of Dechinta. And also Dechinta's hide tanning camp is open to the public and all set up and ready to go, so that's very exciting right now as well.

I'd like to recognize a couple of former Kam Lake constituents as well. There's Jennifer Dallman-Sanders and above me, who I cannot see but wish I could see their wonderful happy faces, are a team of lifelong northern educators, past Kam Lakers, Colleen Eckert and Arthur Osborne. A huge congratulations to Colleen today who was inducted into the NWT Education Hall of Fame, and her speech today had us all either wishing we had become educators or were fondly remembering one we adore. So thank you very much.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize one of the pages, Jaylyn Gaudet, originally from the Sahtu, her home community is Deline, and just appreciating her work assisting us this week. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Colleagues, I too would like to recognize Mr. Desmond Benoit, one of my constituents from Fort McPherson who is a chaperon for his son Brody Alexie-Benoit, and also page Brenden Vittrekwa, who are with us for the next couple days here. I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. And if we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber, and I hope you're enjoying the proceedings.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a heavy heart today I have to ask these questions.

Mr. Speaker, Frank Gruben's been missing for 26 days, last seen in Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask my Minister what is the detachment responsible for in the search and rescue of missing Aboriginal peoples? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I know this has come up a few times in the House and, you know, the last time it came up it was a heavy subject and I, you know, expressed my concern and my thoughts with the family, and I'll do the same today. Clearly this is an issue that's touched people across the territory.

So when there is a missing person, the RCMP do look into it. If there is evidence of a crime, then there's a criminal investigation that occurs. If someone is missing and there is no evidence of a crime, it's still an open case, so. I have been in contact with the commanding officer about this. The department is in contact with the RCMP about this because, you know, I'm hearing from a number of different MLAs on this topic. So we are doing our best to convey the concerns to the RCMP. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the investigator at the detachment is responsible for searching for Frank, and is there any expertise that was given and provided to the Fort Smith detachment from Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The RCMP don't share those kinds of details about investigations, with myself even. So what I can do is I can try -- I will reach out again and see what type of information is out there. I will say that it's my understanding that the RCMP are in contact with the family and when there is anything to update to the family with, they do that. But I can get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really want to help my Minister in regards to seeing if what we can do other than, you know, relaying messages back and forth. I'd like to see if the Minister's willing to bring the superintendent of the RCMP to meet with the MLAs in caucus or in AOC, our Regular Members, just to give us an update on what's the protocol and what happens when something like this happens? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I can't bring the commanding officer anywhere; I don't have that authority over the commanding officer. The RCMP are independent from the Government of the Northwest Territories. They are contracted. However, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight can reach out and contact the officer. And, frankly, given the interest from the Regular Members I would expect that they would be doing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will bring it forward to the accountability and oversight committee chair to see if we could bring the detachment or superintendent to meet us with in regards to what happens.

Mr. Speaker, there is not even a list of missing people, Aboriginal people across our territory. And that's what I want to bring forward to the Minister today. There's something has to be done to make a list and let people know that's what's happening. And I think we could do a better job in regards to that. I want to help my Minister to make it better for all of us across the territory on our missing and loved ones and bringing them home.

So, Mr. Speaker, again, I'm asking would the Minister invite the superintendent to meet with us other than getting me to go to another committee chair to ask. Can the Minister do that for us? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, I'm not the chair of AOC. I can't invite someone to attend a meeting that is not my meeting. So, once again, I mean, the Regular Members do have a role in this House. It's not just to stand up and ask questions. They do have power as a standing committee, and they can use that. So I recommend that this discussion, which happens in the House quite often, must be happening up in the Eagle Room of AOC, and so I would recommend that they get together, and they make that request to the commanding officer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year the honourable colleagues on the Standing Committee on Social Development released Lifting NWT Children, Youth and Families: An All-Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together wherein in the committee makes 19 recommendations. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to ask the Minister of health the following question:

The committee's first recommendation calls for a whole-of-government approach to child and family services. What concrete steps, for example policies and instruments, legislation, intergovernmental MOUs, has the Minister taken to this approach? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. We responded to the standing committee's report on October 13th last year. And just to recap briefly, we thanked the committee for their research, recommendations, and engagement. We think that they are positive and will contribute to the well-being of children and youth in our territory. We responded to each recommendation separately. In some cases we were able to act on them in our next quality improvement plan, which will be tabled in the August 2023 session. Other recommendations require funding and so they would go into the business planning process.

And it's worth noting as well, Mr. Speaker, that the department has been reporting and will continue to report annually on the progress of each of the committee's recommendations on system improvement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide this House today with an accurate update on number of children in the temporary, permanent, and foster care system in the NWT. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As of May 30th this year, there are 133 children and youth in temporary or permanent custody. That compares to 169 children and youth in temporary or permanent custody on September 1st, 2018. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, in the health and social services quality improvement for planning for child and family service people that are 67 of its 70 actions items are either completed or on track. This is significant progress, but can the Minister tell me how many children are in care today compared to 2018 when the plan was started? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on May 30th this year there were 133 children in temporary or permanent care and custody of the director of child and family services compared to 169 youth in the temporary or permanent care or custody of the director of child and family services on September 1st, 2018. So that's 36 fewer children.

This is really been the result of a change in approach by the Department of Health and Social Services. We have provided family preservation workers to assist families with keeping children in their homes and providing services to them in their homes and communities, and that has made all the difference in terms of cultural continuity and cultural safety for these families.

We've made a big investment since 2018, a total of $9.5 million to add 59 new positions. So in total, there are 169 people working in the child and family services system to care for the most vulnerable people in our population which is, of course, children. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, the proposed amendment to the Child and Family Services Act has been moved down the road to the 20th Assembly. Can the Minister advise why her department didn't prioritize this work in the life of this government when there are so many children that are in desperate need of care? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And mahsi, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is time to revise the Child and Family Services Act to bring it into alignment with Bill 92, the federal act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children and families, youth and families. This will align things that are already being done in terms of cultural safety. And so while the legislation has not come up for review in this session, the changes have been made in standards. And it's worth noting as well that we have a limited number of staff to do this policy and legislation work and the staff who would normally be involved in revising the Child and Family Services Act, have negotiated an agreement with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to devolve services for voluntary services agreement for children to the IRC, and more details of that will be coming at the end of the summer. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, again, are for the Minister of Finance because she's got control, I guess, of the money and all the finance books. Can the Department of Finance pause -- is it possible to pause outstanding land lease accounts from going to collections in Finance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, dealing with land leases obviously, I know the Member is well aware, is primarily the responsibility of now ECC. The Department of Finance certainly works with other departments but we really are, essentially, just the financial agent in that respect. So I can't pause the accounts of going out on my own, we would be relying on government policy to do that, and I know that work is happening right now over at ECC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I guess my question is, is it possible to -- I guess I should clarify, can it be done? So can accounts be paused under the direction of working together with the Minister from another department? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, what is required in order to pause an account from going to collections, or to cease acting on a file that's gone to collections, really requires some sort of parameters or criteria where a department that had an outstanding account, some other debts for instance, whether a lease or otherwise, if they were to come to the Department of Finance and say, you know, that they had reached some sort of agreement with the person who owes the debt, then that then can be -- that those that can be moved forward to be out of collections, to be forgiven, to be paused, to have some other process. But once the matter has gone out, then under the financial administration rules, the matter would continue as a debt owing. So there needs to be some mechanism to indicate that in fact that what was deemed as an outstanding debt no longer is. So it's those types of parameters that I understand ECC is working on to ensure that they can then convey that and share that with the Department of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just trying to think about -- okay, so it can be done but it has to be in collaboration with another Minister. So I'm just wondering has there been any discussions -- and like you said, the lands were -- has there been discussions with finance that this is -- can be done and will be done or, you know, I'm just -- the reason I'm saying this is that I have constituents that have leases and they've jumped up 600 percent. And if my power and my heating bill jumped up 600 percent, you know what, I'd have to walk away from my mortgage. If my interest rate jumped up 600 percent, I'd have to walk away from my mortgage because I just couldn't afford to pay it. People in the cabin -- that have these cabins, they're not multimillion-dollar cabins. They're probably not even worth two years of lease fees. So what I'm asking the Minister is this something that she and the Minister of ECC -- and if I have to ask more questions, I'll ask the Minister of ECC if he'll work with the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hear the back and forth on this issue in this House. I have heard it now for almost four years as well. I'm only hesitant to create something on the fly out of the Department of Finance when I know there's processes happening in ECC that I am less intimately familiar with. But, Mr. Speaker, the departments -- the two departments are more than happy to work together. I know Minister of ECC and I work together on shared areas of overlap, whether it's finance, whether it's ITI, we have joint meetings. We can certainly start to do that with Department of Finance and ECC as well. And if that might assist the staff, who I know are working through the process at ECC, to access some of finance's resources in how accounts are transmitted to collections and how they can be paused, Mr. Speaker, I know I think both of us on this side here would be more than happy to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of ECE has previously stated that the last time a technical status evaluation was done on JBT Elementary School was in 2005. Can the Minister tell us when the next technical status evaluation is expected to be done for the JBT School in Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to the information I've received from the Department of Infrastructure, technical status evaluations are conducted when there are some certainty that major work is expected in the next three to five years. So if it looks like there's going to be some serious work that's required in three to five years, that is the point at which a technical status evaluation would be conducted. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, during the last session the Minister stated that, based on current capital needs assessments, JBT School is expected to be replaced in 2035 which would make the school 77 years old until it's finally replaced. But the Minister also said it could potentially take a lot longer. At this rate, the school will only be replaced once it becomes a hundred years old.

Can the Minister tell us if there is anything that can be done to speed up the timeline for the JBT School to be replaced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And like I've stated before, it depends on the technical condition of the school. So there are many buildings in the territory that need replacing. There's many capital needs. And structures and deficiencies are addressed when they can be addressed when they get to them. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Fort Smith petitioned and fiercely lobbied our government to replace JBT School. Would that speed up the timeline for our government to consider replacing this school? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That wouldn't change the technical status or the report -- the technical status evaluation report of the school. But, I mean, it's a political question and so the Member's also a politician, she probably can answer that as well as I can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us if he or Cabinet is content with the fact that the NWT is one of the only jurisdictions in the country who continues to actively use former residential school and Indian Day School buildings for students today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I can't speak on behalf of Cabinet but I can say no, I'm not content. And if I could, you know, will a new building into existence, I would do that. But, unfortunately, I don't have that ability. I do understand where the Member is coming from. I would like to see the same changes that she would like to see. But, unfortunately, we're up against the constraints of, you know, the reality that we are in, so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Finance confirm if all evacuees, whether unemployed or not receiving income from employers, be eligible for the income distribution program? Because some of these people, you know, rely on temporary work, which is now not available to them, or they may be self-employed as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every individual who's had any sort of income disruption should be applying. So that applies to anyone who is self-employed, who may be in what is known as the gig economy or temporary employment or, again, any sort of disruptions. So an artisan, for instance, who may be selling -- typically selling art or crafts, anyone who may fall into those categories, I would encourage them to apply. You know, it's difficult -- this was a program developed in less than two weeks. It's difficult to anticipate exactly every category of person to whom it would apply and exactly how to word the eligibility. We've done our best to be fairly flexible. So, again, Mr. Speaker, if they've had an income disruption, I'd encourage them to apply. There may be some classes of persons who work it through and find that it doesn't apply to them, but I'd rather have those applications in and look at those opportunities and see that we can make this available to those for whom it was meant to apply. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that reply because in talking to some KFN members, they were under the impression they could not apply. So that's good to know.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit her department to quickly reviewing the applications as they are received? They are one page, so I don't think there will be too much difficulty in doing that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, yes, absolutely. I certainly wanted to vocalize that commitment here. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, we didn't have any staff assigned to this role. This wasn't something that we were contemplating. So while I am certainly cognizant that the people who were evacuated who are now having to go back after an extended period of time, they are the ones who are experiencing the greatest hardship. You know, again, we know that, but two weeks ago we didn't have anyone who was in the position of having to take these applications in. That said, Mr. Speaker, I can't say enough that I extend my gratitude to the MLAs from these ridings who were affected. They are bringing suggestions already about how to improve the process, how to improve the forms, and that will only assist in the time it takes to process the applications. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, now the question is where is the money? Or show me the money. Will the Minister commit her staff to getting the evacuee income disruption support payments out as quickly as possible to applicants? And one thing that they've been asking for is to provide a telephone number on the application so applicants can actually call and talk to a real live person about the status of their application and payment. I constantly get emails and calls about that, and I haven't been able to answer them. So please give me a phone number so that I can give them and one where somebody actually answers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just days ago the Member from the affected region came and said why don't we ask for banking information right upfront on the page; it'll save an extra step when someone is deemed eligible. We have already made that change, Mr. Speaker. The new forms are now already on the website so things can change quickly. This issue of the need of having a contact point was raised today, and I can already assure the Member if he hasn't directly received a response from me, it's probably only because I've been in the House. So he will have that information before he goes back to Hay River to be able to share with residents. I don't have a number here in front of me that I can read in the House, Mr. Speaker, but that information will be available. And if we need to change those forms again, we can change the forms again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And hopefully maybe I can get that number by break time.

Will the Minister confirm what programs are available to self-employed persons or companies to help offset loss of revenue while evacuation orders in place? Because there was a number of companies and businesses in Hay River that haven't been operating for a couple of weeks and then to get started up again, it takes you another few days as they get employees back. And, you know, the owners, you know, more than likely whether they're paying themselves or not, I don't know, but I know that they've lost revenue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to -- well, again, if there's a loss of revenue that's impacting an owner's personal income, you know, again I'd suggest they consider applying and we'll consider whether or not they can be eligible, at least under the income disruption stream. More generally, I realize that doesn't necessarily help the viability and strength of a business. So, you know, ITI does have the -- they have their own programs under SEED, entrepreneur support programs, operational support programs. Those were used for businesses that were affected by the floods last year. It's application-based. Again, please, I would suggest people to, please, early -- earlier than not, reach out to ITI. Our South Slave regional office is available to support businesses that may have been impacted. And, Mr. Speaker, one last plug here is that the United Way also is playing a role here and we're looking at ways to help support them as they play that role. They can put money into non-profit organizations, charitable organizations, in the affected regions. So it may be a matter of looking at what some people's expenses may be and they may be able to then work with local charities to see if there can be supports found that way. But, again, Mr. Speaker, I know the GNWT did support the United Way and, of course, the residents across the Northwest Territories continue to support the United Way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice.

We know that over 700 rental units have mould or pests, across the Northwest Territories, but only three tenants got an order against the landlord to fix the problem. So clearly something is not working, Mr. Speaker. I want to know whether the Minister acknowledges that the current mechanisms to ensure healthy rental housing are not working. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If there were 700 applications made to the rental officer and only three resulted in orders then yes, there would be a problem. However, I'm not sure all 700 of those individuals submitted applications to the rental office so it's hard for me to say. If there were three applications submitted and they all received orders, well then it seems to be working well. So with just that information, I can't really answer the Member's questions.

However, if there are these issues in your, you know, rental unit, please contact the rental officer. This is what they do. If you have mold, if you have pests, and your landlord's not dealing with them, contact the rental officer. No one's going to contact them for you. They're not going to come to your house and do an inspection out of the blue. So people need to step up and take that first step. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, sometimes accessibility can be the issue. Saskatchewan provides tenants with an online fillable complaints form to launch an environmental health investigation into unhealthy housing. I'm not aware of a similar ease of use form that's available here that initiates an instant investigation. So I'm wondering if the government will consider a more accessible, efficient mechanism to trigger investigation by the environmental health officer through the rental office? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The rental office doesn't -- I guess is not a conduit for environmental health. So this is something that I can confer with the Minister of health on and get her take on it but right now that is not something that happens. They're two different entities and two different departments. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the problem right now is that multiple departments aren't able to work together in order to get this done. I mean, right now the Department of Health and Social Services says on its website that environmental health officers can investigate issues where a landlord has failed to take corrective action.

So I'm wondering if the Minister can tell me whether his department, or the department of health, tracks the number of landlord investigations by environmental health officers and the results of these investigations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been informed by the department of health that environmental health officers do follow up on landlord-tenant complaints, and they do track these requests. Thank you.

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