Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm always a bit hesitant to say too much in the House, and it's not for want of wanting to reassure the public service of the importance of this and certainly of their value. Right now more than ever, many public servants were asked to do much more over the last few months under very difficult circumstances. They really are what makes a lot of what anything the government does possible. So certainly wanting to give that reassurance. There is at this point, the stage we're at, Mr. Speaker, is that the parties are going to have a mediator appointed to the process and meeting with -- going through that process of having a mediator, meeting with the mediator and, again, once that -- there is a process for that. Everything is done in accordance with the Public Service Act. It may seem a bit slow but, again, at this point, I am confident that the process is being followed, that everyone is committed to it, both sides are committed to it, and we really do want to see a positive outcome. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm that the forthcoming new collective agreement will be fair and favourable to ordinary workers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that really does go to the real heart and the purpose of having the process that we're in, of having that process laid out as it is, to ensure that it does bring us to a place that we have agreements that are fair, that do, you know, reflect and respect the role of the public service and the Government of the Northwest Territories and that ensures that we have a sustainable contract to provide to our public servants over the long-term and in a way that is reasonable. So all of those ideals and all of those values remain unchanged. Again, I believe we are -- we're committed to seeing this process through fairly and, again, I am confident that with the process that we're underway and that both parties will be able to reach an agreement. You know, Mr. Speaker, we certainly have monitored closely the challenges over the last year and many public service agreements that have been reached across the country. It's been a difficult year. But, again, we've been watching that closely, and I'm confident with that in hand that we'll be in a position to come to an agreement in due course. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on September 20th, 2022, after meeting with residents individually, MACA shared their process document entitled Process to Rebuild or Purchase a Home on a Different Property for Residents of the Town of Hay River and the Hamlet of Enterprise. In early March 2023, some residents, not all, were advised the GNWT was no longer pursuing a buy back or property acquisition option as originally explained by MACA staff.

So, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister responsible for MACA, has his department reconsidered its decision of not using property acquisitions as a mitigation tool for those areas of Hay River and Enterprise that have experienced flooding and now damage due to a forest fire? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Disaster Assistance Policy has been applied to both the 2022 flood and the 2023 fire season, and this tool that will continue to be used to help those who have experienced property losses or damages during these events. The DAP does not contain specific buyout or buy back language, but its provisions do accomplish similar results in supporting home and business owners to relocate if they choose to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal government's Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements allows for innovative recovery solutions under section 3.4.1, a tool provided to help those impacted by disasters. What are the barriers stopping the Minister's department from using this tool? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Municipal and Community Affairs is using this section of the DFAA as part of its approach to the 2022 flood recovery and supports to those impacted. As part of its claim to eventually be submitted for reimbursement from Canada under its Disaster Assistance Program, the GNWT intends to seek reimbursement for mitigation costs used towards relocation as an innovative recovery solution under the DFAA section 3.4.1 to assist individuals with relocations where mitigation on their existing properties is not feasible. Like many others, department staff were impacted by the recent evacuation but are now again working on this file, working with those who were impacted by the 2022 flood and still have decisions to make regarding their next steps. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I asked the Minister if we are using the property acquisition option, has consideration been given on how the acquisition would be calculated. Would it be based on fair market value or like what is currently done under DAP? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the end of June 2023, I wrote to the Paradise Gardens residents to advise that the GNWT is not amending the DAP to provide for a different approach. The GNWT is providing the eligible claim under DAP. The government is also directing -- or directly paying for damage assessments, emergency work, structural assessments, mitigation assessments, and property appraisals. Finally, the GNWT is also providing mitigation funding of up to -- or of $75,000 per claim. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we're talking about, we're talking about Paradise, it's actually a flood plain and, you know, the damage there was significant and there's potential for it to happen again. So, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister if he is prepared to offer the property acquisition option to residents in areas where rebuilding is not feasible due to the severity of flooding and fire potential, such as Paradise Valley, and if not, is he willing to step aside as the Minister responsible for MACA and allow someone who will? Thank you.

I'll answer the first question. If the Member wants to come sit over here and deal with these disasters, I'm more than willing to sit over there and ask the questions. But saying that, Mr. Speaker, we have been working with Paradise Gardens residents for over a year on their options under DAP and provide -- and prior to the fire -- wildfire event, I had written to them to clarify what is available to them under DAP. We are aware that people are in process of making their own personal decisions about their next steps, including whether or not they want to rebuild in Paradise Gardens. MACA staff are available as they have been over the past year to work with Paradise Gardens residents through a disaster assistance process. And, Mr. Speaker, I've had the conversations with the Member, and we do have some residents who were impacted by the flood and this fire season here, so we have reached out to the federal government and to talk to them about that situation. So we are working on these files, both files on moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project, it's an outstanding issue for Members in my riding and the constituent Members. In the early days when the project was started, I remember Canada undertook this project but there there was really no consultation or accommodations with the residents of Taltson, residents in Taltson River.

Mr. Speaker, the -- right now, last weekend, I went down to Fort Resolution and I went to Hay River. I paid my respects to my relatives at the graveyard. I go to Fort Resolution. We do the same thing. In Dettah, every fall, we meet and clean up the graveyard. We say rosary, and then we have a feast to honour our ancestors. Mr. Speaker, right now, we have a lot of graves that are under water as a result of this project, and the people and the families that are impacted when they pray, they pray from home. They can't actually go to the site and pay their respects. So that's why I brought this issue up. And this issue was brought forward to me by an elder from my community, Lawrence Casaway, and he was very instrumental telling me that this has got to be said.

So, Mr. Speaker, I have a question that I want to just bring to the Minister of Infrastructure. I believe it's the Minister of finance on this one here. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, additional funding will be required in order to proceed with the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project. What mitigation, traditional economy, and archaeological sites in the region have been developed by the Minister, and what consultation and accommodation has been done with all Indigenous governments on this issue? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the project has been designed to take advantage of existing infrastructure with no new flooding as an important design requirement. We are in the process, Mr. Speaker, of engaging with our Indigenous partners to define the project footprint as well as integrate traditional knowledge, land use, and areas of importance to our Indigenous partners as part of that work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the GNWT's working closely with various Indigenous governments through engagement on the expansion. My question is about public consultation, particularly with elders, on the potential impacts for unmarked graves regarding the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT and interested Indigenous groups are working on a partnership that acknowledges legacy impacts from the original facility that was built in the 1960s, including Rocher River area. There was a report that -- on known impacts that had been prepared in regard to shared -- and was shared, including the ADFN leadership. Discussions are still underway, Mr. Speaker, to determine next steps as it's a very important issue to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Minister. Can the Minister confirm if work has been done to identify potential unmarked graves in the former Rocher River community in an effort to protect these sites from potential development? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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