Debates of Oct. 30th, 2024

I'd like to thank Mary Jane Cazon for the blessing today.

Ministers' statements. Minister of Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the challenges faced this year in maintaining the Northwest Territories' supply chain and the steps our government is taking to address them. Our territory has been hit hard by a combination of record low-water levels, wildfires, rail disruptions, and added strain on our winter road systems. These issues have impacted the delivery of fuel, goods, and services to our communities.
But, Mr. Speaker, I want to assure you and the residents of the NWT that we have taken decisive action.

This season, barge operations were impacted due to record low-water levels on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River. To ensure essential products reached the Beaufort Delta region, we rerouted cargo from Hay River to the Tuktoyaktuk Terminal. Despite these challenges, we successfully delivered essential petroleum products to all Beaufort Delta communities relying on barge transportation.

We also launched the Hay River Harbour Restoration Project, with dredging operations to support Marine Transportation Services, the Canadian Coast Guard, commercial fishers, and other harbour users.

We understand how vital fuel is to northern communities. In order to maintain sufficient quantities of fuel, Marine Transportation Services and the fuel services division have continued to deliver essential fuel to the 16 communities served by GNWT and Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Wildfires this summer further complicated supply chain operations by disrupting transportation routes. Our highway operations and compliance teams worked tirelessly to manage these disruptions, ensure public safety, and keep critical deliveries moving.

Our ferries, which are an essential part of the Northwest Territories' transportation network, faced temporary shutdowns for unscheduled repairs this season. While these disruptions were unfortunate, I am pleased to share that we have implemented enhanced maintenance practices and increased monitoring to improve our operations.

Disruptions to CN Railway have also created a lack of direct rail access to Hay River and our marine terminal reducing our future fuel resupply capacity. The GNWT continues to explore options to resolve this issue.

Our winter road network remains crucial for connecting remote communities, especially in light of other supply chain issues. To prepare for increased traffic, we will be investing in increased maintenance to ensure these roads remain safe and in good driving condition throughout the season. We are also widening the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road where possible, adding signage, increased patrols, and checkpoints to ensure driver safety.

And Mr. Speaker, to support those affected by the low-water levels and barge cancellations, the GNWT recently announced funding for businesses in the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta regions. The government will also continue to pay the actual heating costs for eligible income assistance recipients and has increased the monthly subsidy rates under the senior home heating subsidy for Norman Wells. Additionally, the GNWT has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank to ensure families can access essential supplies during this difficult period. This assistance will help offset the increased costs of shipping essential goods and services.

The GNWT is also committed to long-term solutions, and we are working with Indigenous and community governments and engaging with the Government of Canada to secure funding for the all-season Mackenzie Valley Highway. This project will reduce reliance on seasonal routes, strengthen climate change resilience, connect communities year-round, and boost economic opportunities. We hope that the ongoing environmental assessment will be completed next year, after which we can work to obtain the necessary permits and licences for this transformative project.

Mr. Speaker, the challenges we have faced this year are significant, but I am confident in the steps that we are taking. Through proactive planning, increased maintenance in collaboration with our partners, we are ensuring that northern communities stay connected and supplied.

I want to thank the GNWT staff, community leaders, and transportation partners for all of their continued efforts to overcome challenges. Together, we are keeping the supply chain moving and supporting the infrastructure that drives our territory's resilience and growth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'm going to start my statement in Dene Kede.

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, education is rooted in place and culture and cannot be nurtured in isolation. As guiding place of legislation from our junior kindergarten to grade 12 education system, it is Education Act includes voices and perspective Indigenous government and our education partners. If -- respect of other and our education partners. The 20th legislation will be -- will mark the first time GNWT codevelops legislation social policy with Indigenous government through Northwest Territories Council of Leaders education partners to modernize the system structure and governs a approach represents not just a legislative process but a critical step shaping system that reflects the value -- Mr. Speaker, modernizing the Education Act --

---Applause

Thank you, colleagues. [Translation Ends]

Mr. Speaker, modernizing the Education Act is not merely a procedural update; it is a transformational change in its potential.

For decades, our education system has operated under frameworks that did not fully consider the diverse needs of our students or the knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples. By revisiting and renewing this legislation, we aim to create an education system that is more inclusive, reflective of NWT communities, and equipped to address the unique challenges and opportunities in the Northwest Territories. This work holds the potential to close persistent gaps in education outcomes, foster stronger language revitalization, and provide students with a foundation that better prepares them for the world beyond the classroom.

Conversation and collaboration about how Indigenous governments and communities can meaningfully lead and participate in the governance of a system that educates future generations is crucial to reconciliation.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, we are still reconciling with a painful history, where education was once used as tool of assimilation. Today, we seek to strengthen Indigenous voices, culture, and language at every level, from governance to the classroom.

Mr. Speaker, updating the Education Act is also intended to support improved student outcomes. Earlier this year, the 2022-2023 Report on the State of the Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education System was published. While there were some promising results, the report highlighted persistent gaps in outcomes, including declining attendance rates and stagnant graduation rates. The data shows significant outcome gaps between NWT students and the Canadian average; between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the NWT; and, between students in Yellowknife, regional centres, and smaller communities. Addressing these gaps requires a multi-pronged approach, including modernizing the Education Act, updating regulations, and streamlining ministerial directives. This fall, ECE will be re-engaging with Indigenous governments and education partners on next steps to modernize the Education Act. This effort requires longer-term discussions and is a major part of writing a different education story.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most exciting aspects of this work is its potential to reshape the future of education in the North. By co-developing legislation, Indigenous governments can have a leading role in shaping their education systems, allowing for programs and approaches that are directly responsive to local needs, values, and aspirations. This ensures that education is not only relevant but a source of empowerment. This kind of self-determined education system will create pathways to success that are grounded in the unique strengths of the North's people.

I am eager to see the positive impact of this transformative work ripple across the Northwest Territories for years to come. But I also want to emphasize how this must be a sustained effort and collaborative endeavour over the long term. I want to honour the work of Indigenous governments and educators who have, and continue to, work tirelessly in our communities. This is an immense undertaking, one that I am honoured to play a role in, and one that would not be possible without the collaboration of Indigenous governments, our education partners, and the educators and school staff. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Ministers' statements. Minister of Status of Women.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about gender-based violence.

Two out of 100 residents in the Northwest Territories have reported intimate partner and family violence to the police. As of 2019, Statistics Canada lists the Northwest Territories as having the second highest rate of police-reported intimate partner and family violence in Canada, and we know that not everyone reports these incidents to the police.

Women are disproportionally affected by gender-based violence. Gender-based violence comes in many forms, and some of the people experiencing this violence may not even recognize their abuse because it has become normal for them.

In November 2022, the national action plan to end gender-based violence was endorsed during the annual meeting of the Ministers for the Status of Women. This 10-year framework provides direction to federal, provincial, and territorial governments to work towards a Canada free of gender-based violence.

In August 2023, the GNWT signed a funding agreement with the federal Department of Women and Gender Equality for $16 million over four years, to implement the national action plan to end gender-based violence within the territory.

The GNWT's approach in implementing this plan is unprecedented as the funding is shared with other GNWT departments. The Departments of Health and Social Services; Justice; Education, Culture and Employment; Executive and Indigenous Affairs; and, Housing NWT are all working together to implement programs supported by the funding.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some of the work being done through this funding agreement. An annual amount of $700,000 was included to support the Women's Shelter network, which provides much-needed critical services to those fleeing family and domestic violence. The GNWT also supports non-governmental organization partners who are essential to the implementation and success of our collaborative efforts to create programs and services that support the implementation of the national action plan. This includes funding provided to the Native Women's Association of the NWT, the Status of Women Council of the NWT, and the Northern Mosaic Network.

Mr. Speaker, when we negotiated this funding agreement, we wanted to ensure we got communities directly involved in coming up with solutions to help combat gender-based violence. The response was the development of the Gender-based Violence Community Initiative Fund. This funding contributes up to $125,000 per application to community organizations to promote awareness and prevention of gender-based violence. With this funding, the GNWT has been able to support 15 different organizations' gender-based violence prevention and awareness campaigns and programs in their home communities.

An example is the Indigenous language terminology workshop that was held in partnership with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. This project brought language experts and elders together to develop terms related to gender-based violence and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. It got the conversation around gender-based violence started in the communities. One elder was quoted, "I finally let go of my secret."

During the community engagement undertaken to gather feedback on the GNWT's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Action Plan, a concern shared was that organizations are unable to access funds because of limited capacity. In response, the gender equity division in the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs supports community organizations to develop their proposals and assist with preparing their reports.

Mr. Speaker, to be effective, we must also consider family violence, elder abuse, economic abuse, cyberbullying, lateral violence, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals. By implementing an inclusive, comprehensive and coordinated approach, we will promote gender equality, and work towards a society that is aware and free from violence and discrimination. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And might I say you're looking rather dapper today. I guess I need a tie.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to borrow a statement from my esteemed colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes today from Hansard in October 14th, 2022. And I quote: Mr. Speaker, the bypass road in Inuvik is not only used by vehicles but is also used by the people out for walks, exercise, as well as other recreational activities. I can say even as far back as some of my colleagues in here will remember, phys. ed. classes where we had to run the 5-kilometer run in the school at the bypass. So it's used for many, many different activities. Now that the snow has started to fall at home, you can hardly notice one complaint -- you can notice one complaint that we've all had a part in for that road for months leading up to this time of year. Mr. Speaker, mud and dust, mud and dust. This is something that is so common to us up in the Delta. The dust some days carries throughout the town and could be a nuisance and even creep in -- and it does creep in -- to homes with open windows. Mr. Speaker, it can also be a real safety issue for vehicles and pedestrians alike. Flying rocks can also be very dangerous for the people that use this portion of the road, and that's not even talking about the mud that occurs when it rains; it also makes it very dangerous.

Mr. Speaker, the responsible then Minister, and I quote: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the department has reviewed the request to chip seal the marine bypass road. So the current cost estimate -- and I say that loosely because it may change -- is about $1 million, which is about three times the cost that is incurred in the southern Northwest Territories. As there are no paving equipment in Inuvik or in the community, we'd have to bring up contractors in from Whitehorse. In order to maximize local benefits to keep the cost down, we should align this work with some of the paving that's happening at the Inuvik runway. So, Mr. Speaker, I can commit -- and you're welcome -- to doing this work at the same time as the Inuvik runway. And I'm hoping with that answer, Mr. Speaker, I get no more supplemental.

So, Mr. Speaker, I may only have one question for the Minister of Infrastructure today. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. You do look dapper as well.

Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada tabled its report on the Stanton renewal project. The conclusion is that the GNWT cannot show this project provided good money for -- good value for money. Decisions were made without evidence and analysis, including changing from a renovation to a new build. Documents were found missing, including conflict of interest forms. The GNWT's unable to approve that $71 million was spent on northern businesses as it had previously claimed. The list goes on, Mr. Speaker. Deputy auditor general Andrew Haze said he was, quote, perplexed by the series of decisions that were reached by the government without doing updated analysis to identify value for money. Perplexed is a good word because if you were listening to the government at the time, you would have been told everything was fine.

Mr. Speaker, I used to call this a $1 billion hospital much to the chagrin of the health Minister of the day who insisted it was a cool $600 million. Well, Glen, it turns out I was right. $1.21 billion, 62 percent over budget.

Mr. Speaker, I've spoken about the need to better control our infrastructure costs before in this sitting of the House. This audit further adds to my concerns that our project management of major capital is lacking. At the time of Stanton renewal, this House was told the project was on time and on budget with tens of millions of dollars being paid out to northern businesses. Now we know that wasn't the case.

If anyone needed to wonder why this government is in such dire financial straits, then look no further to the persistent failures to ensure good money -- the good value for money analysis across numerous projects, including the bewildering decision to rent our own building for 30 years to the staggering cost of $78 million, something the finance Minister of today is defending as a good decision despite the opinion of the auditor general.

Mr. Speaker, the government is now saying things have changed - policies, practices, monitoring, all these things are now in place. But here's the thing. Back in the day, many of those exact same policies were in place; they just weren't followed. And because those decisions weren't followed, Northerners have been saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars of debt for the next 30 years. And, Mr. Speaker, we will deal with this report in good time, but if anyone thinks the GNWT has changed its colours and identified good value for money, I have a $90 million windmill in Inuvik to sell you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a great deal of (audio) As the Minister of Health and Social Services knows, I am keeping tabs on the roll out of this program (audio) and need ways to ensure that they aren't making choices between paying rent and their bills or having the medication that they need. I had many questions for the Minister and, happily, I got many answers that I would like to share.

As of October 16th, 618 residents are registered in the new EHB program. Applicants are assessed through income thresholds which are different in different regions of the NWT. Incomes above band 10 have to pay a deductible and co-share costs for their medication --

(audio) yes, we are going to fix it there. Yes, please and thank you.

Okay, I will stop.

Yes, please and thank you.

It's gone back, Mr. Speaker. All righty, thank you.

Incomes above band 10 have to pay a deductible and co-shared costs for their medications. So far, 373 residents are above band 10; 245 residents are below that band and have their costs fully covered; 256 residents are currently 41 percent of all program beneficiaries are on the new EHB program that were not covered under the old one. This is good news, and I'm happy to hear that there are residents who now have coverage who didn't before. However, as mentioned during the last O and M budget session, this band cutoff is not a given moving forward. And this is where my concern for my constituents resides.

Asking people struggling with cost of living pressures on a modest income is not a place I think any of us want to be as a territory. I had a constituent reach out who was struggling with their placement in the band system because they are a household of one making rent, paying bills, and now having new costs they didn't have before September 1st was proving difficult. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you, colleagues.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues; thank you, Speaker. It's still with Frame Lake but that's okay.

After speaking with the Minister's office, I was able to assist my constituent in a solution that was not immediately clear to them when they applied. Payment plans are available. I appreciate that after this interaction, the Minister committed to better highlight that option to applicants because so far, only one resident has used this payment plan option. Mr. Speaker, I'll have further questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the first early days of the Norman Wells oil field, a crew composed of six drillers and one oxen named Tommy began a six-week, 1900-kilometer journey northward by rail, river boat, and foot, to a site now known as Norman Wells.

Mr. Speaker, the drilling crew encountered many hardships with permafrost. By this time, river ice had frozen. A decision was made to wait out the winter. Mr. Speaker, they survived but Tommy did not but, heroically, supplied many a meal. And, Mr. Speaker, drilling resumed in the following spring. A relief crew arrived, and oil was struck August of 1920.

Mr. Speaker, unique to history is the realization of oil field stakeholders' profits and royalties.

Mr. Speaker, I understand our government is aggressively pursuing federal emergency funding to alleviate the high fuel costs in Norman Wells. These oil field benefits certainly create a loud argument for relief aid.

Mr. Speaker, within the last 24 hours, I have received notice from one of many business owners and is closing their doors. Within those doors, our government is a tenant. Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress enough the stress this crisis has created. I recommend as last week the Government of the Northwest Territories must cover this lower than original cost with the position on federal reimbursement. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to address the condition of the Dempster Highway during the summer and fall season. The portion of the highway that I am referring to is between Wrangling River and Inuvik. This portion of highway has never been this bad before. I have been receiving calls, text messages, on a daily basis from concerned residents from all over the Beaufort Delta region.

Mr. Speaker, I've driven the Dempster Highway for many years, and I can attest the concerns of the residents of the Beaufort Delta when they state that they have never seen this highway in such bad condition. I had to go to Inuvik to catch a plane bound for Yellowknife. Even though we left at 9 o'clock in the morning, we just made the plane at 1 p.m. The cab driver was driving at a speed of 40 kilometers an hour because it was so rough. I have seen vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road just to avoid the potholes and rougher portions of the highway.

Mr. Speaker, I received calls from contractors stating that they have encountered many unexpected expenses during this time in question. A contractor from Tsiigehtchic had to send two of his vehicles down south because of damage to his vehicles. This has cost time and money to his business; time and money he will never get back. Other residents stated that they have unforeseen wreckage to their vehicles, the tires and rims. Tourists were posting pictures of the damage that they have encountered while driving this portion of the highway.

Mr. Speaker, in past years the contractors have been taking pride in maintaining the highway from the NWT Yukon border to the Arctic Ocean, and they have been complimented on the excellent work they do. But for some reason, this year has been quite different and dangerous for the users of this portion of the Dempster Highway. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the Auditor General's Report on the Stanton Territorial Hospital Project. The report estimates that as of June 2023, the Stanton project's overall costs, which were originally supposed to be $750 million, Mr. Speaker, cost -- which were originally supposed to be 750, I'm sorry about that, are now in the range of $1.21 billion over the next 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, this is -- this is the most expensive capital project in the history of the territory. Our current Ministers should not be blamed for the financial mess created by past government, especially the Minister of Finance of the day; it was Michael Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, our people are going to be the ones left paying for the increased cost of this project, an estimated 62 percent increase, Mr. Speaker. The deputy auditor general said he was perplexed by this series of decisions that were reached by the government. And I do agree.

The government did not include annual property taxes when planning for the new project which are estimated to cost at least $151.6 million over 30 years. Operating costs for non-medical services in the new hospital are projected to increase by $173 million over 30 years. The government's decision to sublease its own hospital cost $78.6 million. It is absurd the government agreed to rent a building they already own.

Mr. Speaker, our small communities are hurting. People are not getting medical treatment in their own communities, and our programs and services need more funding. Mr. Speaker, the auditor general's report shows this project is going to have long-term impacts. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to have money we need to fix our health care systems or support operations in small communities. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Colleagues, I've heard two names mentioned here in two Member's statements with people not in this building. Next time I hear it, I will call you on it. Use their positions and just leave it at that. Thank you.

Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about our deficit mentality in this government. What I mean is the way we think about our deficiencies, our deficits, that ends up dangerously impacting our actual financial deficit and increasing our debt burden.

Now, the Premier and the Minister of Infrastructure often refer to our infrastructure deficit in this territory. The word deficit means a lack, something that we want that we don't have or something that someone else has that we don't have.

I understand that when Cabinet goes to Ottawa, we're competing to access federal dollars, so we use this language to point out the things other places have that we don't have. But when this idea of an infrastructure deficit becomes the only story that we tell ourselves, we get into big trouble.

Our deficit is compared to what? Compared to who? Should we have the same highway and electricity grid network as Alberta does? Should every community in the NWT have paved highway access? Should every community have the same recreation facilities? We haven't really defined our ultimate goals, what would even be ideal let alone wise or responsible, and so we're left always feeling unsatisfied, that what we have is just never enough. And the list of new things to build keeps getting longer and longer, and our spending grows and our debt continues to break through every ceiling that is set.

Now, debt isn't inherently bad if you're investing wisely in building a solid foundation that will eventually return benefits. But with this deficit mentality, we rarely stop to ask why we need to build all these things beyond vague ideas about nation building and wishing that it will reduce our high cost of living. Looking back, has the Deh Cho Bridge truly made our nation stronger or lowered prices in any of our communities?

The Northwest Territories will always be a collection of many small remote communities, and no billions of dollars in infrastructure can ever change that. But instead of focusing on the isolation and the things that we lack, why don't we focus on the strengths that we gain from our remoteness and how it can bind us together and foster creativity. We have incredible people and incredible natural resources, like caribou, that continue to sustain people today, and that is something that none of the southern provinces have partly because they have too many roads. So let's stop referring to our infrastructure deficit and focus on our strengths and the wise investments we can make to build on what we already have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague from Great Slave -- note, I used the title, Mr. Speaker -- is putting forward some -- I'm listening to direction.

I understand my colleague from Great Slave is putting forward some written questions today, and I wanted to support her efforts and add my voice to the call for better supports for NWT residents who need access to fertility and surrogacy treatment.

Mr. Speaker, fertility issues are a medical condition which affect a significant number of people in the NWT. One out of six couples experience fertility issues. Infertility is a diagnosed medical condition as is recurrent pregnancy loss. I also want to note, Mr. Speaker, that like many disparities of care in our health care system, women are disproportionally affected by lack of coverage which I feel likely helps to explain why it is an area that is underresourced. Currently, men are covered for urology appointments required for diagnosing fertility issues; however, I understand that women are not similarly covered.

In her October 17th response to the petition tabled by the Member for Great Slave, the finance Minister made a strong case for why fertility support is important. She highlighted the NWT's declining birth rate and noted that a decline in population, including the birth rate in the NWT, could have significant implications for the territorial economy. A result in demographic shift would likely result in a higher dependency ratio which has the potential to place increased pressure on social services and health care systems. A lower birth rate, combined with an aging population, might also deter investments in sectors such as education, housing, and local businesses that rely on a steady growing population base from local families.

After making these arguments, however, she noted that the NWT's tax base is too small to support fertility-related coverage. I note with interest, Mr. Speaker, that the Yukon, with a similar tax base to our own, has just announced that they are expanding their MLA travel subsidy to make fertility and surrogacy treatments more accessible. This is the first phase of a broader plan which includes exploring the possibility of a new tax credit for Yukoners undergoing fertility and surrogacy treatments.

I wish I didn't have to point to the Yukon so often, Mr. Speaker, but yet again, they have showing us what can be done in a northern jurisdiction that has the will to take actions they know will help keep people in the territory to raise their families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the issue I have raised in the past which is promotion of health and well-being for residents in our small communities. Mr. Speaker, our government has a mandate to deliver health promotion programming to residents to ensure that our population is educated and can make healthy choices in a variety of areas such as quitting smoking, injury prevention, healthy eating, staying active, sexual health, and education around substance use.

Across the territory, and especially in small communities, we have high rates of alcohol use, smoking, chronic disease, and sexually transmitted diseases for example. It's important that people know what resources are available for education purposes. There should be campaigns that reach our youth, adults, elders so that they are aware of health issues, their risks, and how to prevent or manage these. In small communities, this can be done through community outreach, through radio announcements, culturally relevant material, any resources that can reach out to the population, rather than waiting for health issues and disease to develop which will require care in a health facility and ultimately cost this government.

I would like to see a healthy informed and thriving population in the communities I serve. I would like my constituents to have the information and resources required to make healthy decisions, decisions around substance consumption, nutrition, and sexual health. I am concerned that in my riding not enough has been done to promote health and keep residents healthy. There isn't enough information getting out there to the people. My worries that the people need to know that just because they aren't hearing about certain health risks or issues doesn't mean it isn't there. They may be at risk and just don't know it. Health promotion keeps people healthy as well as their families and ultimately our communities. I will have questions for the Minister of health later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over 20 percent of the households in the Northwest Territories struggle with food insecurity, and most of those households are home to Indigenous families. When those children go to school hungry, their academic performance suffers severely as does their ability to interact with their peers. Hunger and malnutrition also have long-term lasting impacts on their physical and mental health adding to the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous children who suffer from chronic illness and depression. This is is because nutritious food is becoming prohibitively expensive, especially in the smaller communities, and they don't have reliable access to the traditional harvested food which sustained generations before them since time immemorial.

So far, the Government of the Northwest Territories has provided $650,000 annually through their anti-poverty to support school run breakfasts, lunch, and snack programs. And this has been supplemented by the federal Jordan Principle program which has funded meals for students as well. But contracts under Jordan Principle are unreliable, and $650,000 here does not go far enough to provide every student with a healthy meal. Yesterday, however, I was pleased to see the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment announce a new funding program to expand the territorial school program with the federal government.

I'm very hopeful that this new agreement will greatly benefit children across the Northwest Territories, but I hope there are provisions to expand school meals for Indigenous students with traditional food source and provide educational opportunities for both culture practices. Imagine school lunch programs which provides traditional meals, Indigenous cultural made with locally sourced ingredients and prepared with care because this is not just about the food on their plate. This program expansion is an unique opportunity to intertwine with traditional, educational, and cultural teaching. We need a school food program that can teach them the importance of balanced diet and the benefits of nutrition and the values of sustainable respect for the land.

By incorporating culture, education to the lunch program, we empower children to do well, to make better choices, but also to embrace their heritage. This approach fosters pride in their culture and nurture strong connections into their culture and community. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I know this agreement is still in the early phase, but I hope to learn more about the benefits it will have on the children in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding and perhaps provide more room for input from my communities. I look forward to asking the Minister for more information later this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to say supporting youth with autism in the Northwest Territories is critical. We need to look at it through a multifaceted approach by addressing their needs, whether it's regional or in large centre, Mr. Speaker, like Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, imagine if you're in a small community and you have children or a child or there's other types of people with learning disabilities in your community, where do they go? Well, they come to Yellowknife often because the services and supports aren't there. Mr. Speaker, but what I also find here in Yellowknife is people are leaving Yellowknife to go to Alberta because supports for things like autism are there, not here, Mr. Speaker.

We have a duty to help these young people achieve the best and most full potential that they can. It may be limited in some cases because I'm also a realist and know that, but the fact is we have a duty to ensure that they can live the best lives that they can. This burden often falls on the big shoulders of parents who struggle with these challenges each and every day. Mr. Speaker, we cannot leave these young people who can do better, who want to do better, behind.

Mr. Speaker, lifetime pathways are being developed and formed when young people are born and then in their formative years, they're not getting the assessments and treatments and supports they need. We need early intervention because it's when it's when they're young it matters the most.

Mr. Speaker, we can help redefine some of those weaker pathways. We can strengthen the ones they've got because we don't want to miss this critical opportunity, because if we don't do this when they're young it's too late. In other words, collectively we must work together. How can we do this, Mr. Speaker?

Well, early intervention and diagnosis is clearly critical. Many families will tell me it takes them a couple years to get an assessment. Two, maybe three years already pass by without those critical interventions needed.

Educational supports, Mr. Speaker, we can only rely on the schools so much and there's not enough funding to go around, as well as focus on this particular issue. Mr. Speaker, community and family supports are critical. Mr. Speaker, when we have parents who have children with autism, you know, they end up having to leave work to cover for the SIP days, Mr. Speaker. After school programs don't exist for folks like this. Summer programs don't exist for this. It falls again on the family's shoulders.

There is limited, and I mean limited, funding through ECE, but it's barely enough to fund a couple families when we have more than our share. Mr. Speaker, there are mental supports for the families who struggle with this each and every day. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions later on this particular matter because it is critical for the North. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.

Colleagues, approximately 25 years ago, the Seven Spruce Golf Club decided that they should come up with a four-person best ball tournament. After thinking about this idea, the executive asked two members to reach out to various businesses in the community and surrounding areas. One of the businesses they reached out to, was the owner of Kingland. He directed them to speak to the parts manager, and since that meeting the partnership has grown. It started out being called the Seven Spruce Four Person Best Ball Tournament, sponsored by Kingland Ford, then it was changed to the Kingland Ford Four Person Best Ball Tournament, and the name was changed to the Aurora Ford Four Person Best Ball Tournament after Aurora Ford purchased Kingland.

With the passing of Pat Rowe, the executive spoke to the staff at Aurora Ford about changing the name to the Pat Rowe Memorial Tournament. After about ten seconds of the conversation, it was agreed that it would be the new name going forward. Now, with this in place, the executive started organizing the tournament. The first thing they needed to do was change the date for this year. It is normally held in July but because of organizational issues, it was decided to be held on the August long weekend.

As the executive started reaching out to businesses, they saw a huge support from local and regional businesses. They were very successful in getting businesses to sponsor the tournament. Like the merchants' bonspiel, they broke it down into the following categories: platinum, gold, silver and bronze. I have attached a list and will ask them deemed to be as read and printed in the Hansard.

Colleagues, as some of you were aware, Pat was always an active supporter of the golf course. He sponsored and did a lot of work on Hole 7 of the course. He was one of three local business owners that paid for the screen porch addition to the clubhouse.

Pat was well respected. This year's tournament saw 13 teams, including three teams from Hay River and a team made up from Yukon, BC and a business owner from Fort Simpson. The winning team was a Fort Simpson team with a score of 12 under. I have been advised next year's tournament is going to see more teams from out of town. I can't wait for next year, to play with my sons again.

Sponsors of the Pat Rowe Memorial Golf Tournament.

Platinum ($ 2,000.00 plus)

PR Contracting
South Nahanni Airways
Rowe's Construction
Enbridge
Aurora Ford
Tire North

Gold ($ 1,000.00 - $ 2,000.00)

Northern
Simpson Air

Silver ($ 500.00 - $ 1,000.00)

Bradbury Services
Jiffy Lube Yellowknife
Taylor & Company
Rings Drugstore

Bronze (less than $ 500.00)

Goose Flying Services
Fort Simpson Beverages
Fort Simpson Fire department
La Dee Dah.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two pages that are here representing Inuvik Twin Lakes, Dallas Krutko and Keefer Ciboci-Raymond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and acknowledge Melinda Zoe. She's a chaperon for the two young page, Leela Bekale and Jaydan Zoe, from Jean Wetrade School in Gameti. So I would like to acknowledge them and welcome them. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to acknowledge a constituent who is serving as a page in the Assembly this week, Lucy Mackay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to say that I have a resident of Yellowknife South here in the room with us today serving as a page, Mr. Ben Mager. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, this is a question for Minister of Finance. Can the Minister explain why the government decided to sublease the Old Stanton Building at an increased cost of $78.6 million? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the opportunity that arose to sublease the building was later in the procurement process. This has been some of the challenge with the audit is that there were multiple stages to what occurred from back in 2013 when the project first originated up to the last stage of that project which is when that decision was made to sublease. At that point in time, there was this opportunity because the investment that was being made by one of the partners to decommission, renovate, you know, clean up that old building, that involved a significant amount of investment and their intent was that they would lease that out to recoupe the significant cost to do that. When they were ready to do that, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services was also looking at that time for an opportunity to put a long-term care facility somewhere. They did do an analysis on the cost per bed. I'll remind you, Mr. Speaker, that this was after COVID when costs of building and constructing new things had gone up. The cost per bed was quickly realized would be cheaper at the Legacy Building, then -- Liwego'ati Building than what it would be elsewhere and so a decision was made to pivot and to utilize that facility. Thank you.

Yes, thank you for that information. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain what non-medical services in the new hospital are projected to increase by $173 million over 30 years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it probably is a bit of both departments here. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take that number back. That's a very specific number, and I'm -- while I'm familiar with the audit, I am not necessarily up to speed with what that number would be.

So in terms of the projected costs, we do have a fairly detailed analysis that's obviously been done when we got the audit in. We are looking at where costs are going over the course of time. There's some concern that we have seen with respect to the audit in terms of understanding the difference between the portion that is within the P3 project and the portion that may be connected to Liwego'ati Building and then on top of which there have certainly been changes in the health care sector with respect to the costs of delivering health care, particularly following after COVID-19, and the time when the projections were originally done, 2013, 2015, do not match up to the realities of what we were facing post-COVID and so there are some concerns in there. And that may well be the sum total of the explanation, but I want to make sure I fully get the number that the Member referenced. So, again, so aside from mentioning the concern there, Mr. Speaker, I will make sure that there's nothing missing in that number. Thank you.

Thank you. The auditor general estimates that the Stanton project will cost $1.21 billion over the next 30 years. Can the Minister explain how the territory will pay the increase in cost? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this too, I do just want to just provide quickly before -- you know, we pay the costs that we pay for services, and certainly within health care, these are essential services for residents of the Northwest Territories. But, Mr. Speaker, the auditor general was bringing together what for us is the P3 project which is the Stanton Hospital as well as the Liwego'ati Building which is where the long-term care facility and now primary care are housed. So this has been a conversation that I've had with the Auditor General's Office of Canada that does our audits over the course of many years. We do not see, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, the two projects as being one P3. That does seem to be how the math was -- come out here. Again, I'm -- you know, far be it for me to be the auditor on the floor, Mr. Speaker, but those two projects, from our view, are separate. They're both delivering health care services. We will, of course, prioritize to ensure that health care services continue to be delivered. There's a lot of work happening in that space to make sure that we're delivering the right services in the right way at the right cost. And as that evolves in both of those facilities, we'll continue to make sure residents are being served. Thank you.

Final supplementary. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister explain what effects taking on this debt will have on capital projects and spending in small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all communities across the Northwest Territories need to continue to be invested in, and analysis gets done, whether it's department of health looking at long-term care facilities, whether it's education looking at educational needs, those processes continue. One of the things that does come to me from looking at the audit is the importance of having good planning, is the importance of having good records, and quite frankly, is the importance of having all of that consolidated in one place with experts in that area and that is something that we do now have a much better handle on. Five years ago, Mr. Speaker, there was about five different sets of objectives associated to the procurement processes in the Government of the Northwest Territories. That is pretty difficult to maintain a coherent system when you're operating under a regime like that. And so, Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity to reenforce that having one set of objectives and principles, one place where all of that resides, is exactly the right way to deliver better planning so that every single community has access to capital in an appropriate way, in a planned way, and in a way that is transparent to all residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are going to be about exploring the options of what can be done. And the reason I put that in context, first, Mr. Speaker, because I don't want it to be thought it perceived in any other way. So that said, Mr. Speaker, I'm in possession of a letter from the Thebacha Leadership Council addressed to the Premier and/or Minister of Justice, and the question really comes down to is their concerns about their due diligence on the transition from an operational jail that has no inmates to the 32 jobs that may be forcing -- being forced through in the context of layoffs.

So I'm asking the Premier first, or I should say Minister of Justice, is what type of due diligence has been done on this initiative to say this is the right course of path and how have they worked with the community regarding this?

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So earlier this year, this Assembly considered the main estimates which is the budget document for the Government of the Northwest Territories. One of the items in there was the Fort Smith Correctional Centre, the men's unit, and there were deliberations in this House and ultimately that budget was passed. And so the work that went in to the lead up to that is that we had a look at all of the programs and services we deliver across the Department of Justice, looked at what was legally required to be done, what programs and services were legally required to deliver, what programs are federally funded, so there would be no cost savings if we -- if we -- I don't know, removed those, and we looked at what services or programs are costing us more than we can justify. And so if we look across the entire correctional system in the Northwest Territories, we have a very low utilization rate, about around 50 percent it hovers, and we looked at all of the facilities and it was determined that the greatest cost savings would be if that facility was closed.

Now, this was not an easy decision. I lost many nights of sleep over this, had very, you know, spirited discussions at Cabinet but, ultimately, that's where we landed because it was -- we could no longer justify having that facility open for the few number of inmates that we in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to recognize the tone the Premier brought to that. I think it was certainly appropriate. I'm not trying to do jabby or clever questions. This is very important, and it's a very important subject for our -- Mr. Speaker, I just want to make absolutely clear. 32 jobs in a region matter to a Yellowknife MLA because it affects us all in one way or another. That said, Mr. Speaker, the letter, including the phone calls I received, talked about finding a solution or a course of path for these jobs and this potential facility. Again, written from the direction and point of view of these people from the Thebacha Leadership Council feel that they -- the solution was dumped on them.

Has the department or the -- or the Premier, given this council any resources and time to be able to come up with an alternative solution to save the impacts and how this will radiate through the town of Fort Smith? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I recognize the impact that this will have on the community. I did travel to Fort Smith. I met with the leadership council, and I toured some of the facilities they have in the community. Some of those are GNWT facilities that they would like to operate out of. And the reason that, you know, we took those tours is I wanted to get the lay of the land of Fort Smith, see what resources that we had that could be provided to the community to assist in any sort of endeavour that they might want to embark on. The Department of Infrastructure has shared information with the leadership council about the operating costs of facilities in the community, and we're open to having discussions. So as soon as we hear from the community on what they would like to do moving forward, we're very willing and looking forward to working with them on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to put on the record that the meeting -- in the letter, it says the Premier was very cordial, it was a cordial meeting, again so I just want to emphasize his tone is appropriate in my opinion for this important discussion. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice has had years to study this particular problem. I'm assuming they didn't make this decision overnight, and I'm certainly recognizing that.

Mr. Speaker, the Thebacha Leadership Council feels they've been given days or weeks to come up with a solution to counter or provide other options without resources. Is the Minister willing to find some resources to help the Thebacha Leadership Council find an alternative use, either for the facility, or an alternative path for these types of employees who want to remain in Fort Smith, who are valued members of not only Fort Smith but the region and our territory at large? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the leadership council has some specific requests, I'm happy to hear those. We're happy to help however we can. If it's assistance looking for, you know, federal programs that could help operate a facility run by the leadership council or by an Indigenous government, we can assist with that. If there's information about the existing facilities in the community that they may be able to use, we're happy to assist with that. So I look forward to hearing directly from them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. So Yellowknife residents recently received a letter in the mail from the health authority informing us about the new primary care teams and crucially assuring everyone that even if they don't currently have a family doctor assigned to them, they would now be assigned to a team with a family doctor on it. So while that's a laudable goal for every resident, why was this commitment made at this time when each primary care team still only has less than two full-time equivalent physicians per team and that would mean that more than 5,000 patients would be assigned to each team; why was the commitment made at this time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the Member's question, what's happening here is is that part of the primary care reform. So, you know, whether we move to four teams within Yellowknife, those teams have been equipped with -- from the ten teams that they had that did not have enough staff down to the four teams that -- you know, they've been placed and that way the remaining of the people in Yellowknife can be assigned to that team. Not every person on that team or in Yellowknife needs to have access to a physician. What they need is they need access to a health care provider. So within that team, they will be, you know, seen at the -- whatever their need is to the scope of the practice of that person that's on that team. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So does the Minister believe that the current number of practitioners per team, that's physicians and other practitioners like NPs, that it is an appropriate number of practitioners per team to be able to serve this many patients, or is the authority striving for a different number of practitioners per team? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, whether I believe it is or I don't believe it is, I think what the Member -- what I would like to provide so that the Members of this House and the Member for Yellowknife North wants, I think is getting to the bottom is are these -- you know, these -- like, these teams going to be what needs to happen. We don't know right now. So what is happening is the framework is currently being developed to provide clear direction and performance benchmarks for this initiative. And these are going to be completed by 2025 but the -- in the -- what was there, you know, we were getting concerns from inside within the physicians. The ten teams, we did not enough people to meet those teams so creating smaller teams, we're able to fill all the needs in those teams, and now we'll monitor to see whether or not that's going to meet capacity for the Northwest Territories.

And I'd like to add, you know, on top of all the move and everything into the new facility and the phone issues, you know, that has also put -- it's not necessarily -- like, the teams are not working. It's people in the public are having access issues to try and make appointments. And that, you know, comes down to frustration from the residents of the Northwest Territories, and we are trying to rectify those issues. So I just want to make -- put that on the record that it's not all about downsizing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister aware of any studies or plans that have been prepared in the past that would give us an answer to the question of how many is the right number of practitioners for a certain number of patients per team? Do we have any studies that would direct us towards what is the appropriate number of patients per team? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we can all say that we have studies and research and reviews on many different areas within the health care system. Specifically to primary care, there are -- there are -- you know, there are different things that have been done. Some of those things aren't -- they don't necessarily meet the primary care reform needs. Some of -- some past -- you know, if there's reports out there, they might take pieces of them that meet the need of primary care reform. But we are moving away from the way that we used to provide services in the Northwest Territories. So what I can say is at this moment with primary care reform, we're using all of the past tools and any kind of reports or anything to try and make primary care reform, like, the best that we can for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So finally, why were our primary care physicians not consulted or notified that the health authority would be sending out this letter and making this commitment to residents at this time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are -- you know, there's the CEO, the territorial medical director. There is a vacancy that's being covered. How there are -- members of physicians that sit on the primary care reform team. So how and who wasn't informed, I can't -- like, I can't specify how that communication went to the physicians and how the information was released or how it was reported to them that it was going to be released at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

MR. EDJERICON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions is for the Education, Culture and Employment Minister.

This new deal with the federal government to expand school lunch program is an excellent opportunity to improve both nutrition and academic performance of children across the North. But I hope that this program will have a strong focus on Indigenous children.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister will the expansion of this program prioritize cultural relevance for Indigenous students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, also a huge thank you to the Member. His Member's statement absolutely hit on all of the points of what this relationship between the GNWT and the Government of Canada is trying to achieve, and it's so much more than food. And so the answer absolutely is yes. The program is based on the existing -- or the funding, sorry, is going to be funding through the existing Healthy Food for Learning Program that is maintained by Education, Culture and Employment, and those dollars flow out to education bodies. Education bodies will have the opportunity to work through community partnerships, to work with local harvesters and subsistence hunters, to prepare traditional foods in schools. Really, this work is going to be on a case-by-case basis depending on how each education body chooses to use some of it. And so some of the examples, Mr. Speaker, of how they're able to use some of this food is absolutely increasing quantities of food, hiring personnel to support the organization and food program delivery needs, providing food safety training, and also the ability to do capital or infrastructure investments or improvements. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. She answered all my questions. But anyway, I'd like to just look at how would this agreement work or take into consideration the unique northern circumstances in small communities; like, higher costs of groceries, traditional harvest, and then shorter growing season? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very thankful that this program is willing to be flexible in how we administer it within the Northwest Territories within the criteria that I outlined for the Member. But that being said, the current formula funding for the Healthy Food Learning is going to be used, and that formula allows us to distribute based on student populations, also based on food cost indexes for the region the school is located in, and also the median incomes of communities. And so it will be flexible and responsive to where the students live and also the flexibility of the programming allows for things like capital investments and infrastructure improvements as determined by the education bodies, which is really important that we're able to actually work with education bodies and work with communities themselves in order to really get to where the students need these dollars so that it does have a positive impact in the classroom. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. Right now the GNWT funds $650,000 for NWT school food program. How much more funding can the NWT expect each year under the new agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Canada-wide, the Government of Canada is putting 1 billion more dollars over the course of five years into classrooms across the country. I am really looking forward to being able to work with the Government of Canada to announce what that will mean specifically for the Northwest Territories, and I'm looking forward to being able to do that in the next few weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. Will there be any targets for this -- with the program and information made available as the program rolls out to measure its effectiveness? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as it stands with the existing program, education bodies already formally report on types of food and program -- that their program offers and the average number of children and youth served, and those are all available online through annual reports that are already published.

In addition to that, ECE is going to be engaging with education bodies to set more formal targets specific to this new funding. So that could be tracking the expansion and enhancements of existing programs and infrastructure improvements to really show what kind of impact these dollars are having to our classrooms to learning and ultimately to food insecurity of children in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Colleagues, we've almost spent 25 minutes and four sets of questions. So, please, make your answers more succinct. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of health. In small communities, how are health promotion activities rolled out? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in most of our communities, we have community health representatives, we have health care staff, we have home care staff; however, you know, there are some initiatives that are sent to the schools. You know, they may work with the health centre to get information if there's certain things going on in the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What formats are used in health promotion campaigns to target different demographics such as youth and elders? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within each community -- and I had the privilege to go to the Sahtu, and while we were attending the AGM there for the Sahtu Secretariat, there was the CHR there and they were there in collaboration with health and the RCMP and they had a campaign going on for illicit drugs. You know, we've heard many times that there are those things. That was happening. And I spoke to the CHR, and she just goes out to the community and sees what the needs are in that community, and then she tries to design her program what's based best needs, and she utilizes her support, her team, within the health authority to be able to roll out any projects or things in her community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How do we ensure the right resources are reaching the people at risk? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we hire these frontline staff in the community, they're usually members of the community, they're usually -- like, most of the CHRs that I have met along the tours that I have done as a health Minister are Indigenous people from the communities so they know their communities. They know that they can access -- they can do presentations in the school, they know that can -- you know, they can work with the home care workers to do community events. Whenever there is a community hall event, they can do those types of things. You know, that's where I think the -- if you have a CHR in your community and you want more things, I suggest that, you know, meeting with those staff to see what's going on in their community, how can you better support your community. I think we all as leaders in our community, we all go home after, you know, session is over, and we know who these people are in our community. And we know what we're hearing as MLAs, so how do we go back and we say this is what we're hearing, how could we do things better. And I encourage that MLAs do that within their community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said earlier, I'm concerned in my riding that not enough's happening. What areas of health promotion are prioritized in small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that there's -- you know, there each specific -- like, right now, we're hearing illicit drugs across the territory so the Office of the Public Health has started to be able to come up with the materials that are needed to give to the people on the ground. I believe that it's each individual community, whatever their priority is in their community they should be reaching out to the health centre saying we want education on this stuff. You know, we have elders that are asking this kind of information. Every community's going to do it different and that's the -- that's the good thing about CHRs, is that they're flexible to be able to do this. So that's what I would encourage, is every community may have their own priorities on what they want. The information within health is available, and if it's not available in their community, they can -- you know, like the Member, if she finds that these things are not available in her community, bring it back to me, come or send an email. We can direct where they can get the information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today is for the Minister of ECE. The Sahtu is approaching the winter road reason which is the affordable connections to all five communities. And prior to our February the 5th sitting, I would like to take the opportunity to invite the Minister to support a road show to promote education, education security. I'm wondering if the -- my question to the Minister if she will support a group of beneficiary trades team to do a presentation to the high school students in each of the five communities in the Sahtu? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member knows that trades are near and dear to my heart, and I certainly want to see more trades apprentices and trades students in every region of the territory, and I am certainly willing to work with the Member, and we may have staff in each of those regions that are already there that can already support some of this work if I am unable, of course, to make it to all the Sahtu communities before the February sitting, keeping in mind that we have busy schedules, but I certainly want to support the Member in this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that support. In consideration of the high fuel costs, would the Minister support the cost of this road show team? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I always like to make sure that we are working smarter, not harder, and that we are saving dollars for where we really need them in the territory, and so if there are staff already located in a community, for example in Norman Wells, we do have a regional superintendent who would be able to do some of this work within the school, and we may even have teachers within the schools that can help support having the conversations about how to access trades and how to get involved in trades within the schools. And so I certainly want to explore this with the Member and see how we can do this together and ensure that we are being fiscally responsible at the end of the day when we're doing that too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks for the Minister for that support. I am anticipating we're looking at a group of six. Will the Minister work with my office to help coordinate the logistics and planning of this road show promoting education for trades? Will the Minister commit to seeking employer time off for the employee trades to participate in this? For example, this government has beneficiaries in the Sahtu that would fit this agenda. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly don't have control over the operations of departments, and I know that the Member started this conversation by referencing the Sahtu winter road, and I think it's worth stating that the Sahtu winter road really is a good news story at the end of the day. It is maintained by contractors that are local Indigenous contractors all the way up the road and, you know, these are private employers, of course. I wouldn't be able to dictate or determine whether or not they would give staff time off. But the good news is that what really we need in the Northwest Territories, when it comes to building trades, apprentices, is employers and those relationships with employers. And so I would love the opportunity to find out if there is space for added apprentices, and especially added SNAP apprentices, within those workplaces of those employers, and I think that would be a great start to building some new trades apprentices in the Sahtu. Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, I may only have one question for the Minister of Infrastructure. Would the Minister commit in this House to me, to the residents of Inuvik, to the former AOC Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, to finally pave the muddy, dusty bypass road in Inuvik when the paving project starts for the Inuvik runway project? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the paving project for the airport is right now expected to be over 2027-2028 and somewhere in the course of that, we will be able to include the paving of the bypass road. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. That was the quickest set of questions and answers.

Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm using my colleague from Mackenzie Delta's microphone; he's been very gracious.

Mr. Speaker, what is the Minister of Health and Social Services doing to clearly communicate to EHB applicants that they have payment plan options? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've communicated this in different ways. So the application web page has information about the payment plan options under the EHB menu system. This is new. As this came about, as the changes started rolling out, we realized that -- you know, that some people were asking these questions so we started to make things available. We also have a series of EHB Facebook posts, if people are on social media. There are changes made to the introductory letter that are being sent, that are those that are being accepted into the program which does -- is going to be stating that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what benchmark does the Minister of Health and Social Services need to see demonstrated that the band cutoff as currently working is appropriate, and how is this monitored? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, additionally, when the rollout of the program, we made a -- we made changes on, you know, when Regular Members had, you know, raised issues with this and rolling it out. So what we did do is we waived from September 3rd, 2024, to August 31st, 2025, the deductible for the first ten income bands to be able to determine what the annual costs, so those Members that fell within that band two to ten, so they could determine what their actual costs are for the year, and then they were aware of what their deductible would be coming up for September 1st, 2025. As for how we're monitoring that, you know, we are only into it two months now, I think just over seven weeks. So what -- we will be monitoring the program, collecting the data on number of applications received, number of approved applicants, and distribution of applications across the income bands. We don't have any claims data, but this will also become part of the information analyzed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm just frantically writing here.

Mr. Speaker, EHB was touted as a way to address cost savings by putting some costs back to those who could afford to pay a portion of their medical necessities. Can the Minister explain what cost savings we are anticipating based out on the rollout of this program extrapolating on the data collected to date over the last seven weeks, I guess. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we have less than two months of data so the information on that work is expected to take place after we have a year. That was the commitment, you know, that we would look at all of the data after a year of running the program. But our expectations of saving is geared towards the sustainability of the program. So as residents are sharing the cost of the benefits, total program cost to the government are offset which will help sustain the new program. It's also important to note that more people are now eligible for EHB than previously. As the costs of drugs and medical equipment were increased, residents' contributions will help to offset those. But we will continue to work to sustain the benefit program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.