Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too have been a volunteer for many years before stepping into this House, and I'm sure the Minister knows as well, burnout is really real in our territory when it comes to volunteers. If you want to -- you want to get something done, you ask someone who's doing eight other things, Mr. Speaker. So I'm wondering is there anything we can do for the wider volunteer just pool of folks who are out there and interested in things to support them, to get training perhaps on how to be on a board? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do believe that the school of community governments does have some programs for that. However, it's something that we can look into. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Member for Great Slave.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the amazing opportunity to ask another question to the government.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to return to the waitlist to the Minister of Health and Social Services. And as we all know that through information given that there's about 2,000 people on the waitlist, and I'm trying to figure out how people -- sorry, how the department deals with people knowing whether they're chronic and urgent people who need doctors or not. So in other words, how do they manage the list and try to make sure that people move forward on the list who are of urgent need? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Member, for the question. And after our back and forth on this question the last time, I did try to get more and more of the information that I would be able to provide to the Member. And so the list -- this list has been in place -- it sits within the -- like, the -- it's an electronic list. So people -- and it's monitored regularly. And the information that I can provide is that there -- if there's a need for a patient that, you know, has chronic illness and things like that, then they, you know, they may, you know, be able to be assigned a doctor sooner. As for how long people have been on this list, you know, those are details that I don't have and I -- you know, within the department, I think that'll take some time to be able to compile information like that. So that's what I have. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't expect the waitlist to be like the DMV where you go pull a little tag and you wait until they ring your number or whatever on the overhead board that says now serving A52, you know, Mr. Speaker. But that said, what type of communication is given to people who have, for example, chronic conditions who are sitting there waiting for that important relationship to build in order to buttress their health care journey? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I've kind of given it now, have I not, if you think about it. Mr. Speaker, the Minister says the information -- sorry, the names or the list is being monitored, Mr. Speaker. And we all know that the waiting list could be between four and six years. Ironically, that's how long it takes to become a doctor so maybe some of these people could, you know, serve their needs.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister willing to find a way to make this list transparent so people know where they're sitting and waiting on this list because it seems like one of those endless, bottomless pits of questions, which is you send -- get on the list and you never hear back. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, I will commit to doing that and making sure that there is some kind of information that can go out to Members and to -- a communique on how this list is monitored. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Members, our time is up with oral questions.

Written questions. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Sorry, folks, I'm going to go back to written questions. I missed something on my notes here, sorry about that. So written questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; you are efficient as ever.

Mr. Speaker, an estimated 2,200 Northwest Territories residents do not have access to any health benefits, do not have access to any benefits like those through employee or third-party insurance plans. The Minister of Health and Social Services has implemented changes to the Extended Health Benefits Policy that will impose a low-income threshold on eligible benefits.

My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services:

1. Can the Minister explain the income assessment process to determine eligibility for all benefits, including exact income amounts in dollar values;.
2. Can the Minister explain the cost-sharing model for residents above the low-income threshold, including defined reasonable family maximums and a list of all eligible benefits;.
3. Can the Minister indicate how many Northwest Territories residents will no longer receive extended health benefits after September 1, 2024;
4. Can the Minister provide a regional breakdown of how many Northwest Territories residents will no longer receive extended health benefits after April 1, 2024; and,
5. Can the Minister provide the total reduction in expenditures anticipated from the changes to Extended Health Benefits after September 1, 2024?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member from Range Lake. Written questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories health care system has seen a dramatic increase in the use of private agency nurses since the COVID1-19 pandemic. Many Northerners are concerned about the costs of agency nurses and their impact on health care staff recruitment and retention.

I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

1. Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for public agency nurses by fiscal year since 2019-2020;.
2. Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for private? Agency nurses based on expenditure categories, those being salaries, overtime, per diems, travel, accommodations, performance bonuses, and any other form of remuneration;.
3. Can the Minister provide the total number of nursing staff positions in the public service that could be funded from an equivalent expenditure as on agency nurses;.
4. Can the Minister provide the total number of registered nurses recruited to the public service since 2019-2020; and,
5. Can the Minister provide the total number of registered nurses who have been terminated, retired, or otherwise left their employment since 2019-2020?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Written questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly the Government of the Northwest Territories increased supports to communities and municipalities to reduce the municipal funding gap by $5 million; however, the government has not made the analysis of the municipal funding gap publicly available. With the rates of inflation and rising costs of goods and services, how do we know that $5 million has addressed the funding deficit?

My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs:

1. Can the Minister provide the current value of the overall municipal funding gap for the Northwest Territories;
2. Can the Minister indicate the portion of the total funding gap caused by inflation;
3. Can the Minister breakdown the total value of the municipal funding gap by community;
4. Can the Minister provide a further breakdown by community of the funding provided under all three Municipal and Community Affairs funding streams, community public infrastructure, water and sewer, and operations and maintenance, compared to the analysis on community need; and,
5. Can the Minister provide an analysis on the updated community funding policies and how that will address the funding gaps identified government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of the bills. Reports on standing and special committees. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for NWT Power Corp and Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents: Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 from April 1st to September 30th, 2023; 2022-2023 Northwest Territories Power Corporation Amended Capital Budget; and, Annual Report to the Legislative Assembly under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act 2023. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure, Minister responsible for Power Corp, and Finance. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: A Package of Information regarding Policies on 2SLGBTQIPA+ Youth in the Northwest Territories, including a letter to the Northern Mosaic Network and a response to the Northern Mosaic Network. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Tabling of documents. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a letter from the Tlicho government to Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley on Waters Regulations Interpretation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.