I'd like to thank Lillian Elias for opening prayer and the wise words. Greatly appreciated.

Just one little bit of housekeeping. Please be a little bit slower when you talk. We have some translators that are not asking to do a sprint for the whole marathon. So they said if we could please be a little bit slower, they would greatly appreciate it. So now let's get down to business.

Ministers' statements. Minister from Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, living and travelling throughout the Northwest Territories, I have seen first-hand the many housing challenges faced by residents. All people of the Northwest Territories deserve a quality standard of living.

During the 19th Legislative Assembly, Housing NWT consistently advocated to the federal government for funding to address housing needs across the Northwest Territories. I would like to recognize the dedicated work of the 19th Legislative Assembly and former Minister Paulie Chinna in this area. The advocacy that took place in the 19th Legislative Assembly supported significant federal investments in housing, including money being provided directly to Indigenous governments through distinctions-based funding, as well as many other housing delivery agents having their projects approved for funding. Housing NWT recognizes the importance of working together with all partners to find solutions to the housing challenges here in the North.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT advanced a multi-year capital plan valued at $130 million which includes the construction and repair of approximately 500 housing units, with a combination of federal and Housing NWT funds. In 2022-2023 Housing NWT held discussions with Indigenous governments and communities and did the planning and finalized construction contracts for 100 additional public housing units - 60 units designated for singles, 30 duplexes designed for families, and 10 units designated for seniors in communities outside of our regional centres. These seniors' units are in line with our government priority to support aging in place. These 100 units are the first expansion of the public housing stock made in decades. Now, as the 2023-2024 fiscal year comes to an end, all 100 of those new units are either complete or will be complete within the next six months. These units were all constructed by companies from the North.

Mr. Speaker, this construction commitment was achieved as a result of significant one-time federal funding support, which included a $25 million contribution from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation to construct 60 modular housing units; a contribution from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada for $25 million to construct 30 public housing units; and, an additional contribution from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to support 10 modular duplexes for seniors.

Mr. Speaker, to support small communities in developing skilled tradespeople, Housing NWT has leveraged every opportunity to build and maintain this capacity. Housing NWT's new construction contracts have supported 55 apprenticeship work assignments since 2020 thanks to our requirement for general contractors to hire at least one apprentice in new construction contracts.

The last few years have presented extraordinary challenges for housing due to the impacts of climate change, disruptions to material supply chains, and increasing costs of fuel and construction materials. In addition, the marine transportation system has experienced low water levels on the Mackenzie River which resulted in the cancellation and delays to barges. This delayed some projects as material or modular units had to wait until the 2024 winter road season to be sent into communities.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the NWT construction sector on its ability to be responsive to these challenges by adapting to changing and challenging logistics.

Housing NWT considers climate resiliency in design to ensure appropriate foundation systems and low-maintenance climate-durable materials are chosen, as well as maximizing energy efficiency to reduce operating costs over the service life of housing units. Housing NWT continues to closely monitor the cost of construction and is implementing mitigation measures where possible by looking at innovative and creative solutions to address the many challenges of building and maintaining homes in our environment.

Mr. Speaker, I support Housing NWT's focus on increasing the well-being of individuals and communities by providing fair access to quality housing support for people most in need. I hope to build on this work by promoting a culture of working together as a community, focusing on partnerships to help foster innovation.

Looking forward, Mr. Speaker, there are many exciting projects on the way in 2024, including partnerships with Indigenous governments, the city of Yellowknife, the Department of Infrastructure's energy division, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Arctic Energy Alliance, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and other federal funders.

Through 2024, Housing NWT will continue to implement renewable energy projects, advance a climate change risk analysis, and continue research and development on technology. I look forward to continuing to update this House on the outcomes of these initiatives.

In closing Mr. Speaker, there will be many exciting outcomes from Housing NWT's capital investment in recent years. I will work with Housing NWT's staff and my colleagues around this House to continue to advocate for solutions to the Northwest Territories' housing challenges, especially in our smaller communities. Together with Indigenous governments and other partners we can improve the lives of residents in the Northwest Territories by offering more quality affordable housing in every community. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last month I attended AME Roundup in Vancouver, where I had the privilege of representing Northwest Territories' residents and advocating for their interests in the realm of resource development.
Roundup showcases the Northwest Territories' resource potential to the world's mineral development community. In recent years, we have seen growth in the exploration of key commodities, especially for critical minerals like lithium. This exploration presents the NWT with a unique and timely opportunity to increase investment in our mineral sector.

Mr. Speaker, I can report incredible buzz and excitement at Roundup for our territory's potential, especially around critical minerals.
As a world, we are writing a new way forward to tomorrow's renewable energy and clean technology solutions. Twenty-three of the 31 critical minerals essential to Canada's critical mineral strategy are found in our backyard. So while this is a global challenge, the solutions are Canadian and, more specifically, this chapter starts in the NWT.

As we all recognize, the benefits of mining extend well beyond the extraction of precious stones and minerals. Even before a mine can start operating, a diverse range of products and services are required. Exploration activities and geoscience research can bring significant economic benefits. Exploration activities benefit our economy by hiring locally. Although the employment opportunities at the exploration stage do not approach the scale of an operating mine, exploration companies employ a wide range of laborers. Let us not forget, before you can even start a mine and create hundreds of job opportunities, you first need enterprising and innovative mineral exploration companies to find and develop valuable viable deposits.

Mr. Speaker, in 2023, exploration spending in our territory totalled $118.8 million, an
11 percent increase from 2022. The NWT was the only northern jurisdiction to see an increase during this period, and growth is being driven by the search for critical minerals. We want this spending to increase to the levels seen in previous years where it totalled between $150 and $200 million.

Our government's approach to this year's Roundup was strategic. We highlighted the immense potential for those engaging in responsible exploration and development within our territory and demonstrated how partnerships with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations can unlock new opportunities.

In the spirit of environmental, social, and governance with an Indigenous lens, or ESG-I,
we are promoting responsible resource development. Our government is dedicated to integrating ESG-I considerations into our policies and practices, ensuring that exploration and mining projects meet the highest environmental and social standards and will attract ESG-I-conscious investors.

During Roundup, the Government of the Northwest Territories hosted networking talks focused on capacity building and relationship development for Indigenous governments and NWT participants in the mineral development sector. We brought five events to Vancouver, including two ESG-I talks, a question-and-answer session on the Mineral Resources Act, a Meet the Leaders event that introduced our Premier, Cabinet, and Indigenous government leaders to national counterparts, and of course, NWT Night. These events were well attended by influential industry stakeholders, government officials and, crucially, our Indigenous partners. Our contingent was also supported by the Member for Sahtu, and I am grateful for his presence and contributions at Roundup this year.

Mr. Speaker, Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations also made a big splash at Roundup. Over a dozen Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations were represented. Congratulations are especially in order for the Tlicho government, who hosted their inaugural Tlicho Night. It was my personal pleasure to attend this successful event.

Mr. Speaker, Roundup was much more than simply an event. It is an opportunity to show how we are enhancing our investment landscape and to build upon the partnerships to get us there. By nurturing these connections at venues like Roundup, we hope to see all Northerners share in the prosperity our resource economy brings to our territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I look around, and I see people in various states of overwhelm and depression. It reminds me of some of the toughest times our territory has been through when I was growing up in the early 90s but perhaps it seems even worse now that I'm grown and have adult responsibilities. It's also why I'm here. Running for office is born of my desire to help. The only thing I'm certain of doing in hard times is using my skill sets to help when and where I'm capable.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important note. Your capacity to help will look different in every day, hour, and moment. Mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual burnout is real in our territory and achingly present, and I want to acknowledge and respect that.

Mr. Speaker, over the coming weeks of this session, I want to speak of how we can build a stronger territory that provides many kinds of help to our neighbours to withstand hard times. One of the largest looming hard times is that of financial hard times, Mr. Speaker. We will do what we do best, support people as much as we can, but we also need a government that we can rely on to support us when times are tough to ensure nobody gets left behind.

Mr. Speaker, one part of a strong foundation that we can rely on could and should be a guaranteed basic income to remove the paternalistic reach of income assistance. As I mentioned in this House, the Senate of Canada is studying basic income and Alternatives North is preparing a draft implementation report for what it could look like in this territory. I'd like this Assembly to begin to look at it seriously and why it could be beneficial as compared to income assistance. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke to one of the underdeveloped sectors of our economy. There are several other underdeveloped sectors, which I will speak to in time, but today I want to focus on the significant economic activity we already have and how we can maximize benefits from it.

Mr. Speaker, for such a small territory, we have a huge amount of economic activity happening; so much so that we are often unable or unprepared to fully benefit from it. Our diamond mines rely on a significant number of employees from outside of the NWT to sustain their operations for example. I suggest that there is more we can do to incentivize northern hiring than we currently do. I shared frustration with a lot of Northerners when the mines moved their head offices out of the North, and the territorial government did not take substantive action to hold them accountable for moving more benefits out of the North. I think we should be looking into what measures we can put in place to incentivize all companies who operate in the North to ensure benefits stay here. We also need to ensure our royalty regime is robust and ensures benefits to Northerners from resource extraction are maximized, which is a statement unto itself.

Another sector which is poised to grow here in the near future, Mr. Speaker, is mine remediation. The Giant Mine project alone is projected to cost billions, and I believe we are not currently prepared to maximize the benefits to the North from this project. In order to fully benefit from the remediation, we are going to need to look at how procurement processes can help to create capacity and maximize northern benefit, and we need to be preparing our workforce. Ideally, our new polytechnic could develop a program which teaches mine development through the lens of remediation through a mine cycle technologist program. We are uniquely poised to be a leading jurisdiction for this kind of training with some of the biggest and best regulated remediation projects occurring in the country, if not the world.

I think we also need to take an eyes wide open approach to the upcoming closure of Diavik and actively work to ensure the economic and employment related impacts of this closure are minimized to the greatest extent possible. I have a number of lines of questioning for Ministers on these topics at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during my campaign and recent trip to the community of Colville Lake, previous Assembly capital plans approved the Colville Lake School. Mr. Speaker, some progress was accomplished. Site geotechnical assessment, two modular units constructed. We can view this progress as our government's precommitment to ensuring approved value education for our children.

Mr. Speaker, the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation is a progressive one. The progress shown by the community leaders are quickly approaching independence in concluding self-government negotiations. On the principles of relationships and partnership building, this prevents a unique opportunity for both this government and the Behdzi Ahda' community government on school construction, design, and lease back ownership while delivering education in a modernized facility. The concept of this government mortgage, community government mortgage is not particularly new to this government. Mr. Speaker, later I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Kent Cooper, former executive director of the Associated Press, is often credited with coining the term "right to know." Stated as early as 1945 that the citizen is entitled to have access to news fully and accurately presented. There cannot be political freedom in one country, or in the world, without respect for the right to know. In the years since, the public's right to know has extended to public governments as well.

As noted here in the Northwest Territories, our Information and Privacy Commissioner Andrew Fox stated: Government has to facilitate the access to information and to protect the privacy interests of everyone, every one of us. But Commissioner Fox also notes that one of the key parts of having these Acts work is to ensure that people who are making it happen are sufficient in number and are trained to a level of competence. Without that, it doesn't work. And there's the rub, Mr. Speaker, is making the system work, and ours just isn't working it.

In the fiscal year 2021-2022, one third of access requests were late. Now that number is over half of all access requests. The government is also noted to be lacking in policies, resources, and training to adequately serve our Access to Information and Protection of Privacy regime. This is a chronic and pervasive deficit within the Government of the Northwest Territories, especially in the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services agency who Commissioner Fox notes is the worst example.

It is not only high staff turnover and lack of policies and resources that are creating this problem. It's also the sheer number of access requests that have increased it more than 20-fold in recent years. Also of note is the timelines for the access regime have been shortened in an effort to improve citizens' access and responsiveness to the regime. These were all well intentioned choices, but it's unfortunately burdened the system with timelines that are just too short. And recently, there was a high-profile case where someone had to wait more than 180 days/six months to get their access request granted after the IPC had made an order to do so.

So I will have questions for the Minister responsible for that department's access regime and the overall department's access regimes because we need to do better. Our citizens have a right to know. It's our job to make sure that right is realized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the 19th Legislative Assembly committed to ensuring that government procurement maximizes benefits for the NWT residents and businesses. In order to fulfill this commitment, in December of 2020 the GNWT hired an independent panel to provide recommendations to strengthen GNWT procurement policies. This independent panel conducted public consultation, engaged with stakeholders, and reviewed years of contract data.

Mr. Speaker, on August 2023 the GNWT responded to this panel review report with a report on the review of GNWT procurement policies and practices. Mr. Speaker, in this report, it notes that the GNWT has been working with Indigenous governments on approaches to Indigenous procurement policy. The report also includes an implementation plan on several key topics, one of which is an approach to Indigenous procurement.

Mr. Speaker, the implementation plan for GNWT to address the Indigenous procurement policy includes the following actions:

Work with the Council of Leaders and the modern treaties and self-government partners to explore ways to promote inclusion of NWT Indigenous business and individuals more effectively;

Develop an approach that recognizes the interest of parties and recognizes the implementation of modern treaty obligations;

Executive and Indigenous affairs lead a departmental working group to coordinate GNWT efforts in engagement with these bodies;

Engagement efforts ongoing since 2021, Mr. Speaker, include reviewing the panel's report on recommendations, confirmation of GNWT procurement principles, draft common procurement principles, jurisdictional scan, discussion and definition of Indigenous businesses for the purposes of GNWT policy, and introduction of potential policy mechanism.

While these actions are noted as in progress, Mr. Speaker, there is no timeline set for completion. I'll have questions for the Premier on the advancement of this policy. Thank you.

Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, today I'm following up with my statement from yesterday by delving deeper into opportunities for biomass district heating systems in the territory. So this is a good example of where the barrier to reducing emissions is not necessarily money. We can do more with existing resources by getting our policies and regulatory systems in order and better coordinating with partners.

While we often focus on community electricity projects, in fact heating our building with oil has a much greater overall impact on our emissions in the NWT than electricity does. And it's up to 10 times cheaper to switch our heating systems than our electricity systems.

Now, the GNWT has made good progress on switching over some of its own buildings to biomass in lots of communities and, notably here in Yellowknife, the jail, the Stanton Hospital has biomass boilers, and by the way the new boiler in the Legacy Stanton Building is saving $1,500 per day in heating costs.

Where we are stalling on progress is getting organized with district heating projects. So that's where one big boiler pipes heat to all the large buildings nearby. If we look at downtown Yellowknife, most of those big buildings still use heating oil, and there's not enough room to put a separate boiler beside each of those buildings. So recently there was a technical feasibility study completed for a downtown Yellowknife district biomass heating project, and that was done by Alternatives North in partnership with the city of Yellowknife and Arctic Energy Alliance. The study found that there is a business case for either a private company to build and run the system or even a stronger case for a nonprofit enterprise with access to federal grant funding to build and run the system, and there would be even estimated 20 percent return on investment. The barriers, though, are partly regulatory. So figuring out if this would count as a utility and, if so, how the Public Utilities Board would manage it, and also how to get all of the downtown business owners to the table and agree on how this could work. So the GNWT can help drive projects like this by committing to be an anchor customer.

Notably, the business case here doesn't make sense without the carbon tax, and this reiterates my point from yesterday that people say you can't charge the carbon tax because we don't have alternatives because the carbon tax --

Member from Yellowknife North, your time is up.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I was just saying that in this case, it's the carbon tax that makes the alternative feasible economically.

Now several years ago, the city of Yellowknife paid for a study to figure out if district heating system that would include city hall, JTFN, the museum, and potentially even this building, and it was determined to be feasible but then there were arguments about who should take the lead and so the idea sat on the shelf. So in conclusion, biomass district heating is a low hanging fruit that can reduce emissions cost effectively but it's time to get organized and get on with it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 5th, 2023, the hamlet of Fort Resolution had its elected council dissolve and replaced by an administrator appointed by municipal and community affairs. The department's now responsible for the hamlet's governance with senior authorizing official making all their decisions on the day-to-day operation.

The people of Fort Resolution see this intervention as an example of modern-day colonial type of attitude. They feel punished. The GNWT is accusing them of mismanagement but how could they have managed their community effectively when they never had adequate support they needed? Now the GNWT's officially responsible for our Fort Resolution government. They can't ignore the serious lack of services the community struggles with.

One of the most urgent services they lack is a fire department. Long before Fort Resolution council was dissolved, it became clear that the fire department was in jeopardy. The situation was left to spiral out of control until the fire department was hit with a mass resignation. Today, they only have the bare minimum protection for fire and all they can manage is a preventative approach. A preventative approach is a polite way of saying the community of Fort Resolution is unable to respond to a serious fire. Their community is totally unprotected from that threat.

In the previous Assembly, I asked the Minister to try to restart the fire department and put in place a fire plan to protect the community. To my disappointment, those efforts were not made. There is still no volunteer fire department or a fire plan for the 2024 fire season is quickly approaching. We know that the fire happens too often in our communities. We all want to prevent damage to our property and most importantly prevent injury or loss of life due to fires. My people need a fire plan and fire department as soon as possible so they can easily know that they will be assisted if the fire breaks out in their community or businesses. I have questions for the appropriate Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [Translation] so at this time I'd like to talk about housing. There are not that many houses throughout our community so at this time I would like to ask to talk about housing. [Translation ends]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Indigenous people in Canada are 11 times more likely to be homeless than non-Indigenous people. We know the majority of homeless people on the streets in Yellowknife are from Behchoko.

Mr. Speaker, the Tlicho region has over 200 people on the waitlist. We know that the Tlicho region, 18.37 percent of homes are overcrowded with six or more people. This is the highest in the territory. The Tlicho also has the highest number of homes in core needs in the territory. More than one out of every three homes in the Tlicho region are either not adequate, affordable, or suitable for residents. Mr. Speaker, this 37 percent of homes in Tlicho region are in core need. This is three times the national average.

Mr. Speaker, for Indigenous people living in the Tlicho region, housing is a nightmare. I do not see Housing NWT doing enough to increase housing stock and to implement repairs. The Tlicho are the most in need so what is being done to prioritize action in my riding?

Mr. Speaker, based on the capital estimates, over the last five years from 2019 to 2020, 2023 and 2024, Housing NWT have planned to build nine new homes and complete major renovations of 51 units between Whati, Gameti, and Behchoko, and also to build a new LHO in Behchoko, which was completed and it is in operation.

Mr. Speaker, this is not enough to address the housing crisis in Tlicho region, and I do not -- and I have not seen any new units in the communities. Also, I have not seen any renovations on 51 housing units in Tlicho region over the last five years.

Housing NWT has received millions of dollars from federal agencies to support Housing NWT. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of housing at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As an elected official, I would like nothing better than to see the residents of the Northwest Territories succeed. No matter what kind of lifestyle we choose, we all possess potential. This potential that we all have can only grow and make us better citizens of our respective communities. But, Mr. Speaker, the income support system is failing our residents and helping them develop on their given potential. We have many members of our communities who choose not to seek a productive, meaningful choice for a brighter future for themselves and their families merely for the fact that the system is handing these individuals everything on a silver platter. The department must find a better alternative in allocating the funds that are given to the recipients of this program. Providing a cheque to the individuals is just not working.

Mr. Speaker, how can we help our own people build on their potential if we continue to provide them with monetary gain when they are contributing nothing in return? It is time that the income support system changes its approach and start the process of building the self-esteem of these recipients of the program.

Mr. Speaker, the income support program should change its policies, encourage these clients to conduct some sort of productive choices when they are receiving benefits from the income support program. Like I stated earlier, we all have potential and we can build on the potential with a little encouragement. Conducting productive choices can only improve the process. It is time for the system to help and expanding on the potential of our residents and not take away their self-esteem.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, there are companies out there who require skilled trades people in every industry, department, and work with other departments and develop a training program for a brighter future for the recipients of the income support program and for the Northwest Territories as a whole. We need to help our people to help themselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, successive Ministers of MACA over the years have continued to blame the feds on the closing of the funding gap for municipalities. Mr. Speaker, if they moved any faster, it would almost look backwards in my humble opinion. I mean, it's effectively perfunctory at best.

Mr. Speaker, only hiding behind the feds and blaming them is a play book that can only be used so many times. The issue is perennial. We hear it over and over and over again, moving slow, yes, we want to do this. The next page on the Minister's blame book usually has to do with I'm fighting for you as hard as I can at the Cabinet table, so when people like me ask prove it, show me the money, they go, wow, that's Cabinet confidentiality, you know, what happens in Vegas -- oh, sorry, what I mean is what happens in Cabinet stays in Cabinet, Mr. Speaker. We all know how that rolls.

Well, the good news is I read some unedited Hansard the other day, and a Member -- and I want to make sure I get it correctly -- is quoted by saying: My community, like others, struggle with health care issues, education concerns, formula funding for the town of Hay River. The good news, Mr. Speaker, is they might even be in Cabinet, the Member who made that, and even maybe even potentially the better news is they may even be the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs. One will only tell if Members on this side of the House have an ally there. They will do the work. We'll find out.

In the meantime, our communities, all of them, struggle day-to-day and then you hear that we're going to have to put a 16 percent tax increase to meet the basic needs of our community. Shame. It's terrible. Then they were able to work it down to seven and then to six, and thank goodness, the city of Yellowknife settled on five. My goodness. They're carrying the weight and responsibility of the territorial government.

Mr. Speaker, every one of our communities on this side of the House -- I don't care about yours -- ours, Mr. Speaker, are stealing from Peter to pay Paul. Well, I can tell you right now, we're running out of Pauls, Mr. Speaker. Our towns can only do so much.

I will be expecting under our priority session that Cabinet will come with bended knee and say we will close the gap in three to five years. We will meet that $40 million deficit because we care. Mr. Speaker, by ignoring this, we continue to dump this on municipalities, our communities, our people. Taxpayers are getting tired. We need support from the government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements.

Good afternoon, colleagues. I would like to share with you some excited things that are happening to further develop the cultural programming in Liidlii Kue Elementary School. Thanks to the school's administration and partners, they were able to secure grants, equipment, and a new garage to store these resources. This helps was a good start, however the lack of transportation in the fall and late spring to have students set fishing nets, go to camp across the river, and to even experience life on the water was challenging. Sometimes, they were able to access local boats but most times they were hard to find, and most local boats were too small to carry out the cultural activities. So the administration sent out an application to Jordan's Principle to see if they would be willing to help purchase a boat big enough to help them offer cultural programming needed in the school. The big selling point was the preservation and revitalization of cultural programming at their school especially after three years of school closures and social distancing from the COVID pandemic.

As the application was going through the process, the Deh Cho Divisional Education Council agreed to help with the delivery of the boat, ongoing maintenance, and boating insurance. Again, the community partners are working together to preserve and promote cultural language and traditions.
I can tell you that I was present when the principal made the announcement at the Christmas feast and everybody was very happy.

I can tell you that in addition the school boat will help with their cultural programming in eight areas. Due to the time, I will ask the clerk to have the rest of this statement be deemed as read and printed in the Hansard. Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

The eight areas are:

1. Assist students with missed opportunities to get out on-the-land/water to experience culturally relevant programming;
2. Assist in teaching students about the area around our community and Deh Cho region;
3. Assist with being able to set fishnets with elders. Also, fish using a rod and reel;
4. Assist the school and community in being able to participate in spiritual gathers and fire feedings;
5. Assist in creating community events and visit culturally significant sites along the Mackenzie River and surrounding area of Fort Simpson;
6. Assist in having our students participate in cultural leadership roles and sharing of learned knowledge;
7. Assist in teaching of the Dene language as our school's Dene Zhatie teacher and Culture Coordinator both participate heavily in the Dene language process and implementation.
8. Assist in building relationships among staff, students, parents, and community partners in part of our dedication to the Truth and Reconciliation process.

Members' statements. Return to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me good and great pleasure to recognize Mr. Mark Heyck. He is the current executive director of Arctic Energy Alliance, a very important organization to our whole territory on helping people live better and more efficiently and fighting many of the challenges of our environmental impacts that we're making. As well as he's also, I'd like to acknowledge, a former city councillor and a former city mayor of our great community of Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my constituent assistant, Sierra Kaitlin Nasagaluk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize my CA again, Myrtle Graham. I will acknowledge that she was the former CA for Minister Schumann and CA for the former MLA Robert Bouchard, so. I'd also like to recognize Stacy Barns who was my official agent and campaign manager during the campaign. Thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to rise and recognize Mr. Mark Heyck who was the first person who teach me how to door knock and look where it got me, so thank you for that. As well as being my mother's last former employer before her retirement. So thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your Chamber. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to see people in the gallery.

Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today's questions will be directed to the Minister of Housing. So I'd like to start off by explaining -- or a little preamble to my question.

Recently I got asked, as many Members in Yellowknife here, to help the selection process of board members for the Yellowknife Housing Authority. It also came with a letter to inform us that the housing policy only allows people to be appointed to two terms on the board to up to a maximum of six years. Times have changed, Mr. Speaker, whereas many people are no longer interested in serving boards, and it's a struggle of getting people to do that. That said, I'd like to specifically ask the Minister what can she do to adjust the policy to open it up to allow people to continue beyond their two-term limit as prescribed in the NWT Housing policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can consult with Housing NWT operation staff and the president to see if we can revise the policy for local housing associations.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been in the news recently that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs was recently ordered by the Information and Privacy Commissioner to provide disclosure to an access request. And I use the term "recently" loosely because they were six months behind their deadline.

Can the Minister -- respecting the privacy of the parties involved, can the Minister tell us why there was such an egregious delay in getting one of our citizens access to the information they rightfully deserve? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All I can tell you is on behalf of MACA, we have two staff that deal with access to information and they address those in the timely manner that they come in, and they work hard to try to get those processed through to get to the other departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, are these two full-time access to information and protection privacy coordinators, or are they -- do they have other duties in the department? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA has two dedicated positions solely dealing with ATIPP requests. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is that enough given the slow response time and the increase in requests; is two enough? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is a very good question. As I stated, speaking to my department they work hard to get those timelines achieved based on the two staff that they have and look forward to more discussion if need be. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, the department didn't respond -- or didn't request an extension when this matter was delayed. Can the Minister respond why his hardworking staff were unable to do so? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not aware of our department requesting an extension, and I'm not sure if that's part of that process. I'd have to confirm that through our department. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I can respect that changes to income assistance will help residents, I'm convinced that even more administrative barriers and burden can be reduced by implementing a basic income guarantee in the NWT. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of ECE commit to undertaking a feasibility study to study guaranteed basic income for the NWT similar to one that is underway in Nunavut? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. This definitely would be quite a huge undertaking, and I'm excited to learn of Nunavut's undertaking of it and the study that they're currently doing. I know that the department has reached out to Nunavut to gain insights into the outcomes of their feasibility study so that we can learn from our sister territory as to what they're learning. But right now here in the territory, we've been doing, as the Member indicated, revisions to our income assistance program, and those revisions really -- well, they came with an extra $5 million that were put into the program. And what they've done is they've allowed us in the territory to set ourselves already apart from other Canadian jurisdictions in that our program looks at the actual cost of shelter and utilities, including fuel, to make sure that residents are being covered for what they need for their basic needs if they are on income assistance and they do need that additional support, whereas in other Canadian jurisdictions I know that these types of subsidies are capped at a certain level. And so I know that we're doing our part to try and acknowledge that life is different in the North and really make sure that we are supporting residents how we can in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. So one other thing I was wondering if the Minister could do is commit to review and discuss with myself, and perhaps the social development committee, the findings from the forthcoming implementation options developed by Alternatives North, which should be available in -- at least a draft form in the spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my colleague to the right just reminded me to slow down as well, so thank you for that. I am always happy to speak with social development. Social development will always have a warm place in my heart, and I'm always happy to be invited. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this week so far we've heard a great deal on concerns for adequate funding for seniors. And I've asked a little bit about the income assistance program changes. I also want to recognize too that my colleague from Mackenzie Delta has a different perspective on this, and it's a conversation that really needs to be regionally-based and best fit. Yes, the question would be could the Minister speak to what pathfinding is available for residents who need ECE program supports, like income assistance and seniors home heating supports? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for acknowledging that not all communities are the same and not all expectations across the territory are the same. As far as pathfinding within the Government of the Northwest Territories, education, culture and employment has client navigators that help income assistance clients access the program and work through the program as well. These client navigators are found in most communities across the territory. And they're not only responsible for looking in just simply income assistance. These are people who know about programs in other NWT or GNWT departments, like, for example, housing, and can help their clients access those programs as well to be able to make sure that people are supported wholly as best they can from their position that they have.

The other piece that I wanted to bring up here, Mr. Speaker, is that there's also Pathfinders that are involved with integrated case management. That's now found under EIA. And also EIA has the government service officers who also act as Pathfinders within the system to make sure that people have access to the programs that they need and that they have the opportunity to learn about them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that information. My question is can the Minister confirm with her Cabinet colleagues and do a little bit more to promote these pathfinding pieces because often here on the other side of the House -- and I'm sure the Minister feels this way when she was a Regular Member as well -- we end up being those Pathfinders. So if folks on the Cabinet side could share those resources with us and maybe promote them a bit better in the public, I'm wondering if she can commit to that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, certainly, as Members of the Legislative Assembly, we spend a tremendous amount of time supporting residents learn about different programs across the GNWT, and I know that this is work that is also part of the homelessness strategy that lives right now within EIA with the Premier's office. And I absolutely can commit to providing information and also seeing what I can do from my part to make sure that information is accessible. For sure, I'm absolutely open to working with Members and welcome any ideas they have any time to make sure that people have access to the programs that are available within government. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my comments on the Colville Lake School visualize the building with six classes and two rooms and the [Translation unavailable] the doorway.

My first question to the Minister of ECE is has the Department of ECE been working with the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation in Colville Lake on the design of a new school in the community? Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member from the Sahtu for bringing up this project. The Standing Committee on Social Development in the last term had the opportunity to sit down with the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation in order to learn about this project and hear from them, and so it's very nice to be able to be on this side and continue on with this project. So absolutely, yes, the department has been working with Behdzi Ahda' First Nation for the design of the new school in Colville Lake. And right now, ECE is working with a baseline that was determined by the school standards that were set back in 2020 -- sorry, the capital standards and criteria. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that update. My next question there, Mr. Speaker, is what progress have been put in place to move this project forward? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in terms of the progress of this project, so education, culture and employment has a contribution agreement with the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation, and this contribution agreement agreed to fund the completion and submission of a schematic design and a class C construction estimate for the new school. And this also includes a geotechnical investigation of the proposed site for the project. The First Nation contracted an engineering and architectural consultant directly themselves to complete the work. And unfortunately, while the contribution agreement has expired, the schematic design and cost estimate has not yet been submitted to the department or received and so that's where the progress is -- or stands right now from the part of the department. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm glad for that response here, there is a contribution agreement in place. Agreements are really healthy for the results of the intent.

And my next question is what work has been done on the project; what financial commitments or preinvestments have been done to the project to date? Mahsi.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the contribution agreement that funded the design work, the geotechnical work has been completed and this included drilling five bore holes in the site that was selected by the community. In this process, there was a collection of soil samples that was done, and this was done in order to determine the type of foundation that would be required. This also included ground temperature monitoring -- installing ground temperature monitoring installation -- or instrumentation, sorry. Say that five times. Testing was also done on the soil samples, and there is a site evaluation report that came with that. In addition, Mr. Speaker, there is a draft concept design for the new school, and this draft concept design was produced by the consultant team and was based on input from the local DEA and school staff as well.

And I think it's worth mentioning here, Mr. Speaker, that there was also community engagement that was done through open house sessions in April of 2023. And there was representation from both the consultant team and ECE that was in the community for that, and the community was involved as well as school representatives and, of course, Behdzi Ahda' First Nation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear there's progress made, including the agreement. I assume that the agreement would be extended nevertheless my last question to the Minister is the Department of ECE working with the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation on alternative financing and/or mortgage ownership options for the new school? Mahsi.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can say that the previous Minister of Education, Culture and Employment was very open to looking at new ways to see this project go forward and really wanted to work with the community to see it to its fruition. The community initially presented several alternative options for this project, including a public/private partnership, build/lease, third party funding contributions, and also potentially negotiated contracts. At the time, the department indicated that they needed more information in order to consider moving away from kind of the conventional approach so that there was a clear understanding of what that would look like, Mr. Speaker. And an agreement was reached in the end in order for the department to fund the Behdzi Ahda' First Nation for the development of that schematic design that I spoke about, including a cost estimate, and this would provide that clarity that the government was looking for.

And I just want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I'm really happy that the Member has brought this up. It is definitely a project that I would like to see move forward, and I really look forward to working with the Member on seeing this project move forward and seeing a new school in Coville. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for ECE. In no way my questions or statement is belittling the recipients of this program; I just want a better lifestyle for these individuals.

Will the department look at changing its policies in regards to having the recipients for this program completing a productive choice before they're eligible to receive income support? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I think it will be an interesting week next week because we already have some kind of competing mindsets. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, the productive choices are still a requirement within the income assistance program. And back in 2020 when changes were starting to happen within the income assistance review, productive choices were switched to what's called a wellness self-care productive choice, which means that there's no requirement of reporting. And the reason for this is when the department went out and did the review and they spoke with Indigenous governments, they spoke with NGOs and current and past clients, they spoke with departments and even the public to get feedback on everything, and there was really a split. But what people decided was that the intended goals of the productive choice were not being met, so at that point it was decided that there would be no reporting requirement and with the changes of the review going forward later this year, we will see no requirement whatsoever for productive choices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the response from the Minister. Will the department look at developing training programs where these individuals can enroll and further their education and life skills to be less reliant on the system? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I listened to the Member's statement today, and I absolutely agree with the Member that all of our residents have great potential and that it is our job as their family, friends, and neighbours to ensure that they have the support to reach that potential if they want it and if they need it. Within the department of education, there are career counsellors, there are employability assessments and resume and cover letter development help if people want it. There's interview skill development, career action planning. There's job search help as well. There's also workforce development training dollars that people can access if they're looking just to do kind of an eight-week program. There's also student financial assistance. And then even within our schools too, before people leave their school system -- or the school system in the community, there are the career education advisers who really take great pride in their job and they go into communities, they go into schools, and they sit down with students and say, what do you want to do and how can I help you get there? And that's just an invaluable resource that our students have access to, and I would love to see them replicate it and grow and there to be more of them. So what I really hope that people hear right now today is there are resources out there and if there is something you want to do, the department of education wants to support you to get there. Thank you.

Thank you for the encouraging words, that's very promising. Providing the recipients with a cheque is not working in respect to the client spending the money on unethical resources. Can the department look at alternatives like working in collaboration with their local outlets where's to set up some sort of an account? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this was something that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment did used to do at one point; however, with the NWT Human Rights Act, issuing payments through a voucher system is seen to be contrary to sections 5 and sections 11 of the NWT Human Rights Act. And so I am open to other suggestions from my colleagues, but I want to ensure that whatever we do is in line with the law and with the Human Rights Act. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe you stated that a review will be conducted sometime in the near future. I will be contacting my resource people and Indigenous leaders. Can you tell me when the review will be conducted? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review was done in the 19th Assembly, and it was anticipated that the changes would actually come into play for residents of the Northwest Territories before the start of the 20th Assembly, but this project has been held up and delayed due to system requirements on our IT side, and so it is anticipated that these changes will be seen by residents coming in the summer of this year. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Not meaning to gang up on her today specifically or deliberately but just happens to be the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, what is the department actively and specifically doing to prepare both our economy and workforce for the 2026 closure of the Diavik Diamond Mine? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Mr. Speaker, I can honestly say that when I sat down for the first time with both ECE and ITI, I was very honest with both departments in that I wanted our efforts getting to prepare residents for the mine closure and especially the workers to be -- whatever we were doing to be purposeful so that we were not losing this opportunity. So I can make that commitment here as well to my colleagues that that is what I have said and that is the direction I have given.

Mr. Speaker, this mine closure absolutely will be felt across the territory because Diavik has been such an important part of our economy for decades now. And so getting this right is really important. So Diavik is doing a tremendous amount of work, and I've had the opportunity multiple times to sit down with their senior management team and to actually discuss what they're doing, and it's very impressive. But we have a role to play in that too. So here at the GNWT, we have a steering committee that is made up of GNWT and Diavik officials, and that is in its early days of kind of taking form and taking force.

This is coordinated by ITI, and we also have working groups that will be formed for specific issues and this is, for example, to address labour assessment and worker transition. Because I think in order to be purposeful, we have to know exactly who we are talking about and what their skill sets are and where they as working NWT residents want to go. Because that really matters to this conversation - what do people want to do? Maybe they're in a position right now that they don't want to continue in, and maybe there's other opportunities. So the intent of these working groups is really to build on work that's already being done by Diavik because they truly are the leaders of this work, and we want to be as collaborative as possible with them. So we want to tailor education and training services specific to either careers in need but also to the careers that they want. And that includes large scale opportunities that revolve around Giant Mine remediation projects or the remediation economy. We also want to ensure that we're creating pathways for apprentices to continue their apprenticeship. Because Diavik does have an SEA, a socio-economic agreement, and they are working hard right up until the end to make sure that they are meeting those expectations. And so there are going to be staff from Diavik who are going to be right in the middle of their apprenticeship, and we don't want to lose that opportunity for them. So making sure that we're creating roadmaps for other northern employers for them to absorb those staff members -- do you want me to stop talking? I can stop talking and wait for the next question. Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to give the Minister the opportunity to finish her response to my first question since it was so comprehensive. So I'll wait for that before I ask a second question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that very surprisingly comprehensive answer. I wasn't quite expecting that much but I am very encouraged. I'm getting to it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sorry.

If I could ask one additional question. I heard a lot about employment, Mr. Speaker, which is an important aspect of this. Another piece of this closure is going to be the impact to the various contractors who are involved. So I'm wondering if the department is considering more than just employment but also all the ancillary services that are provided at the mine and how those companies are going to be affected? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for bringing that up. Those sticky dollars are so important to the Northwest Territories and to our economy. And that is exactly the purpose of conversations like we had at Roundup, to be able to find out from industry that is the up and coming mines, the mines that are about to open, the mines that are in the process of opening, what they need from us, how we can connect them with Indigenous governments to ensure that right from the get-go they're doing their projects properly and they're having the right conversations. So ITI is absolutely committed to ensuring that we are supporting industry and that we are supporting the mineral resource sector. And we're also ensuring that we're having these necessary conversations with Canada because our critical mineral strategy feeds into their critical mineral strategy, and they cannot achieve their critical mineral strategy without the Northwest Territories. So these are all important pieces of this. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I am sorry for the informal nature with which I was conversing with you just now. I do respect the authority of the Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very encouraged by those answers from the Minister and really appreciate it. I have no further questions.

Thank you. Before we go into the next Member, don't need to thanking the Ministers if it's your fourth one. There's 29 minutes still and other Members want to talk. So please, let's focus on the questions. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned earlier that Fort Resolution hamlet is under third party management. On January 9th, 2024, we had a serious house fire in our community, and my question is -- my first question is, will the Minister commit to put in place a volunteer fire department in the community of Fort Resolution as soon as possible? Also, to work with the chief and council, and president Arthur Beck, Fort Resolution Metis Council, on the plan? Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With volunteer fire departments, there's obviously a concern of commitment from community members. Volunteerism is down everywhere, and I know the struggles in Fort Resolution are there. MACA is committed to making sure that the department is fully supported, and they have the resources in order to establish that department and operate it as such. However, again, it is a commitment that community members need to also step up and volunteer, and I hope for the sake of the community that local community members step up and put their name in to help out the community with volunteerism on the fire department. Thank you.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. And I think it's great that you're going to make that commitment. And the other thing too as well I brought up, Mr. Speaker, is that we had a fire plan that we brought forward in the last Assembly and going forward the fire season's right around the corner. I want to know if the Minister could commit to putting in place a fire plan for the community of Fort Resolution and work with the chief and council of Fort Resolution and also the president of the Fort Resolution Metis Council? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If it's the community emergency plan that the Member's talking about, I'm aware that the community is working on the community plan. They're hoping to have it finished off here shortly. They're working with community members, including the Indigenous governments in the community to make sure this plan is up to date. I'm also aware that they completed some Cat guard work within the community. I believe it was the end of December that it was completed. So in regards to the fire plan, which I believe he's speaking about, the community plan for the safety stuff there, there is a commitment to complete that and get that done before the upcoming season. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As well, the water levels have dropped just over three feet this year, and in Fort Resolution we have the water intake lines that are -- they're not far off the shore but they -- because the water went down. The lines had to be brought out a little further. In regards to fire safety in the community and water for the community of Fort Resolution for each household, what can you do to get this thing fixed right away so that this is not an issue? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This beginning of the year here we had a -- I had a phone call from the chief, and I hear his concerns, and they were addressed with local knowledge and local people that were on site and I appreciate the work that they put into it to help the community. MACA's committed to making sure that these kinds of things don't happen, especially with us being in the community and working on that stuff, so. We are aware of the low water levels and the intake problems, and we're committed to working with the local contractors and try to solve those problems. Thank you.

Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. Also, can the Minister commit to meeting with the leadership in Fort Resolution and the public along with myself, as the MLA, to talk about the hamlet of Fort Resolution? Also, can you also commit to having a monthly meeting with the community members with the SAO?

Thank you, Member. Two questions. Please stick to one. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, so with the meetings, I have no problem going to the community and having public engagement with the community. As I stated to the chief when I spoke to him, I said that, you know, if I have the opportunity to go there I will go there. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Also, I will answer the other question; that's fine. I can't commit to going monthly but I would like to go there as soon as I can. I like to go home monthly if I can. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm a little nervous; I want to make sure I get this right.

Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to my Member's statement on Indigenous procurement, I'd like to ask the Premier if he can make the approach to the Indigenous procurement policy publicly available? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I have been Premier a couple months now, and there's many different things in this portfolio. For some reason, there's homelessness, there's procurement, all sorts of different things. So I'm still wrapping my head around every single policy that we have, and I want to make sure that I put my stamp on it going forward. It's the start of a new term, and I'm not just going to accept what has been given. I want to make sure that I'm working with the Indigenous governments and going in the right direction before we start -- before I start putting things out that might not yet be finalized. So I'll just leave it at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And certainly I appreciate the Premier has a lot of issues in his portfolio. But I will ask, and something else to add to that wrap, I guess, is that has the GNWT established a definition of Indigenous businesses for the purposes of the policy? Thank you.

Working on it, Mr. Speaker. There's a lot of voices in the room so it's taking some time, but we'll get there. Thank you.