Colleagues, I'd like to thank Annie Goose for the opening guiding words and the blessing today. I hope everybody had a good weekend and prepared to get to work for the next four days.

Ministers' statements. Minister from Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the only way this government can effectively address the territory's housing crisis is through true partnership with Indigenous governments. As stated in this government's mandate, Indigenous governments play an important role in advancing housing initiatives that meet the unique needs of NWT communities, and we must work closely with them to ensure we are implementing housing solutions that have a real, positive impact on residents.

In this spirit of true partnership, Housing NWT has signed four formal agreements with Indigenous governments that support collaboration on housing projects. Mr. Speaker, agreements have been signed with the Tlicho government, Sahtu Secretariat, Deline Got'ine government and, most recently, I proudly signed the collaborative agreement on housing with the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

Building on the GNWT's existing partnership with the Gwich'in Tribal Council, this agreement provides a formal framework for intergovernmental collaboration on housing-related matters in Aklavik, Inuvik, Tetlit Zheh, and Tsiigehtchic, which will primarily happen through the housing working group. Together we will prioritize community housing planning, coordinated program delivery, and joint housing delivery. Together, we will improve housing-related programs and services in Gwich'in communities.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT's formal housing agreements, memorandums of understanding and memorandums of agreement, are tailored to each Indigenous government and build on existing intergovernmental agreements currently in place, acknowledging the relationships that have already been built and work that has already been advanced. We look forward to signing more agreements with interested Indigenous governments over the lifetime of this Legislative Assembly.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, even where no formal agreement is signed, the GNWT has made it its priority to engage and work with Indigenous governments across the territory. The NWT Housing Forum, for example, is a body co-chaired by Housing NWT and an Indigenous government, currently the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. Established in early 2023, this forum promotes coordination and collaboration among participating NWT governments in the housing sphere and plays an important role in promoting information exchange and cooperation between NWT governments on housing priorities. I appreciate having an ongoing venue to discuss housing priorities with Housing NWT and Indigenous governments as we work together to improve housing outcomes.

Mr. Speaker, being from a small community myself and having travelled to communities across the NWT, I have seen firsthand the territory's unique housing challenges and how they range from community to community. By collaborating with Indigenous governments, we can maximize funding, provide more training opportunities to residents, increase economic activity and build the capacities of Indigenous governments. Through partnership, we can implement housing solutions that meet the unique needs of the communities and build a stronger, healthier NWT where residents are truly set up to thrive. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we're faced with another season of floods and wildfires, I understand that many communities and residents are concerned about the potential for disaster events. We have experienced a series of unprecedented disasters over the past four years, and as the snow melts, we are seeing dramatic changes in our landscape as a result of record low water levels. In light of this, I strongly encourage residents to check with family, friends, and neighbours, and especially the elderly who may not have access to the internet, to collectively take action to prepare for this year's high-risk season. We have learned time and time again, including during last year's historic wildfire season, that we are stronger together and that NWT residents will be there for each other during time of need.

Mr. Speaker, we learned many lessons from last year's disasters, and we are not waiting to make further improvements to our emergency management system. Ahead of this year's high-risk season, the NWT Emergency Plan was updated to better reflect its purpose and to make it easier to understand. We also clarified roles and responsibilities of communities as the leads for coordinating local emergency management in their communities, as well as how the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous governments, and non-government organizations work within the NWT emergency management system.

As lead for the emergency management, community governments should have a local emergency management organization with participation of Indigenous governments and other community partners. We also want community governments to be empowered to involve Indigenous governments, non-government organizations, and private industry in the development of emergency plans knowing that updates to the NWT Emergency Plan identify what costs may be reimbursed to those should the Disaster Assistance Policy be applied.

Mr. Speaker, community governments should have community emergency plans that are reviewed periodically and practiced annually. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has contacted all community governments to offer assistance with planning activities and provide workshops to support this important work. The department has also provided tailored supports to the community governments, including presentations, meetings, and practice exercises since the 2023 high-risk season. The department has facilitated emergency planning workshops in 12 communities. Our government has also been proactive with improving our preparedness and capacity to respond to emergency events.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs' emergency management division, the emergency management organization, and all departments reviewed their procedures ahead of this years' high-risk season. We also issued a call for surge staff to support all the departments and agencies when faced with emergencies, compiled a database of available staff, and have proactively provided training.
Each department is also responsible for updating their own business continuity plan for a wide range of emergencies that may occur and impact departmental business.

As part of this work, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has developed a shared resource on business continuity planning, including scenarios to assist with departments in identifying essential staff. An interdepartmental working group led by the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs is currently working to coordinate these plans.

In advance of this year's high-risk season, the department has also rolled out its annual Emergency Preparedness Week and Be Ready campaigns to promote the importance of personal and family preparedness. This year, the focus is on the importance of having insurance and making sure that people know that proof of insurance or prior refusal is required to be eligible for the assistance of the Disaster Assistance Policy is applied after an event. While overland flood insurance may be difficult to obtain in some communities, fire insurance is usually included in general insurance for residents and businesses, and all homeowners, tenants, business owners, and organizations should check their insurance coverage with their provider.

As Northerners, we know all too well that emergency events can be stressful, disruptive, costly, and potentially devastating. We also know that with better preparation, we can mitigate some of the damages, stress, and financial impact. Community governments can do their part by ensuring emergency and business continuity plans are up to date and thoroughly addressing potential risks. Similarly, private businesses, non-government organizations, and residents are all encouraged to develop business continuity plans and emergency plans that consider their specific circumstances.

I urge all residents to be prepared as the 2024 high-risk season approaches. Practical things that we can all do to protect ourselves including developing workplace and household emergency plans that include plans for pets, preparing emergency kits, and a grab-and-go bag, and also getting insurance where it is available. I also strongly encourage residents to access information from trusted sources when emergencies occur, including your local authority leads and the Government of the Northwest Territories' public safety website where residents can find information and other trusted sources of information for more detail. Using this website, residents can quickly access all relevant safety information, including the latest wildfire updates, highway conditions, and information about outages, air quality, and much much more.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize all of the good work that our staff have been doing since last summer and extend my sincere appreciation to all emergency responders who keep the NWT communities and residents safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my campaign last fall, I took time out from door knocking to attend the Yellowknife International Film Festival to support local NWT filmmakers. I personally love film shorts and was pleased to attend the northern shorts program, which was world class.

One of the shorts screened that night was "She Gives Birth", a film that lays bare the anti-Indigenous racism in health services faced by many smaller communities across the North. When MLAs were briefed on the budget and told the midwifery program expansion was coming to a close, to better support our smaller communities and their needs for birth work, I was excited, Mr. Speaker. What was not relayed is that the program expansion coming to a close means the whole program in Yellowknife is theoretically done.

While this funding is targeted to provide services in the Yellowknife area, it ultimately makes midwifery services stronger across the territory by stabilizing a system that is currently fragile and offering viable options for local NWT midwives to be trained in a center with many births and to retain them over the long term. Midwifery services in Yellowknife were planned out for the next three years to provide outreach to small communities and support opportunities for Northerners to pursue midwifery education.

Mr. Speaker, no midwives were consulted on this decision. The program currently has two summer students, both of who are studying outside the territory to become midwives and desire to return to Yellowknife to practice. They told me on the weekend, quote, "if this program is cancelled, I'll have to work elsewhere and likely leave the NWT", end quote. They're also concerned that this means that they will have to pay back the funds they received from the NWT Health and Social Services bursary program.

Mr. Speaker, in less than 24 hours, the NWT Midwives Association had close to 70 responses to their survey seeking feedback from Northerners on midwifery services.

Mr. Speaker, why are we making shortsighted decisions that reduce service to folks who are giving birth and reducing options for students who began their studies in good faith that their work would help their fellow Northerners? I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you're aware, the Department of Infrastructure are currently reviewing the operations of MTS. Mr. Speaker, the issues with low water and problems with our current transportation corridor are likely not to go away anytime soon. Mr. Speaker, I think it's time we started to look outside the box.

Logistically, it is the time, Mr. Speaker, to look at locating a significant portion of our MTS operations in a more northern region of our territory. The base of operations in Inuvik or Tuk could service upriver to Fort Good Hope and of course the communities in the Beaufort Delta region. Mr. Speaker, while as a government we are good at governing, that doesn't necessarily mean we're good at managing businesses. And, Mr. Speaker, this is by no way means a statement disparaging the important work we do, or our bureaucracy does, but it is my hope that as part of this review an analysis will be completed to the merits of privatizing this essential service. Maybe, Mr. Speaker, there are private or Indigenous companies out there that may have some of the outside-of-the-box solutions to ensure that this important transportation infrastructure continues to serve our residents that rely heavily, Mr. Speaker, on its ability to deliver goods and services to our communities. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every community within the Northwest Territories should be accommodated at the same rate. Aklavik is no different. For years, the community has been left out in major projects. The community of Aklavik and its residents are isolated from the rest of the region during the spring and fall months of the year. Due to climate change, the opening of the ice road is happening much later, and the closing stages are earlier than previous years. The only access the residents have to the outskirts of the community is Bickish Road. Bickish Road access gives the residents the opportunity to go harvest wildlife and firewood for their subsistence use. Due to climate change, the shoreline to the access road is eroding at a rapid pace.

Mr. Speaker, not too long ago, maybe around 15 years ago, the shoreline was around 20 feet from the road. Today it is less than 10 feet. The community and its residents would like to ensure that this road is kept safe and in good use for many more years to come.

Mr. Speaker, in other regions of the Northwest Territories, most notably the Hamlet ofTuktoyaktuk, have been given assistance to save their shoreline from erosion. The community of Aklavik requires the same assistance because there's no room for expansion and once the access road is gone, so will some of the lakes that are adjacent to this road and that will have a negative impact on the aging infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, the community's water source comes from the river that runs along the access road and when, not if, the road collapses into the river, it will have a detrimental effect on the quality of water. If we can save the road from collapsing into the river, the community and its residents may have the opportunity to continue with subsistence use and the health of the residents, maybe safe for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure of the community has to be looked at for the long-term impacts that climate change is having on the community of Aklavik and its residents.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Aklavik and its residents have been left out of the government's major projects for a number of years compared to the rest of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The community of Aklavik and its residents have been left out of the government's major projects for a number of years compared to the rest of the Northwest Territories. Let us, the government, continue to let the communities survive and strive for many years to come as the model of Aklavik is Never Say Die, and only with the collaboration of this government and the community of Aklavik, that we can keep this community safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's clear that at our territorial hospital, Stanton, we have a crisis on our hands. Particularly since COVID, we've demanded more and more from our frontline health workers, staff have quit due to inadequate supports, services have been closed and relocated to Alberta, and we have increasingly relied on expensive agency nurses to keep services open. The staff that remain feeling increasingly taken for granted and undersupported. There's been a downward spiral in morale alongside an upward spiral in costs and inefficiencies.

Mr. Speaker, in my discussions with health care workers at Stanton, we have come up with an idea for a cost-effective solution that I want to present now for consideration during these budget deliberations. While it doesn't fix everything, it could help release some of the immediate pressure and set us on a path towards better staff retention.

The idea is to establish a task force. The task force could be staffed by two to three people who would act as navigators and brokers of solutions for frontline staff to address the low hanging fruit causing the greatest frustrations amongst health care workers, especially when it comes to workplace policies and procedures and labour relations. Who makes decisions about what can be exceedingly confusing within our health care system? A task force would direct staff to the person with the authority to address their issue and support concrete actions to address it.

Now, we currently have an office of client experience and a cancer navigator program focusing on advocating for patients and helping patients navigate the system. The task force I'm proposing would have a similar purpose, except it's for staff. It could eventually become a more permanent fixture in our system. Perhaps an office of provider experience.

The task force would need to be independent from management but with access to leadership in order to to be able to broker solutions. It should have similar authority as a senior advisor. Importantly, we need to choose members with expertise about our particular NWT health care system but not pull existing staff out of other essential positions. The task force needs to be action orientated and, on top of addressing individual cases, it should identify common problems and recommend systemic improvements both in the short and long term. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So establishment of this task force should be accompanied by a commitment by the Minister and NTHSSA to take actions wherever possible to show that we truly value our health care workers and are responsive to their needs. I will be asking questions of the Minister at the proper time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, when I stood in response to the finance Minister's budget last week, my criticism focused on the government's failure to take decisive action on the priorities of our Assembly. One of the most urgent of those priorities, especially for my constituents in Range Lake, is the dire state of our frontline health care services, especially at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

The deterioration of our frontline health care services is rapidly becoming a full-blown crisis. Our nurses are increasingly burdened with astronomical workloads as they try to provide adequate care in the face of staff cuts and unfilled positions. They often find themselves working short, and it is alleged that they are asked to take unsafe patient assignments that do not meet internal policies and the Canadian standards of practice. The ability for the hospital to manage at surge capacity is coming into question. The government's solution so far has only been to increasingly rely on private out-of-territory agency nurses, but this is only doing more harm than good.

Relying on agency nurses is incredibly expensive. These private agencies undermine the public nature of our health care system, and the agency nurses themselves come with little cultural sensitivity or training. Worst of all, they make our local nurses feel replaceable and undervalued at a time when their morale is already suffering.

Mr. Speaker, nobody knows health care better than the frontline professionals. They are speaking loud and clear. If the government wants to maintain quality patient care, they need to treat nurses and physicians with respect, they need to implement management structures that are flexible and responsive to their needs and, mostly urgently, they need to restore the competitive hiring edge the North once enjoyed so providing nurses with wages and benefits necessary to live in a region with such a high cost of living.

Nobody wants to imagine a North where these circumstances continue to spiral out of control, but we are quickly running out of time needed to turn this situation around. I have been meeting with nurses, physicians, and union officials for many weeks now, and many of my colleagues on this side of the House are on the same page - united on what needs to get done. The question now is when will this government get on the same page as us, nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, when MACA pulled the trigger last year to dissolve the elected government of Fort Resolution, they did so on their own accord. They put the responsibility on themselves to maintain the community emergency services and carry out all emergency planning. They have many policies and procedures designed to ensure that their department could follow through on an effective and responsible local government. The community was told everything would be done by the book through appointed officials who would uphold the law and respond to the community needs. For a full year, I tried to work with the department to help them follow through on their policies promptly, respond to their needs of Fort Resolution. I understood that the department took over the community as one territorial government was replaced by another and was patiently and optimistic that their new government would get stronger and grasp the situation. It has also been my goal to see MACA follow the law and provide the best local government they can for the community until Fort Resolution can return to normal elected administration.

Mr. Speaker, I'm disappointed to say that my constituents in Fort Resolution have been frustrated every step of the way, and so am I.

Fort Resolution still has no emergency plan for proper emergency services. There are consequences to this inaction. This weekend's fire destroyed four homes early Saturday morning. Emergency responders stepped up, but they were forced to rely on helicopters with backup buckets because their own intake lines no longer could reach the lake. For their efforts, several firefighters were also unfortunately injured with a broken hip and smoke inhalation. This is the second time in the recent months that the fires severely damaged homes in a community already suffering from a housing crisis.

I made the department aware of the fact that the receding shoreline has left the water intake lines high and dry long ago. The fire department has also been vocal about the lack of training that could lead to an unsafe situation. Now I hear that there's a wildfire burning 75 kilometers away from Fort Resolution. Time is running out for the community, and it's also running out for the families who saw their homes burn down this weekend.

What will it take for MACA to get its administration of Fort Resolution in order before more lives are put at risk? The community is anxious to avoid the fate of Enterprise, which is now full of burnt down homes that the territorial government has no ability to rebuild for uninsured homes. Mr. Speaker, I will have more questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in this House several times about my concern for elders and the hardship they face to pay for their house. I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that the elders in my region have signed into agreements with housing that, in many cases, they did not fully understand. People signed into agreements with housing as this was the only option they had to maintain their home. What is happening in my region is that as people age and are no longer in the workforce, they struggle to make their housing payments on the limited income they have.

Mr. Speaker, I value the work of Housing NWT to assess people to enter a mortgage so they can own their own homes, but there needs to be more care taken to ensure that people are not being tied into mortgages they cannot afford. Mr. Speaker, I know elders in my region whose wages are being garnished through the Court to pay for housing arrears, housing arrears that have been sent to collections.

My concern, Mr. Speaker, is that GNWT could be doing more to support our elders. For elders who cannot make housing payments or fallen behind on payments, who are on fixed income and can demonstrate financial hardship, there should be some relief, whether it's a pause on collections, a forgiveness of all or some of the debt, the GNWT has the tools to ensure our elders live in dignity. We want our elders to remain in their communities surrounded by their loved ones and not living in poverty. The Housing NWT collection policy state "arrears should be forgiven where collection is not possible", end quote.

The Minister of housing has stated that work is underway with the Department of Finance to address mortgage or rental debt on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Speaker, we need to see the GNWT come up with creative solutions. I will have questions for the Minister of housing. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre. For three; is that what you're asking for?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I'd like to go back to item No. 3 on the agenda. I guess in this case, I seek unanimous consent for doing this. Thank you.

Member from Yellowknife Centre has asked to go back to number 3, seeking unanimous consent.

Member, seeing no nays, you may go back to your Member's statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, colleagues. And just for that, I'll be a little extra nice to Cabinet who didn't nay me today.

Mr. Speaker, De Beers might have said a diamond is forever, but I can tell you a diamond mine isn't, which leads to the question of what are we doing next to spur on our economy? The real question is -- and many Northerners are curious -- is what is the future of the NWT polytech?

Mr. Speaker, I support education. I believe we must work to support Northerners as we deserve the opportunities to teach our own, to train our own, to welcome the world. Mr. Speaker, higher education is a true investment into our economy. And as we all know, education can be one of the greatest equalizers of people. It can help raise families from poverty to prosperity, Mr. Speaker. But like many things, let us not forget a diversified economy needs to be foremost on our mind, and we can't just assume it'll show up here on its own.

Mr. Speaker, here is an unclear situation. Is the GNWT truly behind the polytech? If you ask Aurora College, it looks strangely unclear, because they have a different perspective on where the polytech initiative is going. So when you hear the government say it wants to do this, it needs to do this, all I see is it dragging its feet in terms of financial investment. They can talk all they want but where is the money?

Mr. Speaker, I've been here long enough to know that when we hear vague statements that go nowhere, it's simply just daydreaming at best. Mr. Speaker, this government needs to put some momentum behind the polytech initiative before it becomes too late. Mr. Speaker, we cannot stand by bureaucratic leadership. Do not let that be the hallmark of this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, we need clear commitments from this government saying we will do this by when. We want to do this by now. Mr. Speaker, we are going to get behind this. We will, we will, we will.

If this government had courage, it would say something to the effect that we will create a hundred new social housing units. If this government had courage, it would say Mackenzie Valley Highway would advance by 150 kilometers, Mr. Speaker, or we'll raise graduation rates by 65 percent in four years. Mr. Speaker, my point being is that we need to see bold and courageous leadership, and we need to see the money in the budget. Mr. Speaker, in talking to Aurora College, they are investing themselves to create this transition. They are marching ahead because this government is not leading. So I'll tell you, this is the opportunity for this government to get out of the way or get behind, but somebody must make bold action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in February, I brought forward two motions on housing. The first motion moved that the Legislative Assembly acknowledge and affirm housing as a fundamental human right and that the GNWT align its existing laws and policies to be consistent with international human rights' principles and obligations.

The second motion called upon the GNWT to enact a series of specific concrete actions that would effectively codify housing as a human right in our government. The second motion calls for amendments to the Housing NWT Act to enshrine the right into legislation, establishing the NWT housing forum, establishing a territorial housing advocate review, and evaluate the outcomes of the Housing NWT Act, and that the GNWT work with the new housing forum to implement culturally appropriate housing solutions in collaboration with Indigenous governments.

Mr. Speaker, the state of housing in the North right now is in peril. Core housing need is at an all-time high, and it's much higher than the national average. And homelessness is a growing challenge for all communities. Addressing inadequacies of our housing stock and the increasing homelessness population are issues that every level of government must work on together. Our government must work closer with Indigenous governments and organizations, such as the Dene Nation and other regional community Indigenous governments, to get better results for our residents.

Overall, Mr. Speaker, our government must establish stronger wraparound supports for housing because it is important that we recognize the plaguing legacy of residential schools which drove many Indigenous people into getting stuck in a vicious cycle of being reliant on public housing and income assistance. People are trapped, and they can't get out. We must work to change these outcomes as our present housing programs and income support system is not resulting in the outcomes we want. We need an overhaul of our service to help people break free of being dependent on public housing and welfare. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the opportunity to meet with three individuals from the Canadian Cancer Society, and I'd like to recognize Andrea Sealy, the CEO, Angeline Webb and Fernanda Martens. Welcome.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my page who is here today from the district of Great Slave. That would be Oscar Mifflin. He is a student at Allain St-Cyr. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Member from Dehcho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize three pages I have from Kakisa School, Peyton Simba, Presley Simba, and Leah Simba; all from the Kakisa School. Welcome. Thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

For those other special guests that are up in the audience there, welcome. Thank you very much for coming here. Welcome to your House, and we appreciate having visitors here. Thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Returns to the Budget Address, Day 2 of 7. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that. And, as I said, I'd be nice, getting the chance for unanimous consent, so I'll be nice to this Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, I want to know what this government's doing about funding the transition of the college to a polytech university, and that specifically goes to the Minister of education. Where is the money and how much is the money? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. So in the life of transformation, Education, Culture and Employment has funded an Aurora College transformation team of eight public servants who helped do a lot of the work in conjunction with Aurora College getting ready for this transformation of which has three phases, and there are roughly 80 milestones in that project and 66 of those were completed by the transformation team. The federal government kicked in $8 million for transformation, and, in addition to that, this government also put in $1 million a year for approximately the last five years, specifically for transformation. And I know as well that Aurora College has been able to use their dollars for the Bachelor of Education program as well as the Bachelor of Social Work program towards transformation as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, where's the money to Aurora College specifically? They were before committee just over a week ago, and it sounds like they're self-funding the transition plan, and it would be nice to know that they were getting that money to do the work themselves, or is this strictly a paper exercise by the department of education, and they're going it alone? Please clarify. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the dollars I've just said, the million dollars a year are what Aurora College is currently getting. And then in addition to that, they do have their operational funding dollars that they're able to redirect towards that as well, which is the dollars that they would normally use for the Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Social Work program that are currently not running. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister's talking about all of these, this and that, but the reality is the college itself says it's not being funded specifically for the transition. We can talk about the programming all we want but, that said, the transition policy going from the college to the polytech. Mr. Speaker, they're funding this out of their surplus. They have the staff doing this project and initiative, and the board is completely going ahead without the support of the department. So what is the department not understanding versus what the college is doing to make it into a polytech? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's other programs within the government that I think would really welcome a million dollars a year in order to run a transformation and to run a program. So currently, the Government of the Northwest Territories is giving $1.04 million to Aurora College. At this point, I have not had communication from the board of governors as to a requirement for additional dollars, but if they do provide me with that request, I would definitely sit down and talk to them about it.

The other piece of this is when you are at arm's length and you are working your way into a polytechnic, one of the exciting things is it really opens your doors as to where you can get some of that funding. And a lot of institutions across Canada source third party funding in order to bring in extra dollars to be able to do more and bring in extra students to be able to do more. So I think it's a really exciting time for the polytechnic and for Aurora College and through this transformation and that there's a lot of opportunity that sits before them. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the Minister to actually pick up the phone or send an e-mail to the college because they have a completely different view of how the transition is being supported.

Mr. Speaker, I guess maybe the only question, really, left of the day is will the Minister make that commitment to follow through so we can actually get a formalized commitment from this government in conjunction with the college that this is actually happening rather than these grandiose statements that aren't producing anything. So ultimately, will the Minister do that? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to say I have a very good working relationship with the board of governors' chair. I speak with him approximately twice a week. I spoke with him as well -- or I received an e-mail from him last night. I spoke with him last night again, carrying on with that twice a week timeline as well and following the meeting with SCEDE, or with the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment, actually reached out and said this. And if there's something that you are looking for, I encourage you to put it in a letter from the board of governors and to send it over to me because I really want to maintain that positive working relationship, and I want to see this project through. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm excited that Health and Social Services and NTHSSA want to support birth work in our smaller communities. However, I understand that to build capacity in those smaller communities, work needs to be accomplished in the capital to sustainability grow midwifery capacity throughout the territory. Yellowknifers also need access to midwifery. So can the Minister please explain to me why this program is effectively proposed to be shut down? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Members, I will allow the question but, folks, you got to remember that anticipating a matter that's on the orders today of consideration of this sitting. So budget is in the committee. So if you can maybe reword the question so that it's not about a budget, we're not negotiating on the floor, that would be greatly appreciated. Member from Great Slave.

So I guess my question is the proposed budget is saying that positions will be cut, and I'm wondering why that might be.

Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify. The expansion of the midwifery service into Yellowknife has been proposed. Existing midwifery service in Fort Smith and Hay River are not affected. The health and social services system proposed this into Yellowknife but there has been years of recruitment and retention challenges in the Yellowknife midwifery area. Despite years of dedicated efforts, you know, advocacy, that we just -- there's just been a continuation of this. But I just want to make sure that, you know, the Members know, and the public know, in addition to this it's important to remember that the expansion of the midwifery service into Yellowknife is an enhancement to the existing birthing options that already exist. And, you know, I -- I'm here, I've travelled, you know, to Fort Resolution on the weekend and, you know, and I hear from the community members in the small community that they don't even have basic services. You know, so when we're talking about doing the work that we are doing in this House, we're trying to make sure that we're not duplicating service. And I understand, and I fully am behind Indigenous -- you know, the work with Indigenous midwifery, but what's going on right now, this is a decision that's, you know, put before us, and I'm continuing to put the efforts in to making sure that the midwifery program in Fort Smith and in Hay River is supported and we can get those programs so they're not shutting down. We just announced that Fort Smith being just opened again after being shut down. So this is very important that we can get these two communities functioning properly before we can even consider expanding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services.

Colleagues, the main estimates are on the order paper for later today in Committee of the Whole. As per the guidelines for oral questions in Rules 1.7 -- is that 1 or d -- d.7(6), the question must not anticipate a matter visited on order paper consideration at sitting. You will have the opportunity to ask those type of questions during budget -- during Committee of the Whole. I apologize to the Minister and to the Member. So Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not want to break any rules, so I suppose I don't have any further questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. And I apologize, I should have called that at the beginning there.

Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on May 5th, 2023, the MACA Minister wrote to the Worship Mayor of Fort Resolution, Patrick Simon, citing the Hamlet Act for failing to meet their obligations, so they pulled the trigger to take over third party management of Fort Resolution. But at the same time, it's been a year, and MACA, they're still not taking responsibility of Fort Resolution with following their own rules and procedures, so that's concerning.

Mr. Speaker, MACA has been responsible for governing Fort Resolution for a year but still has not implemented an emergency plan nor have the proper support of the community emergency services. Another fire this weekend burned down several housing units. Mr. Speaker, we just don't want to have a repeat of what happened in Enterprise.

So my question to the Minister Vince McKay is will MACA work with Housing NWT to rebuild the homes lost in Fort Resolution this past weekend? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of MACA.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are well aware of the situation that happened in Fort Resolution this weekend. During the whole event, Cabinet was made aware of the situation and communication was constantly ongoing to ensure the safety of the residents of Fort Resolution.

To the question, MACA has engaged with housing, and they're leading the work in respect to the homes that have been lost in Fort Resolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. What are MACA's plans to deal with the nearby wildfire if it begins to move toward the community of Fort Resolution as there are no emergency plans in place? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Wildfires are the responsibility of ECC. When it comes into the community, the Department of MACA will be involved. Even prior to it coming to the community, the Department of MACA will be involved. We will have staff, a regional EMO, local EMO, involved during that time to prepare of any potential emergency. That being said, the emergency plan has been continually being worked on. It's been involved in the community to -- or it's been communicated to the community for involvement from NGOs and other agencies. And the draft plan is expected to be completed by middle to end of -- or early June, sorry. And once completed, it will be available publicly to all residents of Fort Resolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister. As you know, I mentioned that water intake lines in Fort Resolution has been a problem for last year, and as the water is receding. And the fire over the weekend just added to the problem because the fire was drawing so much water, the water intake lines couldn't keep up with the demand. And so is the Minister going to address this issue so that whether we move the lines out further just so that we could keep up with the demand? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The water plant was operating as designed. 60,000 liters is required for fire flow, and Fort Resolution has 129,000 liters capacity. The fire took an exceptional amount of water. Because of that, the Department of Infrastructure was notified, and a water tanker truck was brought in from Hay River to support the fire fight efforts. Also, we are going to work with the community to look at doing a fire flow bypass in the water intake for the community in the case of need of emergency, but also we are looking at other options for getting water off the lake in case of an emergency. Thank you.

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

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my next question is that we had a firefighter that had injuries, broke his hip, and the other one has problems breathing. Does MACA have anything in place or the Hamlet ofFort Resolution right now to look at how we could cover some of these injuries and his loss of work, etcetera? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are aware of the injury during the fire fight. That being said, the hamlet is reviewing the insurance coverage with the insurance provider for the incident, and MACA's also going to be working with the administrator to assist in the confirmation of the insurance policies for the fire department. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in February of this year, my friend, the Minister of Health and Social Services, had mentioned that she was going to raise the issue of agency nursing at the national level, in particular with the Minister -- the federal Minister of Health. So can she report back on what efforts she's made? I note that other provinces have now committed to banning or severely reducing the use of agency nurses. Where are we at? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was able to meet with the Minister of Health. I attended the meeting, alongside two members from the Council of Leaders. We discussed the issues that related to the Northwest Territories. Agency nurse was one of them. This is a discussion that is continuing at the federal level, and there is a Ministers' meeting that will be happening I think in the fall time and that is, again, on that agenda. But I would just like to make -- also aware that right now in the Northwest Territories, we do only have five agency nurses, which are working in obstetrics right now, to make sure that we can still provide those services in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it costs the government $4.4 million last year in private agency nurses. That's equivalent to 31 positions. So I'm not sure if it's seven agency nurses to 31 public nurses, but that's a staggering ratio and the amount of money we're spending on these. So we need to put a stop to it. We need to wean ourselves off this addiction to private agency nurses. They're not working for our staff. They're not working for Northerners. I appreciate we want to keep the lights on in obstetrics, but there must be other solutions.

So can the Minister bring forward a plan working with the authority on staffing OBS without the use of private agency nurses, and can she bring it forward tomorrow? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, I can say that we are changing the staffing model in obstetrics, which is being done to support the obstetric nurses as per some of the concerns that have been brought up over the years. And, Mr. Speaker, you know, when we talk about the cost that agency nurses have cost, the cost that it cost the government for closing down the obstetric unit for two months was $1 million. So if we were to close it down, that's 700 births in the Northwest Territories annually in the obstetrics unit in Yellowknife, those people would have to travel. Two months it cost us a million. So a year, and putting those families, displacing those families, if we don't come up with -- you know, if we can't staff it, that is a priority too. You know, we have to look at all different sides of it. And that's my job to be able to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we hired 84 nurses -- frontline nurses last year and of those 84, 69 left. Recruitment's become a revolving door. We must have a solution. We must staff these wards. So OBS worked just fine until it stopped working. What was working at OBS that's not working now; can the Minister tell us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I said in the House before, we haven't used agency nurses. We've been able to recruit, retain. You know, the salary of nurses hasn't changed. And so the other territories and provinces are starting to compete better. There's lots of different things that are in place that is challenging us to recruit. COVID, many people left the health care field. That is the biggest impact on our health care system. And we're still trying to recover from that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just for -- if my arithmetic's right, that's 15 net frontline positions that we were able to recruit from last year. And I think that's a shame. We need to do something. I'm going to propose, again, that the Minister work on phasing out agency nurses within a period of time, so let's throw a date out there. Will the Minister agree to phase out agency nurses by the end of 2026? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will not commit to anything that would impact our patients' health. And so if there are ways to get around this that we can increase our staffing and our workflow and maybe the changes that we're making in obstetrics right now will help to better. But it's not just obstetrics, you know. There's other areas in our small communities that we are struggling to get health CHNs, so community health nurses. Those health centres shut down, it's going to impact those communities greatly. You know, so there's so many things that we need to look at before we just discontinue the use of agency nurses. I'd rather not use them. I'd rather not use them. I'd rather use that money to keep it in the territory. And, you know, if there's more nurses that want to train in obstetrics or in community health nurses, you know, that's something that we're trying to develop. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement I spoke about MTS and the need to think outside the box with some suggestions. One of those suggestions, Mr. Speaker, was looking at moving all or part of the operation further north to Inuvik or Tuktoyaktuk, and I know the department is currently doing a review. Can I ask the Minister of Infrastructure if part of that review will look at relocating some of MTS to the north? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review itself at this point, which is quite close to being completed, doesn't consider, to my knowledge, whether or not to split the operations up, but really, rather, to look at what the different types of models there might be for the operations as a whole. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, again, I reiterate, I think that should be a part of what this government's going to do with MTS.

Can I also ask the Minister as part of the review process as well, has the department engaged with Indigenous governments on how MTS is affecting everyone in the region? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process of the review did send out an invitation, I believe at the end of last year, to communities who rely on MTS so that they had the opportunity to participate. I don't have details in front of me confirming which communities did or did not. I know that some did, but I don't know that all responded to that inquiry to participate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we're not committing to moving it to a location that would make absolute better sense. We're not sure what the Indigenous governments are saying about this. So, Mr. Speaker, maybe it's time we look at privatizing, look at Indigenous governments or private partnerships to sell this business and have someone run it outside of government. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Infrastructure comment on consideration for privatizing MTS?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly one of the questions that is part of this review, is what kinds of different governance models we might have for MTS. Not that long ago, MTS was privately owned, and it went into receivership. And when it went into receivership, all of the communities that depend on the resupply were put at risk and at that point is when the government decided to step in. From that point forward, I'm not sure it has ever turned a profit. So if somebody out there wants to take it off our hands, that might be very good news. My concern becomes resupply, to ensure that we as a government are not leaving small communities in a situation where they can't rely on a situation for resupply. So, again, that is part of the review. Different governance models, Crown corporation, privatizing, maybe those doing the review, which hasn't reached my desk yet -- I think it's due only just next month -- maybe they've got those creative solutions that my colleagues across the floor are looking for. And I'd certainly look forward to that opportunity to discuss it with them as soon as we have those options before us. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister, first, explain the basic rationale behind setting up the office of client experience and what have been its successes? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the office of client experience was to improve patient navigation service and support a better interaction with the health and social services system. The outcomes for the OCE include better awareness of client rights and responsibilities, improved client and family experience, streamline access to supports and services, making culturally-safe care experience for Indigenous clients and families a priority, increase access to cultural and language supports for clients, and building staff capacity for Indigenous client centered care and perspectives.

We anticipate the work of this office will result in better understandings of Indigenous clients and family concerns and issues. This will be supported by data tracking and qualitative analysis. We want to see system level actions and changes to ensure our health care system is meeting the needs of residents, and the office of client experience is critical to us understanding the improvements we can make to support that change.

So it's been over a year that this office was established, and we've had over a thousand requests that have been supported to date, and 65 percent of those have been from Indigenous people who identify as First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. And satisfaction survey results indicated that most people who used the service felt heard, respected, and culturally safe when accessing this service. The program is Indigenous designed and led with little staff turnover, and pathways have been established for building relationships with clients, families, and community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So does the Minister see any value in setting up an office, perhaps parallel to the office of client experience, but to advocate for health care providers in order to alleviate workplace frustrations and improve staff retention?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I do see the potential is some of the work that we're doing, the employee satisfaction survey, we have just completed. We don't have the results yet, but a lot of that could help drive some of these changes that, you know, the Member might be talking about. While most care staff are represented by labour organizations such as UNW, NWT Medical Association, who also advocate on their behalf, I really appreciate the Member bringing this idea forward. And I have had discussions with the Minister of Finance, my colleague, on discussing this further with the Member as well as the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister commit to examining the feasibility of setting up a task force on improvements for health care frontline staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I do see value in some type of a -- you know, something, whether it's a task force or whatever we call it, I'm not prepared to commit to taking this specific action today but I'm interested in, like I said, to continue this discussion and using some of the things that we have as well as I believe the work that needs -- that we've been doing with the engagement strategy for the health and social services system, and I believe this work needs to have an opportunity to launch and begin to have impacts as well. But we will also be renewing the health and social services human resource plan as the current plan has just ended. The next plan will give us an opportunity to refresh our understanding of what is needed to make some positive headway as we work to improve the recruitment retention of valuable health care workers in 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 my final question is, will the Minister report back to this House before the end of this sitting on whether she intends to set up a task force or some structure similar to what I've described today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not prepared to make that commitment for the end of this sitting as the Member -- we all know how busy we are during sittings and trying to be able to come with a plan within the next two weeks to be able to come to the floor. But I will bring forward to the Assembly a report of the health and social services system human resource plan that concluded on March 31st, and I will also work to ensure that dialogue begins on the new human resource plan which sets out the course in this area for the next several years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Clerk, can you pause the clock for a second.

Colleagues, I'm going to take a short break and I'll be back, because I have to make a phone call.

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Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the Minister of Housing documented the reasons elders fall into arrears? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could she repeat the question, I missed it. Sorry, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. Has the Minister of Housing documented the reasons elders fall into arrears? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the MLA is asking about elders, and this is something she's brought up over the last number of months with many elders that are falling into arrears. I'm sure there's many reasons why elders are falling into arrears, and she has kind of explained some of those reasons. And housing does some analysis with it and does work with clients into why they are falling into arrears. There is some counselling available to clients, especially those elders. So we can provide more information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are elders -- elderly people in my region and in other regions in the NWT who want to become homeowners but are not able to due to arrears. So what is the Minister doing to encourage homeowners for clients over 60 years old? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our district offices, as well as headquarters, Housing NWT headquarters, would provide information to clients that are interested in becoming homeownership clients. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister fast track the homeownership process for clients over 60 years old? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We'd have to consider any application. There is a process for that application, and we have to follow the process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason why I said -- I asked that question is because many of the elders are aging and time is of essence. So can the Minister of Housing write off the arrears for clients over 60 years old? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a number of clients that are on the arrears list for Housing NWT. Across the North, we have many clients that are on the arrears list. Housing NWT does review this file annually, so I'd be pleased to meet with the MLA to discuss a case-by-case for elders that have arrears with Housing NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from the Dehcho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I mentioned the two motions that I brought forward in February on recognizing housing as a fundamental human right in the NWT. It has been 90 days since I brought this motion forward -- these motions forward.

Can the Minister of Housing NWT advise when she intends to table a response to those motions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Dehcho. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the accepted Legislative Assembly conventions, Housing NWT is completing its research and work on the motion and will table a response at the beginning of the next sitting of the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year, former Premier Cochrane tabled, A Way Home, a Comprehensive Strategy to Address Homelessness in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister speak to the status on how the implementation of that housing strategy is going and explain what has transpired since it was tabled? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT is supporting the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, who is the lead on implementation of A Way Home. Housing NWT is supporting the work of an interdepartmental working group to implement that strategy, and our work has included supporting statistical analysis on homelessness, preparing for transition of shelters, and some programs currently implemented by Housing NWT, as well as working on looking for partnership solutions to see housing built to better meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.