Colleagues, I'd like to thank Valerie Stefansson for the opening, for her guiding words.

Before we get in there, I see some special folks in the House there today. Oliver Young, a friend, a colleague of mine. But now this is going to be the fun part. Mr. Dave Hurley is here today. I'd like to recognize this young man. I've known Mr. Hurley since 1983 so he looks as young as he did that day there, so I'd like to thank David. I'd like to thank Audrey. Kim, we all know Kim. And Tara, and Meagan. So thank you very much for being in the House today. I could tell more stories, but I will keep myself - I will behave myself today, right, Mr. Hurley?

Colleagues, Ministers' statements. Minister for ITI.

Thank you, Minister for ITI. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, of our many partnerships, I rise today to applaud the work of Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories. In the last 11 years, Habitat has built ten homes in the North. Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers work hard to provide affordable homes for the Northwest Territories residents, and I am pleased with the continued partnership between Habitat and Housing NWT. Housing NWT has contributed over $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity NWT. By working in partnership with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, it allows us to find ways to increase housing availability across our territory. I am always pleased when, through partnership, we can support our residents to reach their housing goals.

The week of May 13, 2024, key ceremonies were held at the two most recent builds in Hay River and Yellowknife. As much as the families and houses deserve recognition, so do the volunteers behind them - Volunteers like Dave Hurley of Yellowknife.

Dave is the co-founder and former board chair of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. On May 14, 2024, he won Habitat for Humanity Canada's Terry Petkau Legacy Award. The national award is the highest honour for Members of the organization. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you a little about the legacy of Dave.

In 2010, Dave was concerned about the economic disparities preventing low to middle-income families from owning their own homes in the Northwest Territories. So, he helped co-found Habitat for Humanity NWT.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember Habitat houses are not free. They are for families who lack the money for a downpayment but are willing to provide the volunteer work and mortgage payments to get a roof over their heads. These are the people Dave is dedicated to helping, even in difficult times. When Habitat for Humanity NWT was at risk of losing its affiliate status, Dave worked tirelessly with the national office to develop solutions. He even recruited family and friends to sit on the board to ensure quorum was met so local operations could continue. Under Dave's leadership, Habitat for Humanity built the ten homes I mentioned earlier. They are in Dettah, Hay River and Yellowknife.

Dave is known among colleagues and friends as a strong project manager who takes a respectful, realistic, and culturally sensitive approach to building homes in the North. Those who know him describe him as a loyal, trustworthy, compassionate volunteer who loves the North as much as he loves his family and friends. It is not unusual to see him wiping a tear when welcoming parents and children to their new homes. For these reasons and more, he is known as the Heart of Habitat for Humanity NWT.

Congratulations, Dave Hurley, on receiving Habitat for Humanity's Terry Petkau Legacy Award. Housing NWT is proud of your many accomplishments, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Habitat for Humanity.uyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Ministers' Statements. Deputy Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise the House that the honourable Member for Hay River North, Premier, will be absent from the House for today and tomorrow to attend the Western Premiers' Conference in Whitehorse, Yukon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, madam deputy Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The second week of June marks Mining Week, a time to celebrate the industry that has built the North as we know it and reflect on the hard work of the first pioneers and all who have come after them in maintaining and growing our engine of economic growth.

Mining Week is a proud tradition first proclaimed by Yellowknife Mayor McMann in 1991. This year, the Nunavut and NWT Chamber of Mines will be holding the mine rescue competition on June 14th and 15th at the multiplex arena. They will also hold a miners' picnic on the 15th outside the multiplex from 12 to 3 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, the mining industry is truly thousands of years old. People Indigenous to this land became experts in harnessing minerals long ago to create everything from nails, saws, knives and daggers, so they may craft, build, and hunt. After contact with Europeans, a boom of prospectors making their way farther north to stake claim to the source of minerals took place, bringing with them the first settlers to the North who set up communities the around these deposits establishing many of the communities we live in today. Almost a century after the first mines opened to the shores of Great Slave Lake, the industry has gone through many booms and busts and we've learned many lessons along the way. We've learned how necessary it is to respectfully partner with Indigenous nations so that the industries develop fairly to the benefit of all. We've also learned how important it is to shrink mining's ecological footprint so that Northerners can continue to enjoy a pristine natural environment.

Since the first Mining Week was proclaimed, many mines have come and gone but the crown jewel of our industry is our diamond mines. These mines have contributed $23 billion to the NWT's economy since 1999 and have spent $16 billion on procurement from NWT businesses alone with over $7 billion going to Indigenous owned businesses. Since 2015, the GNWT has collected an average of $90 million from diamond mines annually and over 3,000 workers are employed in the mining sector overall.

This Mining Week, it's time to reflect on the closing of these mines and how we must pivot to the next chapter of our mining history. The land still boasts untapped mineral resources that are the demand of world markets, but it's up to this government to make new development a reality. Let's carry on the work of the pioneers who came before us. Let's get mining back on track for the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Chief Jimmy Bruneau residents.

Mr. Speaker, in 1970, the Rae Band Council formed and elected Rae-Edzo School Society to build and operate a new school called Chief Jimmy Bruneau School with a capacity of over 400 students. Chief Jimmy Bruneau School also included a 100-bed residence run by the school society for nonlocal Tlicho students. This residence housed Tlicho children from all of the outlying Tlicho communities as well as N'dilo and Dettah.

Around 1992, when Akaitcho Hall was in the process of closing down, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School became a regional high school where students from Gameti, Wekweeti, Whati, Dettah, and N'dilo were housed in the residence to complete their high school. Around 2004, the residence closed, but the children and youth still remained in Behchoko and moved to boarding homes.

Mr. Speaker, to this day students in Wekweeti who want to complete high school education must move to Behchoko, Whati, and Gameti, and home board with local families. Mr. Speaker, the Rae-Edzo School Society operated the school but it was still a federally funded residential school. My concern is that hundreds of children were housed in residence at Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, yet these people are still not recognized as having had to attend residential school - a school that was designed and funded by the same department that funded residential school.

No students who were forced to attend Chief Jimmy Bruneau School have been eligible for any compensation for their experience at residential school. Mr. Speaker, hundreds of students were forced to leave their homes as young as six and seven years old. I myself remember being in grade 2 with classmates from Whati, Dettah, and N'dilo. These children were forced to leave their parents and safety of their family to attend school hundreds of kilometers away.

Member from Monfwi, your time is up.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. A school for many children only accessible by plane. This is a traumatic experience, and there is no recognition of the experience these survivors lived through. I will have questions for the Premier. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was going to do an acknowledgement for Dave Hurley today but being the selfless guy that he is, he asked that I instead highlight the important work Habitat for Humanity is doing in the NWT. So that is what I am speaking about today.

Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories is a non-profit organization working toward a North where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Established in 2013, the NWT affiliate is one of the youngest in the country. Their mission is to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable homeownership for working northern families by providing a hand up, not a handout. It is not a free home, and homes are not given away. Applicants must be able to make affordable mortgage payments and contribute 500 volunteer hours working on their home or in the community. Habitat uses a shared equity mortgage model to lower the cost of homeownership and provide an opportunity to own a home to people who may not otherwise have that opportunity. Habitat staff support the homeowner and help prepare them for homeownership by providing training and resources on home maintenance, budgeting, and other support. Mortgage payments are set at 25 percent of household income, which allows families to build equity and save for their family's future by lowering their monthly living costs.

In 2021, Habitat received CMHC funding to build ten family homes over five years. This funding was the turning point in their ability to provide affordable housing to NWT residents. The organization was able to hire staff and build at least two homes a year. Since 2021, Habitat has built seven homes in three NWT communities, providing seven families an incredible opportunity to become homeowners with affordable mortgage payments. Of all families who have become homeowners since 2013, 80 percent are Indigenous or Inuit and more than half are single parents. Families range in size from one to seven children. All were living in unsafe, unsuitable, and/or unaffordable housing before becoming Habitat homeowners.

Mr. Speaker, partnerships are crucial to Habitat's work. Habitat partnered with the city of Yellowknife, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and the town of Hay River who donated building lots to the organization for their recent builds.

Housing NWT, Yellowknife's Elks Lodge, and many local contractors and businesses are also long-time financial supporters of Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Habitat for Humanity, and I am sure my colleagues will also for the great work they are doing in our communities. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A gravel source is very important for many reasons. We need gravel for the upkeep of the highway, for the ferry landings, and for community use. With the high cost of fuel and transportation, it is important that we find a gravel source that is close to the community and readily available at a competitive price.

While Tsiigehtchic has that gravel source right in its backyard, extracting this source will benefit the community in many ways like training, employment, and this venture will help the economy of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, today, if any community within the Beaufort Delta region requires top-grade gravel, they have to rely on a company from the town of Inuvik. With the high cost of fuel and transportation of the material from Inuvik to Tsiigehtchic, the cost of gravel will have increased substantially, and that extra cost is usually passed on to the customer.

Mr. Speaker, Cony Bay is located 20 kilometers away from the community of Tsiigehtchic, and a few years back the gravel source was tested and considered an excellent source to extract. This gravel source could also be used by the neighboring community of Fort McPherson at a competitive price compared to the community's present supplier. The Department of Infrastructure would definitely benefit from this venture because of the demand for top-grade gravel to keep the Dempster Highway in a safe driving condition should be a priority to the GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, with the collaboration of other stakeholders, such as other government departments, local Indigenous governments and private industry, this venture would benefit the community, region, and territory through employment and training opportunities. These training opportunities will open other doors to employment within the community region, territory, and the rest of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, every community in the Northwest Territories has something that contributes to the economy. Our involvement as a government is vital in making these and other ventures a reality in enhancing the economy of the NWT. The community of Tsiigehtchic and the Government of the Northwest Territories should act on this venture as soon as possible. The solution to top-grade gravel, employment, and training opportunities are waiting at the door of Tsiigehtchic. Let's open the doors to opportunity for the community, region, and the rest of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Good timing, Member for Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Mr. Speaker, Yellowknives Dene First Nation has lived on these shores of Great Slave Lake since time immemorial, part of whom make up the presentday community of N'dilo on Latham Island. While they find themselves in the municipal boundary of Yellowknife, the community which has only existed before less than a century, N'dilo is separated in the community with distinct people. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories evidently does not agree. I say that they do not agree because the people of N'dilo are officially treated as residents of Yellowknife. We just have to look at how the community of public infrastructure format is calculated.

The calculation which dictates how much per capita funding is allocated to the communities. The population of N'dilo's grouped in Yellowknife instead of being included in with Dettah. Therefore, N'dilo is subsidizing services in Yellowknife leaving Dettah on the hook for the funds needed to maintain services for their fellow YKDFN members in N'dilo.

Yes, Yellowknife and N'dilo have a close relationship, but it is inappropriate for the people of N'dilo to be forced to rely on the municipal services of a different community. N'dilo is unique and needs and has a distinct government separate from the city of Yellowknife. So this situation is also inefficient as well as unfair to the people of N'dilo.

The leadership is looking for services such as a new water treatment facility, new band office, new gymnasium, upgraded community freezers, etcetera. They should have asked Yellowknife to share the funds for these projects or be told that they can provide them with these services instead.

These two separate entities deserve two separate pots of money. However, there's a lot of agreement between N'dilo and Yellowknife as well, as leaders of both communities understand they must work together for the benefit of the region. Expanding a municipal boundary to have more lands for housing and other services is a good example. There has been a great deal of collaboration between the city of Yellowknife and YKDFN to make this happen, but we have not seen any progress coming from the GNWT despite years of work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, we need to strengthen our relationship between N'dilo and the city of Yellowknife so that YKDFN members are respected in their community and supported. I hope to get some clarity on this issue today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cancelled barging 2024 season impacts to the Sahtu businesses. On May the 23rd, the Government of the Northwest Territories announced that due to the low water levels, there would be no barging between Hay River, Tulita, and Norman Wells.

Mr. Speaker, while the Government of the Northwest Territories cannot change the low water levels throughout the Mackenzie basin, we can change how we respond to the impacted businesses. Making businesses wait 6 to 12 months to ship supplies is not an option as they can't go without work during the construction season and still maintain staff, cash flow, and pay operating expenses. Several companies already have laid off staff and fear they may never return.

Mr. Speaker, businesses in the Sahtu estimate over $14 million in lost revenues, $500,000 in added shipping costs, and potentially millions more in future losses. Several millions in losses will also be felt throughout reduced indirect spending at accommodations, groceries, restaurants. Mr. Speaker, our region's disposal economy is terrible and gone.

Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu people are resilient, but they also cannot weather the storm alone. Businesses are facing challenges dealing with MTS staff, with virtually no support to assist them as they scramble to make other arrangements. Many feel disrespected, dismissed, with one business quoting as saying it's bordering impossible to do business in the Sahtu region.

Mr. Speaker, the shocking low water levels have dealt a severe blow to our local and regional businesses and the entire Sahtu economy. Without extra support provided at this time, there will be dire consequences. Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you've heard me speak in this House regarding the Inuvik satellite station facility, an important piece of the economy viability in Inuvik and certainly, Mr. Speaker, was the anchor tenant for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Line, which I appreciate this previous government had completed. Mr. Speaker, now there's a redundancy line being built through the Dempster Highway and through Whitehorse and over through Fort Nelson as well to ensure that we do have a redundancy loop for any breakages or any lapses in that line that's important to this facility.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Whitehorse-Dawson portion has been paid for by the federal government but, Mr. Speaker, half the redundancy issues are between McGill Lake and High Level. So, Mr. Speaker, why wouldn't we, I guess, as a government look to go through Fort St. John and beyond for this link to ensure that, again, we keep uninterrupted service for this important facility in Inuvik and of course the residents along the way as well. We do need that redundancy beyond Fort Nelson, Mr. Speaker.

So, Mr. Speaker, my question would be, I guess, for the appropriate Minister at the time, is to why we are relying on McGill Lake as the primary redundancy link, Mr. Speaker, and why aren't we looking at filling that void all the way down beyond that to Fort St. John and beyond? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Member from Deh Cho.