Please be seated. I'd like to thank Sarah Gargan for Hay River for the opening guiding words. Ministers' statements. Minister for Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to update you on new initiatives being introduced over the coming months to enhance public safety for residents and road users in the territory. We can all agree that when it comes to safety, there is a lot on the line. There are almost 27,000 licensed drivers registered in the Northwest Territories. The latest territorial traffic collisions report shows nearly 450 vehicle collisions in one year with 18.5 percent resulting in injury, and a whopping 31 percent involving impaired driving. BIn July 2023, the RCMP conducted a roadside survey in Yellowknife and found that 16 percent of nighttime drivers that were tested had consumed alcohol, drugs, or both, particularly those ages 25 to 34.

Mr. Speaker, we are launching new initiatives to make our roads safer, including a new highway road conditions map. This map will provide modernized up-to-the-minute information on ferry and ice crossings, road closures due to incidents, poor weather, construction or wildfires. Commercial drivers will get real-time updates on weight restrictions and winter road conditions. We also have 12 cameras, and users will be able to see the conditions of the road for themselves. Our system will give drivers instant and reliable highway updates for safer and more efficient travel.

In response to a changing climate, gathering data to inform our decisions is crucial. The data collected through this system will help us better plan and maintain our highways, helping improve our transportation systems for the future.

Additionally, we are launching a new safe driving campaign aimed at reducing collisions and promoting safe driving practices across the Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to ensuring the safety of people on our roads. In the North, as you know, these roads are a lifeline connecting remote communities and delivering essential supplies.

Mr. Speaker, driver and road safety impacts everyone. Basic awareness can prevent serious injuries, save lives, and ensure the integrity of our highway system. This campaign will bring together several GNWT departments, the RCMP, and communities to work together on joint promotions throughout the year. It will focus on raising awareness, changing behaviours, and encouraging responsible driving habits. I encourage all residents to participate in the safe driving campaign, be mindful of speed limits, avoid distractions, never drive impaired, and always wear a seatbelt.

In closing, I want to acknowledge the efforts of law enforcement, community leaders, and everyone committed to promoting road safety. This dedication is vital to the success of the campaign and adds to the well-being of our residents because we all agree there's a lot on the line. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about challenges facing our students trying to access health care while away at school. There are constituents in my riding who have children attending university down south and while the students are away at school, medical appointments are arranged in Edmonton. Mr. Speaker, sometimes you wait four, six, eight months for these appointments. These students, who are away from home studying, are required by the GNWT to attend these specialized appointments unaccompanied without any support.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize we are in a time of fiscal restraint, but surely we are not asking our youth to attend a specialized medical appointment outside of the territory unaccommodated and unsupported. Mr. Speaker, these are NWT youths. They don't have experience navigating health care systems, especially in big city centres like Edmonton. How can we expect these youth to advocate for themselves at a time like this? Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure that medical concerns are being communicated and medical information is clearly understood to ensure the best health care decisions are made for our youth.

Mr. Speaker, the issues and challenges with medical travel have been recognized by both sides of this House, and I know the Minister is alive to the gaps in the medical travel policy. Mr. Speaker, under the ministerial policy on medical travel, escort criteria, a non-medical escort will be authorized when, as per section 6.(2)(a), the eligible person is under the age of 19 and requires an escort. Mr. Speaker, who decides when a minor who is under 19 years of age requires an escort or does not require an escort. Is there any conversation with the client or family when determining whether an escort is required? Is it the right to appeal a medical travel decision made clear to clients? Mr. Speaker, how are clients informed of their right to complain about decisions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you. Rental caps. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about housing and the ever-increasing cost of rent for NWT residents. Mr. Speaker, it is becoming more apparent with every passing year that the price for people to rent any housing accommodation in the NWT, especially here in the capital, is getting out of control. With the cost of living crisis that we all are already in, some families have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table to feed their families.

Mr. Speaker, how are we going to attract more people to move here if all rental options are sky high or expensive? Right now, Yellowknife is home to many transient people who come here temporary for a short period of time, use up our resources, then leave, and never come back. Mr. Speaker, it's getting to a point where people need to be wealthy just to rent a room let alone rent a one or two-bedroom apartment or condo. A one-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife is $1,900, a two-bedroom apartment is $2,500, and a three-bedroom townhouse is about $3,000 and up in rental costs, and plus utilities. It's happening all over the city. Who are these landlords? Are they northern-based owners?

So what's happening here is that the GNWT is paying rent to major southern landlords through income assistance. People are working just to have a roof over their head. There is no way no one in this day and age is going to save money for a downpayment on a house unless their family has deep pockets.

Mr. Speaker, last year, during the 19th Assembly, a Member brought forward a motion urging the government to introduce a mechanism that would provide for a maximum allowable rent increase for private rental units in the NWT. In other words, rent control which would create a cap on rent increases. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, right now no such mechanism exists in the NWT, but I believe that it should. As a government, we need to be proactive in providing practical solutions to the everyday problems that people deal with. Something must be done to help curb the disgraceful never-ending increases to rental costs in the NWT. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight a recent report by Greenland's Economic Council on the current state of Greenland's economy and recommendations related to economic transition and sustainability. I want to highlight this report as it relates to ECE's business plan goal of developing an economic vision for the NWT. There are some interesting parallels with what is highlighted in the Greenland report in our own economic situation.

The first aspect of the report I want to draw attention to is related to how the government can best strengthen productivity in the private sector. The report emphasizes the best way to achieve this is through transparency and stability of regulatory framework conditions and cautions against sustained tax financed support for business which it risks locking employment into supported activities.

The report also emphasizes the need for increased efficiency and focus in the public sector which can help to reduce costs and free up labour to support a broader economic base. The report argues this can be achieved through clearly developed goal requirements, well-defined management responsibility for achieving the goals with given budgets and follow-up on goal achievement.

The aspect of the report I would like to draw particular attention to is related to productivity gains from training. The report states that it is a crucial prerequisite for a more self-sustaining economy to increase the level of education in a population. Greenland faces similar challenges to those we face in the NWT, and the report emphasizes the gains which can be realized from all levels in the education spectrum, from early childhood through to post-secondary. I strongly agree with these conclusions and continue to emphasize the need for our government to place education at the forefront of our economic vision.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of ITI -- and sorry, I said ECE earlier, I meant ITI, but it is the same Minister for what it's worth -- has stated economic vision development will be a collaborative process which I agree with completely, but I don't want vision development to simply take the form of a What We Heard report. What I would like to strongly emphasize as we move forward with economic visioning is that we take an analytical and evidence-based approach to it, similar to what was produced by Greenland's Economic Council. I will table a translated version of the report in the House tomorrow for anyone who's interested in reading it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Fiscal Sustainability Strategy was announced, the finance Minister specifically said, quote, I do not want people to presume that this is about job cuts. It's not. We are experiencing labour market shortages across sectors, and we need our public servants.

Mr. Speaker, we also need our public servants to feel valued. A large part of why I continue to ask about the status of government renewal in my reply to the budget and overall budget discussions in the House is because I want the Minister to use its findings strategically, to help place staff in areas and functions that need capacity. I also want staff to feel supported to grow and evolve in their roles or new roles that excite them. I want to stop hearing of experiences that I saw firsthand in my 15 years as a public servant where people were blind-sided and choices were made for them. Yesterday, UNW leaders and members rallied outside because, once again, choices around our public service and how they're employed are first made and framed on cost savings.

The Minister of Finance continually says that the public service is our most valuable resource as a government, and I agree. Where we disagree on is how we make unilateral decisions for their future without time for consultation and discussion. Employment is a partnership, but too often public servants find this partnership to be one-sided. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to congratulate the students of the Mackenzie Delta communities of Aklavik, Fort McPherson, and Tsiigehtchic who have completed their grade 12 and will receive or have received their diplomas. These young men and women are an inspiration to themselves, to their families, and their communities. These 16 individuals and future leaders of the respective communities are to be commended on their achievements and future endeavorers in whatever they pursue in the near future.

The following students graduated grade 12.

From Aklavik:

• Tisha Koe,
• Kayden McLeod,
• Mathew McLeod,
• Sergey Nedelko,
• Victoria Semple-Gordon,
• Destiny Benoit,
• Larry Sittichinli.

From Fort McPherson:

• Bryson Nerysoo,
• Rylan Firth,
• Donavyn Koe,
• David Tetlitchi,
• Caleb Neyando,
• Keyanna Nerysoo,
• Arian Keevik.

From Tsiigehtchic:

• Connor Van Loon, and
• Dreyden Natsi.

I would like to ask my colleagues in joining me in congratulating these students on a great accomplishment and wish them great success in the coming years.

Mr. Speaker, as I will be travelling home tomorrow, at this time I would like to wish my colleagues, staff, and especially the interpreters a great summer, and spend some quality time with your families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, in a land as vast and untamed as the Northwest Territories, ground search and rescue services are key to any emergency where persons are missing or in distress on land or inland waterways. Ground search and rescue efforts are multi-jurisdictional, relying on cooperation from many different governments, agencies, and civilians, so that trained professionals, often in volunteer capacities, can be properly equipped and dispatched to get to work saving lives.

There are many reasons why people go missing or end up needing help on the land every year. Many travel long distances in between remote communities, practice traditional lifestyles of hunting and trapping, or simply looking to experience the beauty of the North's natural environment. In 2018, for example, there were 24 ground search and rescue incidents spread out across every region of the Northwest Territories.

To keep our communities safe, the North needs strong ground search and rescue operations to ensure every incident is responded to adequately and resolved positively. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT's search and rescue system review final report completed in 2022 came to a startling conclusion, that ground search and rescue services in the NWT lag far behind other provinces and territories and outlined concerning deficiencies in how these services are supported and maintained. Also concerning is the fact that this report has not yet been publicly released despite being finalized years ago.

Thankfully, I have gotten ahold of this report thanks to the diligent work of a constituent and can provide a short summary. There's no mandate of those critical findings. There's no mandate for municipal and Indigenous governments to have provisions for ground search and rescue teams. There are no mandates for departments to expand search and rescue capacity. The NWT provides no training or equipment for search and rescue teams. And there's only one team trained to the proper standards for the entire territory, which operates out of Yellowknife, and they are forced to fundraise on their own to get the resources they need.

Mr. Speaker, these realities force other agencies such as the RCMP to operate outside of their scope during search and rescue operations. Hunters and trappers associations and associations of the Rangers do their best to contribute, but they're not adequately trained or equipped. There's much more to say on this subject, and it's time for the Minister to make this report public and begin following its urgent recommendations before more lives are lost. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we conclude the last two days of our spring sitting of the Legislative Assembly until October, I'd like to express my heartfelt recognition of two important dates that hold significance for the Indigenous peoples across Canada and, more particularly, here in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21st, is a day to celebrate and honour the diverse cultures, unique heritage, and outstanding achievements of Canada's First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. This day has been celebrated since 1996 coinciding with the Summer Solstice which holds cultural significance for many Indigenous groups across our territory. It's a time to reflect on the resilience and strength and immense contributions of Indigenous peoples in shaping the fabric of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, June 23rd marks another milestone, the anniversary of the signing of the Sahtu Dene-Metis Comprehensive Land Claim dated 1993. This historic agreement between the Sahtu Dene and Metis people and the Government of Canada inshrines Indigenous rights over land, resources, self-government in the Sahtu region. It was a landmark achievement in the ongoing journey towards reconciliation, recognition of Indigenous sovereignty.

Mr. Speaker, as we break for the summer, I invite all Members of this House, and indeed all Northerners, to take the moment to reflect the importance of these dates, let us also acknowledge that there is still much work to be done on the path of reconciliation.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for the Indigenous leaders, elders, youth, and community members who work very diligently and hard to build a stronger, equitable, and more inclusive Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is easy to get overwhelmed and depressed at the scale of the challenges and struggles facing communities in this territory, especially challenges around housing and economic development. But to move forward, we need to build on our strengths. Today I'd like to focus on a positive story of a community finding innovative solutions and taking back control over their housing crisis. It's also an inspiring story of collaboration between dedicated folks in both my riding Yellowknife North and the community of Fort Good Hope.

The project is the Fort Good Hope Construction Centre. This will be a four-season facility in which new housing units will be locally constructed by community members for community members. It was recently awarded millions of dollars in funding as one of the winners of CMHC's housing supply challenge.

The Fort Good Hope Construction Centre will provide a heated indoor industrial space where community members will be trained and employed year-round in modular home construction rather than having to take on seasonal or short-term jobs. Training and employment will be integrated. It will have broader economic development benefits by equipping the community to participate in many other capital projects in the region. It's an opportunity for housing to be designed and constructed in alignment with local needs with an emphasis on long-term quality and energy efficiency. It will reduce the time, the cost, and the risk of building new housing by reducing reliance on imported contractors.

The initiative is a partnership between Ne'Rahten Development -- so that's the business arm of the Yamoga Land Corporation -- and Taylor Architecture Group, or TAG, which is based in my riding. It builds on many years of hard work by the K'asho Got'ine Housing Society, and the project has been supported by Housing NWT as well as Aurora College, which is enthusiastic about partnering with Fort Good Hope to deliver trades training programs at the new construction centre.

Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the type of local economic development that this territory needs. I hope we can be inspired by these efforts, to learn from them, and to build on them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about training supports for shelter workers.

Mr. Speaker, finding ways to help de-escalate violence for shelter workers who work on the frontline is a goal of mine, and I'm sure it's supported by many of our colleagues here. We would like to see the de-escalation of violence long before it gets out of hand and the RCMP have to be called or anyone certainly gets hurt. And on that note, Mr. Speaker, from the RCMP they had mentioned that over 2,268 calls to shelters in Yellowknife over a period of two years, that's April 2022 to April 2024, of those calls, Mr. Speaker, only 3 percent resulted in charges. So what it really says, Mr. Speaker, in two years, there was only 68 incidents that actually warranted in charges. It sort of speaks to the outcome and the nature of the policing of what's actually happening is they're attending incidents that are getting out of hand but maybe there's a better path, such as supporting our frontline workers with de-escalation skills.

Mr. Speaker, the Saskatchewan First Nations shelter worker training program offers a program for prevention of types of violence. They give shelter workers supports. They have a curriculum that's adapted to the specific needs of shelter workers. Mr. Speaker, this is the type of training we could work with our fantastic Aurora College to help ensure it's spread and implemented and offered here in the Northwest Territories throughout our territories in every community that has learning centres or even regional centres.

Mr. Speaker, to highlight a couple of the course points it does, it teaches people communication skills, engagements with clients on therapeutic issues, talks about grief loss, helps with documentation, crisis management. It goes through a lot of wonderful things, Mr. Speaker. Again, Aurora College could be leading this initiative as well as supported by the departments of health and education and Justice. Look, it's a government initiative before you know it, Mr. Speaker.

That said, Mr. Speaker, in talking to many shelter workers, they're always stressed by the amount of challenges and the lack of training they get. They get limited funds to pay people which means they get a restriction of pool of the type of skills and opportunities that can show up there. And those who are armed with the skills and talents to do this type of work tend to look for better paying work with the territorial government. In short, Mr. Speaker, if we truly believe in valuing our relationship and partnership with these shelter organizations and we want to support the shelter workers, we should be setting them up with partnerships. So, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the government to ensure that we can include this type of training in future contribution agreements later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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