Debates of June 7th, 2024

This Hansard is the unedited transcript and will be replaced by the final copy soon (generally within 5 business days). In the meantime, direct quotes should not be used, when the final is published it will seamlessly replace this unedited copy and any existing links should still work.

This is from the 20th Assembly, 1st Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was community.

Topics

Barge Cancellation Impacts to Businesses

Members' Statement 262-20(1): Economic Development in Communities

Recreational Land Leasing

Elders' Homes

Waste Reduction

Long Shadow Music Festival

Culture Sites at Taltson

Indigenous Child Welfare Settlement

Impacts of Day Shelter

Village of Fort Simpson - Canadian Biomass Community Project of the Year Award Recipient

1995 Fort Norman Wildfires

Cannabis Producers

Waste Diversion

Recreational Land Leasing

Day Shelter Impacts

Elders' Home Inspections

Economic Development in Communities

Burial Sites in Taltson River Area

Barge Cancellations Impacts to Businesses

Indigenous Child Welfare Settlement

Waste Resource Management Strategy

Non-Governmental Organizations and the 2024-2025 Budget

Tabled Document 113-20(1): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 187-20(1): Costs to Access Land Titles and Red-Tape Reduction Tabled Document 114-20(1): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 203-20(1): RCMP Response to Addictions Related Calls

Increasing RCMP Response in Hay River

Recorded Vote

Bill 7: Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act 2024

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Legislative Assembly - Deferral of Legislative Assembly

Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Environment and Climate Change - Deferral of Department of Environment and Climate Change

Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Municipal and Community Affairs - Deferral of Department of Municipal and Community Affairs

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Bill 2: Missing Persons Act

Recorded Vote

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 28-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates - Environment and Climate Change - Deferral of Department of Environment and Climate Change, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Vince McKay Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Does the committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses into the chambers.

Thank you. Would the Minister introduce his witnesses.

Vince McKay Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to introduce, to my right, the deputy minister, Gary Brennan. And to my right, director of corporate affairs, Jennifer Young.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Does the committee agree to forego general comments on the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Does the committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled documents?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Agreed. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity beginning with community governance starting on page 339 with information items on page 342. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 340.

Municipal and Community Affairs, community governance, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,136,000. Does the committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Moving on to community government learning and development, beginning on page 343 with information items on page 346. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 344.

Municipal and Community Affairs, community government learning and development, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,565,000. Does the committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Moving on to community operations, beginning on page 347 with information items on page 350. Are there any questions? No further questions, please turn to page 348.

Municipal and Community Affairs, community operations, operations expenditure summary, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, $2,098,000. Does the committee agree?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. Moving on to directorate, beginning on page 351 with information items on page 354. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.

Kate Reid Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is more of a policy question than a main estimates question, and I'm doing my best to assume that it should possibly live under directorate.

So under the department's business plan on page 228, one of the actions that they are doing to support the mandate is to engage regularly with the NWTAC and the LGANT on key community government related issues. And it's really more of a general comment but also kind of a question.

The measure for this action is the number of meetings between either the Minister or official level meetings held between MACA and these organizations, or just NWTAC I suppose, per year. How does the Minister feel that demonstrates the success -- to successfully partner with these organizations? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Vince McKay Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Chair. MACA has a good working relationship with the NWTAC and LGANT, and we tried to have as many meetings as possible with them, so I guess this is just a minimum amount of a meeting that we're dedicating to have these meetings with NWTAC. So, I mean, this isn't just three and that's it; this is we're going to continually meet with them and continue our mutual relationship with NWTAC and LGANT.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Great Slave.

Kate Reid Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I don't mean to pick on the Minister of MACA precisely on this, it's just I don't see how a quantitative measure -- it doesn't matter how many times you meet with these organizations it doesn't really demonstrate the depth of the partnership. It doesn't really demonstrate if -- you know, if people feel heard. And so it's just a comment to maybe improve that metric in the business plan however you might see fit. And if the Minister has comments, I'd love to hear them.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.

Vince McKay Hay River South

I guess just to reply to her comment, I mean, our continued relationship is that MACA works closely with NWTAC on numerous programs and funding agreements and so on. So, like, the three meetings that are showing here are essentially a minimum at least but to the point of that sometimes hard to get together, and that's our goal, is to make sure that we maintain that. And then, like I said, we're always going to meet with them at some point, right. Like, it's not something that we're not going to do, being that we have a good relationship with them. Thank you.

The Chair Richard Edjericon

Thank you. I'll go to from Great Slave.

Kate Reid Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And, yeah, I suppose the real question -- and thank you to my colleague who just shoved a note in my face -- is what outcome are you seeking? The number of meetings doesn't really matter, right. What is the outcome that you want from these meetings, and I guess that's my question to the Minister. Thank you.

Debates of June 7th, 2024

Topics

Help us improve OpenNWT