Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister say whether there is a timeline or -- yeah, a timeline for when residents should expect an election to be held for the hamlet of Enterprise? Thank you.
Debates of May 21st, 2025
This is page numbers of the Hansard for 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 public.
Topics
Question 665-20(1): Administration of the Hamlet of Enterprise
Oral Questions
Question 665-20(1): Administration of the Hamlet of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Vince McKay Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So currently, like I stated, with the new administrator put in place, you know, the assessment is developing a work plan on how we move forward with the community and the governance structure. Currently, at the time, it's all new so there is no timeline at present; however, I will say that I would rather have the residents govern their municipality than us, and the sooner we can get to that point and have a well-oiled machine of Enterprise back in order, we will have that in place and ready for them to take over. Our goal is to have some public meetings here as soon as June, and I hope to also be a part of one of those public meetings. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 665-20(1): Administration of the Hamlet of Enterprise
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.
Question 666-20(1): Legal Aid Commission on the Northwest Territories
Oral Questions

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, summer is approaching, and many of our young people will be on school break, so talking about drug crisis right now is appropriate to send a message to the young people in our communities.
So, Mr. Speaker, I noticed there is a vacancy on the board for the representative for North Slave. Can the Minister of Justice speak to the current capacities of the Legal Aid Commission? Thank you.
Question 666-20(1): Legal Aid Commission on the Northwest Territories
Oral Questions
Question 666-20(1): Legal Aid Commission on the Northwest Territories
Oral Questions

Jay MacDonald Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll have to take that question as notice. Thank you.
Question 666-20(1): Legal Aid Commission on the Northwest Territories
Oral Questions
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my statement, my questions are to the Minister of Infrastructure.
Can the Minister of Infrastructure share with anticipation whether there will be a Sahtu regional sailing reason, what actions are taken with or by MTS and Cooper Barging discussion. Masi.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Vince McKay Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, I want to thank the member for acknowledging some of the hard work that's been done by the infrastructure staff over the last little while. Obviously navigating climate change is -- no pun intended, navigating climate change is not an easy task considering we have no control over that. However, the actions being taken by the MTS, our infrastructure staff and MTS, has many plans and layers of it to hopefully have a successful navigating system. And it's really hard to tell right now what that might entail due to the fact of we don't know what the water levels are going to be like.
So we are closely monitoring those water levels, and we're closely monitoring, you know, the ability to get barges and tugs up and down the river. And those plans have been underway for a while now. So our goal with MTS is to have somewhat of a barging season, which includes a smaller section of barging from Dooley Crossing, as stated earlier, to the Sahtu area and potentially from north to the Sahtu area. So looking at many options. And so the goal is to work with another barging company to try to get fuel and freight into the Sahtu region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that information. I'm glad to hear that there is a preliminary sailing season, hopefully sailing season discussions.
The Minister answered my next question, so I'll skip that one there and add another couple more. If water levels permit, will the Minister, to avoid and detect hazard areas, will there be a water depth surveillance crew accompanying the barges? Thank you.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Vince McKay Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MTS wouldn't be navigating the Mackenzie River without buoys set up by the Canadian coast guard. So that's a safety thing, and that's something that we'd -- like he said earlier in his Member's statement, we don't want to risk the environment, so we will wait for Canadian coast guard to put up the buoys in order to navigate the Mackenzie River. And from previous briefings, I know that they're really anticipating getting out there and looking at our waterways. We know some of the trouble spots of getting through, like the Fort Providence rapids -- rapid area, the Sans Sault area. There's quite a few areas that are concerning, and the coast guard would go out there and navigate them and send smaller vessels through first to determine whether or not they can get the buoys out there. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final Supplementary. Member from the Sahtu.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that information there.
Moving along to my next final question here, is there -- can the Minister share the information, how much cargo is booked for the Sahtu, whether it's fuel or dry or modular units? Thank you.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

Vince McKay Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is a very good question. I don't know if I have the details handy yet. I know that they're waiting for a keep point to determine whether or not we would even be accepting freight in Hay River to put on the barges or whether or not they would hold off. So we'd have to wait to determine to see what we're getting, so I'll have to get back to the Member and let him know what freight's for the area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 667-20(1): 2025 Mackenzie River Sailing Season
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not to preclude the work done by the Member for Yellowknife North, but a longstanding concern I have heard from nurses, prior to my time being a Member, is that of staff-to-patient ratios. And so my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services is whether or not she's willing to commit to do a review to staff-to-patient ratio to address a longstanding concern of frontline health care staff starting with Stanton, and present those results to all Members? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a conversation that I've been having with my staff and, you know, what happens across Canada, there are some jurisdictions that do have this, you know, and then there are areas that they -- you know, there might be some difference that they don't -- you know, they don't put it out on -- in public, so we don't have that access to the information. But what I can commit to is that looking at -- and I don't want to do a broad across the board, but what I would commit to is working with my staff to figure out in some of our higher priority areas, especially within our hospital settings and looking at rural and remote, you know, we can take a look at this and see where we -- you know, how we compare to the jurisdictions that do have public information out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's really great to hear. Is there any way that staff would be involved in that process in terms of frontline staff because that's really who was bringing these concerns to the floor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I appreciate the work that the frontline staff have been raising and, you know, we are hearing them. Again, I -- you know, I want to acknowledge that our system and our processes aren't as fast as they want them to be. And so we do hear you. We have plans in place. With this, you know, I'll take -- like I said, I will take this back with the department and with NTHSSA, because that's our operating arm, and look at, you know, what we have across -- you know, and then, you know, the feedback from the staff can be that, you know, when we look at -- and I'll just say some of the patient ratios that I've seen online and then I compare them to our inpatient beds and our staffing, we can't use that as, you know -- and that's why I think what you're saying is we need to hear from the staff because if we have staff that they have a lot of casuals that are filling, you know, vacancies and things like that, it may impact how, you know, they're -- the pressures that are on them.
So like I said, we will take -- I'll take this back, and we'll come up with a process on how to do this work and then -- you know, and even bring this back to Members to share, you know, what the ideas are and what we are going to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final Supplementary. Member from Great Slave.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that.
So last week when standing committee on social development heard from the public administrator, he spoke of a people strategy. Will this strategy be ongoing and a living document so that this piece around patient-to-staff ratios can also be incorporated? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as this -- the people strategy is to be released, as I get the fulsome -- you know, I had the highlights of it early on before it was being drafted. So as soon as I have the people strategy draft, and I'm more than willing to send, you know, as soon as I have it, to standing committee on social development to be able to, you know, have a conversation with them of what's in that document. Thank you.
Question 668-20(1): Staff to Patient Ratios Review at Stanton Territorial Hospital
Oral Questions

The Speaker Shane Thompson
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.