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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as of the end of April, we have 894 non-senior residents approved. We have 3,671 seniors approved. Of those non-senior -- oh, yes, 461 were formally on the specific -- specified disease condition program. So right now, we have 433 brand new registrants. What I can do is get our enrolment database to record -- I mean, they do record the clients' region so I can share that information with the Member once we have all of that information compiled. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. And we'll get into the financial impacts of that maybe another day. But so I understand that seniors are automatically renewed, but other beneficiaries must reapply every year. What reminder systems or supports are in place to ensure that non-senior residents re-register on time so that they do not experience an interruption in their coverage, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate this question, yes, and non-seniors, because there is no income threshold on -- or sorry, seniors, there's no income threshold so those just automatically renew every year. Because the extended health program is based on income, there is an annual CRA that needs to be added to their application. However, I've directed my department to put in clearer processes as this -- you know, we're hearing this, that there's vacancies -- or there's gaps in people that are applying. So we'll take that back, and we'll look at how we can streamline that process better or to ensure that the information is getting out soon enough to NWT residents so that they apply early enough. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. And I think that's crucial. It was alarming, the number of people that weren't aware they had to register for the program. So I'm glad to hear that, and we'll keep an eye on that as we move forward.

Mr. Speaker, as part of the work to modernize the medical travel, has the Minister given any consideration to folding the medical travel policy, if possible, into the extended health benefits framework. Is that something that's do-able and something she's considering? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Member has said, we are modernizing the medical travel, and we will be reviewing the extended health benefits in this next few -- like, I think it's one year from the time, so we'll start the review in September. And, yes, the medical travel benefits were applied across the board for those specific disease, but now that's been removed and they have to use the medical travel policy. So there is lots of different pieces going on. But with the review of the medical travel modernization, I believe that this has -- we will -- like, I have flagged this because it has come up to. So we'll continue to work with the department to provide some model options so that we can bring that forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we all need an elder in our lives. Sounds like we need one in here. With that in mind, Mr. Speaker, the elders in school program was started in 2013. Can the many Minister say how many schools across the territory currently employ an elder for this program? Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have a specific number for that program, but we have multiple programs across the territory that create space for elders within our school system. The Member's absolutely right, the power of elders is absolutely undeniable and one that we have the privilege of experiencing in this House. Some of the programs that I'd be happy to talk more about are the elders for Indigenous languages programs, our school-based mental health and wellness program, our community focus from the Indigenous languages secretariat, as well as our school food program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand there is an elders in the classroom, in classroom component. Can the Minister explain whether the elders are teaching as part of this program and how the program works. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, absolutely, elders are always teaching when they are anywhere in our communities. A lot of the programs centre around language revitalization and on the land experiences and cultural experiences for students across the Northwest Territories. And even when elders are in a health and wellness role within the school, they're still teaching at that point. So teaching is a key component in imparting knowledge and experience to our youth. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been over a decade since this program was implemented. Can the Minister commit to a formal evaluation of the elders in school program and provide information to the House about its continued funding and any support needed for its further implementation. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd be happy to follow up with the department on that specific program. But over the years, additional programs have come into play that have a created more space for elders in schools. Our school food program is just new this year in 2025. The transition to the school-based mental health and wellness program where elders could be hired, that's brand new as of 2024. So some of these programs are actually quite recent. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm just referring back to my recurring question that I bring up every session on the amendment -- targeted amendments to the waters regs. Mr. Speaker, the last time I asked the Minister of Environment and Climate Change about that, he mentioned that he would have a concrete plan available for Members in the spring. I'm just asking the Minister for an update on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to stand up today and appreciate the Member's thoroughness of returning with the question on a regular basis. I think this is an area that is very integral to the Northwest Territories and our ability to, you know, move things forward in a collaborative manner. The department is still committed to the phased approach for the amendments and the changes to the Waters Act for phase 1 being limited to the targeted amendments, and that work is well underway. And phase 2 being the more comprehensive review which will happen once the amendments are complete. And then we would go back to phase 3 if required depending on the changes to the Act itself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister laying out the general plan, but I didn't hear any new information in there. What I was looking for is does the Minister have a timeline for us? Again and again, I've emphasized that I'd like to see this proceed quickly. The whole idea with doing targeted amendments was that that could proceed quickly. Does the Minister have a timeline for us for this process today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECC is following the stepped approach outlined in the legislative developmental protocol and that is agreed to with the Intergovernmental Council. There's been several meetings to date. The most recent meeting of the technical working group happened actually earlier this week, and progress is certainly being made.

Now as the Minister of ECC, I can't directly lay out when this is going to be completed. This is a collaborative effort. It involves Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, the water boards, etcetera. So, you know, ensuring that we all have the capacity and the ability to move this forward in a timely manner has certainly been a priority, and we continue to that end. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Minister emphasizing the nature of the process, that it's a collaborative one. I would respectfully suggest back that they collaboratively come together and develop a timeline. So can the Minister commit to bringing a timeline back to the Assembly in a reasonable time? Thank you.