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Ministers' statements. Minister for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, ensuring the health and well-being of all residents in the Northwest Territories is an essential work of this government.

The NWT is falling behind other jurisdictions when it comes to implementing healthy safeguards to limit smoking. Yukon implemented a smoking ban in public and government housing in 2012, and Nunavut followed suit in 2023. Now, we must align with prevailing health advice and ensure safe, client-focused housing solutions.

There is extensive research on the negative impacts of smoking and second-hand smoke on health and social outcomes. Smoking rates in the Northwest Territories are higher compared to the Canadian average and by introducing this ban, we aim to create healthy living environments for all residents, especially children, seniors, and those with respiratory conditions. This initiative aligns with the Department of Health and Social Services' public health concerns around smoking and shows our dedication to fostering safe and healthy communities for Northerners.

During the development of Housing Northwest Territories strategic renewal in the 19th Legislative Assembly, Housing NWT consulted with Indigenous governments, elected representatives, local housing organizations and tenants about smoking in public housing units. There is strong support for measures that protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke and broad support for efforts aimed at reducing smoking overall. It is the GNWT's responsibility to support individuals and families to stay healthy. It is also our responsibility to reduce damage to units and loss of units, as we are currently experiencing a housing crisis.

Today, I am announcing a significant step forward: the implementation of a smoking ban across all Housing NWT-owned and operated units, including market and public housing. Health and social services is working with Housing NWT to share resources and promote smoking cession with Housing NWT tenants. We are here to support tenants as they move towards smoke-free living.

Mr. Speaker, the smoking ban will be implemented in a way that is equitable, fair, and compassionate, with a constructive approach that focuses on education and tenant support. The ban is being approached in all phases and has started with new leases and renewals. The next policy stage will provide existing tenants with a grace period to adjust before the change is fully implemented.

This policy is not just about prohibiting smoking; it is about promoting healthier lifestyles and creating supportive environments for people who wish to quit. The ban will also reduce the risk of smoking-related fires and decrease the costs of cleaning and repairing smoke-damaged units. That means we will be able to put more resources towards other critical housing needs.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that this smoking ban will have a positive and lasting impact on our communities, and that we can create healthy and vibrant living environments for Northerners. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister for Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister for Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to begin my statement in Dinjii Zhu' Ginjik. Mr. Speaker, [Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends].

Mr. Speaker, the junior kindergarten to Grade 12 Performance Measures Report will be published in the coming months, however, I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate NWT student successes, both data-driven and anecdotal.

School attendance is vital for student success, so I want to recognize Ecole Boreale in Hay River. Out of all regional centres and small community schools, Ecole Boreale had the highest average attendance rate, at 91 percent in the last school year. I would also like to recognize one of your schools, Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River, whose attendance increased by over 25 percent last year.

---Applause

Thank you, colleagues. That is absolutely incredible.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to congratulate the 94 students who enrolled in the South Slave's Phoenix School last school year. This is the highest number of Phoenix enrolments since we started tracking. The Phoenix program helps students complete their high school graduation through modularized learning on their own schedule, a flexible approach allowing them to meet their obligations at the same time, like family and work.

At Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic, the school is celebrating the first graduates to complete Grades 10 to 12 at home in the community, while Mangilaluk students in Tuktoyaktuk are enjoying some of the newly renovated school facilities.

At Helen Kalvak School in Ulukhaktok, students took learning outside the classroom on a recent visit to Ottawa and the Canadian Parliament buildings, while students from East Three Secondary visited London, England this past summer.

At Deninu School in Fort Resolution, both graduates have already been accepted into post-secondary programs for next year, including Caleb Simon who will enter the HVAC trades at NAIT, and Hannah Beck who will attend Aurora College.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge Yellowknife high school students Stella Fairman and Audrey Debogorski, who recently received the prestigious Loran Scholarship. Their applications stood out against candidates from across Canada, and they were among the 36 winners chosen from 6,000 applicants. Stella and Audrey were chosen not only for their marks but also character, commitment to service, and leadership.

Mr. Speaker, our students' success would not be possible without the support of dedicated and compassionate educators, school staff and education leaders. Among the education leaders who have made a difference in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of students, was the former Chair of the Tlicho Community Services Agency, the late Ted Blondin.

Mr. Blondin was dedicated to preserving and sharing elders' stories and histories and helped negotiate impact and benefit agreements that provided scholarships, training and employment to the Tlicho people. Mr. Blondin also chaired the Arctic College and the Mine Training Society and was inducted into the Education Hall of Fame in 2015 for significant contribution to student learning by an elder. We will miss Ted Blondin and remember his legacy that will continue to inspire northern education leaders for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to finish today in Dinjii Zhu' Ginjik.

[Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we wind down session and Ministers turn their attention to upcoming meetings in Ottawa, I want to emphasize the biggest gap I continue to see in our economic strategy: northern education and research.

We don't yet have a cohesive economic vision but just looking at our federal engagement strategy, it's clear that our strategy is heavily focused on road and power infrastructure. Those are undeniably important and very responsive projects but, as I've noted in numerous statements in the past, we also need to be looking at investing in our people, fostering research and innovation, and building up our workforce, if we want an economic strategy that will benefit and fully realize the potential of our people. If we want to develop the North, we have to look at what we have to offer the world, Mr. Speaker.

The Northwest Territories could position itself as a unique northern research and innovation hub. We are leaders in Indigenous governance, high-latitude mine development and remediation, Indigenous-led conservation, and permafrost and climate change research, to name just a few. We could be stronger leaders in those sectors and grow others which are completely undeveloped right now if we could just muster the vision and foresight to build up our education and research capacity to fully realize this potential.

Looking at the recent throne speech, the new federal government sees the need for investing in research and innovation also. The Liberals have made promises with significant impacts for universities, including a commitment of $2 billion for student and seniors housing, and to build Canada into the world's leading hub for science and innovation. The Liberals have promised to invest $100 million over four years to attract leading researchers who have had their funding cut by the US government. Wouldn't it be incredible if we had the institution to attract some of those researchers to live in the Northwest Territories?

To build Canada strong, Mr. Speaker, the federal government is working to identify and catalyze projects of national significance. Projects that will connect Canada, that will deepen Canada's ties with the world and create high paying jobs for generations. I strongly believe that one of those projects should be a university in the Northwest Territories. We owe it to the people of this great territory to show them that we believe in the potential they have to offer the world and invest in them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on March 3rd, 2025, I rose to give a statement on building codes, Mr. Speaker, or rather lack of building codes in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, all government buildings, as I understand, do adopt or abide by the National Standards Building Code, and that building code includes the electrical code, the plumbing code, the fire code, the energy code, as well of course as the building standards code. Mr. Speaker, however, all other developments, there is no code whatsoever. And, Mr. Speaker, we're the only jurisdiction in Canada without a building standards code.

At the time, the Minister said the department was certainly willing to do this work. It would have to be done in conjunction with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. As it so happens, Mr. Speaker, now we have a Minister that has both departments under his purview and, certainly, this work should be able to move forward even just a little quicker. I was also told by the Minister in March that there is a working group in place and the next step is to really put in place some recommendations of what it will look like to bring all the different pieces together to have a consolidated framework from the National Building Code and one that can be made in the North and applied for the North and relevant to the North, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister, back in March, had said she was committed to have a plan for a plan without a final date but did commit to say that once we leave this Assembly, the 20th Assembly, we will have our own buildings standards code. Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure later. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Glamour Alley is a recurring burlesque show produced by Tease Van Gams, three veteran performers of Yellowknife's Burlesque scene, who want to make the art form more accessible to performers and audiences alike. Glamour Alley is a collaboration with the Underground, which is Yellowknife's newest music and performance venue, and its artist in residence, Thunder Normz, who hosts regular drag nights. They are doing amazing and important work building and promoting Yellowknife's up and coming drag scene.

Mr. Speaker, Glamour Alley's third show will be happening this Saturday, and I would invite you, but it's sold out. The next show will be July 4th and will feature three out-of-town performers who have sought to perform in our fair city - two of whom have never performed here in Yellowknife. They're coming from Whitehorse, Toronto, and Edmonton.

Burlesque in Yellowknife is becoming a scene and getting national attention from performers and audiences alike. Of course Tease Van Gams is only adding to and benefiting from all of the hard work the burlesque community has done building this local scene. There's a shout out for Brrrlesque, Boolesque, Parkas and Pasties, and Glam on the Rocks, who built a sustainable following for burlesque in Yellowknife and an impressive pool of talented performers.

This wouldn't be possible without local businesses who support the scene by opening up their venues, and the sell-out audiences who will literally line up for hours to buy tickets. The art of the tease is flourishing and, as a past performer, I couldn't be more proud. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Education promotion, Mr. Speaker. Labour trades, professions, the shortages continue in all sectors is a huge concern clear across our Canadian country. However, closer to home, the geography, costs of living, the isolated inventory greatly adds to attracting staff in neither the private nor public services sector. Mr. Speaker, trade shortages, we are at the pivotal point drafting and essential planning in addressing the situation as fundamental and critical to our approach and the remaining term of this Assembly.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have tools in our toolbox. Examples could be the Skills 4 Success, career development staff allow us the opportunity to expand. Drafting an updated recruitment strategy tailored to our graduation community, including in-person engagements, speak with the school graduates directly and provide a handout package identifying the trades demand and career security. I am told that GNWT salary and benefits is very attractive.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to share the Sahtu will see 28 high school graduates this season with a land claim recipient from Fort Good Hope graduating from the nursing college here tomorrow. These exceptional ceremonies is ideal for education, career, trades promotions. Let's design a meaningful campaign. Mahsi.

In closing, this is our last spring sitting and I want to extend my great appreciation to all staff members, my colleagues, the strength behind our various governments, the interpretation staff. May you all have a safe and enjoyable spring. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, summer's clearly here. I think it's 28 degrees outside, and it has been for the last couple of days. And I was enjoying the beautiful summer weather and I thought to myself, for a moment not thinking of anything other than how beautiful it was, and then I thought, oh, there's going to be forest fires. And sure enough, we see smoke rolling in over the capital today, over other parts of the territory as well. And I think many Northerners, and I've seen it on social media, people texting me or talking to me that there's a lot of concern -- or people being reminded of the 2023 wildfire crisis, of the evacuations and, of course, the review that has just happened comes to mind about that, the after-action report.

I think the starkest finding of that report was the loss of trust. And in the report itself, the recognition of loss that they were able to quantify through their reporting is really profound, and their finding of -- TSI's finding of a loss of trust, safety, and security. The events have shaken the fundamental sense of security, leaving many uncertain about safety in their own lands. This loss of faith is a painful burden for a territory that has long found solace and strength in its connection to the land and each other.

Mr. Speaker, public -- from public trust erosion, trust and transparency, to issues with being able to communicate to folks who are going through these crises, all these things have been shown in sharp relief. And that trust has still not been renewed. It's one of the priorities that I hope this Assembly would take up, and I think in a roundabout way that's the work of any government, to ensure their citizens trust them.

But when we look to other professions and professionals and experts who we do trust - doctors, nurses, firefighters, police, people and authority figures who help us out when we need it the most - they're also telling us we need help. And we've seen, you know, two pieces of legislation now coming forward to address those first responders. We see their concerns. We hear their concerns all the time that they're not getting enough support. And all of this is part of the same problem, which is this gap of trust that emerged and that has been building over time and was really broken during that evacuation. We need to do more, and we need to have a real effort to rebuild this, not just a set of responses to a report. Thank you.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Monfwi energy. Mr. Speaker. Whati, Behchoko, Gameti, and Wekweeti, still rely heavily on diesel power. This is unsustainable. Mr. Speaker, we need to invest in clean energy like the Whati transmission line and the Lac Le Martre Mini Hydro Project. But, Mr. Speaker, my constituents are asking when will we see progress on these projects? Communities need answers, timelines, and new jobs.

These projects are not just about energy. They will create work and opportunities. Mr. Speaker, with the right approach, we can create local jobs and build capacity in our communities -- I hope they will not whisper anymore over here; it's distracting.

This can only happen if the GNWT is working in true partnership with Indigenous governments.

I recently spoke to a young apprentice from my riding who returned home after post-secondary training full of hope who was enrolled in electrician program. He has the skills. He has the skills he needs, but no local job opportunities in his chosen trade. This young person will have to leave home on June 16th due to lack of options for his apprenticeship. That is a shame.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow our youth to be forced to earn a living elsewhere. Investing in clean energy projects and infrastructure here at home means creating good, sustainable jobs for our young people so they can build their futures and remain near their families, language, and culture. This is why timely progress on the Whati transmission line and Lac Le Martre Mini Hydro Project is so urgent. Is the GNWT working with the Tlicho government on energy planning? Are we creating opportunities for Tlicho citizens to be part of the outcome?

Mr. Speaker, clean energy must go hand-in-hand with economic development. Our people want to work. They want to build a better future. I will have questions for the Minister of NTPC at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next Thursday, here at the Legislative Assembly, a completion ceremony will be held for those adult students who have completed programs at the Literacy outreach Centre. Now, there were 39 students enrolled this past winter semester. It will be the 28th year that such a completion ceremony is held, but there's a danger it may be the last.

The Literacy Outreach Centre was a partnership involving Aurora College and Inclusion NWT. Aurora College decided, for reasons that are hard to understand, to shut down the centre as part of its closure of community learning centres across the territory. In our winter sitting, the Minister publicly committed in this House to provide, during the spring sitting, a critical path forward for community learning centres. I am disappointed that that path hasn't been determined yet, even though today is the last day of session, and I am disappointed that we haven't spoken much in our committees or in this House about this issue.

It's easy to fall off the radar because adult learning and community-based literacy doesn't neatly fit into any of the government's boxes. When we talk about education, we usually think of the school system, college programs, or official credentials. When we talk about jobs or the economy, we think about mining development or maybe hiring and procurement policies. But we have a lot of adults in this territory who are missing some basic fundamental skills that are necessary for them to be successful in a job or a college program, not to mention being able to be self-sufficient in navigating everyday life, especially with this online world. We're talking about people who need to be fluent in reading and writing in any language, being able to make calculations and estimates with numbers, being comfortable on a computer, and being able to use the internet effectively. Even the younger generation, we often assume that at least they're computer literate, but it's worth remembering that being cell phone literate is not the same as computer literacy. And yet Aurora College's plan to move forward with basic adult education is to switch to online learning. It defies logic, Mr. Speaker.

I understand that more time is needed to find out what specific kinds of training opportunities are needed in each NWT community and to work out details about the best uses of individual buildings that Aurora College has vacated. But we still need to keep refocusing on how are we delivering the fundamentals, in every community, of language literacy, numeracy, and computer literacy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If we had more session days, I would have liked to have used my time or opportunity to talk about NWT Housing and how they could get behind the NUP Renewal Project where they supply 125 residential affordable units to people desperate for affordable housing. They're doing it at a low carbon update, and all it would take is some backing to support their initiative. And by the way, for the record, the deadline's tomorrow to get behind that, for the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, if we had more time, I would like to talk about the health Minister and how she could get behind all Alzheimer's Alberta-NWT, where they're connecting Northerners with solutions on trying to work through their problems at zero cost to this government, virtually that is, but with a little support that relationship would go a long way, but only if I had more time, Mr. Speaker.

If I had more time, Mr. Speaker, we'd be talking about with the health Minister why in goodness sakes are we trying to act like Toronto where we have health permits now required for community barbecues. I mean, my goodness, when we become Toronto, we've got some serious reflection to start considering.

Mr. Speaker, with time ticking away, if I had more time, Mr. Speaker, I'd be talking about Avens and why the government continues to ignore the fact that it's subsidizing an NGO -- or sorry, an NGO is subsidizing the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, this squabble's all over emergency pay. It's not as if they bought cars and new paintings and yadda, yadda, yadda. It's about giving danger pay for people who took care of 57 of our most vulnerable people. But if I had more time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, if I had more time in this session, I'd be talking about the envoy. Boy, I don't get tired of that. You know, the Premier's buddy, appointed to a particular position for $440,000. But we're running out of time, Mr. Speaker, to talk about an employee who has been -- you know, former employee who was then, again, a former employee and continued to be a former employee and then brought back for reasons unknown, Mr. Speaker. But we don't have enough time.

Mr. Speaker, and lastly, if I had more session days, which I would certainly love, I'd like to spend some time, again, talking about housing issues, about the barrier-free need of housing in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, I think the LHOs, the local LHOs, should be the stewards of these. When we're investing millions of dollars, we want the right partners in place who can maintain, manage, and provide safe environments because the last thing we want to do is avoid another bailout or a crisis, especially when we can see one coming. But like I said, Mr. Speaker, if I had more time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes.