Debates of Feb. 6th, 2026

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of ITI.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, the programs within the GNWT extend beyond the walls, so to say, of ITI. ITI has programs, for example, like its community futures program that issues different loan arrangements. It also has its SEED funding where you can have -- or apply for different levels of loans -- not loans, sorry, grants for governments -- or jeez, I am going to start over. I think it's -- it's Friday, Mr. Speaker. SEED funding, which is grants for businesses. They can either do things like upscale their business. They can expand their business. Because this is going to bring about new opportunities for business owners or people who want to get into self-employment or business operation. There's also Prosper NWT, Mr. Speaker, who has both supports for how to run your business, how to do your bookkeeping for your business, human resources supports, and also issues loans to businesses. I spoke about the increase in the loan limits today as well. And then there's also digital grants that are available if people want to start websites to be able to advise about their programming beyond those walls. ECE has funding specifically for workforce development, workforce expansion, training as well. And so there is a suite of programs that are available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that basket of support programs to this huge project that is potentially coming. Aside from that readiness could be looking at the daycare needs of the community. And I've heard numerous times we need a daycare so that parents can go take advantage of the opportunities, which leads me to my next question there, Mr. Speaker.

Will the Minister of ITI hold readiness sessions to bring awareness and preparatory thoughts in the right-of-way communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I love this idea because it also allows people to share ideas. It also might mean partnerships even within the business community when people start sharing their ideas and what they're looking at doing. So I commit to taking this back to both ECE and ITI and seeing what can be done from our regional offices in order to support this and make sure people have access, one, to the information, but two, exploring how they can potentially bring different opportunities together. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Final supplementary. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that information and the commitment.

My last question there, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of ITI support a readiness working group with the Indigenous governments so we can share preparatory measures? Mahsi.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains, sits on a steering committee for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, and making sure that people are ready for this project is part of their conversations. I also understand that this month, the committee -- or sorry, the Minister's Department for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains will be doing their engagement plan to start working with Indigenous governments on what that readiness will look like, and so I can confirm to the Member that this work is underway and will begin this month along with Indigenous governments. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of housing today on radon as well.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister for housing outline when it started its radon testing program and in what communities and what mitigation efforts it has taken to date for public housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing NWT began its current radon testing program in 2024 with discussion with the LHOs to identify units that would meet the criteria for potential radon exposure. Housing NWT continues to conduct radon tests for housing units that meet the applicable testing criteria for radon risk; for example, housing units with a basement or a sealed crawl space. To date, Housing NWT has completed radon testing in the following communities:

• Gameti,
• Lutselk'e,
• Whati,
• Yellowknife,
• N'dilo,
• Dettah,
• Norman Wells,
• Fort Smith, and
• Hay River.

70 of the 76 tests conducted to date had acceptable risk, and six of these tests have been retested.

For the six units being retested, LHO maintenance staff have inspected the six units to ensure there are no noticeable cracks, leaks, open sumps, and pipe ducting penetration. These units will be continue to be closely monitored while the retesting is being completed within the next three months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I may be asking the Minister to talk about future planning, and maybe it's not fully addressed yet, but can the Minister explain if she has any steps should mitigation be required and how she will go about hiring contractors or if the LHOs will be the ones who take care of mitigation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing NWT has not had a need to date to contract external specialists to mitigate elevated radon in public housing units. Should external contractors be required, Housing NWT will adhere to the GNWT's procurement policies and secure services of contractors certified in this area.

As noted previously, Housing NWT has tested 76 units, and I am pleased 70 of the 76 conducted confirmed acceptable radon levels in these homes. This testing will involve all applicable units being operated within the public housing program, including both stick and modular. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. I already have a radon testing and mitigation specialist in my email inbox from my conversations with the Minister of MACA. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister discuss lessons learned with this project with Housing NWT with the Minister of MACA who can then share this information at the NWTAC bear pit and with LGANT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Housing NWT recognizes the importance of the continued radon testing for health and safety for our tenants. Housing NWT would be pleased to share best practices and lessons learned with NWTAC and LGANT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Western Arctic Offshore Accord, which was signed on August 10th, 2023, by the Government of Canada, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Government of the Yukon, to establish a framework for the shared management and regulation of the offshore, can the Minister of ITI give us an update on the progress on this accord, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of ITI.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently our government, along with the Government of Yukon, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the federal government, are working on the legislation that will need to be tabled in the House of Commons as part of this project. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the request to have the offshore moratorium lifted by our Premier, and certainly by IRC as well I understand, has there been a response -- in the Minister's conversations or discussions with industry, has there been any kind of an indication from them to that request? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's definitely questions being posed in looking for solutions as part of the potential lifting of the moratorium. One of the concerns that we have certainly heard is ensuring that fairness to exploration license holders is maintained and addressed in this process. There are a number of licenses that would be set to expire potentially right up against when the moratorium could be lifted. And so it would be essential to ensure that a solution is figured out before that happens. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for Housing.

Mr. Speaker, I have constituents -- and it's not only in my region. It's in other regions as well -- that have recently been denied eligibility for the homeownership initiative program on the basis that they exceeded the core need income threshold. Why have these applicants been deemed ineligible for exceeding this threshold when the homeownership initiative policy makes no reference to this requirement? Thank you.