Debates of Feb. 6th, 2026

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT offers an affordable housing program. So it's for those that can't get by without Housing NWT's support. So it's for low income affordable housing. And that includes our programs, Mr. Speaker. So we have a homeownership program with home repairs, and we have a public housing program. So the public housing program has its own core need income threshold, and the home repair program has its own home core need income threshold. And I know, for instance, with the home repair program with a core need income threshold, this is gross income between eight and $10,000 a month. So, Mr. Speaker, I think that is being reviewed right now, but these are some of the examples of the home repair program core need income threshold. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it's good the program is being reviewed, the policy is being reviewed, because it's the policy. I like the program. I understand about all the program that's available to help homeownership or to have more homeownership.

Given that the homeownership initiative policy is a policy that does not identify the core need income threshold as an eligibility requirement, what internal direction or guidance led to its use in assessing applicant eligibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like, the home repair program has been with this government for over 30 years, but what we're doing now with the core need income threshold and the review of it, is we're looking at our market basket measure today, in 2026, versus the last update which was 2020-2021. So there's significant work done on the home repair program with the core need income threshold, but also with our public housing program, with our core need income threshold, because sometimes over the last number of years, especially with COVID and especially with global events, cost of living has increased so much that people are trying to make ends meet, sometimes salaries don't go or match with the cost, CPI index. So looking at that and looking at the work, we're hoping to have something in my hand probably in March and in the House maybe in May for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the homeownership initiative program, the policy, not the repair program.

With that in mind, what steps will the Minister take to ensure that eligibility decisions for the homeownership initiative align with the written policy, and will previously denied applicants and/or applications be reviewed if they were screened using criteria not specified in the program policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing does have an appeals process and we can always have a second look at applicants that are denied. And one thing we are doing with Housing NWT is normally the homeownership program is the regional centres or the capital, and housing is looking at applications outside regional centres and outside the capital. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Colleagues, our time for oral questions is up. Being respectful of the time, we will have a break right now.

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Thank you. Written questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

Secondly, Written Question 27-20, Physician Recruitment and Retention.

The recruitment and retention of physicians is one of the most significant challenges facing the Northwest Territories health system. Ensuring that the Government has capacity to recruit, orient, and retain physicians is essential to maintaining stable healthcare services across the territory.

My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

1. Would the Minister provide the number of positions within the Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities that are dedicated specifically to the recruitment and orientation of new physicians, as well as the retention of existing physicians?
2. What lessons were learned from the temporary physician bidding initiative used to fill shifts at Stanton Territorial Hospital, that will be incorporated into future efforts at recruitment and retention of both locums and contract physicians. And,
3. What recruitment and retention initiatives does the department or do health authorities have that specifically target physicians, and what measurable impacts have been observed to date as a result of these initiatives?

Third set, Written Question 28-20, Medical Travel.

Medical travel represents a significant and growing cost within the Northwest Territories health system, and its coordination involves multiple steps across regional medical travel offices, non-insured health benefits (NIHB) program approvals and referral processes administered by the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA). Recent budget documents highlight substantial expenditures for medical travel, underscoring the importance of initiatives intended to improve efficiency and streamline referrals.

My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

1. Would the Minister provide a status report on the "referral coordination project" identified by the NTHSSA in its 2023 Deficit Reduction Plan as an initiative to improve the coordination of air ambulance and medical travel, including information on the project's objectives, timelines, activities undertaken, milestones achieved to date, and any measured impacts on service coordination and costs?
2. Can the Minister provide detailed policy rationale which links the outcomes of the referral coordination project to the proposal in the 2026-2027 Main Estimates for three new medical travel case managers, including how these positions will operationalize referral coordination, reduce duplication or rebooking, and improve patient experience. And,
3. What performance measures does the department use to assess the effectiveness of the referral coordination project and the proposed medical travel case manager positions? Specifically, what indicators are being tracked to evaluate outcomes?

And finally, Written Question 29-20, paramedic contracts.

During the December 2, 2025, public briefing to the Standing Committee on Social Development on the Small Community Model of Care, the Minister of Health and Social Services indicated that paramedics who were on retainer contracts during the summer months to support wildfire fighting crews could be utilized to support small community health centre day-to-day operations.

My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

1. In recent wildfire seasons, what were the terms of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) retainer contracts for paramedic teams supporting wildfire suppression efforts?
2. For each of those wildfire seasons, how many paramedics were committed to the GNWT under those retainer contracts?
3. Did the GNWT's retainer contracts for paramedic teams include provisions allowing the GNWT to assign the paramedics to other health-system duties when they were not required for wildfire support?
4. Has the GNWT or the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority tracked the proportion of retained paramedic resources that were utilized during wildfire seasons, including the percentage of total contracted personnel-hours that were used for active service versus those retained but not deployed? And,
5. Have paramedic contracts for 2026 already been negotiated, and if so, are there any significant differences from previous years' contracts?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act.

Bill 26 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on May 26, 2025, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. A motion extending the committee's review of Bill 26 by 120 days was adopted by the Assembly on October 20th, 2025.

In accordance with its intention to wait for government legislation addressing the issues raised by Bill 26, the committee has not yet conducted a clause-by-clause review of the bill. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Rule 8.3(2) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that the review period for Bill 26, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, be extended to November 12th, 2026. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion passed.

---Carried

Reports of committees on the review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Motions. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026, I will present Bill 40, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026, I will present Bill 41, An Act to Amend the Real Estate Agents Licensing Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.