Kieron Testart

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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word is public.

MLA for Range Lake

Won his last election, in 2023, with 55% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Written Question 5-20(1): Municipal Funding Gap February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly the Government of the Northwest Territories increased supports to communities and municipalities to reduce the municipal funding gap by $5 million; however, the government has not made the analysis of the municipal funding gap publicly available. With the rates of inflation and rising costs of goods and services, how do we know that $5 million has addressed the funding deficit?

My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs:

  1. Can the Minister provide the current value of the overall municipal funding gap for the Northwest Territories;
  2. Can the Minister indicate the portion of the total funding gap caused by inflation;
  3. Can the Minister breakdown the total value of the municipal funding gap by community;
  4. Can the Minister provide a further breakdown by community of the funding provided under all three Municipal and Community Affairs funding streams, community public infrastructure, water and sewer, and operations and maintenance, compared to the analysis on community need; and,
  5. Can the Minister provide an analysis on the updated community funding policies and how that will address the funding gaps identified government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Written Question 4-20(1): Privacy Agency Nurses February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories health care system has seen a dramatic increase in the use of private agency nurses since the COVID1-19 pandemic. Many Northerners are concerned about the costs of agency nurses and their impact on health care staff recruitment and retention.

I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

  1. Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for public agency nurses by fiscal year since 2019-2020;.
  2. Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for private? Agency nurses based on expenditure categories, those being salaries, overtime, per diems, travel, accommodations, performance bonuses, and any other form of remuneration;.
  3. Can the Minister provide the total number of nursing staff positions in the public service that could be funded from an equivalent expenditure as on agency nurses;.
  4. Can the Minister provide the total number of registered nurses recruited to the public service since 2019-2020; and,
  5. Can the Minister provide the total number of registered nurses who have been terminated, retired, or otherwise left their employment since 2019-2020?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Written Question 3-20(1): Extended Health Benefits Policy February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; you are efficient as ever.

Mr. Speaker, an estimated 2,200 Northwest Territories residents do not have access to any health benefits, do not have access to any benefits like those through employee or third-party insurance plans. The Minister of Health and Social Services has implemented changes to the Extended Health Benefits Policy that will impose a low-income threshold on eligible benefits.

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

  1. Can the Minister explain the income assessment process to determine eligibility for all benefits, including exact income amounts in dollar values;.
  2. Can the Minister explain the cost-sharing model for residents above the low-income threshold, including defined reasonable family maximums and a list of all eligible benefits;.
  3. Can the Minister indicate how many Northwest Territories residents will no longer receive extended health benefits after September 1, 2024;
  4. Can the Minister provide a regional breakdown of how many Northwest Territories residents will no longer receive extended health benefits after April 1, 2024; and,
  5. Can the Minister provide the total reduction in expenditures anticipated from the changes to Extended Health Benefits after September 1, 2024?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 139-20(1): Supporting the Mining Industry with a North of 60 Tax Credit February 28th, 2024

Thank you. And I know our friend, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, is a big supporter of this program. So I'll ask will the Minister in her capacity as a Member of Cabinet, a Member of this consensus government, lend her support to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment to increase the total amount of Mineral Incentive Program to at least double, if not triple? Thank you.

Question 139-20(1): Supporting the Mining Industry with a North of 60 Tax Credit February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I recognize that we are -- we are a small jurisdiction in the global field of the minerals industry. We do have a great program, the Mineral Incentive Program. The Minister talked about it. Will she triple the Mineral Incentive Program? Thank you.

Question 139-20(1): Supporting the Mining Industry with a North of 60 Tax Credit February 28th, 2024

And I'm glad to see the Minister spring into action to support our mineral's industry.

Mr. Speaker, if the federal government's not going to fund it, what are we going to do? What tax credits and incentives can the Northwest Territories offer to our exploration industry to make it more -- to level the playing field with other jurisdictions? Thank you.

Question 139-20(1): Supporting the Mining Industry with a North of 60 Tax Credit February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, seeing as there's extra time, I thought I ask my friend the Minister of Finance if she -- what she's going to do to support the mining industry here in the Northwest Territories. She's got the money. We need some tax credits. Has the Minister reviewed the submission -- the prebudget submission that the chamber of -- of the NWT Chamber and Nunavut Chamber of Mines has put forward to the federal government for a North of 60 tax credit? Thank you.

Question 135-20(1): Gender Affirming Healthcare February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It does confuse it somewhat. So I mean, Premier Smith's been pretty clear that these changes are taking effect and, you know, these are transphobic and, you know, atrocious policies that no health system in Canada should have, so are they -- is the Alberta government making exception for NWT patients within this policy? I'm just -- want clarity on that. Thank you.

Question 135-20(1): Gender Affirming Healthcare February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think Alberta's feeling pretty unsafe these days and I think this is a safety issue. So is that taking into account if patients are coming to get care, are we ensuring it's gender affirming care and we're taking their safety concerns into account when we're making -- when we're making those travel arrangements for them? Thank you.

Question 135-20(1): Gender Affirming Healthcare February 28th, 2024

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure many are relieved to hear that; I certainly am. When these individuals are going for treatment, where are they going? If not Alberta, is it British Columbia? Is it Ontario? Saskatchewan's out of the picture. Alberta's out of the picture. So where are we sending these folks to get the care that they need? Thank you.