Mr. Speaker, the importance of workplace safety cannot be understated. The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission works to emphasize this message in many ways, like through partnerships with organizations that share similar audiences and values. One such organization is Skills Canada Northwest Territories, which the WSCC has an ongoing, multi-year partnership with. Their recent territorial Skills Competition and Career Expo provided an opportunity for direct engagement with the youth.

As part of the career expo, the WSCC hosted a Try-A-Trade activity, which enabled Yellowknife, N'dilo, and Behchoko high school students to experience what it is like to be a safety officer and conduct a mock inspection. Students were taught how to properly use personal protective equipment and how to identify hazards in the workplace. Students observed a traditional workplace with a beading station and an area for blocking hides as part of the activity. The WSCC helped students to observe the workplace and identify areas where potential hazards could occur. Students also learned about their three safety rights as workers: Their rights to know; their rights to participate; the right to refuse; and, who to talk to about safety in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, over 250 high school students participated in WSCC's Try-A-Trade activity, and they were curious, engaged, and excited to participate. Many students recommended their friends try the activity on the second day. The WSCC also helped organize the workers place safety territorial competition. Participants were tasked with completing an inspection of mock warehouse observation, other skill competitions, and identifying hazards and controls and research on a safety issue and delivering a toolbox talk. Yellowknife competitor, Liam Miller, worked hard and was rewarded with the gold medal in the safety workplace for their students. Liam moved on to the National Skills Canada competition and represented the Northwest Territories. The WSCC's partnership with the Skills Canada Northwest Territories continues to target the young workers since youth tend to be newer in the workforce and less experienced. Due to the factors, they can be more at risk and feel pressure to impress their employers, making them more vulnerable to injury risk. By supporting this important event and organizing them, they learned the experience that to work safe in a safety workplace and what that looks like and get valuable safety information. The WSCC offers a free young worker safety certificate course, online program that provides general safety certification.

Skills Canada Northwest Territories promotes careers in skilled trades and technology within the workplace that often present more hazards by promoting workplace safety and reminding all participants and organizations of its importance in the workplace. We all hope to foster even safer workplaces for our younger workers. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, strengthening relationships with Indigenous governments is a priority of this Legislative Assembly and a key objective in Housing NWT's renewal strategy, so I am pleased to announce the formation of the NWT Housing Forum as another step toward this goal.

As we have been rolling out changes to Housing NWT's policies, programs, and ways of doing business through our renewal strategy, we have been guided by the Council of Leaders Housing Working Group. The working group told us clearly that it wanted to see more permanent venues to allow NWT governments to collaborate and share information on housing.

Mr. Speaker, we listened, and the result is the NWT Housing Forum, a body co-chaired by an Indigenous government and Housing NWT. Based on a proposal brought forward by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the NWT Housing Forum replaces the working group, The structure of the Council of Leaders Leaders through reporting and eligibility for members while providing a more practical and broader focus on the subject matters of housing.

Mr. Speaker, the forum will meet four times a year and in-person. A housing symposium will also be held in Northwest Territories communities every second year. The Indigenous government co-chair with an alternative and will be selected every two years by consensus of Indigenous governments members.

Mr. Speaker, this guided body will share information, discuss and advocate for improvements and changes to the NWT Housing's system and allows members to share their own housing-related plans and activities, and find opportunities for collaboration. The forum also provides an opportunity for Members to interact collaboratively with the federal government on housing-related matters, especially when speaking with one voice is very important.

Mr. Speaker, addressing the housing needs of the Northwest Territories is something that one government cannot do alone. Formalizing this group as the new NWT Housing Forum will build an already strong foundation and ensure Indigenous governments have a strong voice in the housing needs of their communities.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT's renewal is an ongoing initiative and Housing NWT will use this forum to seek input and guidance from members on future changes to programs, policies, and legislation relating to these matters within Housing NWT's mandate as well as provided an important ongoing venue for multilateral housing discussions between Housing NWT and NWT Indigenous governments, and any other groups they wish to include in this discussion. Having the Indigenous governments at the table and leading the discussions on how best to improve housing situations in the Northwest Territories is an example of reconciliation, collaboration, and will lead to improvements throughout the Northwest Territories. The NWT Housing Forum will hold its first official meeting on June 9th to confirm the selection of the Indigenous governments to co-lead. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are working directly with the emergency management and also with K'atlodeeche as well and looking at to finding further solutions to replace those units. There's actually ten units that have been affected. I'm not too sure of the condition and if we've actually lost all of those units or if there's just severe damage to them. But as we go forward, I will provide those updates to the Member. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I really want to just really include that we are a part of emergency management throughout the Northwest Territories, and we respond as one government in supporting this initiative through MACA.

Right now, we are in the conversation with the communities as well too and looking at what are we going to be doing for housing replacements in K'atlodeeche, also looking at our affected clients, both in Hay River and K'atlodeeche. We do have access to federal units right now, but we are looking at the ongoing conversation with the chief as well, what are we going to be doing and how are we going to be responding, are we going to be putting new units on the ground, are we going to be looking at the federal units that are currently there. This is a further discussion that we are having at the community level. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member as well that, you know, I just want to really elaborate that we were dealing with an emergency for Hay River and K'atlodeeche. I did work with the MACA Minister, as well along with my colleagues, to look at what -- how would we be responding and how would the residents of Hay River be taken care of. They were encouraged to come here to Yellowknife and further looking at their suitable accommodations here.

Unfortunately, we didn't look at the available public housing units here in Yellowknife as well too, but we are working directly with those tenants as they return back to the community. We do have ten federal housing units that are available in Hay River today. We are working with the community to look at the allocations of those units. And I will look at further updates for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for his question. We do work with the emergency management team as well. So with those evacuees for public housing on the K'atlodeeche Reserve, they were encouraged to come here to Yellowknife to the emergency centres. And with that, we did follow up with the public housing tenants as well, and we're trying to find suitable accommodations for their return back to K'atlodeeche. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize two constituents from the Sahtu. I'd like to recognize Ms. Rhea McDonald who is working with us in the Legislative Assembly, and she is just completing her political science degree. I'd also like to recognize Mr. Robin Doctor from the Sahtu as well, too. He is celebrating 14 years with the GNWT and actually works for the Department of Infrastructure. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to extend my continued sympathy to the families of two men who gave so much to our territory and also highlight how our government will be honouring their memory for years to come. I am of course speaking about the loss of two exceptional men, former housing minister Alfred Moses and former Housing NWT president and CEO Mr. Tom Williams.

I have carried their memory in this portfolio, advancing our relationships with Indigenous governments and, most importantly, working directly with our communities. It is because of their leadership and support that we have been able to take the National Housing Strategy and convert it into successful relationships and funding for housing in the Northwest Territories. During the 19th Legislative Assembly, examples in this government include individual partnership agreements with Indigenous governments for housing, as well as direct funding from Canada to Indigenous governments for housing-related infrastructure projects.

I am pleased to be a part of the success in this relationship, and all relationships throughout the Northwest Territories, that opened the door for Housing NWT to be successful in the Northwest Territories. I am still saddened by the passing of Alfred Moses and Tom Williams and during the time of this government in respect of their work and accomplishments for this government and this portfolio, today I would like to announce scholarships in both their names.

The two new scholarships that Housing NWT has recently introduced, the Alfred Moses Memorial Scholarship and the Tom Williams Memorial Scholarship, to recognize and celebrate students who have provided positive contributions to housing programs across the territory. These scholarships are in memory of Alfred and Tom, who demonstrated a profound commitment to addressing housing issues throughout the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT will offer six scholarships of $1,000 in the name of Alfred Moses and six scholarships in the name of Tom Williams. Both scholarships will award one in each of the five Housing NWT districts and one in Yellowknife, are available to students who are entering into the field related to housing. Applications will be open. The closing date is July 5th of this year.

Housing NWT already strongly supports the development of apprentices, which was a huge commitment of Mr. Williams, in the maintenance and trades and these new scholarships will provide additional support to widen our workforce and students to become interested as a complete post-secondary and secondary education programs.

Mr. Speaker, as we have previously shared with the Members of the Legislative Assembly, we will work with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to promote and coordinate Housing NWT's apprenticeship program to secure additional candidates throughout the territory. Housing has a target of hiring 12 local housing organization apprenticeships positions every year.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT understands that investing into our youth means a better future for our residents. Our values include innovation, stability, and collaboration. With the introduction of these scholarships, we are expanding our support to many students and apprenticeships across the Northwest Territories. We believe this will help strengthen our workforce with the more skilled workers and leads to a brighter future for housing solutions.

Mr. Speaker, Alfred Moses and Tom Williams have made a lasting impression on my life. As being a first-Member elect, it was saddening to see and hear the passing of these two individuals as I entered into my political career. Today I would like to welcome Pam Williams, the wife of Tom and their son Aurora and James, I'd just like to express my sympathy to the family as well, too. Your dad was a very great mentor and a strong colleague of mine. Mahsi. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to acknowledge Tim on his retirement as well, and my experience getting to know him within this Assembly. And coming into this Assembly, being a first-time elected MLA, being a first-time elected Minister, and also being Indigenous really carried hard on me as well too. You know, my beginnings were very humbling. My experience was I worked for the government for 20 years. My story is quite similar to what we discuss here every single day. I know what it's like to be homeless. I know what it's like to be raised in the system. I know what it's like to live in poverty. But then my interactions with Mr. Mercer gave me the confidence, gave me the influence to just pursue that it's a lived experience that I do have, you are a Minister, tell your story, work through your portfolio, and just get the work done.

I wanted to let you know that your presence, your leadership, your knowledge is appreciated. You're very unique in passing on that type of acknowledgement to people and to build Indigenous women throughout the Northwest Territories as well, not only in that case but also increasing the number of Indigenous employees within this institution as well and giving them the ideal opportunity and recognizing the languages that are so important and so crucial to this territory as well. I wish you well in your retirement. I wish you good health. I wish you enjoyable, great experiences. And I'm very excited for you for the next -- your next chapter in life. Take good care. Mahsi.