Inuvik Boot Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 60)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to apologize. I didn't hear the end of the question there, but I will get the information in terms of the classes and subclasses for all Members in terms of work that WSCC does. As Members are aware, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission does provide and promote workplace health and safety. I think that is foremost what we should be focussing on. I can get that information about what the Member just asked, and I will get that information for him, and the previous Member who asked the questions, and provide that information to all Members of the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 60)

The employer base across the territory funds the system for anyone who needs treatment or care under our class 81. Changing the allocation of how that system works would obviously, for one thing, probably have a lot of administrative work that would need to go into that. If the Member is asking specifically on each department, some probably would go up. Some would probably go down.

As you know, we have employees who do different types of work, and it would really be based on each department. Some would probably go up; some would go down. That is why, with the GNWT being the sole employer, we...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 60)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The mandate and the work that the WSCC does is to continue to promote workplace health and safety, as all Members know, and I think all Members can attest to and support the work that we do within WSCC. The increase in 2019 provisional rates, which is the rate used in deriving detailed employer rates, is attributed to the increased cost, as all Members would be aware, of the treatment and care of our injured workers, and we will continue to provide those services and work with our employees, as I mentioned, focusing on promoting workplace health and safety. The increase...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 59)

Once the dates are finalized; we're just going through a draft agenda right now. All of our staff and our stakeholders are pretty excited about the summit. It's going to be the first one that has ever been held in the Northwest Territories. We have been providing that information to Indigenous governments. We also have met with the Seniors' Society and the NWT Disabilities Council to have them come and do a presentation. Right now, we are looking at having the summit up in Inuvik, mainly because, as I have said in this House, we have had a very strong partnership with the Inuvialuit Regional...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 59)

During yesterday's public presentation, we did get some discussions back and forth about the respect for our elders. I think all 19 of us, and anybody in this House, do respect our elders and want to promote and work with them to live as long as they can in their units. Yes, obviously, we would be looking at fourplexes in the communities, should the communities want to pursue that. It would be energy efficient over the existing designs that we have had in the past, and also it would reduce the cost of construction. So as we work with communities and leaders developing these community plans, I...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 59)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past 15 years the Government of the Northwest Territories has worked in partnership with the federal government to help meet the infrastructure needs of community governments. These efforts have helped community governments access federal funding, in accordance with our current mandate commitment in this area.

Mr. Speaker, federal investments in community government infrastructure have been significant. Since 2005, the federal government has provided over $170 million in gas tax funding, supporting a total of 293 projects in our communities. As well...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 59)

Yes, we have looked at that. We know that there is a concern in some of our smaller communities that don't have contractors or anyone who can do a housing maintainer program or do repairs for some of our homeowners, and even our elders. We do provide support through our care prevention maintenance programs, as well as seniors' aging in place programs, as well as other resources that we can bring to the table. As we discussed yesterday and as I have said in the House, we are going to be looking at a northern housing summit, and in the public meeting yesterday I did say, once that is all settled...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 59)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank and welcome the Member's comments about the public presentation that we had with committee yesterday. As Members know, seniors are one of the fastest-growing populations not only in the Northwest Territories, but right across Canada. In terms of the question that was asked, in terms of Yellowknife and Hay River, they are the two largest seniors' populations in the Northwest Territories, and we do know that there is existing seniors' infrastructure that will require replacement. I have said that in the House before. I just want to remind all Members that we...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

I can't speak of my predecessor and the decisions that they made. I can speak for the decisions that I make in this House, and I just answered the question earlier, that it was my decision, discretion of the Minister, and I am very glad to have a long-time Northerner working in this area. Like I said, he is going to do a great job working on the health, the well-being, and ensuring the safety for our employees across the Northwest Territories.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a few months ago I had the pleasure of signing the bilateral agreement between the Northwest Territories and Canada on the National Housing Strategy. One of the first funding allocations that Canada proposed under the strategy was the Northern Housing Fund, which brought $36 million in funding to the Northwest Territories. However, this is just a starting point.

Through diligent work by both the Government of Canada and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, another agreement was reached that better reflects the housing needs in the Northwest...