Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's not going to benefit my riding. Where is the geotech work in regard to this? These long-term beds, you've got 25 beds in Inuvik right now. You're going to get another 48. That's 78 beds. That's probably 200 jobs that's going to create in Inuvik for this project. Now, what are you going to do with the elders in my riding in regard to bringing them in? I brought this up at the start. It's like you're going to be plucking elders out of the community again, when we know the cost of travel between our communities is over, probably, $2,000 from Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok...

Yes. Get my school. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I'm rising in the House to recognize Nunakput's class of 2020 graduates in our communities. There is nothing better than hearing parents and teachers celebrating the accomplishments of our students who have completed their school studies and onto new endeavours. Graduating in high school is a big deal. It takes study and a commitment. Graduation in the North is a bigger deal than what it is because of what we have to do is travel outside of our home communities in our riding. Sometimes, travelling and living outside the communities for our studies, graduation...

I have your cellphone number.

---Laughter

I am really happy to hear that. I need to know. It was all front-end loaded in regard to when this happened and everybody, and the money was flowing in regard to the communities and for the Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in. Everybody got their funds to go and get out on the land, but now I guess we are mid-COVID-19. Is there any more funding that is going to be announced to our local communities or to our local hunters and trappers and harvesters?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Emerging Wisely across the territory: the Chief Public Health Officer recommended residents of the Northwest Territories spend time out on the land to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 as part of the Emerging Wisely plan and the current COVID-related health restrictions, to strengthen family bonds, to improve mental health, and participate in traditional lifestyle out on the land. The schools are closed. Hunting season is going on right now with goose hunting back home and fishing. The season started.

Dr. Kandola's orders are to spend time in the great outdoors...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just am really thankful for that, the Premier committing to help and assist and making sure that the Cabinet and herself commit to getting additional funding that might be available for this coming summer as soon as possible because we are still in the midst of COVID-19. We are still in a pandemic. People are still really scared in regard to COVID-19, and just making sure that they are taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think they ran out of money. Even a modest bump in funding, Mr. Speaker, would help our community and the lowest income people who need to get out on the land. The GNWT has done an analysis to determine how much funding would be needed to assist residents to comply with public health orders to getting them back out on the land and supporting them.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Emerging Wisely across the Northwest Territories: has the GNWT considered providing additional funding through the Community Harvester Assistance Program or other means to assist families to go and get out on the land? I will ask Madam Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to sitting on the hamlet council prior to myself coming back to the Assembly, we've been working with our community and I thought we'd been short-changed in the community of Tuktoyaktuk in regard to having a tourism office, any kind of support that you'd get for camping. Are there any plans, I guess? I don't see it in the Main Estimates, here, but are there any plans to change that to work with the community of Tuktoyaktuk in regard to having that work looked at and getting it done for the community, instead of putting it onto the hamlet and stretching...