Katrina Nokleby

Page 236, the $6 million in the 2019 actuals, the transportation line.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I had heard from a few constituents, particularly older constituents, who then chose to make it kind of a weekend down with the spouse or something as they were going to have to self-isolate together anyways. I'm really glad to hear that, and probably should have done a little bit more of my own homework before I asked that question. Again, I'm assuming that you had said that the numbers are going up this year for both the Extended Health Benefits and the medical travel benefits. However, there seems to always be quite a range. Is this due to just it's difficult...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would just like the Minister to maybe speak a bit on optimization of these types of programs. Is the department looking at policy and procedural implementation, such as, for example, drivers' logs, inspection records, safety programs like that that actually have been shown to reduce maintenance costs, et cetera? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This might be more of a comment. I think that the Premier's comment sparks in me the thought of this conversation we keep having around the hoops everybody has to jump through and the fact that there does need to be dedication positions that are literally just there to apply for federal funding which is going to be the best method instead of all of us fighting over territorial money, which is very limited. More of a comment: I urge the Premier, if she's going to second somebody from her department, that that be their goal, is just to get more federal money. Thank you...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Then I would anticipate that the Minister will then be directing her department to look and deal with more risk or higher risk-level assets ahead of lower risk ones and that some sort of prioritization like that, like a lens like that, will be put on this analysis? Thank you, Madam Chair.

I am glad to hear that. I hope the Premier will consider doubling it again. My next question has to do with the alcohol educator program, which has had the same rate of program funding for years. Again, I understand that it is not directly funded, at times, from the GNWT. However, given the increased need for rehabilitation services that these NGOs often provide, can the Premier commit to instructing her Cabinet to increase funding to NGOs that do provide rehabilitation and after-care services?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will follow up with the appropriate Minister at the time. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, located in Yellowknife, has been serving Northerners with community and wellness programs that include educational, economic, recreational, and cultural activities for over 50 years. At the heart of their work is a deep respect for Indigenous peoples' cultural distinctiveness and the trauma created by the legacy of the residential schools. This positions the centre to be even more effective in the work they do than perhaps programs offered by the GNWT that may evoke feelings of colonialism and institutionalized racism.

In 2004, the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think I am just getting mixed up from our conversation when we had it the first time around in the briefings. My question is then: if this lease is set to go to March 31, 2022, yet a lot of the COVID secretariat spending we have been told will be wrapping up towards the fall and end of the next calendar yea, can the Minister speak to what happens for the additional three months of payments? Are we liable for them? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am curious about this. Why does this lease commitment show up here in Health and Social Services rather than under the COVID secretariat section? Thank you.