Katrina Nokleby

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.

No. It's my understanding that SOAs are public, in the public domain, so I will look forward to following up with the Department of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We, at least, see $500,000 change for the last line items in compensation and benefits, and I see about $1 million in total to these areas. Just more of a comment. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. What is the amount of time left on the standing offer agreement, and are there provisions in it for them to raise the prices given that their operating costs have skyrocketed due to COVID? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. No. I think I'm good. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Can maybe the department comment a little bit on whether they do think it's going to go up or down? I'm just probably assuming healthcare costs always go up, but do they have any sort of idea which way they think it's going? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for that. I'll continue to follow up with the Minister on that at a future time. I'm just looking at the line item for transportation. Can the Minister speak to the 2019-2020 actual of $6 million versus the $3.7 or $3.8 million that has been the usual forecast? Is that a COVID-related expense? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I was just wondering with the medical travel line item, is the department adapting for people who would choose to drive now out of the territory versus flying because they may feel more comfortable? Myself, I have upcoming medical travel in April, and I would prefer to drive. Am I going to be able to recoup any of the gas costs to do so? Thank you, Madam Chair.