Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. NWT 911 has answered almost 14,000 emergency calls. These calls come from every one of our NWT communities, even the smallest and most remote, such as Jean Marie River, Whati, and Ulukhaktok. What is more, NWT 911 has dispatched emergency services not just to NWT communities, but also to other jurisdictions such as Vancouver and Edmonton, even as far away as the Baltic States.

Mr. Speaker, we have all heard about two babies in Yellowknife and the one baby in Inuvik who 911 personnel helped to deliver, but due to the various privacy laws in the NWT, the public never...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to advocating with the Premier so that the funding for 911 that is not being provided properly is not spent on COVID 811 or ProtectNWT? Thank you.

One of the 19th Assembly's priorities is to reduce the cost of living for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Will the Minister guarantee that the GNWT will subsidize the zero-based budget of NWT 911, keeping the call-answer levy at no more than $1.70 for the life of this Assembly?

That parent you taught how to administer life-saving drugs to their overdosing teen, or that caller you walked through providing CPR to their family member for 23 minutes straight when first responders were already on another call. Did those people survive?

Mr. Speaker, I am truly worried about 911 dispatcher burnout. Only five staff are funded, so there is only one 911 dispatcher on duty per 12-hour shift, answering over 60 calls a day. The Med Response program dispatchers who are to provide support to 911 often are too busy on their own calls or don't have dispatchers on shift. As a result...

Will the Minister agree to properly fund the NWT 911 before funding the COVID 811 service? When will 911 be funded correctly so that the staff are not burned out, doing double shifts, missing meals and breaks, and potentially compromising the residents need in case of emergency?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is a sad day, not only for myself personally, but for my constituents, the people of this territory, and for some of the people in this room.

Last October, I ran for Cabinet on a platform of change and made promises to do whatever I could to improve the lives of the people I represent and the lives of every resident of the Northwest Territories. I was excited by the opportunity to utilize the Ministerial positions that I was granted by my colleagues to carry out this goal.

As a Minister, I worked hard, and I endeavoured to make positive changes in my departments...

I will commit to having a look at this and trying to incorporate the Member's wishes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Infrastructure has recently been considering this approach based on conversations with community members. I recognize that the highway, due to its proximity to Inuvik and associated recreational areas, is one of the most heavily travelled areas of Highway No. 8. I have lots of conversations with my counterpart in the Yukon, who is also very keen to see the Dempster rehabilitated, and we have discussed that with the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As mentioned, the Business Advisory Council put out their own press release. It did not come through my department. Therefore, I cannot say why the Member has not seen it, but I will commit to sharing that with you. I will right now list off the council. We have Paul Gruner, Det'on Cho Corporation. He is the co-chair. We have Jenni Bruce, president of the Northwest Territories chamber. She is a co-chair. We have Kyle Wright, Tim Syer, Pat Rower, Linda Martin, Sean Crowell, Denny Rodgers, Duc Trinh, James Thorbourne, Sara Brown, Gary Vivian, Darrel Beaulieu, Harold Grinde, Donna Lee DeMarcke...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that information has been provided to the Members. If it hasn't, I will follow up to ensure that it has. We were allowing the council to make their own press release as they are arm's length from my office. We'll ensure that gets corrected if it hasn't been done so before now. Thank you.