Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. So during the review of the public accounts, it was revealed that an extra $20 million had been added to the GNWT's environmental liabilities fund as a result of Cameron Hills.

So can the Minister confirm this is the total amount of liability GNWT has calculated for Cameron Hills and whether any further funds will be needed for proper closure and reclamation? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The 20232024 Main Estimates present pretty much a status quo budget for this government. I am going to talk about what's in the budget, what should be in it, and also about some priorities for the next Assembly in terms of fiscal sustainability.

While I can support most of the spending, there are still some serious shortfalls and trouble is still on the horizon. Both shortterm and longterm debt continues to increase, and we remain very close to the debt limit. There is the largest operating surplus of the 19th Assembly at $178 million, but that is largely due to...

Madam Chair, I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Wow, three to seven years to get into public housing, that's pretty appalling. I don't know what to say.

I think this is part of the housing corporation that also helps people get into homeownership. One of the I think biggest barriers, or growing barriers for homeownership, is insurance. You know, look, I'll confess, I live in Yellowknife, my riding is in Yellowknife, but I, you know, had several constituents contact me over the last year about the difficulty of trying to get home insurance in Yellowknife let alone, you know, regional centres or the smaller communities. So what is NWT Housing...

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yeah, I'm not sure how else I can get the Minister to agree do this in a bit more timely fashion and make the information public, but if I don't get the information and it's not been made public I'll ask her on the floor of the House.

So the next line here, minor modernization and improvements, is going up by a little over $2 million. Can I get an explanation as to what the additional funding is for and what it's going to accomplish. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President. That's a little clearer, thank you. I understand Diavik hasn't asked us. We haven't asked them. So the issues probably still unresolved. But if we're going to take it on, we better get the money that goes with it.

So but, Mr. Speaker, I want to move on to the other issue that I raised, which is transition planning. So there's apparently 500 NWT/Nunavut workers at the site. So can the Premier tell us what, if any, role GNWT has played in the transition planning to date and whether there are any plans to do anything more substantive to assist the employees? Mahsi, Mr...

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Maybe I'm a little bit not understanding here but Diavik has indicated they want to hear from our government on whether the GNWT wants to take over this airstrip. So what is the answer? Clearly Diavik will save money by not having to reclaim the airstrip and the new owner will incur liabilities and expenses related to its ongoing operations and maintenance and ultimate reclamation.

So, can the Premier tell us whether Diavik has offered to cover these liabilities and/or whether GNWT will ask for these costs as part of any...

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Diavik Diamond Mine is set to cease production in 2025 and there are some questions about what this government is doing to plan for that event. Under the devolution agreement, GNWT is fully responsible if the operator cannot, or will not, carry out any required remediation, so there is a lot at stake.

The final closure and reclamation plan was submitted to the Wek'eezhii Land and Water Board on October 13, 2022. It is undergoing a thorough review and is subject to approval of that board. There are some curious statements in this plan regarding the airstrip...

Merci, Madam la Presidente. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Mahsi.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I think we have a failure to communicate here so let me try it this way: So the closure plan says that DDMI's waiting an expression of interest from the GNWT on a path forward and a schedule for transferring the airstrip responsibilities. That's from DDMI.

So can the Minister confirm and provide this side with the information, confidentially if necessary, has Diavik asked our government to take over the airstrip or even asked our government whether we're interested in taking it over? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.