Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mr. Speaker, I rise again to talk about the biomass energy in the Northwest Territories and the use of it, specifically to the NWT Housing Corporation, because the corporation itself has about 2600 units up and down the Valley and their fuel budget every year is $9 million. Other departments have started on the biomass wood pellet boiler systems, specifically infrastructure, at that time it was Public Works and Services. We started incorporating them into their buildings and into the schools and I am familiar with the school in Fort Providence, I think that I voiced that many times here.

And...

Yeah, I don't have too many questions here. I'm just struck by when they mentioned the MAP program, the mentor apprenticeship on that. We don't have a line item for it in here. So is there any specific budget going to this and how does that program work? If I could get some clarification. And mahsi.

Mahsi. The Tulita Solar Project, I know there's been questions about it where we were asking about other communities. I'm just wondering where this was set up or which organization? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On the issue of the mandatory vaccinations policy, or COVID19 vaccinations policy, the mandatory vaccinations list, I note that from the amended vaccination policy guidelines, that the definition of COVID19 is the coronavirus. That was at the beginning of the whole outbreak in 2020. This has not been updated to include the omicron variant and the science behind the omicron variant. There's nothing. I've never seen it since the omicron came out. There's no science to say what will work to cure it except to stay home. And it didn't distinguish, and I say it again, between...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that answer. My concern here is, and I mentioned it several times, because one of the requirements is it's saying to work in a RCMP facility, it's federally regulated all right. I know about the flights and that; I wasn't alluding to any flights. But for the facilities, like in my community we have a facility the settlement maintainer can't go into there. But employees out of Hay River who typically and normally, perhaps on a weekly basis, do come into our communities anyways. I'm just wondering if those employees can cover that facility and...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that. I think we can argue this all day if we wanted. But anyways, I think my question was can we make any allowances for the settlement maintainers in the small communities who aren't vaccinated, you know, to not work in the RCMP facilities but to have people from the regional centres come in to do those duties? Because even what she' saying, I'm just not clear yet, you know. I'm not sure if I read somewhere where we're getting rid of the vaccine passport for travel. I don't know why they would do it there. But I don't know if she can reiterate if...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a week ago today I raised the mandatory vaccination policy. The GNWT has its own, but the thing with the mandatory vaccination policy it stems from the federal government and usually all provinces or territories mirror federal government policies. And so it spread into the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories modified theirs and called it COVID19 vaccination policy. And within that policy, employees were required to be fully vaccinated by January 31st, 2022, or they risk losing their jobs. That's not false; it's there. You just got to read...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wasn't quite clear on what the Minister stated about the unvaccinated population, whether they're given the options to do all the testing regardless of the facilities that they would have to enter. If I could get that clarity. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Madam Chair. Mahsi for that. Regarding, you know, having a hard time getting the hours to meet their apprenticeship, you know, hours per year, that's not a problem when you have someone on staff that recognizes journeymen. You're on staff and you're on pay. So your hours are covered automatically too for the whole year. Because even I as just a housing maintainer, I was able to collect all my hours when I worked there when I was going to go challenge the OBM course but someone didn't allow me into the course for I don't know what reason. But anyways, the hours are not a problem to get...

Agreed, thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with the NWT Housing Corporation. Mahsi.

SHORT RECESS