Rylund Johnson

I am happy that the Minister is confident that we will reach that deadline. I do recognize that there is work to be done all across the territory. I know this is an issue with Hay River providing ambulance services outside of boundaries. I know there is a lot of work to do in this area, but I am hoping that we can buy the time such that we can find a territory-wide plan. I heard the Minister state that some consultation has begun with residents of the Ingraham Trail. I was not aware of that. Could I just get an update on what communication efforts have been done and will be done to make sure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As has become a bit of a tradition, a tradition I hope to put an end to, I open every session asking about the Ingraham Trail fire services, so my question for the Minister of MACA is: Can I have an update on whether there are plans to reinstate fire services to the Ingraham Trail for April 1st? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The problem with this issue is that, if services are going to end, my constituents want some time to perhaps set up their own volunteer service. If the city can't reach agreement with MACA, then, perhaps, the Dettah fire services can be upgraded and certified to provide services. However, this all takes time, and it's unlikely to be done by April 1st. As such, the best option here is to get some sort of interim agreement with the City of Yellowknife so that other options can be explored in time. Do we have a sense of how long that will take? I hear the Minister say she will have an update for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes. First, I would also like to thank the committee. I just want to make a note to not downplay the historical significance of this. There are lots of assemblies around the world that have been struggling with how to sit online, and committee has gone and come up with some very comprehensive notions of how we can do that. This institution and legislative assemblies in general are not institutions that are quick to change or adapt, but I think committee really went there. I am excited at the possibility of being able to pass laws digitally. It's truly a step for democracy...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. WHEREAS section 103 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides for the approval of sole adjudicators by the motion of this House;

AND WHEREAS it is desirable to have persons approved for appointment as sole adjudicators for conflict of interest matters under section 103 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the following persons be approved by the Legislative Assembly as sole adjudicators: Hon. Maurice Herauf; and Jeffrey Schnoor, Q.C. Thank you, Madam...

I want to press the urgency of this issue. If, on April 1st, fire services run out, first, it's people lose fire services to their homes, which is an emergency. However, also, a number of my constituents' insurance bills will simply double due to us not being able to sort out an issue here. There is a direct cost to my constituents that I would like to avoid. When can we expect the department to reach out to those residents and communicate with them?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My first set of questions a few weeks ago, when we started this session, were on the Ingraham Trail fire services, and my last questions will be on the Ingraham Trail fire services. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh raised the idea of Dettah providing fire services to the Ingraham Trail. My question for the Minister of MACA is: is that a feasible option, and have we done any work on that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I believe the problem with saying that it costs a lot of money is: we have not actually done the assessment to see what it costs, and we have not looked at the way all of these programs are working together and how much is already being spent. I personally believe we could actually lower income assistance if it meant we guaranteed the money for longer periods of time and with less bureaucracy. I heard the Minister of health the other day mention the idea of putting a seniors' portal such that all of the applications of funding for seniors is in one place, and I laughed because I know how...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge that the Department of ECE in income assistance does lots of great work, and we have probably one of the most generous income assistance programs in the country. I think the department even inherently recognizes some of the benefits of a basic income. During the pandemic, one of the first things we did is we payrolled people for three months to give them more guaranteed time to report. We also got rid of the productivity requirements such that they got their money whether they failed to show up for a meeting or whatnot. I believe...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Northwest Territories regularly has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, and we are consistently amongst one of the highest government spending per capita in the world. No doubt, the first statistic is largely due to the fact that we have a small population and diamond mines, and the second fact is due to the difficulty of delivering services over such a vast territory. However, in this same time period, Madam Speaker, we have seen very little progress on many of our things. Our high school graduation rates and our housing inequality have all largely...