Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Welcome back. Part 1 of 2, Sahtu climate change and unprecedented low water levels.

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by expressing my deepest appreciation and sincere gratitude to NWT's Buffalo Airways for their recent announcement to provide air barge freight services to the Sahtu region. It's homegrown northern companies like Buffalo Airways that not only recognize a crisis but, most notably, step forward to help.

Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie River covers a distance of 1650 kilometers starting from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. This waterway...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, decisionmaking is a critical and fundamental principle in business and leadership capacity. In some communities and regions of the Northwest Territories, decisionmaking is mandatory and immediate to meet seasonal resupply and public and, private project scheduling. Mr. Speaker, these actions are sound, prudent, and necessary to support logistics, client planning, satisfaction, and security.

Mr. Speaker, the Leap Year tradition arrives on our calendar every four years. Information through research and informed decisionmaking will allow us to progress during...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that information. My last question for the last day of this month here, what work is Housing NWT doing with the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated in the only government in Northwest Territories, the Deline Got'ine government, to increase housing in the Sahtu? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that inventory. My next question is how many new housing NWT public housing units will be delivered this year to the Sahtu region? Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Kevin O’Reilly. I had the privilege of working with him together here during the 18th Assembly. Welcome back to the House there, Kevin. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems to be more good news here. Hopefully it's not like Leap Year, and we get these numbers here next four years. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my third question to the Minister is what is Housing NWT doing to plan for the transportation difficulties like last year's low water on the Mackenzie River or poor road conditions, particularly in the low water season. We've had a number I think there's been a number of examples of possible low water this season. So can the Minister answer that there, please. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is to the Minister of NWT Housing, or Housing NWT. As we mentioned on numerous occasions, the Northwest Territories is facing a housing crisis. In the Sahtu, there are 61 people on the waiting list, Mr. Speaker. My first question to the Minister is how many public housing units does Housing NWT have in the Sahtu region? Mahsi.

There is a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and nondebatable. All those in favour? Members in favour, raise your hands. Okay, done. All those opposed? The motion is carried.

Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to add on to the previous gentleman there from Inuvik Boot Lake here to share a solution. So in the community of Tulita, the applicant to the Rapid Fund Program was the hamlet, so they got X amount of dollars. They built the main access road. They put up the power poles. The site area was surveyed to allow for 31 properties. Of the 31 properties, the subdivision was built. The pads, the driveways, cable, power, and as you know I think the drop where the power pole is in the neighbourhood of $8,000. So all said and done, you've got eight units there, and you've...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Valerie Erutse from Fort Good Hope, the Sahtu regional electoral officer. That's probably why I'm sitting here today. But thank you.