Jay Macdonald

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the emergency response plans are the responsibility of the community governments, and they're the ones that are responsible to prepare, adopt, and maintain the emergency plans and programs, including reviewing their emergency response plans annually. Environment and climate change is indirectly involved with these plans as they move forward or as they come into implementation in that we provide, you know, support and information to those activities. Over the winter, I know MACA will be delivering community emergency planning workshops to assist community...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Member, for the question. I would say climate change and the extended drought that we've had over the last couple of years has certainly shown us the need to be proactive in how we're approaching these types of fires over the winters, and I think one of the things that we're doing is we're monitoring. We've got staff currently monitoring fires throughout the winter. And as the fall came and last fire season ended late in October, staff identified that these are potential challenges for the early spring. So the department has worked to plan to bring our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the department has been collaborating with the Indigenous governments. There were bilateral meetings in June of 2023 regarding the Indigenous leaseholders' cabins, and since that time there's been additional engagements to have conversations around working toward a longterm approach of how we can deal with this issue. The Indigenous governments have identified over 700 structures that belong to Indigenous people and cabins, and we are currently, as a department, working with the Indigenous governments to ensure that we can verify collaboratively with them that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. The department is committed to pausing collection actions for Indigenous leaseholders with lease fees that are in arrears.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question. The Department of Environment and Climate Change is working closely with the Indigenous governments and the Indigenous organizations in a collaborative approach to determine what is the best solution to this and how we can resolve this together through collaboration and having discussions and ensuring that it's not solely a Government of the Northwest Territories' decision but it's one that is engaging with the Indigenous governments and the Indigenous organizations to ensure that their feedback is heard and that we're working...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, at this time there is a pause on lease fees for Indigenous leaseholders as we work forward with the Indigenous governments on a process to determine how we can collaborate and come up with a better way to address this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, climate change is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a territory. The. NWT is experiencing rapid warming at up to four times the global rate which affects every aspect of our lives and impacts our territory's economic, environmental, social, and cultural health. Today, the Department of Environment and Climate Change released the Responding to Climate Change in the NWT Annual Report. I am pleased to report that the Government of the Northwest Territories and partners across the territory are making real progress on this front.

Mr. Speaker, all 132 action items under the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Member, for the question. I certainly will speak with my staff and ensure that we provide you with the opportunity to have that conversation. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the 2023 wildfire season was unlike anything we have ever seen in the Northwest Territories. More than four million hectares of forest burned over a sixmonth period, with fires reported all the way from the Beaufort Delta to the South Slave. Record temperatures, drought, and very high winds resulted in extreme fire behaviour that many of our most experienced firefighters have never experienced. At times, firefighting simply was not possible due to the lifethreatening dangers crews would face.

On a personal note, I have often reflected on my experiences from past fire seasons. The...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart as I acknowledge the recent catastrophic plane crash that occurred January 23rd in Fort Smith, which claimed the lives of six people. This tragic event has deeply impacted my community and the entire Northwest Territories. I am indebted to all the first responders and frontline staff who tirelessly assisted in the search and rescue operation, ultimately rescuing a sole survivor. Their unwavering dedication is a touching representation of how Northerners come together to support one another in the face of such devastating events. The levels of...