Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My understanding from some of my constituents is that the exercise yard is currently in use. I know this is an operational concern, but I am wondering if this project still needs to be completed to bring the facility into full operation. Is the Minister aware of that at this point? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, third-party partners are key to successfully resolving these issues, especially working with Indigenous people, so I commend the Minister for bringing that forward.

I am mindful of an answer he gave to my honourable friend from Hay River North that you need a business case to support additional spending. Given that addictions treatment and these aftercare programs are gaps that have been identified and will require a significant amount of resources to plug those gaps, is the Minister going to bring forward a costed proposal or a business case that will see...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I agree with the Minister. I think that, with so much of our climate change planning dependent on this project, we need to start the investment, so, yes, I do support this, and I am thankful for the Minister's explanation of the scale of the project. Thank you. Nothing further.

Thank you to the Minister for providing that update. I know there was a lot of work that has been undertaken by both the standing committee and the Minister. I would like to ask about another issue that was raised by my constituent, which is the availability of detox services in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister speak to those programs?

Thank you. So my understanding is that it's to explore the electricity market, to define the potential business model, including partnership discussions and a crossing study for the Great Slave Lake for transmission lines, and a regulatory review and engagement of stakeholders. So is that the full extent of the appropriation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Standing Committees on Government Operations and Social Development recommend that the Government of the Northwest Territories develop a fully costed implementation plan for Bill 6, including multi-demographic public education, enforcement planning, and expected cannabis revenues; that this plan be returned to the committees for review prior to legalization day; and that the final plan be made available to the public.

Overall, we found that the GNWT did not adequately provide citizens of the Northwest Territories with information about the proposed framework for...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know this Minister in particular has an eye for cost savings. I am confident that he will take this matter seriously, and if there is value for money to be had, he will find a way to have it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I might disagree with the Minister, but we will have to wait to see what occurs should the appropriation move forward.

Now, if there is a change in the collective agreement, my understanding is that nonunionized employees' compensation is typically matched to what is set out in the collective agreement. If a collective agreement comes into effect with a more generous compensation rate than the 1 per cent increase contemplated here, will the Minister move to increase the compensation for nonunionized employees? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 75(5) to have Bill 6, Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation, moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am on page 13. There is a list of projects under tourism and parks. I am particularly interested in the K1 Kitchen Shelter Replacement. The line item is $304,000, which seems to be quite high, considering the replacement of the manager's residence in Kakisa is only $200,000. I have been to at least one of the kitchen shelters in the park, and I am just wondering if we can get some justification on the value for money for this project. I mean, it seems very, very high. Thank you.