Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that the Assembly recommend that the Department of Health and Social Services enhance community-based aftercare services by encouraging the development of a peer support network, scheduling regular access to counselling and addictions facilities through existing health centre resources, i.e. Telehealth, and engaging with southern facilities to train territorial healthcare providers in the delivery of family support programs. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I again request a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize a member of the community of Fort Simpson, Steven Squirrel. Mr. Squirrel has operated the water treatment plant in Fort Simpson for over 40 years. That's right, 40 years. He's committed to doing this job.

As of July 7, 2017, Steven has hit his 40-year mark and continues to work in the water treatment plant. He's currently training somebody to take over after he's ready to retire.

Steven's role as the water treatment plant operator is a 24/7 commitment. Beyond regular operating hours, Steve responds to call-outs at all hours of...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Aftercare was one of the big things that we were looking at. It was one of the challenges that we saw there. Basically, though, what we found is that aftercare has to be individualized. It has to be respective to that individual. Each facility, like Ms. Green talked about, had the opportunity to have aftercare available from each facility, that there were some 30 days, 60 days, 90 days of aftercare. There was the opportunity for people to come back to the facility for further treatment there. There was the opportunity to make phone calls. There is that option available.

Th...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have read in the report in Committee of the Whole. A number of Members have made Members' statements about the tour. I think it is pretty straightforward. We have four motions we wish to read in. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the Minister for that information about tax-based communities. I am not talking about tax-based communities. I totally understand that process. The process is: as a taxpayer, you get an assessment; it has land and facilities on there; you have the right to then go to municipal government to appeal that decision. I am talking about designated authorities and the hamlets that do not have this process as the tax-based. So they have these assessments done. Then Land uses this assessment to come up with a lease payment, so can the Minister provide us this information and how it is done so...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that I get to come back and ask some questions of the Minister of Lands. He talked about tax-based, and, yes, the Village of Fort Simpson is a tax-based community. However, the community of Fort Liard is a hamlet, and then the other four are designated authorities, so how is this information made available, since he does not want to share it with us? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that clarification. There seems to be a disconnect here, because my understanding from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs that they assess the land based on the land and the improvements on it. Now I'm hearing from the Department of Lands here, it's just on the land itself. Can the Minister please clarify: is this the correct process? Is this what they do? Is it based on the lands, and if it is on land, do they have a separate assessment done?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask some follow-up questions not to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, but the Minister of Lands in regards to assessment. In this House, the Minister said that they do their least payments based on the assessments done by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Can the Minister advise this House if this is the actual process that is being done? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Just from hearing that answer and hearing the Minister of Lands in previous sittings here, do improvements on the land help or increase the value of the land that is presently there?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of confusion on how lots are assessed in the NWT. People assume it is Lands. We have now been told that this is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs' responsibility. Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs please explain why the department has been assigned this task? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.