Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell the House here after they receive their detailed assessment of damage, residents can request an advanced payment if they need money immediately for work that will prevent further damage to their property. The advanced payment is based on the value of damages from the detailed damage assessments. The maximum of an advancement for residents is $10,000 but there's ability to provide up to 50 percent of total values of the damage assessment.

The Member has asked about receipts and that. Yes, receipts are what you need. However, with the standardized...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for that question. And we've had this conversation numerous times over the past weekend I believe it was, when the Member went back home to meet with his constituents.

The GNWT is 100 percent paying for all detailed damage assessments and all additional abatement services. So we are paying a hundred percent. And these will not be part of the maximum from the 240 of the disaster assistance. It is all a GNWT cost moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can honestly tell you this year our government provided more information to residents, communities, on proactive steps to prevent flood damage. That started with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, ENR as well part giving that information out there. ENR is currently working with Natural Resource Canada to update flood mapping for the NWT that were created back in 1980s. ENR is cost sharing this work under the federal Flood Hazarding Identification and Mapping Program. Updated maps are the first step in understanding existence of areas...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ENR hydrologists compile an annual spring water outlook report that assesses snow conditions and current water levels. These reports are or the reports this year was released to the public on April 25th, 2022. Daily water monitoring bulletins are generated during spring breakup, and they're shared with Municipal and Community Affairs and communities. As mentioned earlier, ENR hydrologists participated in the Town of Hay River and NWT's EMO calls as needed and when they required them to be there, they were there. The bulletins are made available by the department on its...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'm a bit early; however, I rise in this House today to congratulate the Class of 2022 for the two schools in Nahendeh riding. This year we see the Lidlii Kue Regional High School and Echo Dene School set to have their own celebrations for their graduates.

Mr. Speaker, these graduates completed school in the midst of a global pandemic. No doubt their life was disturbed. No doubt there was added stress. No doubt there was uncertainty.

Despite these challenges, or more accurately because of them, they are stronger. They are stronger students, having...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, previously I spoke in this House saying that we've reached out to the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. To date, we have not received a response from him. So to give an update saying that we're getting more information, we're not getting any information.

The Member asked for getting well, we need update committee. We can update committee once we have information to provide. He talks about the website. We have other issues and other challenges, and we're more than willing to share information once we have current and important...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the Alberta work plan to develop regulations to allow for the release of treated oil sand tailing water technical report to fill the knowledge gaps are expected to be shared with ENR this fall. No information other than the work plan and the RFP to hire contractors to fill knowledge gaps have been shared with ENR. These documents are public and presently out there.

Our next scheduled update from the Alberta mining/water science team is scheduled for early June. We will be working, once we have new information and we will make sure we get that to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Damage assessment reports are being provided by the assessment contracting to MACA as they become completed. So in other words, as soon as the assessors are completing their report, it's given to our pathfinders. From that time, the damage assessors are at the home to the time their reports are provided to the homeowners can take several weeks. We ask the people to be patient. We have seven assessors on the ground, and they are working hard to get this work done. But we also want them to take the required time that they need to go through with the assessment. So what we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we lined up four abatement companies to get in there, into the community, as soon as it was safely to do so.

In regards to the cost, the GNWT government is coordinating emergency work with, and the GNWT will cover the cost for those who prefer to coordinate the work themselves, there's an opportunity to submit backup documentation and seek reimbursement for work through an eventual claiming for disaster assistance. But if they use the four companies right now, that will be covered by the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our environment is changing rapidly. Average temperature in the territory are rising up to four times faster than the rest of the world. Coastal erosion is already affecting communities, and melting permafrost is impacting infrastructure. We know that icefree summers in the Arctic will become a reality in the future, and ice jams have caused largescale flooding events in the NWT two years in a row. There are many factors that contribute to ice jam flooding, and climate change is affecting each of these factors in different ways. We will continue to see...