Thank you. Please be seated. I'd like to thank Joe Otokiak for doing the opening prayer.
Mr. Speaker, homelessness is a complex issue that touches all aspects of society and all NWT communities. Every jurisdiction across the country is facing this issue, amplified in recent years by the pandemic, the rising cost of living, illicit drugs, and climate-related emergencies. What causes people to lose their housing and the cascading effect on their lives and the communities where they live are varied. This is why A Way Home, the Government of the Northwest Territories Homelessness Strategy, is a whole-of-government approach that requires partnership and collaboration with all stakeholders in order to be successful. To ensure we maintain this comprehensive and collaborative approach, implementation of the strategy is led by the Department of the Executive and Indigenous Affairs under a newly formed governance and service integration division. In addition to A Way Home, the new division will also be responsible for service integration efforts across the territory, antipoverty and food security initiatives, as well as strengthening our relationship and support with non-governmental organization partners.
This division will focus on increasing transitional and supportive housing options across the territory and beginning to close this specific gap in the housing continuum. We know that stable housing is foundational for people to address other challenges in their lives. We also know that moving from shelters straight into independent housing is often not possible and can create additional challenges for some people. By increasing transitional and supportive housing options, we can ensure people have access to on-site wraparound supports and person-centered services that are critical to helping people create the stability to be successful tenants and reach their own goals. This is where efforts towards service integration come into play.
Over the course of this Legislative Assembly, we will establish four service integration teams across the territory - three teams focused on homelessness, and one team focused on family preservation. These teams will streamline access for residents and ensure services are provided in a timely, agile, and culturally safe manner, and that there are supports to keep people housed and prevent homelessness rather than only responding to crisis. These teams have already been established in Yellowknife and Fort Simpson, with plans to launch in Inuvik this December.
Non-government organizations play a critical role in the service delivery continuum, and we are committed to strengthening these relationships, ensuring that NGOs remain resilient and provide sustainable services. As such, EIA has established an NGO support position within the division to better understand NGOs' needs, to reduce barriers they face in interacting with government processes and systems, and address the recommendations outlined in the strengthening the non-profit and charitable sector final report.
Mr. Speaker, addressing homelessness in the territory is not an easy or quick task. Homelessness is a complex issue with many moving, ever-changing parts, and solutions will require effective partnerships and collaboration. However, the GNWT's recent experience working with various partners to find solutions for Yellowknife residents staying at the encampment on 51st Street clearly demonstrated that collective problem solving and working together towards common goals is not only possible but strengthens us as a system and provides a space for us to learn from one another and build the trusting, mutually respectful relationships between service providers and with the people we serve that are required to do this kind of work. Collaborative experiences such as these make me hopeful that, together, we can address homelessness across the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for NWT Power Corp.
Mr. Speaker, when the public utility board, or PUB, accepted the terms of sale from the Hay River utility franchise to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NTPC, earlier this year, it set a deadline of October 30th for the filing of a general rate application, or GRA, by all Northwest Territories' utility companies. On Wednesday afternoon, NTPC filed a GRA, and so over the next several months, the PUB will review the application to ultimately determine whether the costs that NTPC has presented are reasonable and reflect the true cost to deliver electricity.
The GRA process is managed by the PUB. It is designed to be inclusive and has opportunities for Indigenous and community governments and members of the public to participate in several different ways, both formally and informally. The PUB will provide information about how to participate as the process advances.
Regulated utilities have limited flexibility in how rates are set. Rates are set by the PUB to ensure that rates align with policy direction and, in general, follow the principle of cost causation, meaning that whoever is benefiting from electricity generation and infrastructure pays for the cost of that generation and the cost of the associated transmission and distribution infrastructure.
The structure of the electricity systems across the Northwest Territories is very challenging. The Northwest Territories electrical system is primarily an isolated non-integrated system, meaning it is not connected to the North American grid. Since we are not connected to the continental grid, unlike other jurisdictions that can share electricity, in the NWT we are on our own.
NTPC operates two separate hydroelectric grids that are also not connected. Since the two hydro systems are not connected, they cannot back each other up and, consequently, the hydro systems rely on diesel generation for backup.
Diesel generation on the hydro systems is typically only required under two conditions. The first is when there is low water on the Snare system, and the second is when the hydro unit is down for maintenance. Both of those conditions are occurring today, and this has a material impact on costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
NTPC also operates 21 separate community grids primarily powered by diesel generators. However, over the last few years, NTPC has reduced diesel generating by increasing natural gas generation in Inuvik and increased use of renewables from utility-owned infrastructure but also power purchase agreements with Indigenous governments.
As more renewables are added to the system, the NTPC needs to be cautious about the impact on rates and system stability. When renewables are added to a community that already has sufficient generation and is experiencing little or no growth, there can be upward pressure on rates. Those additional assets must be maintained, adding additional costs to the system. Finding the balance between a sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy system is a challenge; it is a challenge we are embracing.
As we all know, the Northwest Territories is experiencing little to no major growth in industrial sectors such as mineral resource production, and this has impacts on NTPC.
While other jurisdictions across North America that are connected to the continental grid are worried about their ability to keep pace with growing demand, over the last decade in the Northwest Territories, electricity sales have declined or remained flat just about every year. Without increased sales from industrial activity, there will be pressure on rates to keep up with general inflation. Recognizing all these challenges, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made significant investments in the electricity sector over the last two years to help keep rates low.
In my May 2024 Budget Address, I announced that the GNWT would make a $30 million contribution to help offset the impact of increased generation costs in the North Slave due to extreme low water on the Snare system, which came on top of a $15.2 million contribution by the previous government in 2023. The contributions acknowledge that low water was a matter beyond the control of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, and the resulting dependence on diesel could have had an unacceptable impact on electricity rates. The price of diesel has increased by approximately 40 percent since electricity rates were last set, and this increase has impacted every community as diesel provides either primary or backup power. This government has also made an additional $38 million contribution to the Inuvik wind project to reflect the higher-than-expected cost of the project and to ensure that those costs do not lead to an increase on rates. Despite these investments, NTPC is still facing many of the same cost pressures as other Canadian utilities.
Many of these utilities have applied for rate increases because of similar inflationary cost pressures as to what we are seeing here in the Northwest Territories. The GRA is seeking a rate increase that is the same across all three rate zones:
the Snare
the Taltson, and
the Thermal Zone.
While this is not the normal approach, NTPC has laid out its rationale in the application. It will be up to the PUB to determine if the approach is reasonable. The NTPC's GRA seeks a rate increase equivalent to 17.7 percent over 2022-2023 rates. This is in addition to a 7.1 interim rate increase that was already approved by the PUB in July 2024 resulting in an overall increase of 24.8 percent. NTPC is forecasting the rate increases will be phased in over the next year, but the timing and final rate increase will ultimately be determined by the PUB after the public rate review process is concluded.
There are four primary categories, again, driving the need for rate increases:
Extraordinary events, such as extreme low water in the Snare River system;
Fuel prices;
Capital projects, such as the Taltson overhaul; and,
Normal operations, which includes inflationary pressures while sales remain flat.
NTPC is working very hard to keep rates as low as possible while providing reliable service and investing in new and refurbished assets such as hydro units, local power plants, transmission lines, and power poles. Many of its assets are beyond their serviceable life and require investment now and in the coming years to avoid risks associated with catastrophic failure. While progress has been made in upgrading the required electricity infrastructure, there is still work to be done and costs to be incurred.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT will continue to help offset higher residential electricity rates across the Northwest Territories through the territorial power support program. This program ensures that all NWT households can, with modest energy saving efforts, pay the same power rate as Yellowknife. The GNWT subsidizes the difference between local rates and Yellowknife rates up to 1000 kilowatt hours in the winter and up to 600 kilowatt hours the rest of the year. This program represents a cost to the GNWT of several million dollars annually.
NTPC will continue to work with the GNWT and the private sector to increase its industrial customer base and as well as identify operating efficiencies and cost-saving opportunities within the corporation to help stabilize the cost of electricity moving forward while ensuring our grid remains reliable. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for NWT Power Corp. Ministers' statements. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the participants who represented Team NT at the 2024 Canada 55+ Games. They were held in Quebec City from August 27th to 30th, 2024. The Canada 55+ Games provide an opportunity for Team NT to engage and compete with other athletes from across Canada. In addition to being an athletic competition, these games also provide an opportunity for participants to engage in other forms of competition and social activities with their peers.
Mr. Speaker, sports, recreation, and active living play a crucial role in promoting healthy individuals; a stronger, more connected community by addressing physical, mental, social, and an economic aspect of well-being. The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to support all residents, including seniors, by providing assistance to attend events like this in Canada 55+.
In August, Team NT was represented by 58 participants from five communities across the territories. Representation included three participants from Fort Simpson, 13 from Fort Smith, 8 from Hay River, 1 from Inuvik, and 36 from Yellowknife.
Team NT participants competed in various events, including ice hockey, pickle ball, table tennis, Scrabble, swimming, curling, cribbage, bowling, bridge, tennis, golf, 8-ball, and track and field. In total, Team NT brought home 14 medals, including five gold, four silver, and five bronze.
I would like to give special recognition to Wayne Guy of Yellowknife who won three medals in track and field including gold in long jump, a silver in the 50-meter race, another silver in the 100-meter race. I would also like to recognize Mike Pickles of Yellowknife who won gold and bronze in table tennis. And Joan and Dennis Bevington, a couple from Fort Smith, who brought home a bronze in tennis.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the various sports organizations who played such an important role in selecting and managing the teams who represented the territory. I would also like to extend a special gratitude to Team NT coordinator, Joan Hirons, for her outstanding efforts in organizing and supporting the team throughout the Games.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank the many volunteers and sponsors for their time and dedication in supporting this event. Whether you are a volunteer, an organizer, or someone who helped Team NT in any way, please know that your contribution to the team is greatly appreciated. I truly hope that everyone who participated in this event enjoyed themselves. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the staff for fixing my microphone.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to speak today about an event here held in the Great Hall last night. Equal Voice NWT chapter had its first event - a meet-and-greet. Spearheaded by the City of Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty, over 50 women and nonbinary folks, and a few men -- thank you to the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake -- gathered to meet and learn more about running for public office.
Mr. Speaker, a diversity of backgrounds, genders, and experience is a strength in every elected leadership role. School boards, municipal councils, the House of Commons, and, of course, this House. I am grateful to the previous Members for Yellowknife Centre and Range Lake who, as a part of the 18th Assembly's special committee on increasing the representation of women in the Legislative Assembly, decided to hold a series of workshops they called Women on the Ballot. Over several months of Sundays in early 2019, both I and many other women came together to learn more about how to run or support a campaign from many subject-experts and people who had already walked the walk. I was honoured to volunteer on a campaign of one of those women in 2019. After that experience, I realized that with some hard work and dedication, it could be a possibility for anyone, including me.
Mr. Speaker, I believe in paying it forward. I do not gatekeep. I want to make sure that folks of all underrepresented demographics have the tools and encouragement they need to run for office and assist those who they support. I'm thrilled by last night's turnout and keen interests from so many Northerners, including some as far away as from Ulukhaktok. It was lovely to see folks from the gender equity unit of the GNWT attend as well. Hopefully, we can increase networking opportunities as a result.
I would like to thank Her Worship Mayor Alty for pulling the chapter together, and I look foward to supporting many events, including possible future campaign schools into the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, critical to ensuring project fruition is planning. Mr. Speaker, as we recall, the announcement for the summer 2024 sailing season was cancelled. This placed projects on hold for deliveries. Now that the Sahtu region is preparing for the winter road season, planning to ensure deliveries is a priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am told by a trucking company that some 700 truckloads are destined for the communities. Preparations and planning are underway, with the Department of Infrastructure, to put more resources to ensure road construction and maintenance road stability. I'm confident on those discussions between the departments right away and the contractors. Think about it this way, Mr. Speaker: 700 trucks in 700 trucks out with tire chains.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the high volumes of traffic, public safety is paramount. Again, I'm confident the Department of Infrastructure has mentioned in their preparations in addition to adding additions to patrol staffing, signage, etcetera.
Mr. Speaker, during our last spring sitting and February Hansard, the Minister of Housing NWT highlighted the housing allocation for the Sahtu region is 20 units. This is a large volume of materials.
Mr. Speaker, on the issue of a one-window season approach to the Sahtu mobilization, planning is fundamental to ensure homes on the ground for 2025 summer construction season, a unique approach to community economic growth.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, as you can see project planning is essential for the Sahtu region and the Sahtu region cannot afford additional costs associated with nondeliveries or delays of any nature. We can only look at the Tulita health centre building materials that is being air transported and fuel products. Later, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again, it's that time of year to start cranking up our heaters and plugging in our vehicles as the temperatures increasingly drop overnight. Yes, we are all accustomed to winter seasons, but what many of us are unprepared for is ba winter season in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
Keeping homes warm is increasingly becoming a struggle for too many -- far too many Northerners who can't afford the rising costs of heating fuel. And this can only get worse as economic opportunities dry up. An unsurprising consequence of this drop in a standard of living is the sad fact that our communities will see a rise in house fires. Just ask our firefighters what happens when more homeowners resort to leaving multiple space heaters running, open up their ovens, or tap into their neighbour's electricity. Even worse, couple these factors with our deepening housing crisis where many housing units are over capacity, and the result is a recipe for disaster.
This exponential increase in risk puts enormous pressure on fire departments across the North. But, unfortunately, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has been more interested in downloading the responsibility of services onto communities without ensuring that these communities have the resources to train and certify firefighters. The consequences are major gaps in training and qualifications for firefighters, exacerbated by the fact that without agreements with training institutions and certifying bodies, training firefighters is far more expensive.
How can communities train the firefighters they need to protect their communities when it costs thousands of dollars to do so without the legislation, certifying bodies, or agreements in place? The Fire Prevention Act makes it clear that the Office of the Fire Marshal is responsible for programs relating to fire and para-medicine, including training, but it's not clear how much of these funds go directly into the delivery of training programs. This is unacceptable to our fire departments in every community in the Northwest Territories who regularly make clear they do not have the resources to train, equip, or ensure a minimum level of qualification for their first responders.
Lutsulke, for example, has gone years without a fire truck and when they had a severe fire, the truck pulled up and the water pressure on the hose failed. Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister has experience with this file and I know he cares about this, and I know he'll do the right thing when I put questions to him about properly funding our fire departments.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this Halloween Day, I'm a little bit spooked. I'm scared of a big beast that's out of control and wreaking havoc across GNWT departments. Mr. Speaker, what I'm afraid of is major capital projects cost overruns.
Like any NWT resident, I am concerned by the Auditor general report on Stanton Hospital published this week. Mr. Speaker, $1.2 billion is a lot of money in any case but, most importantly, it is a huge departure from what was originally estimated. Over the last few years, we have seen major cost overruns in many of our large-scale projects. The non-profit Open NWT maintains a list of contracts awarded by the GNWT that end up costing more than 30 percent of their original estimated price. Mr. Speaker, there are more than 2,000 items on that list.
The Inuvik wind turbine project, which my colleague from Inuvik Boot Lake loves so much, that was supposed to cost around $40 million ballooned to an estimated $70 million last year. And the Taltson repair project that was supposed to cost $70 million is now estimated at almost $100 million.
Mr. Speaker, while these individual projects are all concerning in their own right, what concerns me most is the trend I am seeing that when we plan a major capital project, we do not seem to be able to accurately project what the cost is going to be. This fundamentally impacts our ability to make informed decisions. Mr. Speaker, it is not yet clear to me what exactly the specific problem is. Is it our budgeting? Is it project management? I would guess the answer involves a combination of issues. What is clear to me is that we have a systemic problem that we need to gain control of. We need to review this problem not only on a project-by-project basis, but we also need to turn a lens on our systems to determine why is this happening to so many of our projects. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The municipal funding gap has been an issue for our communities for quite some time. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs conducted a review of its policies in 2014 which reveals significant disparity between funding levels across community governments. Mr. Speaker, ten years later, they are now working to fix this.
The department is rolling out a three-year phase plan, and the changes in allocation are expected to be implemented in the next fiscal year. But I'm worried the government's plan will not work. By their own admission, our smallest communities will be most impacted and will receive less funding through this allocation - small communities with populations of less than 500 people. Well, Mr. Speaker, nearly half of the communities in the territory are small communities with under 500 people.
Earlier this week, the Minister of MACA said communities can charge fees to make up the shortfall in their funding. But I know residents who cannot afford service fees with the increasingly high cost of living in small communities. These small communities are most vulnerable and need all the help they can get. Mr. Speaker, taking money away from them and diverting it to larger centres is not the answer. Large municipalities have options when it comes to operating essential services that small communities like Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik do not have. I will have questions for the Minister of MACA at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I learned that the price of bottled beer in Inuvik went up by 28 percent, the price of canned coolers in Inuvik went up 20 percent, and liquor went up 6 percent, Mr. Speaker. This is a significant increase for those purchasing recreational alcohol from the liquor store or those who attend the bars and restaurants in Inuvik. The prices obviously will also go up there as well, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, where was the communication on this? I learned this from Facebook, and I learned it from constituents reaching out to me saying what's happening. It's concerning, Mr. Speaker, because it's only happening in Inuvik. And, again, you know, how did this happen? And I think, you know, typically, when we have significant increases like this, that, you know, we would get a heads up and certainly we would be able to relay that through a communications effort and in this case, from what I could see, there was no communications put out whatsoever and now, once again, the residents are the ones that are bearing the brunt of this cost, Mr. Speaker. So I will have questions for the Minister of Finance today. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the condition of the Mezi Community School in Whati. It is one of the older schools in our region.
So, Mr. Speaker, this school is no longer adequate to meet the needs of the community, and I would like to see something done about that. The Mezi School in Whati was originally built to serve elementary school children. It was not built to accommodate high school students however that is what it is doing now. So the school is even home to Aurora College programming which is taking up needed classroom space. Currently, the school is already too small to accommodate the number of students attending. The population of Whati has increased over the years which means there are even more students that will need to attend Mezi School.
Mr. Speaker, a safe, modern, and proper learning environment is essential for our students. Schools are also central pieces of infrastructure for community activities. Everyone benefits from having a healthy and adequate school. This school -- Mr. Speaker, this school is in dire need of retrofitting, and the cost of this work will continue to increase the longer this is put off. I would like to draw this to the attention of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I will have questions later on today. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Colleagues, I would like to recognize the presence of Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty, a Member of the Assembly from 2005 to 2021, former Minister, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in the 18th Assembly, personal confidante, friend and advisor. Welcome to the House, Mr. Jackson.
As well sometimes we get some special guests that come back that used to work for us and come back to be here today. So Danalee Mager, her daughter Poppy, come to see her son Ben who is one of our pages. So welcome back home, young lady. We can't wait to have you come back, and we miss you. Thank you.
Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about public housing in the NWT. For the past 30 years, the federal government has been trying to get people across the country to move out of public housing and, at the same time, they've been reducing funding with the expectation that they're plan will work, that the need for public housing will disappear. There have been a long list of programs designed to incentivize homeownership and funds to dramatically increase market housing.
But this approach, this theory of how things are supposed to work, simply hasn't worked in the NWT. A big reason is that most of our communities do not have functioning housing markets. It cost many times more to build a new home in a small community than a homeowner could ever resell the house for. So the moment it's built, a home becomes more of a liability than an asset.
Another reality is that the median personal income of people in our small communities is significantly lower than the cost of just maintaining and living in a home, never mind the cost of acquiring that home in the first place.
It's a myth that there's a huge number of people currently in public housing who will be just fine on their own, if someone, maybe just Indigenous governments, just built them a home. In a case study in one small community, about 40 percent of households could afford to maintain their own homes. We absolutely need more homeownership opportunities, but there are real limits on how many people can afford to take on the cost of homeownership.
A 2019 survey showed that almost a quarter of NWT households are in core need, meaning the household income is below the core need threshold. So that's over 3500 households. Currently, we have about 2400 households in NWT public housing. We also have a waiting list of almost 900 people. So those numbers show us that a large part of our NWT population will continue to depend on public housing for the foreseeable future, and it's important to remember that that is not due to the choices or the personal failings of those public housing residents. It is the system that has made homeownership and wage employment unattainable for such a large part of our population. It's not the fault of those people.
We cannot continue to deny that there's a need to increase the number of public housing units, and denying this reality is only costing us more money. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to just conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So denying this reality is costing us more money as we scramble to deal with increasing homelessness, poor education, poor health, and low employment, that are all rooted in poor housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Member’s Statement 418-20(1):
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, fixing up our housing crisis is the reason why I and many of my colleagues were elected to find solutions to accomplish. I have done some great work with the Minister of Housing NWT already, such as our fund agreement for home inspections, and my constituents are very thankful. Unfortunately, there is just so much work remaining, especially regarding the systematic faults in the GNWT housing policies.
The GNWT housing policies do not work for my communities, and the sprawling administration of our housing system is hard to navigate. This is why I've also been working with the Housing NWT Minister on a case-by-case basis as well to help individual constituents when the policies fail. Sometimes we achieve a lot greater together but now a year into our term, we still have some specific problems to solve.
Our biggest issue is eviction. Some of my constituents in public housing have some arrears that is regrettable. The Minister has made it very clear that a new process for arrears forgiveness is on the way next year. I was really pleased to hear this, but some of my constituents are still facing eviction before they can work their arrears out. It may be their duty to work out with local housing officials, but sometimes there's a lot of confusion and intervention needed to help fund them -- sorry, help them find the solution they need.
For example, one of my constituents in Fort Resolution had their home inspect improperly. Due to some exceptional circumstances, I was told to work with the district authority, but the district authority sent us to the Minister. After all the runaround, now they are being evicted because they did not solve their problem fast enough.
Another constituent in Lutselk'e, she has had a perfectly good private home besides from the fact that her sewage is backed up. We have been working on this since 2022. The previous Minister made promises that remain undeliverable. Replacing her sewage tank and pipes will cost far more than what the Housing NWT can provide her with -- with her support caught up in the policy and regulations. We try to get her family into public housing, but that only resulted in more confusion. Now, years later, she has to bring 17 buckets of raw sewage out of her bathtub every day, living with a rotting smell in her home that cause her home and many health issues and already resulting in headaches and sickness. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, colleagues. There are just a few examples of what -- where housing is still failing Indigenous families. This government needs and should to -- oh, sorry, should not be putting people on the streets or into other overcrowded homes when the Assembly is trying to do the opposite. We are struggling with a housing crisis so there are a few vacancies even to send families up through the Jordan Principles. Mr. Speaker, I would have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Spooker, in recognizing it's All Hallows Eve, from time to time, as you know, I attempt to bring a little levity to this House. Mr. Speaker, it's important that we help keep our job interesting and engaging, not to mention laugh at ourselves, as we try to keep grounded. So today, strictly in jest, I've elected to make my All Hallows Eve statement in the theme of Adams Family or, rather, the Simpson Cabinet family. I do apologize in advance for the singing trauma I intend to inflict. It may be a trick, but it may be truly a treat. And, of course, I welcome Members to join in with me during the chorus or the snapping of the fingers. So, Mr. Spooker, shall we begin.
[Musical snapping of fingers and verbal melody]
Our Cabinet's kind of spooky. Their policies are often whooky. Their vision's quite mysterious. The Simpson Cabinet family.
[Musical snapping of fingers and verbal melody]
Most days I dread to see them. Their plans have Members screaming. Their decision can be cryptic. The Simpson Cabinet family.
[Musical snapping of fingers and verbal melody]
The Members are here a' working. We're not here to scare 'em. We're bringing solutions to them. To the Simpson Cabinet family.
[Musical snapping of fingers and verbal melody].
So the budget's leave us a scratching. But beware of their distractions. The Cabinet may be icky because they are the Simpson Cabinet family. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
[Musical snapping of fingers and verbal melody]
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Bring little humour. I'll have to thank you very much. It was quite enjoyable. Members' statements.
Colleagues, a resident of Fort Simpson, David Berman, has a family heirloom being donated to the children of Liidli Kue Elementary School. David's mother, Carole Berman, purchased a 1974 Yamaha grand piano nearly 45 years ago. She always enjoyed playing the piano and recounting that her and her four sisters studied music from a very young age in Winnipeg, as her parents believed that creative arts were just as important as academics.
As she matured and started a family of her own, she purchased her prized possession and began teaching piano. This gave her a chance to earn a little money while still looking after her three young children. On top of this, it helped keep her grounded and surrounded with the beauty of music whenever she wanted. Dave and his brothers had very fond memories of waking up in the morning to their mother playing classical music.
Carole played with several different ensembles and symphonies within Edmonton but her real passion was teaching others to play. She spent over 20 years teaching young youth to play the piano, and she spent her life creating music and helping others learn the craft. Once her children were old enough, Carole went back to University of Alberta to earn a law degree. Although she spent the rest of her working career within the law field, she continued to make time to perform and help others learn to play.
When David moved to Fort Simpson in 2022 and began to work at the elementary school, Carole would come to visit him and fell in love with the community and its children. She loved to spend time at the school, and it was because of the children's spirit and joy.
Suddenly and very recently, Carole fell ill with cancer and her plans to retire soon and move to Fort Simpson had to change. She is currently undergoing treatment to help extend her life and has been told she has not much longer to live. She is now moving to an assisted living home within Calgary to be closer to her other two sons. As she has been assisting her children to find homes for her worldly possessions, she requested that her beloved piano be donated to the children in the North, as she referred to them affectionately.
David began working with the principal and the DDEC to get the piano North. I am happy to say the piano is currently on its way to its new home. She and her family hope that this beautiful instrument will bring joy to the musical hearts of the Fort Simpson children. I am happy to say that I got to know her, whether it was on flights to Fort Simpson or when I met her in the community. She is an amazing individual and with a golden heart. Thank you very much. Thank you, Carole.
Members' statements. Colleagues, before we get into the next part, I'd like to recognize Dottie Tetso, a former resident of Fort Simpson. She moved here just recently. We sadly miss her but welcome to our Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to -- no, I'll do it in my language. Mr. Speaker, [Translation] Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the grand chief. He is here in the gallery. And also the lady from Sahtu. I'd like to thank them for visiting us in the gallery. Thank you. [Translation Ends]
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Major Tony Brushett from the Salvation Army, a partner with Housing NWT and with this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member from Nunakput. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also like to recognize Major Tony Brushett, our executive director from the Salvation Army, and also current Yellowknife North resident Dottie Tetso. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.
