Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member's statement, can the Minister of Infrastructure say what the department's current plans are for the Merv Hardie Ferry. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Deh Cho. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department at this time, and MTS through the department, doesn't have specific plans to attempt to refurbish the Merv Hardie or to get it back up to speed. What investigations there has been has given a fairly high cost estimate to get it to be recertified pursuant to Transport Canada regulations. So at this point, more likely would be an attempt to sell the asset than it would be to refurbish it. Thank you.
Well, she just answered two of my other questions. So well, in the event of an emergency, Mr. Speaker, such as a fire or flooding in the Deh Cho, I guess it's not useable so my question would be could the Merv Hardie be used for evacuation or other critical needs, however the Minister can answer that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, no, I guess we can surmise this answer, based on the last, that the Merv Hardie isn't the path by which we would look to support any communities that are being evacuated, if they're being evacuated in the region. Mr. Speaker, I will say that while it's not certified for use, we certainly are preparing for the ferry season with the other ferries in the region, ensuring that they are, you know, inspected and ready to go.
So what I can also say, Mr. Speaker -- one last comment -- was with respect to the Deh Cho Bridge. This is one of the reasons that we actually went ahead and replaced all of the cables that -- after the events that one of them had some damage on it was -- we are conscious certainly, at the Department of Infrastructure, about maintaining the transportation networks that we do have and wanting to make sure that they remain secure and safe. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, as the Minister of MACA will know, the city of Yellowknife has been challenged for the $100 million waterline solution. I'm wondering -- and sorry, and I'm seeing that they've had to shift directions temporarily. What is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs specifically doing to help the city of Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is aware, we do provide some funding to communities. How they allocate the funding is up to mayor and council. At this time, I'm not aware of any correspondence between department of MACA and the city of Yellowknife for assistance with particular projects, so I would have to get more information from the department if there has been. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, water's very critical to day-to-day life so I won't go at length of that; I'm sure that stands as a fact on its own.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister's saying he's not aware of the problem or aware of what they're going to do, or maybe we can clarify what the Minister can do in his role as Minister of communities when the city of Yellowknife's struggling with this potential financial endeavour. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify for the Member, as I stated that the -- I'm not aware of the department and the city corresponding on this particular project. So if they have been, I will find out but I'm not aware of it. I'm not saying that they haven't been helping or there hasn't been any dialogue; I'm not aware of it.
Further to that, Mr. Speaker, you know, the city has planned to run this project. Unfortunately, like everything else, we're all aware that project costs have gone up and unexpectedly, obviously, the city wasn't prepared for that as are most infrastructure projects these days. So we're all running into these problems and community governments like the city of Yellowknife, through their governing structure, have had to -- have also had to be a little bit smart and diligent on how they're going to run this project. So, you know, this is not an easy task for them, and it's similar to all the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a healthy, safe infrastructure is critical for any community. Mr. Speaker, the project went from several million to up to $57 million and now a $100 million, and, of course, they had to abandon the current plan basically because of construction and whatnot. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister take an active role, reach out to the city of Yellowknife, and see what resources MACA can use within their system to help advocate with the federal government to get more access to funding so we can get a healthy, safe waterline here in Yellowknife which serves half our territory. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA does a lot of good work with a lot of municipalities throughout the North and including the city of Yellowknife and they're constantly communicating, so I'm sure if they are requiring assistance from MACA, that they've already communicated with the department. And that's probably something I could look into. But other than, MACA's role with the community government is supporting them when they have to make some of these tough decisions at times, not necessarily finding more money for them. I'm sure the city of Yellowknife has some amazing resources and staff to find funding and extra funding for their community. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to direct the question at the Minister of Finance who also works as the Minister in charge of the power corp because this is an interesting needle to thread.
So with the Town of Hay River finally taking over the power in that community from Naka Power, I'm curious on is there any extended debt on the NWT Power Corp, and does it affect sort of the bottom line, and how is that paid for? I'm trying to get that sense of what did the GNWT buy if we ended up stepping up. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Infrastructure -- power corp, responsible for Power Corp.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't -- the question changed a little as we went. There's not extended debt. The power corporation's purchase of the Hay River franchise, of course began back in 2014, was -- and was only just recently completed in terms of determining the value of the assets and the amount that might have to be paid under it. That process is also now a part of the GRA that is underway, and the costs of the assets and the amounts paid and what that may or may not do to any rates will be part of that process and will be reviewed by the public utilities board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a problem when you have a Minister who straddles many files on a big file in this particular one. I appreciate the answer, though. Mr. Speaker, does the government have the money in cash to pay out Naka Power for whatever this transaction is, or what's the solution for that problem? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation will be able to complete the sale and purchase of the assets and are not looking for any handout from the GNWT to complete that sale. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for NWT Power Corp. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to be clear, my last question which may be similar to the last one is, is it being paid out in cash in the context of debt, or is it being paid out in cash in context of cash reserves? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, Mr. Speaker, it's -- I'd have to go back and double check just to ensure that I'm, firstly, understanding the nature of the financial question that the Member's asking, but I'd certainly be happy to go back and take a look at the arrangements that were being made. Again, this does date back to an agreement and an offer that was from 2014 and certainly happy to provide the Member with some further detail. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for NTPC. Oral questions. Mr. Clerk.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to Rule 7.26 and 7 where a Minister has made a commitment to provide additional information in response to oral questions, they must file it with the clerk.
I have received follow-up information for Oral Question 427-20(1), Supportive Living and Respite Care, asked on February 6th, 2025 by the Member for Frame Lake to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Title Transfer Issues in Tlicho Region
How many properties in the Northwest Territories are currently registered in the name of deceased individuals;
What specific legal steps are required to transfer ownership from a deceased titleholder to the rightful heirs under the current land title system;
How does the Department of Justice facilitate the identification of rightful heirs, and what actions must be taken to resolve any title issues including any specific declarations that must be made to the Land Titles Office; and,
For properties in the Tlicho region that have not been surveyed or registered with the Land Titles Office, what legal process exists for establishing ownership and what steps must a resident take to begin the land survey and title registration process under current Northwest Territories law.
Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Written questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance. Environmental legal obligations are governed by relevant federal and Northwest Territories Acts along with their associated regulations and guidelines. These legislative requirements form the foundation for the recognition of environmental liabilities by the government in line with public sector accounting board standards and the Financial Administration Act. The financial management board requires that all departments maintain an inventory of existing environmental liabilities and potential sites in the public accounts.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Finance please provide this inventory, including a detailed summary of recorded environmental liabilities for every budget since devolution provided in the form of project name and title, year, dollar expense; and,
2. For that same list of projects, indicate whether a land use permit or water license was issued, the project -- whether the project involved a GNWT lease and for each, indicate if a security was held and collected to cover the liability and the amount of that security.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Written questions.
Colleagues, in regards to the point of order raised by the Member of Hay River North against the Member of Yellowknife Centre, I've had the opportunity to review an unedited transcript.
The Member from Yellowknife Centre referred to Cabinet as working as a party. While it is not common for Cabinet Members to vote against a motion, it is their prerogative to vote how they want.
Further, Cabinet's solidarity is a key principle on both Westminster democracy and consensus government. Implying that Cabinet is acting as a party was out of order.
I've asked -- I will ask the Member from Yellowknife Centre to withdraw his comments. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
I'll withdraw.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act; Statement of Consistency for Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act; Plain Language Summary for Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Family Law Act; and, Statement of Consistency for Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Family Law Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Tabling of documents. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Waste Reduction and Recovery Program 2023-2024 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Tabling of documents. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Physical Activity, Sports, and Recreation Fund Annual Report 2023-2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
