Mr. Speaker, our government made a mandate commitment to ensure that effective supports and programs are in place for persons with disabilities. The NWT Disability Review and Renewal Project is part of that commitment. Through this work, the government has identified the challenges residents with complex disabilities, such as autism or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, have in accessing assessment and diagnostic services across the territory. Identifying these challenges is an important step towards putting effective supports in place for persons with these disabilities.
Children living with autism or FASD require ongoing assessment, intervention, and follow-up support through an integrated care approach that involves the children, the family, and many different practitioners, including pediatricians, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, audiologists, social workers, and child development team coordinators.
Currently, the Department of Health and Social Services supports at-risk children and families through early intervention screening as part of the NWT Well Child Clinics, rehabilitation services, the Stanton Territorial Hospital Child Development Team, and the territorial FASD Family and Community Support Program.
The Child Development Team works with families and community service providers to provide medical and therapeutic intervention services to each individual child, based on findings from a comprehensive diagnostic assessment. The team also monitors and revises an intervention plan that is specifically tailored to each child. This specialized support is offered to children with autism and FASD in the Dehcho, Tlicho, and the Yellowknife areas.
The FASD Family and Community Support Program assesses children up to 16 years of age for FASD. Where a diagnosis is made, this territorial program develops and implements intervention strategies for these children. It accepts referrals from healthcare providers and social workers across the NWT. Currently this program only covers 10 FASD assessments per year. Following their 17th birthday, patients are referred to the same support services offered to all residents with disabilities so that support can continue in adulthood.
We hear from the NWT Disabilities Council, the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, and the NWT Autism Society of the need for more support and to improve existing programs. This is why we proposed $848,000 in the 2018-2019 budget that will be used to enhance services for autism and FASD. Those enhancements will include a child development team coordinator in the Beaufort Delta region, as well as speech language pathology and occupational therapy autism coordinators for the child development team at Stanton Territorial Hospital. It will also provide funding to establish and enhance the existing Territorial FASD community and Family Support programming.
The department will also be working with the NWT Health and Social Services Authority towards establishing a territorial FASD assessment and support program for adults, as this is something that does not currently exist in this territory. This funding will allow the addition of an adult FASD assessment team coordinator. The Department of Health and Social Services also contributes to a national FASD database. This database is the first of its kind in the world and gathers detailed information about FASD assessments from across the country. This national database makes it possible for practitioners to better communicate and collaborate when it comes to different FASD assessment programs.
This year, the Government of the Northwest Territories is the lead jurisdiction of the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership, which contributes funding to the CanFASD Research Network. This network produces and sustains national collaborative research related to FASD. The partnership recently approved an FASD language guide that outlines common but unproductive language that is often used when speaking about FASD. The guide presents alternative, more respectful language and a rationale for its use.
By being involved in wider partnerships such as the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership, along with territorial and community organizations that represent the disability sector, our government is better positioned to receive reliable information we can use to improve the outcomes for our residents affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and autism.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to removing barriers to access, to improve service quality, and to work to build stronger supports for all persons with disabilities. The actions I have outlined are some of the ways that we are working to provide the best health and the best care for all NWT residents, including those with autism and FASD. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, Indigenous language revitalization is a shared responsibility. Language revitalization is not something that can be done solely alone by the schools. Rather, numerous stakeholders, including elders, Indigenous and community governments, language groups, and families must work together to see our nine Indigenous languages thrive.
Mr. Speaker, in the past year, including $5.9 million from the federal government, we have invested $11 million in Indigenous language revitalization, through Indigenous governments who have the authority and responsibility to design and deliver Indigenous language programming in their communities. In December, we invited Indigenous language experts to participate in conversations about defining the differences between language learning, language revitalization, and language acquisition. Participants worked on identifying where current initiatives fit in and learned about tools and strategies for language revitalization. Many programs are at different stages of development.
Initiatives include community projects, regional initiatives, and territorial approaches. Language classes for front-line staff, carving and sewing classes in the community language, and community phrasebooks are all good examples of community-based projects. Regional initiatives involve close collaboration between communities on projects, such as dictionaries and calendars, sharing resources and promotional materials across the region, and regional meetings.
At the territorial level, we are partnering with Indigenous governments, Aurora College, and southern universities on programs like the University of Alberta's Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development program, or the University of Victoria's Indigenous Language Revitalization program.
Mr. Speaker, in the last sitting I announced that the 2017 Northwest Territories Aboriginal Framework: A Shared Responsibility would soon have an accompanying action plan. The action plan is in the final stages of development and will be released in the May/June sitting.
At the same time, the Indigenous Languages Education Secretariat has continued its work on Indigenous language revitalization initiatives. We have made further investments in community radio stations for Indigenous language programming. Professional development opportunities have been offered and Indigenous language communities have been supported to deliver language and culture programming.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, it takes everyone working together to revitalize and increase access to Indigenous languages, but our schools are playing their part. Right now, in 19 of our schools, students are hearing and using Indigenous languages during their school routines and in interactions with staff and other students. These schools are piloting the new Indigenous languages curriculum, called Our Languages.
This curriculum promotes Indigenous language instruction in the classroom, but also encourages a whole-school approach to Indigenous language use. The Our Languages curriculum is not a graded program. It has five levels ranging from emergent to capable. A student's proficiency in a language, not their age or grade, determines the level at which they work. With feedback and input from this first-year pilot, the Our Languages curriculum will be further piloted throughout the territory in the 2019-2020 school year, in every classroom from junior kindergarten to grade 12.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and as an Indigenous person, I find it deeply gratifying that our students have the opportunity to use and learn Indigenous languages in our Northwest Territories school system. We can all be proud to represent a territory that works so diligently to revitalize and increase access to our Indigenous languages. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members on the progress community governments and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs have made on implementation of the Northwest Territories Asset Management Strategy. In spring 2016, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, in partnership with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and community government representatives, launched the Asset Management Strategy. The strategy helps community councils and staff maximize benefits from their infrastructure investments. Implementation has been designed to be flexible and adaptable, to enable the effective application of asset management practices across all communities.
Over the past year, territorial and community government staff have been collecting detailed information about all community government assets. In the coming months, the first nine pilot communities will begin using asset management software to support their decision-making. The department and the Northwest Territories Association of Communities also worked closely with the Northern Communities Insurance Exchange to ensure up-to-date information on community government assets is integrated into the system. The software includes detailed asset information such as age, maintenance requirements, and potential suppliers.
Mr. Speaker, the Asset Management Strategy also supports the 18th Legislative Assembly's commitments to assist community governments as they innovate to address climate change and to improve their energy efficiency and conservation. The department has collaborated with the Association of Communities, community governments, and staff from the Department of Infrastructure and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to include preventative maintenance activities into the software. The preventative maintenance procedures include reminders, checklists, and guidance documents. Current activities, such as monitoring snow loads, have been built into the system to support communities with the protection of their assets as they adapt to a changing climate. As we learn more about climate change impacts and new adaptive maintenance activities, additional procedures can easily be incorporated into the system. Mr. Speaker, community governments are continually faced with pressures to make investments in infrastructure and to deliver enhanced programs and services to their residents. The Asset Management Strategy will support community governments with solid information for decisions related to extending the life and service potential of community assets. Asset management will maximize community governments' investments, as well as allowing for strategic investment of both federal and community infrastructural funding in retrofitting or building new infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister's statements. Minister of Infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, investments in effective and resilient infrastructure provide the foundation for a stronger North. Through infrastructure improvements, we can better connect communities to services they rely on, while mitigating the cost of living and doing business. Replacing or upgrading our assets increases our resiliency to the impacts of climate change and as we expand our infrastructure, we will support important economic development that provides residents with well-paying jobs and training opportunities.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has often worked in partnership with the federal government to deliver meaningful investments that have a transformative impact on our territory. I am pleased to say that earlier today we had the opportunity to announce another milestone in the partnership with the signing of the Integrated Bilateral Agreement for federal infrastructure funds under the Investing in Canada Plan.
Mr. Speaker, all funding under the agreement is being cost shared 75 per cent federal and 25 per cent territorial funding. The federal government's contribution will provide over $570 million to the Government of the Northwest Territories under various funding streams of the Investing in Canada Plan over the next 10 years. The Northwest Territories' contribution will come from a variety of sources and is approximately $190 million, meaning nearly $760 million in infrastructure funding in the North will be leveraged through the agreement. The streams included in the agreement are the Green Infrastructure Fund; Public Transit Fund; Community, Culture and Recreation Fund; and Rural and Northern Communities Fund, which includes the Arctic Energy Fund.
Projects benefitting from this funding will also help support the mandate and priorities of this Legislative Assembly. Upgrades to community infrastructure will improve quality of life for residents and increase local capacity. Transportation projects, such as ongoing highway rehabilitation, will provide for safer and more efficient intercommunity mobility. Funding for energy projects will support the implementation of the 2030 Energy Strategy and Action Plan and help us meet greenhouse gas reduction targets and stabilize the cost of living. Projects that support food security will increase the long-term stability of our communities. Expanded broadband connections will modernize our society and help address our ongoing communication technology requirements.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure expects to be prepared to submit applications for a few projects that could begin in early 2018-2019 to Infrastructure Canada. Mr. Speaker, the signing of the Integrated Bilateral Agreement with Infrastructure Canada is good news. Going forward, further opportunities exist to leverage infrastructure funding for the Northwest Territories under various application-based programs under the Investing in Canada Plan.
In November, the Government of the Northwest Territories submitted comprehensive project proposals for the Slave Geological Province Access Corridor and Mackenzie Valley Highway to Transport Canada for funding consideration under the National Trade Corridors Fund. Up to $400 million in funding is being dedicated to transportation projects in the three territories under this program. The Government of the Northwest Territories' proposals identify funding for all project phases, with a focus on next priority phases, to help advance these corridors as committed to under our 25-year Transportation Strategy and the Government of the Northwest Territories mandate. It is anticipated that decisions around this first round of proposals will be made in April.
Mr. Speaker, project proposals sent to Transport Canada under the National Trade Corridors Fund will also be shared with the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which allows for an opportunity to fund these projects under the bank instead. The Infrastructure Bank will focus on large, transformative, revenue-generating projects, which could potentially include the Slave Geological Province Access Corridor and Taltson Hydro Expansion Project. At this time, we are still awaiting additional details about when the Infrastructure Bank will become operational.
Mr. Speaker, there is also an opportunity to invest in NWT marine facilities under the Oceans Protection Plan. Transport Canada has announced its intention to invest $94.3 million over five years in safety equipment and basic marine infrastructure in at least 30 northern communities in the NWT and Nunavut. This funding could be used to support the operations of Marine Transportation Services and upgrade marine landing sites in communities, enhancing the delivery of essential materials to residents and businesses. Expanding marine infrastructure along the Mackenzie River and Arctic coast would provide new opportunities for shipping throughout this important marine corridor and support industry operations contributing to important economic growth.
Mr. Speaker, the strength of our partnership with the federal government is once again allowing us to advance our infrastructure priorities. The strategic investment announced today will result in long-term benefits to residents that result in stronger, more sustainable communities and a vibrant and prosperous Northern economy. As usual, I will continue to keep Members apprised of the success of our infrastructure funding submissions going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last fall the Minister of Health and Social Services tabled his department's Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action Plan for 2017-2022. This is work I am very interested in, work that is very important to people of my region. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken many times in this House about mental health, mental healthcare, and the need to enhance suicide prevention programs in our communities.
As you know, when it comes to mental health, our small and remote communities have unique challenges that demand targeted solutions. For example, we are less likely to have resident healthcare workers, and it is much more difficult to access specialized care. While the close-knit ties of our communities can be a strengthening asset, they can also sometimes make it harder for patients to maintain their privacy, Mr. Speaker. However, we are not alone in facing these challenges. Mental healthcare and suicide prevention are two areas where we can learn a lot from our fellows in the circumpolar world.
I believe that, as our government develops its youth-focused programs, it could benefit greatly from observation of and engagement with some of these international initiatives.
For example, Project CREATeS is a project shared between Canada, Finland, and the Inuit Circumpolar Council.
Mr. Speaker, CREATeS stands for Circumpolar Resilience, Engagement and Action Through Story. The plan is to engage youth, elders, and other community members in digital storytelling workshops, helping youth to engage with their traditional cultures and to establish historical records that will keep those traditions alive in the years to come. Mr. Speaker, sharing circles will also provide a critical after-care component.
Mr. Speaker, nation-to-nation collaboration doesn't just mean partnerships between federal governments. It can also mean partnerships between settler-colonial and Indigenous governments or between Indigenous governments. Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the GNWT join the Yukon and Nunavut as northern territories to encourage collaboration and care across our borders. After all, the borders between territories, Mr. Speaker, are not borders between Indigenous groups.
I would also like to see the Government of the Northwest Territories work to engage with Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and other Indigenous governments in the Territory. Any initiative that brings youth and elders together to engage community care is a good thing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Ms. Ruby Jumbo, senior administrative officer for the Sambaa K'e First Nation, for winning the Local Government Administrator of the NWT, Senior Administrative Officer of the Year for 2017.
Ruby's selection for Outstanding SAO of the Year was announced during the association's 2017 annual general meeting by Grant Hood, senior administrative officer of the town of Inuvik and LGANT president.
Ruby has been a resident of Sambaa K'e all her life. Ruby worked for Sambaa K'e First Nation for a total of 23 years with different responsibilities, nine years as a summer student. Right after that, she did two years as senior administrative officer.
However, Ruby felt she was too young and missed the theory component of the position and went back to school for five years. After completing school, she immediately gained the position of senior administrative officer and served in that capacity since 1995.
Sambaa K'e First Nation's members, elders, youth, and staff feel that the organization and community is lucky to have such a culturally strong, motivated, humble individual to guide them. Ruby is always motivated to support her community and its members to become educated, trained, and to keep their tradition, to be respectful of one another and others. Ruby is one of the biggest advocates for incorporating traditional ways into the workplace, two of which consist of healing and practising Dene Zhatie daily.
One of Ruby's best attributes is that she is very keen on community wellness and unbelievably skilled at finding funding sources to continue running programs geared toward healing of the community members. Not only does she find funding sources for the community wellness program, but also programs for creating employment for Sambaa K'e First Nation and its community members.
She finds job rotation important and has helped implement a job-sharing program in Sambaa K'e First Nation. Job sharing allows the community to employ other people. Ruby is not only senior administrative officer of Sambaa K'e First Nation. She is also a mother, aunt, cousin, niece, sister, teacher, and volunteer of the community.
Please help me recognize her on a job well done. Thank you, Ruby.
---Applause
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about homelessness in the NWT. Last year the City of Yellowknife released a comprehensive strategy paper titled "Yellowknife's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness." The plan contains many facts and figures regarding chronic homelessness issues that are facing all of the NWT, not only Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some of these key findings in the 70-page city plan, which includes topics such as migration, urbanization, rural homelessness, housing market trends, and housing needs, among others.
Mr. Speaker, the plan states that the issue of homelessness is directly related to Canada's history of colonization, which has not only resulted in many people without adequate shelter, but has disrupted many generations of families and entire Indigenous communities on a social and spiritual level. It is important to help accommodate all people who choose to live in Yellowknife and the NWT, regardless of the circumstances that brought them here.
Mr. Speaker, there are many social factors that push people into homelessness in the NWT, including things like no employment, poverty, and lack of housing. Moreover, it is crucial to know that these issues are not only Yellowknife problems, because we must also consider the fact that there are many reasons for people to relocate to Yellowknife from the smaller communities.
Some common reasons, Mr. Speaker, for people to relocate to Yellowknife from smaller communities includes seeking escape from trauma in their home communities, greater access to services, and an overall improvement in their well-being for themselves and their family. Unfortunately, in addition to these factors, one stark reality for some people is that, once a person ends up on the streets of Yellowknife, Yellowknife becomes a place of easy access to drugs and alcohol.
However, Mr. Speaker, the biggest factor for people relocating to Yellowknife from smaller communities is housing. Most of our small communities are seeing population increases, while the population across the NWT shows constancy. Mr. Speaker, we as a government have a duty and a responsibility to build our capacity to house homeless people. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In order to do that, we must look at homelessness from a broader perspective, meaning we must address its root causes, which will require years of work, yet an effective response can go a long way to working to improve people's lives and eradicate homelessness. After all, if other jurisdictions in Canada, like Medicine Hat, for example, can achieve such an amazing accomplishment as eradicating homelessness, then why can't we? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the past I've been hard on the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, and frankly, I feel I've had good reason for that. Continuing rate increases up to 40 per cent over seven years, changes to the Power Corporation's management structure that hardly suggest transparency, there's no mention about the Power Corporation's role in the new Energy Strategy, and, of course, the infamous generator debacle.
Look, we all recognize that the Power Corporation has a tough job; stagnant demand, rising costs and inflation, lower water levels, and aging infrastructure are real problems, and there's constant pressure to lower the cost of living by getting off diesel and to protect our environment through newer, cleaning technologies. These are real challenges that are not easy to overcome, but overcome them we must, Mr. Speaker. That's the demand of residents today and the legacy we must leave for future generations.
Having now received three generators from California and made other arrangements for the rest, the mystery of the missing generators is behind us, but there is still uncertainty, Mr. Speaker. Questions remain, and residents deserve answers. What is the government's long-term vision for the Power Corporation?
Halfway through the 18th Assembly, Mr. Speaker, in spite of our commitment to transparency and openness, we still have more questions than answers. Does the government intend the Power Corporation to remain an arm's length Crown corporation? That's what we've always been told, but by the Minister's own admission when questioned about dissolving the previous board, he said, and I paraphrase here, due to more government subsidies, the Power Corporation is becoming closer to becoming just another government department.
If it is a government department, its role should not be to compete against the private sector. In which case, how can it justify competing against private enterprise in Hay River? How can it justify offering lower prices in one community while residents of the capital, almost half the population of the NWT, pay a higher rate that is continually going up? Mr. Speaker, the public needs to know the plan and vision for power generation and distribution in the NWT. They need know when rates are going to stabilize. They need to know how we're going to transition to cleaner energy. Mr. Speaker, they need a government that will level with them.
At the appropriate time, I'll have questions for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to speak of the largest contributor to our economy, the source of continued growth and the real economic engine of the Northwest Territories. I am, of course, speaking about our mining industry, and I do appreciate the advocacy that our Ministers and government do to support the continued growth and development of the industry, which is why I was shocked to read the most recent Fraser Institute annual survey of mining companies from the year of 2017.
It's a survey that was electronically circulated to approximately 2,700 individuals between August 22nd and November 10th of 2017. It's an attempt to assess how mineral endowment and public policy factors such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty affect exploration interests. Jurisdictions are scored on an overall investment attractiveness index that takes both mineral potential and policy perceptions into consideration for a total final score. Respondents consistently indicate that 40 per cent of their investment decision is based on policy factors, which means geology matters most, but policy still plays a key factor.
Mr. Speaker, we score 8 in Canada; we score 42 in the world for policy perception; and 19 for geological potential, for a total score of 21 out of 91 respondents. Middle of the pack, Mr. Speaker, saved largely by favourable geography.
This is something that the Minister has addressed previously, but continues to dog our regulatory environment. The concern from industry is that it's just too hard to get things moving quickly in the Northwest Territories, and although we have a Premier who has travelled 20 times internationally, more than all other Premiers except two, last year alone, you would think we would have more investment opportunities to show for it. You would think that these lengthy trips to mining expos and to conferences would allow us to communicate that NWT difference, and yet we are still middle of the pack for investment, behind the Yukon, behind Saskatchewan, behind Ontario, behind Quebec.
We need to do a better job. If mining is the cornerstone of our economy, we should be number one in Canada, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions for the Minister to find out if he has a plan to take us there. Thank you.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in November 2016 the NWT Information and Privacy Commissioner received a complaint about the way the NWT Housing Corporation was collecting personal income to calculate rents for public housing tenants. The complaint was about a new policy making tenants give housing authorities permission to collect income and other information directly from the Canada Revenue Agency. Some tenants didn't want to provide direct access to their tax records. They asked for alternatives, such as continuing to report income on the basis of submitted documents. They were told there was no alternative, and if they didn't provide consent, the housing authority would charge full market rent and a failure to pay would result in eviction.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation had good practical reasons to change the annual income assessment. Public housing is, of course, subsidized, so income verification is necessary for spending public funds.
Annual reporting eliminated the need for 33,000 monthly income reviews a year across the NWT. Basing rent on income tax files promotes tax filing, giving low-income folks access to other federal programs such as the GST rebate and the Canada Child Benefit, these changes aligned closely with the income verification policies of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Health and Social Services. I believe that the NWT Housing Corporation had good intentions.
Investigating this complaint, the Information and Privacy Commissioner was told that monthly reporting was still an option for clients who were uncomfortable allowing access to CRA records, but in practice this turned out not to be the case.
The commissioner's ruling on the complaint said, "The right to privacy is about far more than the ability to keep things confidential. Privacy is about the right of the individual to choose what information is provided to whom and how." The ruling called on the Housing Corporation and its LHOs to amend its practices to provide an alternative method for annual reporting to make clear there are alternates to CRA consent and to make consent time-limited. I'll have questions for the Housing Minister. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last year in this House I raised the alarm about the length of time it takes for the rental office to process applications. Since 2011, there has been a steady decrease in the number of applications, but a steady increase of the length of time it takes to deal with them, until 2016-2017 that is, when that increase in time skyrocketed. During that time, almost half of the applications took longer than three months to process, and nearly half of those took more than four months. Earlier in this sitting the Minister stated that those numbers have since improved. Well, I sure hope so, Mr. Speaker, but there's still a long way to go.
I'm not criticizing the staff of the rental office. There are provisions in the Residential Tenancies Act that require landlords and tenants to settle disputes using the rental office, but the Department of Justice does not provide that office with the means to do its job in a timely manner. In Alberta, if a tenant commits a substantial breach, which includes things like not paying rent on time or committing illegal acts on the rental property, their landlord can evict them with 14 days' notice. If the issue is non-payment of rent, the only recourse that a tenant has is to pay the full amount owing.
In the NWT, only a rental officer can issue an eviction notice, which means that tenants who want to game the system can live rent-free for months. This happens all the time, Mr. Speaker, and it costs landlords countless thousands. To be clear, Mr. Speaker, when I say landlords, I'm not talking about a corporation that owns thousands of units and can absorb these extra costs. I'm talking about the small, independent landlords who might have one or maybe a few properties, and are just trying to get by or supplement their incomes.
The system doesn't just hurt landlords, either; it hinders the growth of our economy. Our system deters potential landlords from entering the market, which means fewer rental units and higher rents for tenants. Renters in Hay River feel these effects every day, Mr. Speaker. The lack of rental housing also makes it extremely difficult for businesses to attract out-of-town employees, which are desperately needed to address our labour gap and grow our economy. It also makes it difficult for organizations like the Hay River Health Authority to attract employees, which has a direct effect on the health of our residents.
Mr. Speaker, these are all issues that I've brought up before in this House, and I could go on. At the appropriate time, I'll have questions for the Minister of Justice, and if I have time, questions for the Minister whose department makes two thirds of the applications to the rental office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I have raised concerns regarding our support for post-secondary education in this House several times during this Assembly. The Minister of Education allowed Aurora College to cut the teacher education and social work programs as part of Cabinet's fiscal strategy and before efforts were made to improve them. He announced a foundational review on Aurora College and then got rid of the Aurora College Board. There appears to be little done to respond to the recommendations from the 2013 Cleveland review of Aurora College.
The steering committee for the foundational review is made up only of GNWT staff, without any outside expertise in post-secondary education system development. Advocates for the social work program had to go public before they were included in the consultations. Organized labour was not included, either. There seems to be little under way within ECE to develop a knowledge economy. The Minister focuses narrowly on Skills 4 Success and meeting big industry-focused labour market demand. Instead, he should be reshaping labour market demand by building on our assets, such as traditional knowledge, co-management regimes, cold weather technology, environmental remediation, and more. While the Yukon is heading towards the first university in northern Canada, we have our heads buried in the sand, or snow.
Where is the long-promised post-secondary education legislation? Where is the work to build a knowledge economy? Why do we not have the foundational review to study in this session? Where are the plans for this social work and teacher education program? Where is the leadership we need on post-secondary education? I'll have questions later today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and welcome Tim Moorhouse, of Chestermere, Alberta, who is chair of the Canada FASD Research Network. I truly appreciate the hard work he and the CanFASD Research Network do each year to support FASD education and awareness in Canada. Welcome to the House.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the members of the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee as visitors to the gallery today. The committee has been meeting this week to review applications for the Anti-Poverty Fund and prepare funding recommendations. This committee has been in place for two years now, and they are concluding their terms at the end of this month. I have greatly appreciated their input and guidance over the past two years, and I have deep respect for their commitment to NWT residents and communities. I'm happy to have them here with us today, and thank them for their support and their time as committee members. They are the committee chair, Mayor Mark Heyck of Yellowknife; Elder Pat Martel from K'atlodeeche First Nation; Nora Wedzin from Behchoko; Knute Hansen from Aklavik; Ruby Jumbo from Sambaa K'e; and Kyla Kakfwi-Scott, who is the senior advisor of the Anti-Poverty Committee. Once again, thank you all for being here. Thank you, Tim. Thank you for everybody for joining us today.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the LGANT 2017 award winner, and a constituent of the Nahendeh riding. Welcome, Ruby Jumbo, to the Legislative Assembly. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge Mayor Mark Heyck, a constituent of mine, and thank him for all the work he's done on behalf of the Anti-Poverty Steering Committee and as mayor of this community. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a constituent of mine. I'm going to try again, Mr. David Wasylciw, I think I might as well stick with "W," and a friend of mine, Nora Wedzin, in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize a good friend of mine, a former city council colleague of mine, and the mayor of Yellowknife, Mark Heyck. Welcome and thank you for being here.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I, too, would like to recognize Mayor Heyck. I had the pleasure of serving with him on city council and I want to thank him for all the work that he's done on behalf of our community. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
