The Member is asking for an opinion regarding a Minister's feelings. I will allow the Minister to respond if he wishes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, domestic violence and family violence in the Northwest Territories is a long-standing problem, and we, as an Assembly, we as a group of 19 Members, have made it a mandate item. To that end, we have done work to develop a formula, and we've also improved and increased the amount of information we have out there to help break down the stigma.
Mr. Speaker, in the life of this Assembly, we are intending to and we will increase the funding that we provide to shelters. Is it, alone, enough to solve the problem of family violence here, in the Northwest Territories? Absolutely not, but it is an important part of the puzzle, as is creating additional awareness. One of the Members earlier today talked about forming another committee.
Mr. Speaker, we have relationships with important organizations that are doing important things to curb family violence here, in the Northwest Territories. The Department of Justice is doing a number of things as well. Do I think we've solved the problem of domestic violence in this Assembly? Absolutely not. Do I think we've taken important steps to help address it? Absolutely. Can more be done, and will more be done? Absolutely.
This is going to continue into the next Assembly because we're not going to find that magical light switch that turns off domestic violence. It's going to take all of us championing together, working together, getting the message out there, and opposing all those that are committing domestic violence, and telling them that it's wrong and that they need to take account for their actions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure, in regards to the Willow River Bridge near Aklavik. Mr. Speaker, a lot of work has been done over the last number of years. I'd actually like to thank the department for the contributions they have given us over the years. Mr. Speaker, it's not as simple as just buying a bridge and putting it in place, even though it sounds that easy. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of planning and engineering that has been completed to date, permits are in place, and we're now at the final stages for installing the bridge. Now, all we need is the proper funding to ensure that this work is actually done and the bridge is installed. So will the Minister continue to work with the community of Aklavik and their working group to secure funds to put the Willow River Bridge in place? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is there are still some outstanding issues with the Willow River Bridge; there is still some engineering work that needs to be completed, environmental approvals and permits that need to be put into place. What I can tell the House is, when the Premier and I were in Inuvik a couple of weeks ago, we took the time to meet with the Mayor and the regional director that we have for the northern region, to sit down and have a conversation about the challenges with getting this bridge completed. We've committed the regional director to sit down with all the proponents in Aklavik to have these discussions to see how we can move this project forward.
Mr. Speaker, like I mentioned in my opening comments, the engineering and planning has been completed and the permits are in place, so will the Minister commit to completing the Willow River Bridge by the end of the winter?
I will gladly sit down with the Member and make sure that the engineering work and the environmental approvals and permits are in place, but it's not Infrastructure's place to fund the completion of this bridge. We're going to have to figure out where we are going to get this money. I know from our bilaterals that we signed that there's a possibility that we can actually use something out of the bilateral around community funding with the Minister of MACA. We might have to have a look at that and what is going forward. We will continue to help support this initiative moving forward. If this work that the Member is stating is completed, it must have just been done here lately. We're certainly going to have to sit down and figure out a way as to how we're going to be able to fund this thing.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is a professional at finding funds for projects like this. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister knows, we have a short window to do this construction up near Aklavik because we don't have an all-season road there at this moment but our work needs to be done within the winter months. So we have a short window of about three to four months. Mr. Speaker, it's very important that we have this money to complete this bridge. We're at the final stages, like I mentioned, so, now more than ever, we need this funding to complete this work. I'm glad the Minister is willing to sit down with the community, and I'm sure, once we do our tour there, we'll be able to sit down. However, would the Minister be willing to meet within the next couple of days? I know he's travelling tomorrow, but we have this evening to meet with our community leader who is actually in the community, in the city, at the moment, so will he commit to a meeting this evening?
I think the Member offered to buy me supper, so I'm coming. I can make time to meet with the MLA and the community leader after session today. Well, we have a meeting after session, but this evening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, like many other Members, I spoke about the crisis of family violence and the need for the GNWT to mobilize like it's actually addressing the crisis. I heard that the government is undertaking cross-jurisdictional analyses of best practices, but I'm afraid that's not the silver bullet that is going to address this problem. So, in the meantime, we need to support the organizations that are on the front line, supporting the victims of family violence. One of those organizations is the Family Support Centre in Hay River. They provide a safe space for people fleeing family violence. They've had to demolish their old site, and they're right now working out of a temporary site. However, there is this Federal National Housing Strategy money, the Co-Investment Fund, that seems tailor-made for organizations like this. One of the necessary partners in this is the GNWT, and that's flowing through the Housing Corporation. I brought this to the Minister's attention, and they've reached out to the Family Support Centre, and the Housing Corporation has been working with the Family Support Centre. I'd like an update from the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation on what work has been done to date. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Member that some of our partners, our stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, that are on the front line doing the work for people, as we heard today, there were a lot of statements on victim services, and I appreciate the work that the Hay River Family Support Centre has been doing. I do know that the Member has brought this up before, especially when the federal government made the announcement on the Co-Investment Fund. He was on top of that and wanted to see what we can do in terms of partnering with the Hay River Family Support Centre.
I am committed, and I have gotten my staff to go and have a meeting with the Hay River Family Support Centre, as well as having chats with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to ensure that all the application guidelines and requirements are met. We are going to be having a meeting in the coming weeks to make sure that the application is done properly and that those types of funds that the Family Support Centre is looking for has been done properly so that they can have an opportunity to secure those funds.
I know it has taken a little bit of a long time, but as I mentioned, I am committed to working with the Member, working with the Hay River Family Support Centre, and making sure my staff is in contact with them to get their building up and running again so that they can provide the services for their community members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate that answer. I know the Minister stated that it is taking a long time, and with this federal money, there is a lot of information that they need. I appreciate that the department is helping the Family Support Centre get that information, but I think everyone would like to see this move a little quicker.
On the first day back of the sitting, I said I am here to light a fire under Cabinet, so that is what I am trying to do. Can we get things moving a little quicker? What kind of timeline can we expect before we actually see money start rolling out and we can see shovels in the ground?
I answered some questions last week in terms of how we had gotten shortchanged on the Northern Housing Fund. We are continuing to work with the federal government to ensure that we secure funding from them so that we can have strong partnerships.
I have always said that one of the strong points of the Housing Corporation is developing those partnerships. I have made two statements in the House about working with the Tlicho government, as well as working with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. This is another partnership that I want to get on, and we are just waiting to get some of these details, sign our bilaterals with the federal government, so we get that money flowing, so it goes to the communities, so it goes to initiatives such as the Family Support Centre, homelessness initiatives, housing initiatives, and we are continuing to put that pressure on the federal government.
I am committed to making sure that we get that funding so that our residents have a roof over their heads, our NGOs have a roof over their heads, so that they can provide these good programs. I just want to let the Member know that I don't have a timeline in place. We are still working with the federal government to ensure that we get that funding flowing to our government and then to the communities, as well as the Indigenous organizations and working with our NGOs.
I appreciate that answer. The Minister mentioned a lot of things there, homelessness, poverty, and often what accompanies family violence are situations like homelessness and poverty. It is not just the Family Support Centre in Hay River that provides support; there are also places like the soup kitchen, and they are also in need of a new building. This co-investment fund could be used for them as well. I have spoken with them a bit about it.
Would the Minister be willing to get his department to reach out to the soup kitchen in Hay River to see if he can also work with them to get an application in for a new building with this co-investment fund?
The NWT Housing Corporation has a lot of programs that we initiate to assist places like the soup kitchen. One of the ones that comes to mind is the Small Community Homelessness Fund, in terms of providing O and M for such organizations like that. I know we have other departments that provide O and M costs, whether it's for a soup kitchen or the Family Support Centre.
However, if we are looking at infrastructure investments, it is on an application base. We are working with CMHC, as well as our other stakeholders to look at investing in certain infrastructure projects like that. I would encourage the staff, the board, and the Member to maybe sit down with myself, and we can see what we can do moving forward, but we are committed to working with our stakeholders, our NGOs, Indigenous governments, to address some of these issues.
Like I mentioned, we are going to continue to put pressure on the federal government so that we get dollars that can actually go out into the communities to provide homes and provide infrastructure and projects for our residents of the Northwest Territories.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If I arrange something between the soup kitchen and the Housing Corporation, can the Housing Corporation sit down with the board and figure out how to move forward with this? This co-investment fund, it is a big application. The feds want a lot of information, and the Housing Corporation has been good at helping navigate that.
If I set something up, will he commit that his department can sit down and see how the soup kitchen can access this money to get a new building? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
From my understanding, the soup kitchen that the Member is referencing does do a lot of programs for a lot of people in the community, and I know that they probably do need more space to allow people to go in and have a meal. It would be a proposal, an application base, as I mentioned earlier with the Hay River Family Support Centre.
We are working with that organization, as well as CMHC, to make sure that all the application guidelines are understood and that the requirements are met so that they can meet the requirements to get funding. We would have to see a proposal, we would have to sit down, and I think that is the next step we take from this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week and yesterday I was asking questions of the Minister of Lands. He has informed me through an email about his department and regional staff, and they are doing a great job. I have to give the regional staff kudos for the job that they are doing. They have met with Acho Dene, and tomorrow they will be meeting with the DFN.
Will the Minister, after his staff has a meeting with these two IGOs, will he be willing to provide that presentation to us so that we can now share it with other people? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned yesterday, we did send a series of letters out to IGOs, and we are commencing engagement with them. We want to build a good relationship with them, and to that end, I don't think there would be much benefit in making the document or our plans public at this stage.
I know that some information has been provided to committee as to our plans with respect to this complex matter. We are just at stage one, which involves consulting with and hearing from Aboriginal groups, and we don't want to do anything that might adversely affect that important relationship. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for the non-answer again. It is really discouraging, very discouraging, to see this government is downloading on the IGOs. They are saying, "Here you go. Here you go." They are not taking responsibility. We are trying to get information out there.
The Minister said it was stage one or step one. Will the Minister please explain how many stages there are through this since we get this information out there? How many stages are there? The Minister talks about a letter; it is stamped confidential, so we can't even share this information.
Can the Minister tell us how many stages are there?
There are several stages, and we are only at stage one.
Now, the Member opposite has talked about the information and the plans that we do have. We do not want to intervene between Aboriginal groups and their members. We are consulting with them. They, doubtless, will pass on information to their members. I don't think it would be appropriate or sensible for us to intervene between leadership and members.
I hear the Minister saying you don’t want to get in between the IGOs and their members. Well, some of those members actually are constituents of mine. They are asking me these questions. The trapper that is out there has a cabin there. He sometimes doesn’t go to these meetings, but the Minister wants the DFN or the Acho Dene First Nations to go out there and get that information. When the Minister talks about several stages, is it 100 stages? Is it four stages? Is it 10 stages? Can the Minister tell us how many stages are there and what the final result will be?
I mentioned that we do not want to intervene between the Aboriginal groups, Aboriginal governments, and their members. It is important that the leadership hears from us as to what our plans are, consults with us, and then deals directly with their members. I think that we do not want to intervene between those two groups of leadership and members. The Member asked about how many stages. There are several stages. We are just at the first stage. Our ultimate goal is to resolve this very complex issue, but we are only at stage one.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Stage one, is that the only number he knows? Really, I have asked the question: how many stages are there? Stage one, yes. We know that. We are trying to find out how many stages are there. Is it 100? At the end of the day, who makes the final decision on, what is it called? Rights-based cabins. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There are far less, Mr. Speaker, than 100 steps. I am pleased to advise the House, [English translation not provided].
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the following questions concerning the performance of the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission, addressed to the honourable Minister of Finance:
1. What are the total sales of cannabis products by the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission and its vendors by quantity, price, volume, and number of customers;
2. What are the total sales of each individual cannabis product by the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission and its vendors by quantity, price, volume, and number of customers;
3.
What is the quantity and type of cannabis products distributed to each cannabis vendor by the NWT Liquor and Cannabis Commission in the Northwest Territories; and
4.
What are the total sales of cannabis products purchased through the NWT Liquor and Cannabis commission online store by quantity, price, volume, and number of customers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 385-18(3): Community Landfills and Waste Disposal." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Friday, October 26, 2018, I will move that Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Notices of motion for first reading of bills. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Friday, October 26, 2018, I will move that Bill 26, Statistics Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to take into consideration Tabled Document 255-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2018-2019, and Tabled Document 256-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Operations), No. 3, 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
