Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Premier as the Minister responsible for implementing the Cabinet policy on naming new government buildings. On November 1st last year, I asked the Premier to start the process of finding a name for the government's new office building in Yellowknife. Four months later, a call went out for suggestions to name buildings in Yellowknife, Fort Simpson, and Inuvik, with nominations closing March 15th. Where do we stand now on getting names selected, and what is the target date for the announcement? Thank you.
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northwest Territories residents were invited to submit their ideas for naming the Government of the Northwest Territories-owned buildings through an ad campaign that started the week of February 18th. Nominations were open until the 15th of March. I am pleased to advise the Member and this House that the Government of the Northwest Territories has received a total of 89 naming ideas from the public for the naming of three government office buildings located in Fort Simpson, Inuvik, and Yellowknife.
Thank you to the Premier for that answer. So, leading on from the 89 suggestions, could the Minister tell us what process is in place to make a selection of those names and who is part of that selection process?
Twenty-two submissions were for the Inuvik government building, three submissions were received for the Fort Simpson government building, and 64 submissions were received for the Yellowknife government building. The campaign to name these buildings was launched with a website, in the newspaper, and on social media platforms. Letters were also sent to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning as well as Indigenous governments and municipal heritage committees. The guidelines for selecting names for Government of the Northwest Territories-owned office buildings sets out how the nominations will be evaluated. Nominations received in honour of deceased persons who have made significant contributions to public life and the well-being of residents are also eligible for consideration.
Using the answer that the Premier just gave, then there were 109 ideas for names, in any case, a lot of names. Who is going to evaluate the selection? Who is going to evaluate the possibilities using the criteria established?
Each nomination will be considered based on how the proposed building name reflects historical, cultural, and geographic significance. The submissions have been referred to the Northwest Territories Honours Advisory Council to provide a recommendation to the Executive Council on a name for each of the three government office buildings. Executive Council will consider the recommendations once they are received.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Premier for that answer. At what point should we expect to hear a recommendation or in fact a decision from the Executive Council?
My expectation is that we should expect something within the next few months, hopefully before the August session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
