The Form F is actually a form that is signed to show either you have a status number, or if you're Metis, actually you're signed by your band or your Metis association. In fact, I don't see any reason why, once someone has been acknowledged as falling within the Form F that they have Indigenous rights based on being from the Territories, that we should be asking, so if we're doing that, I'm hoping it's a mistake. If we're doing that purposely, it should be fixed, and we will make sure that we look at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Members heard from my Member's statement, there is some concern around the commitment to privatize retail opportunities for cannabis in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission give the House an update as to the privatization process to date? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, cannabis has been legal for just going on seven months now. We did make a commitment that we were going to look at privatizing the sale of cannabis. It is a very long, lengthy process, and we make those who are interested aware of that. The Member was correct in his Member's statement before, I think he mentioned the date May 29th, that has been extended to June 30th. Part of that is at their request, because there was a criminal record check that was required, and rather than sticking to a hard date and possibly eliminating someone who might be potential retailers, we thought we'd extend the date and give them the opportunity to get that work done. So it is a lengthy process. Those who applied are made aware of that, and they understand that, and it's something that we're going to commit that we're going to do this right and make sure we have the proper people out there who would be retailers for cannabis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That explanation is greatly appreciated and, again, sometimes investors are looking at these changes and don't quite understand them, so I appreciate the Minister coming forward with that information. To my knowledge, there are around 20 applications in. How many retail opportunities is the GNWT considering through their assessment so far? Are we looking at multiple stores in Yellowknife? Are we looking at single stores in Inuvik, where they do not have a cannabis retail outlet? Can the Minister provide any new content to that point?
As the Department of Finance, I don't believe we have a set number of the amount of stores that we might allow in each district or each community. We would work closely with the municipal governments. Obviously, they would have a very important say as to how many of these outlets they might want to have in their community, so we would work with them and see if we can come up with an agreeable solution. So, again, it's not one that we're going to decide, we're going to make the decision when it's final; we'll work with those who would be directly impacted by the number of retailers in their community.
I know that the Yellowknife City Council, for example, has had some debate around how this is going to operate, so it's good to hear that the Minister is working directly with distributors. There has been some movement on the production side of cannabis in Canada, with a number of boutique cannabis strains being approved by Health Canada, et cetera. Is the NWT Cannabis Commission considering expanding its inventory and bringing more strains and entering into more supply agreements so we can diversify our product base and give consumers more choice?
It is something that we would consider. If the consumers are looking for a particular type of product or if there is a particular type of product that is more popular than others, then obviously I think the commission would look at having that readily available. So, again, it's a new process. We've been going through it for a while now. We ran into some issues at the start with supply; those issues seem to have been resolved, and we're starting to move forward. Just for the record, I think that we've had about $1.6 or $1.7 million in sales so far; $1.6, I believe, in sales so far. Again, as to consumer demands and consumer choices, we will work and try to make sure we have those types of products available for consumers who are interested.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I assume, once we have these private retail stores, we'll get a better sense of the consumer base out there. Many people have commented to me on the somewhat absurd situation where we will have private cannabis stores before we have private liquor retail stores. Is the department willing to consider the example they're setting by privatizing cannabis retail to extend that to alcohol? Thank you.
Not at the moment, Mr. Speaker. We have our liquor retailers in each region, and I think I'd be a little hesitant. Again, I'd be a little hesitant in expanding the number of liquor stores and making liquor a little more available to those who are feeling the effects of it. So, again, we may need to do a review of the whole operation, and I think it's one where we can provide some advice to the incoming government of the 19th, and maybe start some of the work now and doing a review of the overall liquor and cannabis distribution in the Northwest Territories, but at the moment, we're not looking to open a private retailer for liquor more than we need to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Justice. I know the Minister is aware of the Guthrie House Therapeutic Community in Nanaimo, and his officials are working to set up a similar program at the South Slave Correctional Centre. Can the Minister tell us whether the program in the South Slave will assist inmates to find housing on their release? Thank you
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reintegration of inmates back into society, of course, is a very important part of the correctional system. I also had the opportunity to go to Guthrie House. Currently there is no transitional housing specific to individuals. We could look at that, but there is a housing shortage throughout the Northwest Territories, and I don't know where this would be in our priorities, but we do realize the importance of reintegrating those who are incarcerated back into society. Thank you.
Thank you to the Minister for that question. Are there any supports in place now that would assist inmates to find housing on their release?
Yes. Institutional case managers and community probation officers work with other government departments to assist an inmate in navigating and accessing community resources and housing upon the return to their communities. We are aware, of course, that there are housing shortages throughout the Northwest Territories, and this is an important issue for inmates being reintegrated.
Is there any possibility that the Minister of Justice could work with the Minister of Housing to look at alternatives to releasing inmates into homelessness, such as, for example, transitional housing, so that it is possible to stop the cycle of people failing because they don't have stable housing and going back into the justice system?
I am always happy to work with the Minister of Housing with respect to issues such as this, but I think that we have to recognize that there are housings issues throughout the Northwest Territories. We do realize, however, that this is a particular problem for those who are attempting to reintegrate into their communities.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that answer. I wonder if the Minister would start on a small scale and try a pilot project in which staff could assist inmates to find housing, maybe just in one community, in order to maintain the department's investment in their wellness. I am thinking, in one of the communities where there is a correctional centre, that there be a pilot project and the Minister gauge the results of ensuring that inmates have housing on their release, in order to see whether, in fact, that brings down rates of people going back into jails. Thank you.
As I have mentioned, case managers and community probation officers work with various departments as they attempt to reintegrate those who are in custody back into their communities. I don't think that I can commit to a pilot project. I will speak to the Minister of Housing regarding this concept, but I don't think that we can make any commitments at this time. Thank you.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. As I mentioned, over the last couple of years here, we have been reusing the material in our river system to be used for our landings. I would like to ask the Minister: why is the department reusing the gravel, even though it is mostly mud and clay? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a couple of things around this, and we have talked about the river levels in, particularly, the MLA's riding, how it has fluctuated, and then some flooding, then it's not flooding. We have low water.
The gravel landings are closely monitored to keep an eye on the situation, but to update this House, so that all Members know, we have to be in compliance, mostly, with our water licence use, which is given out by the Gwich'in Land and Water Board. We have to comply by that licence. That is the Member's riding; that's his people, the GTC, their land and water board, and we have to be in compliance with this. We tried to minimize the impact on the ferry landings, and we will continue to reuse the gravel for as long as it is still good to use, and then, when it is not, we will be replacing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister answered my next question, so I will just move on to my third. Is the real reason why we are not using pit-run on our ferry landings because we now have to pay for this material?
The department makes every effort to do what we can. If we have to reuse this gravel to save money, that is what we are doing, making sure that we are not wasting our money, but like I said, we have to follow the provisions in the land and water board's licence. We are trying to minimize the effect on this.
We had questions last year from people who live close to the ferry landing about the disturbances that are taking place there. We realize that people are making a living in that area, they are fishing in that area, and we have to minimize the use of gravel and reuse the gravel as much as we can and try to do the best that we can to comply with our licence.
Over the last couple of years here, my constituents in Tsiigehtchic are getting frustrated because we now have to wait for the water to drop, like, over a matter of two to three days, or more, in some cases. That is because we don't have the material to build these landings like we did in the past. When I used to be a heavy equipment operator, for example, on the Fort McPherson landing, I have seen it where they have built out the landing about 100 to 150 metres, and that was just to get the operations going in the spring; so I know it could be done. Will the department go back to the practice that we have always done, using the best quality gravel for our ferry landings?
I will have to find out exactly what spec of gravel we are using here, but I suspect that it is probably the same stuff that we are crushing and using at a lot of different locations around the ferry system. Another thing in our licence through the Gwich'in Land and Water Board is that they told us to keep the gravel to a minimum, and that is part of our licence. That is one of the reasons that we aren't stockpiling gravel in that region.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now I will probably have to go and deal with the communities to talk to the RRCs; I know this was one of the concerns that came up there. We realized that it is having an impact on our community residents. Will the department, if the Gwich'in Land and Water Board say that it is okay to use this material, will they go back to that practice that we have always had? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I could certainly have a discussion with the department to find out the history of this. As I have said in this House now, we are compliant with our water licence. That is what we have to follow, and if the Gwich'in come back with something different, then we can certainly look at the situation and make accommodations where it is fiscally responsible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. This time of the year is time for graduations, and this department, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, aside from the Department of Health and Social Services, is the second-biggest department in the GNWT. Can the Minister please inform us of the results of the various education initiatives undertaken over the past few years to renew our education system and motivate our students? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are just in the process, actually, of doing a review of our education renewal, all of the initiatives, but I can talk about a few that have been successful, not based on statistics, but just on what we are seeing.
Our Northern Distance Learning, huge success. Again, I don't have the stats to show that. We are just reviewing it now. I will use Ulukhaktok as one of my examples. I know there are other communities. Three students who graduated from Grade 12 in that community who would have normally had to take upgrading have now got the credentials that they can actually go to post-secondary. Two of them, I believe, went straight into post-secondary. That is a huge success, in my opinion, without the statistical background. Other communities are seeing the same.
Our six career and education advisors who we are just bringing in now, that won't be a part of the evaluation now. I think that is critical. These positions are just piloting the six. They are piloting our new pathways. Their whole job is to help get kids engaged, to keep them going forward, to actually help them pick out what career, what courses they need to get into the career that they do.
It is not limited to high school, which is another thing I like. It is actually up to age 24, so a part of that is getting kids back. Sorry. Anyone under 30 is, to me, a kid because I am old. Getting these students back in school is important. I think that is a huge success. Again, that won't be reviewed now because it is just starting, but I think that is a missing piece.
The other thing that I really think that we are working on and I am really proud of is Indigenizing our curriculum. We have seen that in the MLA's own riding, how it can be an advantage to students who have their language. It is part of self-esteem. It is part of giving us pride. I always say, as a social worker, when people feel good about themselves, they make better, not the best sometimes, but better decisions in their life. Indigenizing our education is part of that, and I am a huge proponent of that. Again, we will have to wait to see the results of that, but I think that most Members can say that that is a good step.
The other thing that I really want to focus on, too, is the partnership with Health and Social Services in bringing youth mental health workers into our schools. Again, it is a new initiative; it hasn't been tested yet. The rates of suicide, the rates of children dropping out of schools, the rates of kids developmentally, teenage-hood is a horrible time. When kids are teenagers, it is known, it is researched that they switch. They go from being that beautiful little child to, "Oh my goodness. There is a pimple on my nose, and everybody is going to be picking on me." Often with that, they need extra help. Sometimes, parents don't have that capacity, or the teachers, so having mental health teacher supports in the schools, I think, is going to be critical.
As well, we are doing things like looking at our Literacy in the Disciplines initiative. We are trying to get more literacy. We are trying to get more numeracy into the lower grades. I think those are some of the initiatives that we are working on that, personally, Mr. Speaker, I am quite proud of. This wasn't all my work. I know this was from Ministers before, but whoever brought them in, it was a great idea. I am hoping that we will continue them into the future.
Some very good initiative in that. I actually ran out of space in terms of writing about seven key initiatives that the Minister has undertaken. There are some challenges. One of the challenges that we are well aware of is attendance rates in small communities. Can the Minister please tell us why attendance rates are not improving?
Attendance rates are a huge concern. I don't really have the answer to why they are not improving. Everybody, in my opinion, has been kind of blaming everybody else. Everyone is afraid of it. They are saying, "Is it the parents' responsibility? Is it the Aboriginal governments' responsibility? Is it the community's responsibility? Is it the teachers' responsibility?" Those questions are not okay for me.
I have actually brought it up at the Education Leaders, which has all of the chairs and the superintendents from all of the regions' 10 education boards, councils, authorities. I said this is an issue. I had to bring it up twice because I think they were afraid of it. I said, "It is an issue for me, and so I want it on the agenda." I said, "We need to look at possible solutions because it is easy to say, 'If the kids don't get there, it is not our problem,' but it becomes our problem because these children coming later, they might not have the qualifications. They hold up other studies. We have to spend more time. We need to tackle this."
Unfortunately, the last Education Leaders meeting has happened for this Assembly. I have brought it up to them. I asked it to be on the agenda, and I am hoping that the Minister in the next Assembly will carry this forward, because it is not okay that our children are not going to school.
Can the Minister please tell us whether she will support a reduction of funding to schools where attendance and enrolment rates decline?
Currently, actually, the funding model doesn't impact if a student doesn't attend. There is no consequence. However, if the student doesn't register at the beginning of the year, there could be an impact in the funding formula because the funding formula is based on the first month of enrolment. Then after that, it is provided for the rest of the year. They are always kind of a year behind. I am not 100 percent satisfied with the funding formula. Other MLAs have asked me about that. In fact, other superintendents have had issues with that, and chairs.
I have actually committed to doing a funding review, looking across Canada to see what other jurisdictions are doing and seeing if there is a better way that we can actually provide this funding because the way that we do it now, it lays people up. If it is based on how many people are enrolled, this comes from superintendents, it can lead to schools actually falsifying their enrolment rates. That didn't come from me. That came from a superintendent.
The other thing, like I said, it can be penalizing for smaller communities. People are not having 10 children anymore. They are having two, three, maybe one, so our rates of children are going down. We have to look at that because it has the potential to really have a harmful effect on our smallest communities.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in my questions, the Minister had stated that she has posed to the chairs of the various education authorities throughout the NWT in terms of addressing the attendance issue and who is responsible for it. My question is: can the Minister please advise of the department's plans to address the issues of low attendance with the proposed changes to our post-secondary landscape? Mahsi.
I am a bit confused because post-secondary education, of course, attendance is not mandatory at all. That is about the student actually applying for their own future. I don't think there is any post-secondary across Canada that makes attendance be a requirement. Like I said, though, there are requirements that say children who are over six and under 16 must be registered in school. Although it doesn't say they have to attend every day, they need to attend to be able to keep up and to be successful. It is an issue that we need to address. I am not willing to say it is parents. I am not willing to say it is because of residential schools. I am not willing to say it is teachers. What I am willing to say is that it is our issue as a society, and we have an obligation to take care of it. I am hoping that the Minister in the next Assembly will take this as a priority as I did and deal with this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
