Thanks, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that information. My last question, Mr. Speaker, is: I understand that the Government of Canada has dedicated funding for Indigenous housing. Can the Minister tell us where we are at with allocations under this fund for the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.
We have had meetings with various federal Ministers across the board on funding for on-reserve, off-reserve. In terms of housing, we have worked with, I have said in the House before, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. They were successful working with ITK to get funding to do some work, and then they partnered with us to look at our capital planning and our strategy, and that came right from the federal government. That went to the national Indigenous organization. One of the, I won't say the "priorities," but focuses out of that summit that we did up in Inuvik was to bring all of our Indigenous organizations together to lobby not only the federal government but the Assembly of First Nations and the national Metis organization to see how we can be recognized here in the Northwest Territories, because we are an over-50 percent Aboriginal population, that we should get some of the funding that the federal government gave to the NIOs and see how we can use that funding to address our housing issues across the Northwest Territories. We will continue to lobby not only the federal government but our NIOs, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As per my Member's statement, the state of community funding in the Northwest Territories has a major problem, and we have known about this problem for a long time. I would like to know what the Minister responsible of Municipal and Community Affairs has done to properly address the deficits and shortfalls in the municipal funding formula. Thank you.
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Let me catch my breath. No, just kidding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding strategy will be released prior to the end of this session. I do know that Members are being, I won't say "pressured," but I know they are getting questions on how do we address the funding gap. We will be releasing a funding strategy prior to the end of this session. We have taken input from the NWT Association of Communities since I have been in this position. We have had meetings with the executive. We have let them know that this funding is really for, I won't say the core need, but, you know, what are the priorities for their communities. We will continue to work with them.
In terms of the strategy right now, I think that is going to be something that the 19th Assembly is going to have to really take a hard look at and continue to work with the federal government on how do we address municipality shortfalls. The climate change is going to be a big one, especially up here in the North, that we need to address. We are already seeing it. We have met with the NWT Association of Communities, and we will provide feedback by the end of this Assembly on how we are moving forward. In reality, Mr. Speaker, this is going to be something that is going to need to be addressed in the next government.
Well, this is not just something that Members are getting pressure from now. It's something that Members have advocated for for four years, since we got elected, and to hear that it's going to be the next government's problem is a naked example of passing the buck to our successors. What can be done in this sitting to address these issues?
---Laughter
We have a capital budget -- and the Ministers laugh at this request. This is a request that has been brought forward by the NWTAC. This is a request that has been brought forward by community leaders time and time again, and, to be met with laughter now? Mr. Speaker, we have an upcoming capital budget that includes funding for municipalities. Is there a way that this Minister will advocate for our communities, in consideration of that budget?
I do apologize. You know, I did laugh, but, at the same time, it does not fall only on us as a territorial government. There has also got to be responsibility in terms of the priorities that our municipalities have in their communities. We made some big announcements today. We made some big announcements yesterday with the federal government, and we are addressing some of these issues, and they are big issues. In terms of the funding gap from our territorial government, we will continue to work with our partner, which is the NWT Association of Communities. You know, like I said, I do apologize that I did laugh, but we are doing things, we are working, we are investing, and, as Members know, as all leadership know, we are in a four-year cycle, and, at some points, it doesn't always fall on the same timeline, but we all have to work together to address the needs. In some cases, these needs were not addressed in the past, but we are working with our mayors, or leadership, and we all have to work together to see where our priorities are, and we will continue to do that.
The federal government comes through with the gas tax funding; it comes through with additional money. This is not a federal issue. This is our issue. We created this formula, and we are not funding it. That is the issue here. This gap is entirely the responsibility of this government, no other government. I am sure the municipal governments respect what the Minister is bringing forward in support to get those federal dollars, but it's not enough. We need to plug it here, so has the Minister met with the newly elected mayor in council since the last election, and the NWTAC, and heard from them on this issue, and what have they told him?
Yes, I have met up with the NWTAC executive on numerous occasions since I have been elected, and I did let them know that the funding that we provide through our capital planning programs is for priorities in the communities. I did let them know that we also need to lobby the federal government and that we continue to need to work together to address the funding gap issue. It's something that's not going to be easily fixed, and I think everybody in this room knows that it's not going to be easily fixed. We need to work together to see how we can find a solution, but it's going to be something that this government within the two weeks we have left is not going to be addressing. I will let the Member know that I have met with them on numerous occasions, the executive, and we did have this discussion.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister keeps talking about priority projects and prioritizing municipal infrastructure needs, and that sounds like a different process than what this funding is. Can he just clarify if the municipal funding gap is somehow conditional on municipal priorities or if it's funding that is flowed through to the municipalities? Because the issue I am talking about is funding that flows through as a transfer to our community governments that they can then use. The Minister is talking about working on priorities, which are, you know, a completely different ball game, so can he clarify what he is talking about? Thank you.
Yes. You know, you have got to look at the priorities for each community. Do you want sewage and water, or do you want a nice gym? You know, we are all elected leaders here across the Northwest Territories. Do you want safe water, or do you want a nice swimming pool? If I can put it in that context, then I will. You know, do you want a nice track and field, or do you want people provided with the essentials? You know, we talked about housing earlier today, and we just want people to have a roof over their heads, but, when we have municipalities that are asking for above and beyond what the essential needs are for our people just to have a normal type of life, I mean, those are the decisions that we have to make. As elected officials in territorial government, as elected officials throughout the municipalities and the hamlets, those are the discussions that we need to have, and we all have a responsibility to address that.
Moving forward, we will continue to have those discussions. We are not passing the buck, Mr. Speaker. If we had an endless credit card, sure, yes, but right now, we don't. It is not just the territorial government. It is right across Canada and globally, and really affects how we do our business in the North.
Masi. Oral questions. Member or Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister responsible for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link. In my statement, I recounted how this was justified to this House as a means of connecting our communities to faster Internet services. All of the references portray the project as delivering high-speed fibre optic services in the communities. Can the Minister explain why the promised improvements to Internet service in the communities on the fibre link have not happened? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line is a backbone transport link to GNWT asset. Linking this backbone to the community is what's called the "last mile." This service is provided by the local service provider as GNWT is not in the business of providing local Internet service. Building this backbone significantly improved the telecommunications infrastructure in the Mackenzie Valley, replacing the aging and costly microwave system. It isn't accurate to say that there haven't been improvement or promises made. The only promises I make are to my grandchildren. We have seen new service providers enter the market in Inuvik and Norman Wells, and I have seen an increase in speeds in communities that was only made possible by the construction of the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic lines. It was officially opened, I think, in June of 2017, and we have seen improvements, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
That is great to hear about improvements in two of the many communities that the fibre optic line passes by or through. In addition to the examples I cited, though, we have the Premier on November 23, 2016, talking to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, "We are connecting all of our communities up and down the Mackenzie Valley." Given that the promise was to have service in the communities, what steps will the Minister take now to deliver on the promise and literally go the extra mile to ensure that the improvements and Internet service actually happen?
I would be interested to hear from some of the smaller communities down the valley to see if their services have improved at all. We know of the federal announcement where they have committed a whole bunch of money to improving broadband in northern communities, and I think our service providers up here was able to take advantage of some of that. We own Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line. I think we're responsible for getting it out to pop-out, as it's called in the community, and then their service provider would go from there.
Again, Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't be throwing around promises. I don't recall making a significant or a particular promise. What we have committed to do, and "committed" is probably a better word, is to improve the service to people down the Mackenzie Valley. I think that is happening, maybe not to the speed as to what the Member might like, but you can talk to people in a lot of the smaller communities, and I am sure they will agree that their service has improved significantly, and will continue to do so.
I didn't make those promises. Ministers did in this House, or even outside the House. All I am pushing for is to make sure that we fulfill those promises. There were further promises made to extend the fibre optic link to Tuktoyaktuk. Can the Minister explain the status of this work, its costs, and whether it will happen in advance of real connections and improvements in the communities that were supposed to be served by the fibre link in the first place?'
The GNWT has done some high-level estimates regarding the cost of extending the fibre line to Tuktoyaktuk. This project is being considered as part of the Investing in Canada Plan. The GNWT, we are committed to working on a more detail plan related to this project which will ultimately determine the final cost and timing.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for that. Let's move on to the promised revenue stream from the fibre link, which seems to be in the neighbourhood of about $3 to maybe $20 million, I'm not sure. The costs are set out in the public accounts at $3 million a year. Can the Minister explain what the anticipated revenues were supposed to be for this project and why they haven't panned out? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, revenue forecasts were developed for the project that were projected to increase over time. Revenue has grown at a pace of around 20 percent a year since the inception of the Mackenzie fibre optic line in 2017, and has met its projected forecast. With the recent approvals related to the Inuvik satellite station, I expect there will be more interest and, coming from small communities such as Inuvik, we see that interest firsthand. Finance continues to work with the federal government on the development of a satellite station facility to further increase revenue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral question. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier, ITI's relationship with the NWT Fishermen's Federation and its economic arm the Tu Cho Fishers Co-operative have fallen apart. This is very concerning because of major changes in the commercial fishing industry, such as the construction of a new fish processing plant and changes to the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. I have some questions for the Minister of ITI. The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging that it exists. Does the Minister acknowledge that the relationship between the fishers and the department are strained, and that the strain is negatively affecting the prospects of achieving the goals of the revitalization strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I do not believe the relationship with the Tu Cho fishermen are strained. Just because there was an article on CBC and an interview based on what an individual has said in the Northwest Territories, I would not say it is strained. I have talked to most of the fishermen since that article came out, and there is some real concern about what is being put out there by the press and our relationship with ITI and our staff. In particular, I don't appreciate this individual trying to single out our staff in Hay River who are doing a great job on this. He reaches out to the co-operative all the time, and we will continue to deal with him on a professional basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
No problem, I guess. Everything's peachy. Traditionally, when the GNWT would put forward a name of someone to sit on the board of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation, they would consult with the Fishermen's Federation. Earlier this year, the fisher who sat on that board received a letter saying that he had been removed. The federation had not been consulted, so it came as a surprise. They later learned that a bureaucrat would be filling that seat. The move directly contradicts the very first recommendation of the report of the Ministerial Advisory Panel on the Transformation of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation that was released last month by DFO after years of study. Why did the government choose to remove the fisherman from the Freshwater Board and fill it with a GNWT employee?
I am well aware of the Member's relationship with the person who we removed from this board. This guy was on the board for the last 20 years. You have a look at the fishing industry in Hay River and the challenges that we have had around the fishery in the Northwest Territories. The DFO was making changes. They have a governance model that they are looking at changing around the Freshwater Marketing Corporation, and due to the transition of this period that has to take place, I took the precedent of removing this person from the board when his appointment was done and insert our superintendent from Hay River.
Earlier I talked about the fact that the federation doesn't have a budget to hire the type of expertise that could help them fully engage on the development of the processing plant and move forward with the revitalization strategy. Can the Minister commit to providing adequate funding so that the federation can have someone who is working for them and in their best interest?
As I have said in the House, we work very closely with the Tu Cho Co-operative fishermen. We continually meet with them on a regular basis as the plant has moved forward. As all the Members know in this House, the plant is out for tender right now as we speak. We have already bought some of the equipment for this thing. Minister Moses announced a number of funding projects yesterday, and one of them is actually for the lift station to support this plant in Hay River, and we will continue to work with the Tu Cho fishery going forward. We are supporting them and will be assisting them with the manager of the fish operations of their plant. That is going to be developed around their business plan. They don't want to be locked down by some long-term person who we want to put in there. We have to continue to work in partnership and collaboration with the fishermen. We will continue to do that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the president of the federation and possibly some other members or advisors would like to meet with the Minister to iron out these issues and help repair this relationship. The fishermen are out on the lake. It might take some work to arrange a meeting. Can the Minister commit to making some efforts to find the time to make that meeting happen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Actually, they have already reached out to me. We set up a tentative date, and they could not make that date. I said that I would make myself available, but before I commit to doing that I told them that I wanted an agenda of what we want to talk about and who is going to be present at the meeting. I don't have an issue meeting with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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 Justice. As I mentioned, there are growing concerns with the wills and estates with my constituents. I would like to ask the Minister: what options do people have when trying to deal with a loved one's estate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are certain factors that are very important in dealing with estates; certainly, the size of the estate and whether there is a will or not. Now, the public trustee, in certain cases, will assist. Generally, however, they will accept administration of estates where the only beneficiaries are children, the beneficiary is a spouse and a senior citizen. It says over the age of 65, I think, on the website, but they will go as low as 60 in age. Or the beneficiary is mentally incapable or there are significant assets and no next of kin can be found. In other circumstances, generally, the next of kin should contact a lawyer.
If those criteria are met and some other factors come into play, if the deceased person stated in his will that the public trustee was to administer the estate, more commonly, the person dies without a will and there is no one else looking after the estate or the next of kin of the deceased stated in writing that they consent to the appointment from the public trustee as administrator and they have searched but are unable to find a will of the deceased, the public trustee can assist in those circumstances, those criteria that I set out.
I mentioned the size of the estate as being important. Now, estates having a value of under $35,000 fall under a simplified process. The outreach clinic can be of assistance to residents with this simplified process. It is a trying time for families, but there can be help either through a lawyer or the public trustee in some cases or the outreach lawyer. Thanks.
The Minister touched on this, but I will ask it anyway: will the Minister look at expanding the Legal Aid outreach office to cover probating wills?
I realize that this is an important issue; obtaining probate or administration of estate is an important aspect of dealing with an estate. However, we are not contemplating an expansion of services at this time. The success of the outreach program means that there is a full draw on the services now offered. We are not in a position to add new services or enhance the services already offered.
The Minister is a lawyer himself, but I am sure that the Minister also knows that we don't have lawyers on hand in the Mackenzie Delta or even the Beaufort-Delta; I'm not aware of any lawyers situated in Inuvik. Is there any information available to encourage residents to complete wills?
I do realize this is an important issue. Not everybody has easy access to legal advice or lawyers. There is, however, information available. The outreach lawyer has and will go into communities to assist in the preparation of wills in certain circumstances. For clients in the communities, the outreach worker will also prepare simple wills upon request and if there are clear instructions. In some circumstances, for some clients, they will actually prepare the wills. We are making advancements. We do realise that there is difficulty in this area, but I don't think we have the assets or the people available to actually do the probate or administration of the estate.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister ensure that we have a dedicated person to help residents to settle estates? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
