Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories made a mandate commitment to finalize a strategic plan to enhance existing programming and build new partnership initiatives to support healthy and sustainable traditional lifestyles and to develop country food programming to promote the consumption of wild foods.
This month the Department of Environment and Natural Resources released its Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan, a strategic document that will meet those mandate commitments by helping to provide better support to Northwest Territories communities in the overall development and implementation of on-the-land programming.
Mr. Speaker, this government understands the importance of sustainable country foods systems, traditional economies, and being on the land, as well as the challenges communities face and the changes they see socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally.
The government supports the continuation of a prosperous, diverse, and sustainable traditional economy that helps communities invest in their renewable resources and traditional harvesting practices, and that increases cultural programming and education, alongside food security. The Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan outlines a number of actions that will help us to achieve a vision where all NWT residents have opportunities to connect with the land in ways that are meaningful to them.
These actions focus on removing barriers to going out on the land, building land-based skills and knowledge, supporting community harvesting programs, promoting intergenerational learning between youth and elders, and improving the promotion of existing programs and opportunities.
The action plan was developed through extensive public engagement, including gatherings in 18 NWT communities, regional meetings, online surveys, a youth photo and writing contest, an advisory committee meeting, and direct outreach to individuals and organizations.
The plan reflects the needs identified by Northerners and helps to guide our way forward as a government in establishing priorities for programs, services, capacity, and funding.
Mr. Speaker, Environment and Natural Resources is committing to supporting the continuation of culture and traditions in the NWT. The Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan helps us to promote and support the sustainable use and development of natural resources in the NWT and to protect, conserve, and enhance our environment for the social and economic benefit of all residents. The department looks forward to working closely with our many partners to ensure successful implementation of this action plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize the athletes, coaches, and mission staff who represented Team Northwest Territories at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan from August 9th to the 18th. This year, Team NT fielded 167 participants in seven different sports, including soccer, swimming, athletics, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
I am happy to report that this year's results at the games ended with more medals than the Northwest Territories has ever seen in 20 years. Good job to the athletes and the coaches. As Members may recall, during the first half of competition, Team NT had some great results, particularly in swimming, where Leo Konge won a gold and two bronze medals. Our basketball and soccer teams also had great performances, standing up well against the larger provinces and our friends from the Yukon.
In the second half, athletes from volleyball, wrestling, and athletics accomplished some great results, including three bronze medals:
in tennis, women's doubles, Ofira Duru and Monika Kunderlik;
in athletics, our male medley relay team, Struden Hult-Griffin, Bryce Smith, Zackary Horton, Nicolas Bennett; and
in wrestling, Cameron Courtorellie.
There were other noteworthy results and achievements in the second half:
Katie Hart broke three Northwest Territories records to finish fifth overall in javelin; and
Nick Rivet of Yellowknife was also the first-ever on-field official from the Northwest Territories to adjudicate soccer matches at this level.
Mr. Speaker, I am also proud to recognize Team NT for their efforts to make all sport more inclusive. On August 15th, the team launched its "You Can Play" program promoting inclusivity and respect in sport.
The Western Canada Summer Games included teams from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. There were nearly 1,700 athletes, coaches, managers, and staff and approximately 2,000 volunteers engaged in the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games. The Western Canada Summer Games are an incredible event because not only do they combine athletic competition, they also provide an opportunity for building lifetime friendships with fellow Canadian athletes.
The Government of the Northwest Territories was extremely proud to promote our team at the Western Canada Summer Games through direct financial support and indirectly through a range of other programs that encourage the development of athletes, coaches, and officials at the local, regional, territorial, and national levels.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Rita Mercredi, chef de mission for Team NT; Damon Crossman, assistant chef de mission for Team NT; and all of their mission staff. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers who were responsible for supporting Team NT, including the Sport North Federation and all of the territorial sport organizations who were responsible for selecting and managing the team. Their contributions play an important role in helping create a healthier Northwest Territories.
I would like to make special mention of all the parents and caregivers who supported children and youth in their athletic pursuits. Their dedication to the development of all our youth is evident through the number of parents and care-givers who attended these games in person, and it is appreciated.
Mr. Speaker, we have much to be proud of in our sport and recreation system, and these Western Canada Summer Games were a great example of the good that can come from supporting these endeavours. I am sure all Members of this House will join me in thanking all our volunteers at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games and congratulations to all who participated. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be tabling the Child and Family Services Quality Improvement Plan. The Quality Improvement Plan sets out actions that we have been taking to address issues identified as part of our internal reviews, the 2018 Auditor General's Report, and from feedback from staff, standing committee, Indigenous governments, and other stakeholders throughout the system. Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of children and youth in our care, and this plan provides clear direction, priority areas, and actions for improving our child and family services system in order to achieve better outcomes for children, youth, and their families while ensuring our system operates in compliance with legislation.
The plan integrates four underlying strategic directions, enhancing a culture of quality, human resource planning, building staff capacity, and engagement, into 10 priority areas that the Department and Health and Social Services and health authorities have been focussing on to improve the child and family services system.
We have begun embedding quality improvements into the foundation of the child and family services system. Based on the new approach for quality improvement, planning, monitoring, and acting on the findings, we are establishing a culture of accountability and responsiveness.
Feedback from our stakeholders over the past several months, including a face-to-face meeting with Indigenous governments in May, helped reprioritize and refine the action items in this quality improvement plan. We have a total of 70 action items, of which 19 are completed and 51 are on track.
We have piloted enhanced investigation skills training in April to ensure staff have the skills needed to conduct critical interviews and investigations to better serve our children, youth, and families. We also developed an enhanced child and protection worker statutory core training program in May, which includes a partnership with the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation to enhance cultural safety. In June and July, the foundation delivered a full day of on-the-land learning experiences and facilitated in-person testimonial from a former youth in care.
Human resources planning is another strategic driver of the plan. To decrease the number of vacancies of Child and Family Services staff, we developed a comprehensive human resources recruitment and retention plan in May. We also acquired 21 new Child and Family Services positions in April that will help us address capacity and staffing challenges across the Northwest Territories. By reducing vacancies, staff will have smaller caseloads, which will allow them to provide better support to the children, youth, and families that they serve.
In February and April, refresher training on the four established Structured Decision Making® Tools was also provided to all supervisors and managers, and frontline staff in the Sahtu and the Beaufort-Delta, as well as the piloting of advanced interviewing training with 15 Child and Family Services staff.
An oversight mechanism for the practice of transferring guardianship was also established in April. This mechanism gives the statutory director increased oversight over the practice of transferring guardianship and ensures that files are reviewed and completed in a timely manner.
Quality improvement is a process, Mr. Speaker, and not an event. We have built flexibility into the plan to help make sure that we are on the right path, are adjusting our approach when needed, and are considering all options for success. The actions I have detailed are just some of the highlighted improvements that we have already made in the system since we began our work in developing the quality improvement plan. Many of the actions identified are ongoing to ensure that they are integrated and sustained into how we provide these important services, instead of simply becoming checkmarks on a list.
Mr. Speaker, transparency and partnership are the foundation of our quality improvement approach. To ensure that the public and key stakeholders are kept up-to-date on the progress on each of the action items identified in the plan, we have launched an online progress tracker that can be viewed on the Department of Health and Social Services' website. This tracker will be used to report regularly on how we are doing in meeting our improvement outcomes.
It is important to acknowledge that there is still a lot work to do on our quality improvement journey. The quality improvement plan is intended to be a living document that will allow us to continuously respond to, learn from, adjust, and improve our services to children and their families over the longer term.
To realize our goal of better outcomes for children, youth, and families, we will need the continued support and engagement of our partners to inform our quality improvements. Through ongoing engagement with frontline staff, Indigenous governments and organizations, the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories, standing committees, key stakeholders and those in our care, we can ensure that we remain on the right path.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize and thank those who have contributed to the development and implementation of the quality improvement plan. This work is reflective of our staff as well as many stakeholders and partners who are deeply committed to improving outcomes for children, youth, and families, and is a commitment to working together to ensure the safety, well-being, and future successes of those in our care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I spoke about the grizzly bear problem in Aklavik. This is becoming a major issue for my constituents. Bears are wandering throughout the community and making everyone feel unsafe. Parents are worried about their children walking to school soon or playing outside unsupervised.
Mr. Speaker, bears will travel up to 100 kilometres to get back to an easy food source like town dumps. Once a bear is food-conditioned and human-habituated, it will keep coming back. The Yukon government has been proactive in putting information about bear relocation on their Facebook page, and notes that it is not always the solution. It is expensive in both cost and time. Sometimes, the bears need to be put down. The Minister last week said he would check with his officials on what steps can be taken. I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue surrounding GNWT sourcing and procurement systems are, sadly, nothing new. Over the life of this Assembly, my colleagues and I have heard from countless stakeholders from the private sector about the recurring and yet unresolved issues surrounding procurement. We are now at a crossroads. The GNWT cannot continue to deny the significant lack of confidence concerning public procurement expressed by the northern business community.
Together, Regular MLAs have supported calls for procurement reform and have worked cooperatively through standing committees to bring forward a comprehensive report on procurement issues. Conflicting policies and practises are key concerns of the business community. The stated goals of these procurement and sourcing systems are to help ensure a healthy and prosperous northern private sector, and yet small companies are expected to compete with much larger southern ones who will utmost always be able to bid a lower cost than their local counterparts. This underbidding by southern firms who have access to beneficial supply change and the GNWT's inconsistent and opaque policies fail to ensure that the core of the business incentive and other procurement incentive programs are achieved.
This report and years of advocacy from this side of the House should be a wake-up call for our government that it needs to do better on procurement and meaningfully change how it does business with our hardworking private sector. If we wish to see northern businesses thrive, then we need to see the GNWT's procurement policies updated to reflect the high cost of doing business in the NWT and to ensure procurement opportunities are, above all, fair, transparent, and benefit Northerners above all else. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I was very glad to witness the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle awards. Congratulations to all four individuals and one community group. This event recognizes the individuals, youth, elders, and groups who exemplify excellence and dedication and promotion, preservation of arts, heritage, and cultures in their communities and regions.
Mr. Speaker, listening to our Dene elder, Mr. Alfred Taneton, one of the recipients, a large part of his remarks was directed on working together, a statement that I cherished while listening to our elder. The spirit of collaboration and partnerships between GNWT Indigenous groups and residents of our territory was addressed in my Member's statement of last week.
Maintaining these fundamental principles of engagement will be, and my continued efforts when I review the great need for improved programs and service delivery in our smaller rural and remote communities, communities that experience hardships and barriers of limitations and the high cost of supplies, and dependent seasonal supply chain systems.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, it would be prudent of our next Assembly to continue with building on relationships with our federal counterparts. Mahsi.
Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the idea of a city charter for Yellowknife. Currently, the powers and authority of the City of Yellowknife are described by the Cities, Towns and Villages Act, but the CTV act applies the same rules to all communities. That means the City of Yellowknife, with 20,000 residents, has the same authority as other communities with only a few hundred, let's say.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree Yellowknife has different circumstances that aren't shared by smaller communities. Its city government deals with unique issues, opportunities, and challenges that other communities may not. That's why a city charter is long overdue. City charters recognize the unique challenges and opportunities a larger centre faces every day. It provides authority to the city over areas that directly affect residents' lives. It recognizes that a larger centre deals with demands at a scale and level of complexity that other communities may not. It gives the city the tools to deliver quality infrastructure and services to its residents. It allows local solutions for local needs, and it allows the city to respond and adjust to changing times in a timely fashion.
City charters in Canada date as far back as 1785. Many major cities today, including both our neighbours Calgary and Edmonton, have city charters that define their powers and authority. A city charter for Yellowknife would make that possible. This would be achieved by legislation and regulations giving Yellowknife authority in areas like lands, homelessness and poverty, policing, and economic development. Local decision-making would be more sensitive to the specific, unique needs of the city and its residents. It will also lead to increased collaboration between the city and the territory, and, through a devolution agreement, we can better clarify roles and responsibilities so there will be greater efficiency of community government and improved services to residents.
I believe, just as the territorial government took some powers from the federal government through devolution, it makes sense that we begin to devolve some authorities and powers to the city government. This will make for better community administration and much better services to residents, businesses, and visitors alike because the city will have the tools it needs. Going forward, Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful this idea will get meaningful attention and direction from the 19th Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Most of the communities in the Northwest Territories are in locations that have been long used by Dene, in key locations on rivers and waterways. Fur traders and priests later built permanent settlements around the trading posts and churches, and our traditional gathering places have now become our permanent homes.
Mr. Speaker, [translation] if we do that, it would be good for us. We need to do that with Fort Providence. People, we still remember where the gathering is. That is why we need to protect those areas, and sometimes we need to protect the water. Sometimes, it's hard, but still we paddle. It's really hard sometimes because it's shallow. We need to protect those areas. We know that we have to keep our boat launches area that way. We need to protect it for the future of the people. Now, there is a big river. Still there, there is a trail. [Translation ends].
Starting in the community and heading to the Big River service station, this trail will give travelling tourists an opportunity to walk a scenic path of history along the mighty Deh Cho, a chance to stretch their legs after a bumpy ride out of Yellowknife. In the wintertime, this trail could be used for skidooing and dug-mushing.
It is a priority at this Assembly to improve the health and well-being of our residents. Building a recreational trail will promote a healthy lifestyle and enhance tourism infrastructure in one of our oldest communities. Interpretative signs along the trail can explain the Dene history of the area, the sad legacy of the residential schools that used to exist in Fort Providence, and our long relationship with the mighty bison who still roam the forests.
We are blessed in the Northwest Territories with beautiful settings for our communities. We should do everything we can to ensure that tourists and residents can experience all they have to offer. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When I campaigned for this position in 2015, residents of Yellowknife Centre identified homelessness as one of their priority issues. That was the year when the city calculated homelessness had increased 14 percent in 12 months. People were sleeping in bank foyers and stairwells and in tents and cars. That spring, a 43-year-old man froze to death in an alleyway downtown. His death galvanized the city to respond to the expanding population of homeless people.
In my first statement in this House, I talked about how a Housing First program could help by providing housing as a harm-reduction tool for people who are chronically homeless. Residents are supported by staff, who help them access services and mentor them to become stable tenants. The Yellowknife Women's Society took on Housing First with federal and territorial funds. They quickly ramped up the program to accept 20 clients. This program still only has funding for 20 clients, although program staff estimate there are 170, that is right 170, people on the waiting list who qualify for this service. This is a successful program that requires more investment.
Mr. Speaker, in the meantime, the territorial government has acknowledged the need for transitional housing. There are eight semi-independent units at the Yellowknife Women's Society, and more will be built by the end of the year with help of industry. The SideDoor is offering a Housing First program for youth up to 25 years old, and YWCA NWT continuous to offer transitional housing for families, despite the loss of the Rockhill Apartments.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate all of the good work being done to address homelessness in Yellowknife, and I also appreciate the Northern Pathways to Housing units that have opened in Fort Simpson, Aklavik, and Behchoko to assist homeless people in those communities. Some people may choose to return to their home communities if housing is available.
I think that homelessness is always going to be a problem in Yellowknife. The city is a magnet for people across the NWT because of the services it offers. I acknowledge that there is more accommodation available for homeless people than there was four years ago, but the waiting lists for non-profit housing together number in the hundreds of people. The 19th Assembly will have the important task of allocating more funding for this proven solution. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I have made many statements on the caribou crisis, in this House. During my time here, the Bathurst caribou herd has plummeted to about 8,000 animals, while our government has taken little action beyond continued restrictions on harvesting. Over the same time, the budget for Environment and Natural Resources has been slashed by 10 percent. Nothing has been done on our side of the border to temporarily or permanently protect habitat. The only new funding approved for the caribou crisis was for further study and a slight increase of the wolf bounty.
Our Minister of Infrastructure continues to announce more money for the Slave Geological Province road that will cut through the heart of the Bathurst caribou range. During the most recent announcement in the great hall last week of $40 million, there was no mention of caribou. The ministry even boasted about this government's support of the Grays Bay road that would carve its way through what is left of the calving grounds of the Bathurst herd, this after our House passed a unanimous motion to oppose US development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.
I and the remaining 8,000 Bathurst caribou are still waiting for a public announcement of Cabinet approval on the range plan. The plan provides some guidance moving forward, but it is rather meek on the issue of road planning and management. Having been weakened over time, there are few specific actions or costs identified, particularly around habitat protection. It's the only plan we now have to save the herd, and Cabinet continues to sit on it with no further funding. I truly hope that someone takes up this cause in the 19th Assembly when the supplementary appropriation comes forward for the Slave Geological Province road funding of $10 million from this government and nothing appears for the Bathurst caribou herd range plan.
I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources later today on what our government intends, when our government or whether our government intends to take any real action to save the Bathurst caribou herd. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to share my concern about a mindset that I have noticed taking hold over this government over the course of my time here. Increasingly, it appears as though the GNWT, under this Cabinet, considers its direct participation in the economy as increasingly important and the role of small and medium-sized businesses as becoming less important. I will give you some examples.
The GNWT purchased NTCL out of necessity. It was justifiable. However, in the years since the acquisition, we have seen the government using public money to actively compete with established companies in the private market. Concerns were also raised when MTS sold surplus barges and claimed that publicly advertising the sales was not necessary because those in the shipping industry were aware that MTS was selling equipment. However, after those sales were completed, someone who is very much in the shipping industry, completely unaware of the sales, asked me whether MTS was going to sell any of the surplus equipment or if it was going to keep it out of the hands of potential competitors, which is apparently what NTCL was known to do.
In addition to barging, the GNWT is also getting into manufacturing and construction. Earlier this year, MTS constructed their own modular office building. Why was it manufactured in-house instead of acquiring it from any of the three approved manufacturers in the territory? The answer provided: it was done to keep staff busy. Similarly, instead of putting an RFP out, the Department of Infrastructure decided to use its own people to tear down the old Hay River Hotel, also known as the Zoo.
During the life of this government, the GNWT has also announced its plans to manage a for-profit fish processing plant. Although it is supposed to be a partnership with the fishing industry, the GNWT is 100 percent behind the wheel. The changes at NTPC provide another example. Filling the board with deputy ministers has brought this market-driven corporation under GNWT control at the same time that NTPC is working to increase its market share by competing for contracts with private power distributors.
Contrast these moves, Mr. Speaker, with the government's position on procurement. Self-interest in terms of saving a couple of bucks always seems to trump supporting local businesses. I have made statements about this in the past, and this issue has been well-canvased by other Members during this sitting, so I won't go further into it. Government has a vital role in society, but making incursions into the private market is not one of them, especially at a time when we desperately need to diversify our economy by supporting small businesses.
This emerging mindset needs to be dealt with by the next Assembly before it becomes even more engrained and while there are still small businesses left to support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have often spoken about the critical need for housing in my region. Today I would like to focus on a particular need for transitional housing.
Historically, transitional housing has been focused in our larger communities through organizations like Inuvik Transition House or the YWCA here in Yellowknife. Homelessness isn't a problem limited to the regional centres. Residents themselves have made their voice heard, calling for more transitional housing with options spread across the Northwest Territories.
The NWT Housing Corporation responded with the Northern Pathways to Housing Program, a five-year partnership with three communities to introduce new transitional housing units and fund ongoing case-worker support. The program is intended to help tackle homelessness in small communities specifically because even though public housing is typically the norm, some residents are unable to access housing. They are simply being left out in the cold.
Mr. Speaker, Northern Pathways to Housing is making significant headway on a serious problem. Unfortunately, it is not enough. Nunakput communities are not included, and neither are some of the communities that rely on ice roads during the winter shipping season.
Although the funding agreement between the Government of Canada and IRC has brought much-needed housing replacements to the region, that money did not result in additional units. Today we have current residents in need and many Nunakput residents looking for other options.
Mr. Speaker, this is an area that needs urgent attention. Looking at options for tiny homes in remote communities in the Northwest Territories should be on the radar of the Government of the Northwest Territories. As the fall arrives, we are still awaiting completion of buildings that had missed the shipping season last year.
In closing, I believe that we need to be planning two to three years in advance for remote communities who rely on ice roads in the winter and the barges in the summer and the fall shipping season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today, there are a couple of elders, Edward. I want to do a prayer for them. [Translation ends]
I would like to eulogize a couple of brothers who have passed away in Lutselk'e in the last several months. The first is Joseph Victor Catholique, better known as Joe V. Joe V is somebody who I visited often, as he lived in the senior citizens' home. He often talked about being involved in the construction of most of the houses around Lutselk'e. Most of the houses were built back when he was younger. Joe V was a carpenter. He worked here in Yellowknife on some buildings and some of the larger buildings up in the uptown core. He often spoke about how he felt, that he ended up in a small senior's apartment with his wife, Wanda, and his sons Miles and Edwin. He had built many houses himself but never ended up actually owning a homeownership unit.
Also, I would like to speak about Edward Catholique. Edward Catholique was Joe V's older brother. He passed away several months ago, also. Edward was known as Edward Cho. When he was a young man, he was a big man. He lived the majority of his life with a wooden leg, as they say. He lost his leg in an accident. It never seemed to affect him much. He was able to do just about everything. He was able to do as if he was completely able to so, even though he had one wooden leg.
Edward was a person who I visited often. Almost every trip into Lutselk'e, I would visit Edward and his wife, Mary. They were wonderful people. When I was coming into town, he would make sure he had enough dry meat for me to take back to Yellowknife. I was always interested to go visit. He had laid out all the dry meat for me and tell me, "Pick what you want out of that."
He was quite a person. He has left a wife, Mary. They, themselves, didn't have any kids, but I know he was very close to his nephew Herman. I noticed that often, when I went there, Jerry Lockhart would also be sitting with him.
I would like to pass my condolence onto their one sister, Loraine, who is left and their one brother, John, who is left. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Our condolences to the family, as well, and to the community. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I regret to inform that Floyd Daniels passed away on Sunday, August 18th, at the University Hospital in Edmonton after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.
Floyd was born December 16, 1956, to Beatrice and Victor Daniels in Fort Smith. Floyd retired March 2017 after a long, committed, and dedicated career with the Department of Public Works with the GNWT. Floyd was a journeyman carpenter for many years, then he and the family decided it would be a good idea to go back to school to get his Project Management diploma from NAIT.
His career took Floyd and his family from Fort Smith to Inuvik, Fort Simpson to Hay River, where he retired.
In the Deh Cho and South Slave, there were a number of projects that had Floyd's fingerprints on them. Floyd ensured that the projects were done properly with professionalism and great attention to detail. Floyd took a great deal of pride in the work he did for the people.
Floyd was well-known across the North for his athletic ability. As a young athlete, he became known as a tough competitor with a strong work ethic, as well as being an exceptional team player. It was never about him, but instead, it was about his teammates and always ensuring he gave 100 percent of each effort in each sporting endeavour as an athlete. However, if you look at his trophy room, you could see how good he was. This is what he practiced throughout his life. If I could say one thing about Floyd, he did things with intention.
As he became older, he became a coach and transferred his skills to mentoring young players to love sports as he did.
I had the privilege of playing against him and alongside him. To be honest with you, it was much more enjoyable playing alongside him as a teammate than against him.
I may be a tad biased, but I believe he was one of the best pitchers in the NWT and Canada. He was like a fine wine. He got better and better with time.
His beloved wife, Janice, would always joke that his teammates spent more time with Floyd celebrating their wedding anniversary than they did as a married couple. September 2nd would have been their 41st anniversary. They were like all couples, had their ups and downs, good and bad times, and easy and difficult times. It was love at first sight, and you could see their love when they were together.
When he travelled with his team, Floyd would always ensure that he had daily conversations with his wife and family. He would always talk about Janice and his children making a big, huge difference in his life. He would always speak of their accomplishments and how proud he was of them.
The most recent conversations people had with Floyd were about his grandchildren, how he was looking forward to spending time with them. Floyd always spoke with pride and love in his voice. He was always very proud of his family.
Floyd is survived by his wife, Janice; his three sons, Tanner, Trenton, and Brantley; his daughter, Richelle; and daughter-in-law, Amanda; and his three grandchildren, Arabella, Lena, and Victor; as well as extended family members.
I honestly believe Floyd is looking down on us with a big smile on his face as he stands on the pitcher's mound, ready to throw his next perfect game. Floyd, you've pitcher a perfect game in life. Thank you for my friend and the other lives you have enriched having known you and your legacy of hard work and dedication will live in your children in life and your lovely wife as your greatest fan.
The family would like to thank the University Hospital staff for all they did for Floyd and the friends who passed on their condolences and prayers. Rest well, my friend.
Mr. Speaker, our culture is our identity, and throughout the North, we have many individuals and organizations working to preserve, revitalize, and promote our cultural practices. I want to recognize the recipients of the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle from our ceremony this morning.
For the Youth Award, we have Mr. Corbin Sinclair from Fort Smith.
For the Individual Award, Ms. Karen Novak of Yellowknife.
The Elder Award goes to Alfred Taneton of Deline.
The Group Award goes to the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre in Fort Smith, represented by Ms. Rachel Dell.
The Minister's Choice Award today goes to Ms. Mildred Edwards from Aklavik.
Thank you all for being here today. Thank you all for the important work you do for the Northwest Territories.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the elder from Deline, Alfred Taneton, the recipient of the 2019 Minister's Culture and Heritage Circle, and his escort, Morris Neyelle, and all the recipients of the award. Mahsi.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to recognize friends and constituents of Yellowknife North. We have today Rhonda and Sean Ivens who are here with us. Of course, Karen Novak is here, and congratulations on your award. I see up there, as well, Jerry Sharpe. Welcome and thank you for being here.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
