Mr. Speaker, international interest in the North has been increasing steadily over the past few years. As the effects of climate change increase access to the Arctic, the global geopolitical context for the region is changing.
With enormous untapped opportunities for shipping, research, and resource development, many countries are looking to influence the development of policies and international agreements that will benefit them and their interests in the region. Global powers like China, Russia, and the United States are deliberately ramping up their presence and level of activity within their own borders and across the circumpolar world in an effort to secure and further their national priorities.
Of particular interest to these nations is the potential for new and shorter shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean. There is also distinct interest in the resource potential of the Arctic as changing sea ice and climatic conditions make previously stranded resources more accessible.
Other countries are investing heavily in infrastructure, developing national plans, and trying to influence international policies in anticipation of new opportunities in the Arctic so they can better pursue their national interests. Canada, so far, has not kept pace with its own efforts to establish its role or interests in the Arctic, let alone ensure that the people of the Arctic have the same or even a similar quality of life as southern Canadians.
For its part, Canada has interests in the Arctic beyond simple geographic sovereignty, even if, as a nation, we are not entirely clear about them. Resource potential is maybe the most obvious one. We already know there are substantial reserves of onshore and offshore oil and gas in the region that are not being developed. These reserves are only going to become more strategically significant as China, for one, continues to look to lock in secure energy forces to fuel its economic growth.
We are also home to many of the minerals that will fuel the global green economy, including cobalt, gold, lithium, bismuth, and rare earth elements. The makers of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, hand-held electronics, and computers rely on these minerals to make their products more efficient.
The North also has significant potential as a hub for international trade and transportation. The polar route can cut as much as 20 days off the time it takes to reach Asia from Europe, and airports in the territories are closer to Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, and other European capitals than southern cities.
As a nation, Canada should be looking to capitalize on these advantages and start capitalizing on the opportunity to capture a piece of the global trade that is currently passing through our airspace and waters. These investments, if made strategically with proper consultation, consideration, and decision-making with Indigenous, territorial, and federal governments at the helm will be instrumental in bringing prosperity and jobs to our communities. They are opportunities to grow local and regional economies, build wellness, and shape the future of Canada from the Northwest Territories.
While the case for northern development might be clear to us here in the Northwest Territories, we are competing with a lot of other priorities on the national stage, and we need to make sure we are doing our part to promote our interests in southern Canada.
While Canada likes to think of itself as a northern country, Mr. Speaker, the North continues to be a bit of a mystery to many Canadians. Educating them and their leaders about the realities of the North, the people who live here, and our needs and priorities is an important part of generating support for national action to strengthen Canada's position in the Arctic. That is why I have been calling for the creation of a national plan for strengthening Canada's position in the Arctic in my meetings with my fellow Premiers. I have also been taking my message to the public and to influential academics and policy makers who are involved in thinking about the Arctic.
As part of these efforts, the Government of the Northwest Territories co-hosted a national mini-conference on this topic with the Institute for 21st Century Questions in Toronto. Speakers at the conference included Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq, former Quebec Premier and federal Cabinet Minister Jean Charest, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Defence Peter Mackay, and former federal Member of Parliament Martha Hall-Findlay, as well as a number of leading academics. Attendees included a number of other political figures, business leaders, senior government officials, and academics. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a copy of remarks made by me and by Premier Savikataaq at the event.
The feedback I have been getting nationally, Mr. Speaker, has been positive. My fellow Premiers and others I have been talking to in the South are very interested in the potential of the North and agree that Canada needs a plan.
Turning the massive potential of the North into sustainable northern communities and jobs and opportunities for ourselves and all Canadians will take determination, commitment, and significant investment in nation-building projects. As Northerners, we need to keep the discussion going, Mr. Speaker, and do our part to make sure that our territories and our people are the beneficiaries of the new international interest in the Arctic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice, under the Community Justice and Policing Division, has been leading an innovative "whole of government" pilot program in Yellowknife called Integrated Case Management or ICM. This program has been designed to understand and fundamentally reform the way social envelope services are accessed and delivered in the NWT by identifying the barriers and challenges residents face when obtaining services. ICM works from a person-centered, strength-based approach, with strong equity-based principles that acknowledge that not all members of our community start from the same place. This means we may need to use different approaches to reach the goal of equal access to services for all community members.
Throughout the life of the ICM pilot program, our government has learned various lessons and identified systemic barriers to service provision in Yellowknife. In 2017, a third-party program evaluation was conducted and found success in the provision of person-centered services with significant individual positive outcomes for program participants. The ICM program is currently undergoing a second evaluation that includes a robust analysis of system-level impacts, including targeted data analytics and a social return-on-investment analysis. Although we know system change takes time, we are looking forward to this evaluation shedding some light on early indicators of success and providing recommendations for moving forward in our efforts to improve service integration and access in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest lessons learned from the ICM program and its "whole of government" approach is that complex social challenges cannot be addressed in a siloed, system-centered service-provision environment. It is not enough that our services are available. They must be accessible and delivered in a timely and supportive manner that ensures all members of our community feel respected and are treated with dignity. We need to do things differently. We need to work together to provide integrated, person-centered services that facilitate wellbeing and self-sufficiency for all community members, that create better opportunities for people to succeed.
To this end, I wish to advise Members of the Legislative Assembly that deputy ministers from the social envelope departments have committed to working together to look at the feasibility of reforming service delivery throughout the NWT through the development of a territory-wide Integrated Service Delivery model. This initiative will look at the findings, recommendations, and lessons learned from the ICM program, while also incorporating various service-reform efforts currently under way. The initiative will focus on addressing systemic and structural issues across all government departments and work to enhance the capacity of the system to respond in a timely, effective, integrated manner that meets the needs of all residents of the NWT.
It is time to commit to acting on a common agenda that puts the needs of our residents at its core. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this is the role of government. Officials are prepared to embrace the challenges that come with this commitment and present the next government with a roadmap for service delivery reform. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has made a commitment at the beginning of this Legislative Assembly to support the effective co-management of our caribou herds. As you know, many of our herds are experiencing rapid declines, and it is our shared responsibility as a government and a territory to promote their recovery.
Range plans are a vital part of how we work together to co-manage our caribou herds and provide guidance to decision makers, developers, and communities to manage activities on the land in a way that supports healthy caribou populations.
Mr. Speaker, today, after years of work, I am pleased to officially release two new range-planning documents, the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan and the Framework for Boreal Caribou Range Planning. These documents provide important tools to protect the habitat of our vulnerable caribou populations and fulfill an important mandate commitment made by this Legislative Assembly.
Barren-ground caribou populations have historically experienced periods of highs and lows, but, of all the barren-ground herds, the Bathurst caribou herd has suffered the most dramatic decline, from a high of 450,000 animals in the mid-1980s to a current low of about 8,200 animals. This is despite extensive efforts to support conservation and promote herd recovery.
The Bathurst caribou range plan is a response to calls for action to help the herd recover and ensure its habitat remains healthy. It includes guidance for managing the overall disturbance on the land and tools to reduce and manage impacts to caribou and caribou habitat. It is also an attempt to balance these recovery efforts with the benefits of industrial development. Human activities and land use need to be managed carefully, Mr. Speaker, particularly when caribou numbers are low and more vulnerable to disturbance. Range planning helps establish certainty around land use, which is critical to achieving both conservation and development goals, and contributes to a strong and prosperous territory.
Twenty-one organizations and co-management partners worked together to develop the Bathurst caribou range plan over five years, Mr. Speaker. This included all levels of government and Indigenous organizations, as well as co-management boards, industry, and environmental groups. The plan is based on knowledge and perspectives grounded in both traditional knowledge and science, and I am very grateful to everyone involved for their hard work and dedication.
The range plan for Bathurst caribou looks to Northerners as caribou guardians and recognizes the shared responsibility for managing development to support the recovery of the herd. Applying this plan effectively as part of land use decisions will require a genuine commitment from governments, organizations, developers, communities, and individuals across multiple jurisdictions.
In the next few days, we will also be releasing a framework for boreal caribou range planning. This document will guide the development of five regional range plans for boreal caribou in the Northwest Territories. These are the caribou that live in the forest east of the Mackenzie Mountains. They are listed as a threatened species under federal and territorial legislation.
The framework was developed with our co-management partners, and includes a "made in the North" approach to managing boreal caribou and their habitat. While the Northwest Territories population of boreal caribou is currently considered stable overall, careful management of habitat disturbance will be important to maintain a healthy and sustainable population for the future. The regional range plans developed under this framework will help ensure there is enough forest across the Northwest Territories to support a healthy and sustainable population of boreal caribou.
The framework is a critical step, but is just the beginning. Work to develop regional range plans can now get under way and will begin in the southern Northwest Territories and Wek'eezhii regions, where there is wildfire and industrial activity, followed by the Sahtu, Gwich'in, and Inuvialuit regions. Each plan will be developed in collaboration with our co-management partners, and is expected to take at least two years to complete.
The Government of the Northwest Territories remains committed to managing the land and natural resources of the Northwest Territories in a way that is sustainable, responsible, and responsive, relying on shared tools like this framework and range plan to make effective decisions within our strong co-management and regulatory system.
I am confident both of these documents provide effective tools and approaches for protecting caribou in the Northwest Territories, and I look forward to seeing them in action as we work with our partners to help implement them successfully. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, the early years, from birth to age five, are among the most critical for a child's development. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment recognizes the need to support safe and high-quality early learning environments for children to grow into healthy adults and fulfill their potential as capable people.
We know that parents and caregivers have the greatest responsibility and influence on their children's development. An effective and integrated early childhood system that provides the necessary services, supports, and resources to families with young children is essential to ensure that our children have the best support possible to help them succeed.
Accessible and affordable early childhood services in every community are a critical part of the department's mandate and necessary to support working caregivers. We have been enhancing our programs, services, interactions, and support for early childcare operators and working with communities to ensure that there are options available for families.
As all families with four- and five-year-old children now have the option to access early learning programming within their local schools, there is now a focus on childcare for children from birth to three years old. We know the level of childcare required across the territory varies from year to year depending on birth rate, employment status, and the needs and preferences of families. Understanding unique community needs for childcare is an important factor for developing approaches across the territory; a one-size-fits-all approach will not serve our families or our communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Supporting Access to Childcare Action Plan provides a vision for accessible childcare in the Northwest Territories and outlines a phased-in approach to making childcare more accessible and affordable for families throughout the Northwest Territories. I will be tabling this document later today.
As Members of this House know, the department received funding through a bilateral agreement under the 2017 federal Early Learning and Childcare initiative. Our new plan expands upon the right from the start early childhood framework and action plan. It provides an overview of six key elements, with goals and actions that contribute to accessible early learning and childcare in the NWT. The plan highlights current work and provides additional actions specifically related to infrastructure and affordability.
Mr. Speaker, in spite of efforts to increase the number of communities with licensed early childcare programs, there remains 11 communities without them. We are currently working with the communities of Colville Lake, Detah, Enterprise, Jean Marie River, Kakisa, Lutselk'e, Nahanni Butte, Norman Wells, Sambaa K'e, Wrigley, and Tsiigehtchic to determine their needs and what the community can support. For some, sustainable early childhood programming may take the form of parent and child drop-in opportunities or support groups; and for others, there may be a need for and interest in opening licensed early childhood centres or family day homes. We have invited representatives from each of these communities to the early childhood symposium happening August 21st to 23rd to discuss their specific needs and how we may help. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Minister's statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Although we continue to face challenges in this area, I know that the work done during this Assembly will have a lasting positive impact. We have increased rates for all licensed spaces, from infant to preschool, increased the number of early childhood scholarships up to 30 this year from 10 and remodelled our funding programs for licensed early childhood programs.
The supporting access to childcare action plan outlines our way forward. It addresses challenges and suggests solutions to meet childcare needs across the territory. We are focusing on community-driven programs, increasing available spaces, exploring infrastructure potential, stabilizing parent fees, increasing the number of early childhood staff with postsecondary credentials, and providing specific funding to support children with complex needs, including those with developmental challenges.
The types of quality early childhood experiences available will vary greatly across the territory, but we are committed to working with all communities to improve access and ensure a tailored approach that will meet the needs of families and children. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak on the Team NWT's recent participation in the Western Canada Summer Games.
First off, I would like to congratulate all members of Team NWT for their performance. Our athletes were excellent ambassadors of our northern spirit and territory, but I want to specifically celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of Leo Konge, one of my constituents. He pushed hard and brought home gold in 50 metre butterfly, as well as two bronze medals in the 100 meter and 200 meter butterfly, at this year's games in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Leo's dedication to sport, teamwork, and personal excellence serves as a model example of what we can achieve when we dedicate ourselves to realizing our goals. Leo has literally set a gold standard.
The Western Canada Summer Games were first held in Regina in 1975 and provided western and northern athletes the opportunity to compete at a high-performance level, and meet and interact with fellow athletes their age. Every four years, the year before the Summer Olympics, nearly 2,300 athletes representing the four western provinces and three territories meet to compete in 23 summer sport disciplines.
I want to recognize all Team NWT volunteers, officials, parents, and support networks. They have all demonstrated a dedication to go that extra mile to ensure that the athletes have the best experience possible and who all support their athletic pursuits. Their dedication of time and monetary support to the training and skills development of our next generation is so very important.
All of us have an obligation to build the foundation for future generations by promoting healthy and active living among children and youth. Sports and physical activity have a proven effect of improving the physical and mental well-being of participants. The NWT will be hosting the Western Canada Summer Games in 2027, and I hope that we all play our part to ensure that we send the biggest team yet from the NWT to these games.
Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to congratulate all of Team NWT on their fine performance, and I am sure the Members will join me in acknowledging how proud we are of Leo and his teammates. We wish them all the very best as they progress in their chosen sports and in future competitions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Leo.
Masi. Congratulations. You make the NWT proud.
---Applause
Masi. Looking forward to more medals. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In our mandate, we describe community and family violence as a crisis and determined to take action. Four years on, it's still a crisis, and our efforts have flagged. According to Statistics Canada, the national incidents for intimate partner violence is 313 people per 100,000 population. In the Northwest Territories, the rate is an astonishing 2,906 people per 100,000 population, or about nine times as high. These are 2017 numbers, but they have been at this level for 10 years.
When the Coalition Against Family Violence was still active, it had three priorities. The first was to prevent and address the normalization of family violence. The ask here was to make intimate partner violence as unacceptable as drinking and driving, or smoking, or deciding not to wear a seat belt. My pleas to repeat the Family Violence Survey conducted in 2007 fell on deaf ears. A new survey would have produced valuable and updated information about prevailing attitudes to family violence so that messaging could be targeted to specific groups of residents.
The second priority of the Coalition Against Family Violence was to ensure an adequate emergency response. I am pleased to say that there has been some movement in this area. Funding for family violence shelters has increased, and operating standards are going to be rolled out this fall. I advocated for a safe house pilot project in one of the 11 communities without police, but to no avail. If you are a woman looking for safety in one of these communities, help may still be hours away.
The final Coalition Against Family Violence priority was healing. Women have asked for healing for their partners because they believe that the whole family will benefit. The evaluation of the A New Day men's healing program said it was effective, but that didn't stop the Department of Justice from revamping it and narrowing its scope. As a result, a fraction of people are enrolled compared to number who took part in the previous Tree of Peace program. I am disappointed with this outcome. We need more healing, not less.
The government has taken an important step by creating an interdepartmental committee on family violence. They need to start by looking at the priorities outlined by the Coalition Against Family Violence. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They need to start by looking at the priorities outlined by the Coalition Against Family Violence, because they are still relevant. Their challenges to create policies and programs that demonstrate that family violence is not normal, and there is something that we can do about it. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to talk today about P3 contracts. Public-private partnerships have been used to achieve some of our large infrastructure projects here in the North, like the new Stanton Territorial Hospital, and will be the method used for the Whati road.
The benefit of P3s is that projects that would otherwise not have funding can be completed using long-term payments that don't require an increase in taxes. That way, government funds can be used elsewhere for other priorities, but, Mr. Speaker, our government has policies to support northern businesses. To be consistent, I think that we need better rules for P3s.
We need to ensure that, in each case, there is a strong benefit component to Northerners. For example, we have a detailed Business Incentive Policy. It ensures that the northern businesses bidding on government contracts have an advantage when BIP is applied. As the government conducts operations, northern businesses can successfully be awarded government work.
Similarly, our Negotiated Contracts Policy is described to provide benefits to northern businesses and communities. Negotiated contracts are intended to create growth in non-market communities or regions, providing jobs for Northerners, support for new and developing businesses, and opportunities for on-the-job training and apprenticeships. A good example is the recent Norman Wells health centre. There, the negotiated contract provided not only substantial work for northern businesses, but also trades training and life skills development in all Sahtu communities.
When it comes to P3s, BIP doesn't apply, and northern benefits aren't always negotiated. An example is the company managing the new Stanton Hospital. When the hospital opened, the contract for coffee throughout the hospital went to a southern company. Needless to say, Yellowknife coffee suppliers were not happy. The complaint was resolved, and we now have a northern coffee supplier at the new hospital.
The lesson is clear: BIP and our Negotiated Contracts Policy make sure that northern businesses, communities, and individuals gain the most benefits from the government conducting business. In that same way, if we keep using P3s, Northerners need to reap the benefits of substantial public spending. We have policies that already work for Northerners, injecting them into the P3 contracting process is the way that we must go in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Three couples of the Deh Cho riding celebrated long-term anniversaries with family get-togethers, dinners, and dances. The loving couples were treated like royalty by their families and created lots of love and happiness in their community.
The union of two people in love and major is a special moment in life. Living and building a life together commonly brings the joy of children and family. Of course, there are the low points and the challenges, but working through those moments together only make you stronger. I am happy to recognize the following married couples who celebrated their anniversaries.
Fred and Veronique Sabourin of Fort Providence were married July 27, 1954. Veronique's maiden name is Sambele. They met Leshamie, a village down from Fort Providence. They have 11 children, 32 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Fred and Veronique can often be found at their cabin about three quarters of the way downriver to Horn River.
Daniel and Emily Squirrel of Fort Providence were married January 6, 1959. Emily's maiden name is Bonnetrouge. Daniel asked Emily's grandfather for Emily's hand in marriage. They have five children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Daniel and Emily actively attend local events and often are at their cabin at the winter crossing.
Sarah and Gabe Chicot of Kakisa were married July 6, 1959. Sarah's maiden name is St. Pierre. They met at the old community. They have five children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Both Sarah and Gabe continue to be active in their community, often helping their son fish and making dryfish.
I would like to once again express my congratulations to these married couples. Congratulations, and may you have many more years of love and happiness. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Resource development in the Northwest Territories dates back to original mineral exploration in the 1930s in the Sahtu region. The mining industry is the main economic driver of the Northwest Territories economy, an industry that sustains government, direct benefits, and contributes to a supply chain that includes a vast amount of Northerners and businesses.
Mr. Speaker, a new era has shown new potentials in the region's abandoned sector and great wealth for economic opportunities from yesterday's federal announcement on the Government of Canada's new Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program. One of the listed areas is the Great Bear Lake, consisting of multiple smaller sites in close proximity to each other.
This is welcoming news while we attribute to modernizing industry legislation from the days of its original rights issuances, legislation that we hope will provide confidence and certainty.
Mr. Speaker, advancing and acknowledging the devolution resource development responsibilities provides me with confidence that our government recognizes the potential for enhancing economic opportunities by engagement with all northern stakeholders. I look forward in participating on the process of this modernization legislation and viewed as economic sustainability support. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my riding, like others, there are no recycling facilities for paper, cardboard, and metals. With increased consumerism, waste reduction and recycling issues are essential. Our neighbours in the south in Edmonton, Alberta, have a world-renowned waste management facility. For us to not even have a recycling depot for cardboard and paper is unacceptable. We are further behind that we should be reducing pollution and waste.
Mr. Speaker, if you go to the dump in Fort Simpson, you will see piles and piles of waste cardboard and paper that could be recycled. Starting up a recycling facility would reduce our contribution to the landfill and the negative impact that the waste has on the natural environment. If government had a recycling program for paper and cardboard, we would increase the lifespan of our dumps, which in turn would help the environment.
In addition to the benefit of the environment recycling has, a new facility would provide a new industry for employment in my riding. Perhaps we could have a handler in each community, with the main facility being in Fort Simpson, where all the recycling for the riding is sent out. This possible structure could create at least one position in each community of my riding, as well as more positions at the main facility in Fort Simpson.
Mr. Speaker, we currently have a bottle depot in Fort Simpson for recycling cans, plastic, glass bottles, and electronics. We have a smaller bottle depot in the surrounding communities. The recycling depot in Fort Simpson could be expanded to become a crushing facility. Material could be sorted, crushed, and then sent out rather than being sent out sorted but not crushed. This would provide more employment in my riding.
Highlights from the NWT Waste Reduction and Recovery Program 2013-2014 Annual Report said, "An electronics recycling pilot project was initiated in September 2013 and collected over 7 metric tonnes of electronics." These results are astonishing. It would be great to introduce more recycling facilities in ridings for different materials so that the NWT can contribute to yielding such great results in recycling.
Mr. Speaker, the results of this pilot project were proven to be successful and electronic recycling has been implemented across NWT. Why not introduce a program for paper and cardboard now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As summer nears its end, so does the summer school break. Parents have been planning for the children heading back to school, and parents with young ones at home are planning for babysitters or daycare. In smaller communities such as Fort McPherson, we don't have the option for daycare.
Mr. Speaker let me note a few points about the benefits of daycare:
The emotional well-being by sending our children to daycare at a young age: they become comfortable in social situations.
The developmental opportunities: daycare staff are trained and can teach our children developmental skills.
Attending daycare in the early stages of life helps our children with physical, emotional, social, language, and cognitive development.
Mr. Speaker, there is a house specifically for daycare use, with inspections on a regular basis checking for safety and health hazards. This house sits empty. Last March, funding was cut and the daycare was closed indefinitely.
Daycare is necessary for most parents, both of whom are working. Having your child in daycare is much better than having to worry about if the babysitter will show up.
Single parents who want to go back to school or find employment rely on daycare opportunities. Just having the option, knowing that daycare is a viable source, believe me, has less stress.
Mr. Speaker, let me add that daycare helps children develop skills to make them successful for junior kindergarten, having a structure in place with teachings in a fun setting adds to our children enjoying school and wanting to learn.
Parents in Fort McPherson are requesting daycare. They want this in place as soon as we can in order for them to have a steady, reliable place for their children. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions later today.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. In February 2015, Strategic Oil and Gas Ltd. stopped production in the Cameron Hills field in the Northwest Territories. It bought the operations from Paramount Resources a couple of years before that, and GNWT approved the assignment of regulatory approvals to the new owner. The field consists of 50 wells, winter roads, summer all-terrain vehicle trails, a gas and oil gathering system, a central battery, temporary and permanent camps, airstrips, borrow pits, and bridges. A class A water licence and a type A land use permit cover its activities in the NWT.
It also holds an operations authorization from the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations, 15 production licences, and 11 significant discovery licences in the Northwest Territories.
Following some research, it looks like there has never been an approved closure and reclamation plan for Cameron Hills. Three different versions of a closure and reclamation plan have been submitted, and all have been rejected as inadequate. More recently, a workshop was held in Hay River in February 2019 on closure of the field and a new plan is due tomorrow, August 21st.
Trading was halted in Strategic Oil and Gas in April 2019 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and some directors have resigned. Strategic Oil and Gas is now in creditor protection with KPMG, a large international accounting and audit firm, as the court-appointed monitor.
On May 9, 2019, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench granted a revised stay of proceeding until September 30, 2019. Further, the court approved a process to begin the sale of its assets.
In June I asked a series of written questions on the status of Strategic Oil and Gas holdings in the NWT, its liabilities, and what our government is doing to protect our interests. I found out that only about $3 million is held in financial security and that there did not appear to be any estimate of its liabilities.
On the KPMG website, there is a document showing a list of unsecured creditors, including one from the NWT and an estimate of $12.375 million for the end-of-life obligations from OROGO, although the executive director tells me they had no input into this figure. This would leave a shortfall of over $9 million for environmental liabilities from a company that is in creditor protection. Needless to say, I will have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment on what our government is doing to protect taxpayers and the environment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back in February of this year I did a Member's statement on healthcare in relation to elders, where I talked about multiple system-related issues that Nunakput residents have brought to my attention. Today I would like to expand on the subject of healthcare in relation to Indigenous peoples.
Among the issues I mentioned in my previous statement on healthcare, I talked about the need for more culturally safe and appropriate healthcare to be offered to the people of the Northwest Territories. Ironically, the day after I made the statement, the Department of Health and Social Services came out with a cultural safety plan which I was very glad to see addressed some of the core issues on healthcare.
Moreover, Mr. Speaker, there are other issues which my constituents have experienced recently in relation to the health department, particularly with medical travel. For example, there was one case where a medical patient was required by their doctor to have an escort travel to Edmonton with them for an appointment. However, the medical travel personnel viewed the situation differently and left the patient in need without any escorts at all.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that every patient has different medical circumstances and that our health department must address each situation accordingly. However, my biggest concern with medical travel is that, when some patients require translators, that option does not seem to be made readily available all the time.
Situations like these should not be occurring anymore in this day in age, where patients are faced with language barriers upon receiving healthcare in the Northwest Territories. After all, we are a territory that recognizes 11 official languages. Therefore, it is imperative that all of our government services, not only healthcare, be made available in each of our official languages when they are needed. I would like to have assurance that all of our citizens across the Northwest Territories, regardless of their identity, language, or where they live, are well-informed of their medical situations and the options of care that are available to them, especially when it comes to medications and when surgery is involved.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government need to ensure that our healthcare system is looking after the needs of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples equally. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to move to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery, on the orders of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would to recognize some Kam Lake constituents today, Mr. Leo Konge, Kelso Neils Konge, and Caitlin Cleveland(ph). Thank you very much.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a resident of Yellowknife South, Gaeleen MacPherson. Gaeleen just announced that she will be a candidate in the Yellowknife South riding. I wish her every success, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize former Member and former Minister and resident of Yellowknife North and understood to be a candidate in the upcoming election, Dave Ramsay. Thank you for being here, and welcome.
