Thank you, Mr. Speaker. James Gerard Fradsham left behind an incredible legacy of family, humour, compassion, and friendship across the NWT. I had the pleasure of knowing him as Gerard.
Gerard was born on July 25, 1955, in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was there he grew up with 10 brothers and sisters. He would often tell stories of Signal Hill and the Battery. He always wanted to go back to visit, but life seemed to get in the way. There were times that you would find him in his family home on Google Maps, showing everybody who would look where he used to live.
In the 1970s, his family uprooted and moved to Frobisher Bay; Iqaluit, nowadays. From there, Gerard traveled across the North and obtained his ticket to become a plumber and oil burner mechanic. Through these travels, he met a lot of good friends and his soulmate, who passed away earlier this year.
Gerard was known for being kind-hearted, generous, strong, and determined. His family and friends always knew that, if they needed him, he would always be there in a heartbeat. He strived to be the best father and friend he could be for everyone. Everyone who knew Gerard has countless memories of him; some happy, some sad, some scary, and some humorous. These stories of him will be with us forever, keeping his memory alive.
He used to love to go fishing, camping, rides in the side-by-side, playing crib, dice, watching movies, and reading tour things from Facebook. He had passion about the education system and making sure his children were making positive choices.
I'd like to share what his youngest son Colin's words were: "When I think of my dad, I think about all the lives he touched, the different cultures and communities he embraced with affection, passion, and determination. I think about his need to repair everything he saw, like an inner nature that drove him. His stern kindness, deadly humour, and never-quit attitude are all traits I strive for every day and I hope to pass down to pass down to my children, not just from my father, but my mother, as well."
Gerard lost the battle with lung cancer on November 15, 2019, at 9:43. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, his sisters, and a couple of brothers, nieces, and nephews, and all of his friends. He is preceded by his wife, his parents, his brothers, and a couple of close brothers-in-law. His daughter, Laurie, said in his eulogy: "I can see him crossing that bridge he always talked about and being greeted by all those friends and family members who are waiting for him, who went before him."
The Fradsham family would like to thank everybody for their loving support and prayers during their time of sorrow. They appreciate everyone who was able to attend his celebration of life in Fort Smith. As well, they would like to thank all the medical staff here in the North and in Edmonton, Alberta, who helped with their father throughout his journey.
Mr. Speaker, he was dearly loved, and we will miss him, his knowledge, and guidance. Rest in peace and know that your children and grandchildren will be fine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Members, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts, the Information and Privacy Commissioner for the NWT. Ms. Keenan Bengts is here for the tabling of her annual report. Welcome, Ms. Keenan Bengts.
Also, Members, I would like to draw your attention to the visitors' gallery and the Chief Electoral Officer of the Northwest Territories, Ms. Nicole Latour. She is here to witness the tabling of the official results.
Ms. Latour, I think I can safely speak on behalf of all of the Members when I say that I am pleased with the results of your work. Thank you.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again recognize my neighbour and journalist, Sarah Minogue.
I think they have gone back to school now, but we had students in here today from Kam Lake's Ecole St. Joseph School, who were here to see consensus government in action.
I would like to again recognize Kam Lake Pages here today, both Lana Sanders and Adrienne Lam are grade 9 students at Sir John Franklin High School. Lana is a talented drama student who was in Frozen Jr. this year, and Adrienne is well-known to teachers and classmates alike for her consistently above-90-percent average. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize my wife, Bette Lyons. She is here, and she is keeping me fed and the Minister of ECE, as well. We appreciate her showing up in Yellowknife this week. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to acknowledge one of the Pages in the House today, Riley Hans. She is a student at Ecole Sir John Franklin High School.
I want to thank you for filling my water glass, as well as running notes around for everybody.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to recognize one of our Pages in the House today, Ms. Brenna Willis, who is a student with Range Lake North, and we are really glad to have her helping us as Page. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of the Pages as well, Jaida Charlo, from my riding. I am happy to see her today. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Member. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To attract potential industry and major proponents to invest in the NWT, the Taltson --
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to acknowledge Walt Humphries, winner of the Distinguished Service Award at last month's Chamber of Mines gala.
Following his graduation from the Haileybury School of Mines, Walt made his way to Yellowknife 50 years ago to establish himself as a prospector. That is still his business. He is also an avid promoter of prospecting, having taught 50 courses across the North. He is a fixture of the Yellowknife Historical Society with a passion for preserving our mining heritage, but perhaps he is best-known for his newspaper column, "Tales from the Dump," and for his artwork.
Congratulations, Walt, on this well-deserved award. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question that I have today is for the Minister of ITI. Recently, the tender for the construction of a fish processing receiving plant in Hay River was cancelled. When I saw this, I concluded that it was due to the bid amounts received, which were considerably over budget. Can the Minister confirm the reason for cancelling the tender at this time? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; the bids that were received for the construction of the new fish plant in Hay River were significantly higher than anticipated. As the Member is aware, demands on the public purse are high, and we want to make sure that we are fully considering these types of decisions. We remain committed to the revitalization initiative, and we want to move forward as quickly as possible with the fish plant. However, we have decided to take the time required to consider what other options we may have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Knowing the work that it takes to prepare a tender such as this, and knowing that only two tenders were received, has the Minister's department met with or considered meeting with the lower bidder to explore options that would bring the project within budget and keep the work, I guess, in Hay River?
The bids were very high compared to the budget, especially given that the budget was disclosed to the bidders at the pre-tender meeting in July. The gap was significant enough that we couldn't reasonably anticipate negotiating it down to within the budget. Cancelling the tender was the only option available to us to maintain an open, fair, and transparent process.
This does not mean that are not exploring options to bring the project budget down. One of the areas where we think that we may have some room to make changes is in the proposed fish processing lines and equipment requirements and the impacts that they will have on the building.
Will this project be retendered or sent out for RFP fairly soon?
That is one of the things that we must consider. Our first step will be to get some better understanding of why the bids were so high. Ideally, we will find a way to move the project ahead within the budget that we have, but this will take some time. While it is too early in the process to know how we will proceed, I will confirm to Members that we remain committed to building the plant.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This project is very important to not only the NWT fishers but the community of Hay River as well, in terms of employment and contracting opportunities. Will the Minister commit to providing me with an expected timeline to move this project ahead in a timely manner, once she has that? Thank you.
First, let me assure the Member that I recognize how important this project is to Hay River. Our plan will mean greater returns for fishers working on the lake. It will mean new jobs in processing, packaging, selling, and transporting NWT fish for market. When it comes to the plant, however, I will be fully transparent. The answer is no, we don't have a new timeline yet, but we will get one, and I will share that with you. While we consider next steps for the plant, we are also moving ahead with other elements of the overall revitalization strategy. We will be establishing a fisheries support officer to work out of Hay River. We are working with Memorial University to develop training programs around fish handling, processing, and filleting. We have partnered with the marine training centre to deliver relevant training for fishers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry for being so anxious on the economy. Mr. Speaker, to attract potential industry and major proponents to invest in the NWT, the Taltson River hydro expansion must remain a priority. My question is: does the Minister and her department consider this a priority?
Thank you, Member. Minister for Infrastructure.
I got off easy yesterday. The Taltson hydro expansion project is a priority of this government as it will allow us to establish long-term energy infrastructure that can provide cost effective energy to communities, residents, and industry. It is identified as one of the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly, as one of the strategic infrastructure investments that connect communities, expand the economy, or reduce the cost of living.
The Taltson hydro expansion project will also help achieve the 19th Legislative Assembly's priority to reduce the cost of power and increase the use of alternative and renewable energy. The Taltson hydro expansion project is a central element of the 2030 energy strategy, supporting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. This project can help the NWT meet our commitments under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The Government of the Northwest Territories is currently developing our mandate which will outline specific actions that we will undertake to advance the priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly of which the Taltson hydro expansion project is an important one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a statement at my Member's statement. There is a lot of housing in Behchoko that are boarded up and also burnt houses. I would like to ask Housing Corporation Minister the question [Translation ends].
As I alluded to in my Member's statement, we have a lot of boarded-up and burned units in my community of Behchoko, which I believe is the responsibility of NWT Housing Corporation. They are obviously an eyesore and potentially dangerous to my community. What is the process of dealing with these houses that can no longer be lived in, especially these burnt units in the community? Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Lafferty for your comments. The Housing Corporation right now, I would like to look at options in regards to home insurances for new homes that are being built, looking at the abandoned units that are in your community. I would like to go into the community and take a look at what we actually have there, what is our inventory for Behchoko. I am really looking at the safety, as well, too, and looking at the options that we might be able to provide as NWT Housing Corporation in regards to insurances. I will look at options going forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. I was just going to remind you to please address your remarks through me. Thank you.
Some of these units, especially the burnt units, have been an eyesore for the last 10 to 15 years in my community, and still is today. The families who lived there continue to struggle. A lot of them are homeless now. These are families that are desperately in need of help, and those pleas have been ignored for a very long time by this housing corporation.
The Minister did talk about going to the community. I am just wondering if there is a plan in place today to deal with these burnt units, if they could be replaced so these families can have homes again. As it stands, they are homeless right now, couch-surfing in the community. They do not have a warm place to go to at times, so what is the current position of the Housing Corporation to deal with these burnt units so we can have the family go back to their community homes?
In regards to the burnt units that are in Behchoko and the homeless that are there, I am not familiar with the number of units that are available in the community, and I am not familiar if there was a report that had been done in the past, but I will make it my priority to review them, and I will get back to you with numbers for you, how many vacancies we do have in Behchoko. Also, for the burnt units, once again, we will explore options for the home insurances.
I am enjoying these answers that I am getting from the brand new Minister. It is an area of challenge in the community, but we have to keep in mind that this has been going on for the last 15 years. The next question obviously is a critical one for me, as well. The Minister did allude to at some degree, but I want to get a clear and concise answer on this particular question. Is the NWT Housing Corporation willing to look at these individually, on case-by-case basis, and to investigate reasonable solutions for these families so they can live with dignity once again?
As the Housing Corporation Minister, I am new to the position, but then I am from a smaller community; I am familiar with the scenarios and situations that the Housing Corporation does have in the smaller areas. I am open to looking at these individual cases case-by-case in your community and the responsible solutions. I do not have the information right now to provide to you in regards to how are we going to be accommodating the residents in Behchoko and the people that are affected.
Member for Monfwi.
Masi. The Minister did bring up that she represents a small community, and it has not been the case in the previous Executive, so I would like to thank the Member for that, speaking from her experience. It will make a difference in my community and especially the small communities that we represent across the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, since housing is the number one issue in my region, I would like to ask the Minister and also the senior staff: it is very crucial that they attend, as well, to visit my communities of Behchoko, Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti, along with the local housing authority representatives, to deal with my constituents' issues and concerns that I just addressed with the Minister. I believe this matter is urgent enough to warrant this meeting early in the new year. I would like to get a commitment. I know the Minister alluded to, to some degree, but I would like to get a commitment from the Minister today. Masi.
Yes, the Housing Corporation will be committed to visiting the Tlicho region. I am also wanting just to express, as well, Wekweeti was the first community for the Housing Corporation that had completed a housing plan, and we are actually going to be going there next week to explore those options and those accomplishments that they have completed. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
