Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources on the Bathurst caribou emergency. Predator control can be a useful tool in recovery of the herd, but I would like to know from the Minister if he could tell us about the success of the wolf harvest incentive and the aerial shooting program, especially whether the targets were actually reached. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ENR and the Tlicho government submitted a proposal for a joint wolf management program to help support the recovery of the Bathurst and Bluenose East herds. The Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board supported a pilot project this winter, and field work wrapped up in mid-May. While we face a number of challenges related to COVID and bad weather, we were able to complete a range of actions to support caribou recovery.
Mr. Speaker, these actions include training and incentives for wolf harvesters as part of the traditional economy, putting out 11 satellite collars to monitor wolf movement, and the aerial removal of 41 wolves from the herd's winter range. Given its low numbers and the challenges we faced this year, we have focused most of our efforts on the Bathurst herd. Mr. Speaker, because location information is still coming in from wolf harvesters and analysis is still under way, final results for the pilot project will not be available until August. At that time, we will present that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the Minister for that. It was good to see the Minister working with Indigenous leaders to condemn the illegal killing of caribou and meat wastage in March of this year. Can the Minister tell us what enforcement actions resulted from this hunting and what preventative measures this government is taking?
This was a very disturbing result that we had seen this past winter. I am actually going to take a bit of time to read out the whole response here, because I think that it's very important that the public hears and understands what we are doing.
ENR actively monitored the Bathurst caribou management zone, or mobile zone, throughout the winter 2019-2020 harvest season. The monitoring includes checkpoints at McKay Lake and Gordon Lake and regular ground and aerial patrols. Given an increase in harvesting on the winter road, ENR increased its presence and monitoring activities.
In late March, renewable resources officers determined that more than 80 caribou were illegally killed in the mobile zone, and wasted meat from 12 more caribou were found outside the zone. ENR officers conducted field investigations which resulted in eight ongoing investigations. Because they are active legal investigations, I cannot provide any further detail at this time on those eight cases.
In response to illegal harvesting, I worked with Tlicho Grand Chief George Mackenzie, Lutsel K'e Dene First Nations Chief Darryl Marlowe, and other Indigenous regional leaders to issue a joint statement. In this statement, we reinforced the need for responsible harvesting of caribou in this time of rapid herd decline. The government will continue to work closely with its co-management partners to implement a range of measures to support the Bathurst, including the implementation of the mobile zone.
Mr. Speaker, I have to thank the staff of ENR. They have worked really, really hard on the mobile zone, even in difficult times. I have to say that I was very disappointed to hear some of the stuff that they had to go through, but we are working with our co-management partners to address this.
I want to thank the Minister for that detailed response. I do commend his leadership in working with the Indigenous leaders on that issue.
As the Minister obviously knows, exploration and development in the range of the Bathurst caribou herd is probably at an all-time low, partly due to the pandemic. Now would seem to be a really good time to implement mobile caribou conservation measures that would provide temporary habitat protection. This work was called for in the Cabinet-approved Bathurst range plan. Can the Minister tell us about the status of the promised mobile caribou conservation measures and when we can expect to see them fully implemented?
The collaborative development of the Bathurst caribou range plan provides guidance on activities to support the range of the Bathurst caribou herd, including mobile protective measures. ENR has developed a draft framework for implementing the mobile caribou conservation measures on the range of the Bathurst herd. This framework will provide a pilot project that has been done this year to test the approach and procedures for implementing mobile measures. A possible industry partner has been identified to work with ENR to pilot the mobile measures within the late summer and fall range of the Bathurst herd, and discussions are ongoing. We will provide that information to SCEDE once we hear more information.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I have been pushing him on that for some time, so I look forward to getting the information.
The scheduled calving ground survey for the Bathurst caribou herd is not going to proceed this summer as a result of the pandemic. Can the Minister tell us what the management implications are for the herd now that this key population assessment tool is not going to take place? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Again, some of the challenges that we are dealing with COVID. ENR was unable to secure a research firm from Nunavut to proceed the planning calving grounds survey of the Bathurst and Bluenose East herds. The survey will be rescheduled for June 2021, which will be three years since the last survey, which is within our time frame that we do the survey. Other herd monitoring programs are able to continue, including composition surveys, monitoring radio-collared caribou, and other target research. Given the very low size of the Bathurst heard, ENR and its co-management partners are currently doing a wide range of actions to support herd recovery. Postponement of the calving ground survey will not delay or impact current management actions, including habitat and wolf management.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that I have reached out to the Minister of ENR from Nunavut, and we have had some communications back and forth. We were talking about having a phone call or a face-to-face meeting some time later this summer so that we can discuss this important activity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. There is still some confusion about what happens when people from outside arrive into the Northwest Territories. There was a CBC report yesterday on their website, and I just want to quote one sentence here. It says, "If they don't meet one of the essential services exemptions, they will be told they need to apply for an exemption and self-isolate for 14 days."
I have some questions for the Minister of health on this, and I have talked to her about this and raised some of these concerns. I would like to know, Mr. Speaker, if non-Canadian citizens arrive into the Northwest Territories, and they do not meet one of the current exemptions, will they be turned back? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While we are talking about COVID, I need to take this opportunity to correct the record. Yesterday, in response to the honourable Member for Yellowknife North, I stated that roughly one third of the population suffered from chronic disease. I did not have the stats right in front of me, and I was working from memory; so that's my bad. In fact, Mr. Speaker, according to the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, more than 12,000 individuals, or about a quarter -- not a third, about a quarter -- of the population in the Northwest Territories are believed to have a chronic disease. Although not all chronic diseases are associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness, that's the response to the Member's question yesterday. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Now I'll get back to the other Member's question. The Chief Public Health Officer's jurisdiction does not extend to public health officers being able to force people to turn back. Any person, whether you are a Canadian citizen or not, who presents at the border without approved documentation or without meeting any one of the exemptions under the travel restriction order will be told they can either wait at the border and submit a resident self-isolation plan for approval by contacting Protect Northwest Territories, return to their place of origin and submit a resident self-isolation plan for approval, or be charged $1,725 if they decide to proceed to travel in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. I think that's what you call two birds with one stone there. Member for Frame Lake.
I would like to chat with the Minister afterwards. You have an opportunity to make a personal explanation to correct the record, but that's a procedural thing. This is still very confusing, Mr. Speaker. What happens when a Canadian citizen arrives into the NWT and they do not meet any of the current exemptions? Will they be turned back, or are they allowed to stay somewhere, even if it's at the border? Are they allowed to stay for 14 days and self-isolate and then apply for an exemption? How does this work?
I will say it again. Any person, whether you are a Canadian citizen or not, who presents at the border without approved documentation or without meeting one of the exemptions under the travel restrictions order will be told that either they can wait at the border, do the paperwork, return back to their place of origin, or be charged the fine. I don't know how clear this can be.
I'm still a little confused here. Presumably, then, somebody coming in, even if they're a Canadian citizen, non-Canadian citizen, can camp out at the airport for 14 days, and then they've cleared self-isolation, and then they can travel anywhere in the Northwest Territories. Is that how this could work, Mr. Speaker? Thanks.
No. If a person travels into the Northwest Territories, you have to self-isolate in one of our four centres.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I am still confused, and I think members of the public are still confused about this. If someone presents at the border and they don't have an exemption, they don't have a self-isolation plan, and if they head off somewhere, who is going to cover the costs associated with that? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
A Canadian who does not meet any exemptions is prohibited from travelling within the Northwest Territories. If a person who does not meet our exemption arrives and is directed to self-isolate before returning to their point of origin, they will need to pay for their self-isolation. Currently, the GNWT only pays for Northwest Territories residents who need to self-isolate in a self-isolation centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: "Accreditation Canada Accreditation Report: Tlicho Community Services Agency;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 263-19(2): Impacts of COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities;" the "Home and Community Care Review;" and the GNWT's "Response to the Home and Community Care Review." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: "Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020)." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: "Workers' Advisor Office Northwest Territories and Nunavut 2019 Annual Report." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the document "The Northern Retrofit Economy: Ambitious, Achievable Building Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions with Net Positive Returns, Improved Quality of Life and Job Creation, by Ecology North." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Tabling of documents.
Pursuant to Section 5 of the Indemnities, Allowances and Expense Regulations of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the "Summary of Members' Absences for the Period February 5 to May 25, 2020." Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This has been one of the longest sessions, I think, in legislative history, a very long session, and I'm happy to move the motion to bring it to an end today.
I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Friday, June 12, 2020, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, October 15, 2020;
AND FURTHER, that at any time prior to October 15, 2020, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice, and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Can you please clarify the seconder of the motion? Thank you.
The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Speaker.
The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
