I want to thank the Minister for that. I just hope that part of our messaging is that we have workers at the site. They do have rights, and we want to make sure that they are protected, because, if pensions aren't paid to these workers, guess what? They are going to come back, and they may end up on Income Assistance. It's going to cost our government something, as well.
I guess this really gets to the broader question of communications around what we're doing. I don't want to get into the specifics of the court proceeding, but the only place I can find any information about this is in the media and on the receiver's website. I see that the court protection has been extended now to November 7th. How does our government actually communicate what it is doing in terms of the court proceeding, and how is it trying to communicate that to the broader public, as well?
The court proceedings are public proceedings and so, to the extent that our counsel is present and speaking at those proceedings, that certainly is a public forum and a public arena where that message is being transmitted. Beyond that, I don't think I have turned away a single media inquiry to ask further questions about this. I have spoken to the media on many occasions about that and will continue to make myself available to do that, and I am more than happy to continue to answer the Member's questions here. It is certainly my expectation that that message is going out, and it is being made clear. We're using every opportunity we can to get that message out.
I want to thank the Minister for that. I would just like to know a little more about how she intends to keep Regular MLAs informed about what is happening and what the position of our government is that is being put forward, moving forward.
To the extent of keeping Regular MLAs informed, to date, the last couple of occasions where more information became available to the Department of Finance or the Department of ITI, in fact, I think the very last time that we received information in the morning, we turned around and got that out to MLAs that same day, within hours. We are going to continue to try to work on that kind of time scale so that, when we get information about what might be occurring from one of the parties that is relevant to these proceedings, we will turn that around as quickly as we can. As I said, in this case, it was within hours.
Beyond that, with respect to the position of government, with respect to the MLAs, we will certainly include that there. As far as putting out media information and media announcements, again that is, in fact, that same example. That same day, not only did we first get information out to MLAs. We then, within a few hours after that, got an information statement out to the media. While a turnaround time of hours, Mr. Speaker, is asking a lot of the staff and the departments, we have managed to meet that kind of time scale, and we will certainly continue to do our best in the future to do so.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that, and I will acknowledge that, pretty quickly after some time she finds out about these things, she does share it with us. I want to give her credit for that. However, it seems to be changing almost daily or monthly, and I am just wondering what kind of lines of communication our government keeps with some of the creditors, Union of Northern Workers who represents some of the workers at the site, even the insurance companies that have the surety bonds, Dominion itself, if the Minister can speak in broad terms about the lines of communication with other parties around this issue? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Perhaps I am not sure if "irony" is quite the right word, but the pace of private industry certainly does often move quite a bit faster than government. It's a bit interesting that, as a representative of government, I am being asked to try to keep up with what's happening in private industry. That really is the nature of this. There is ongoing communication between these private parties and an ongoing process of bids. In one case, one bid was withdrawn. We are certainly hopeful that another bid may well come forward so that, again, ultimately, this mine can reopen.
As far as communication, Mr. Speaker, there is an ongoing court proceeding. We always have to be conscious of that in terms of the kind of communications that we have and discussions that we have. There are communications open between the department and certainly with Dominion. As with any business or industry here in the Northwest Territories, that line of communication is there, similarly with the surety bond holders. Those lines of communication are there but certainly will not make me privy to the kind of internal conversations or negotiations that they have ongoing between them. Certainly, to the extent that we receive information about what is happening, we will certainly continue to do our best to make sure that the people of the Northwest Territories and businesses are kept aware once we hear that something is happening or maybe changing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three sets of written questions today. The first is for the Minister of Finance, and the question is:
What has been the impact of COVID-19 spending to date, including the number of dollars that have directly contributed to our gross domestic product;
The number of businesses saved;
The number of jobs saved and/or recovered;
The projected impact of new or proposed spending; and
How many businesses and jobs were lost in the Northwest Territories as a result of COVID-19?
Mr. Speaker, the second set of questions is also for the Minister of Finance.
Over the last five years, what amount of the capital budget has the Government of the Northwest Territories carried over;
What has been the reason for the carry-overs, by category;
Do the reasons point to internal or external capacity challenges within the Northwest Territories; and
What gaps does the Government of the Northwest Territories identify to facilitate spending government capital dollars?
Mr. Speaker, the third set of questions is for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. According to the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics, 42.7 percent of Northwest Territories homes are in need of at least one major repair, and Government of the Northwest Territories major home repair funding programs require applicant homeowners to have homeowners' insurance, but, because of the remote location and limited services available in most northern communities, residents do not qualify for homeowners' insurance.
How does the Government of the Northwest Territories intend to support homeowners in remote northern communities to access homeowners' insurance;
How many Northwest Territories homeowners do not qualify for home insurance because of their community location; and
How does lack of homeowners' insurance and associated disrepair drive northern homelessness?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question 14-19(2), asked by the Member for Frame Lake on June 10th, to the Minister of Infrastructure, regarding contracts for work related to the Taltson hydro expansion.
A request was made to provide details of all the contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project, including studies on submarine transmission lines, from September 1, 2015, to present, indicating whether any of the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy. There was an additional question about planned actions to maximize northern employment, training, and business opportunities in future contracts related to the project.
Mr. Speaker, in response to the Member's first two questions, later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the detailed list of the contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project, including whether the contractors' Business Incentive Policy status received any consideration in the evaluation of the proposals or bids.
Through the public procurement process, the Government of the Northwest Territories supports territorial and local content through the application of the Business Incentive Policy. To date, contracts entered into for the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project have been very specialized and technical in nature. The Business Incentive Policy was applied in each competitive contract evaluation. Sole-source contracts and contribution agreements do not include the Business Incentive Policy as part of the selection process.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of the method of procurement taken for each specific project-related activity, the Government of the Northwest Territories strives to maximize the benefits to local residents and businesses from the project. For example, the two contribution agreements entered into with the Arctic Research Foundation to complete specialized studies on Great Slave Lake exemplify how the Government of the Northwest Territories and the project partners are working to maximize local benefits, even for procurement falling outside of the Business Incentive Policy. These studies will provide a wealth of hydrographic data, including detailed mapping, soil sampling, and lake-bottom profiling. Arctic Research Foundation's work was supported by local equipment, labour, guides, and boat crews, and was used as an opportunity to host local and Indigenous youth through the Northern Youth Leadership Program to develop leadership and life skills. Over a period of two seasons of work, the Arctic Research Foundation has spent $900,000 on northern content.
Regarding the Member's third question, the Government of the Northwest Territories is advancing the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project with the Akaitcho Dene First Nations, the Northwest Territory Metis Nation, and the Salt River First Nation as project partners through a memorandum of understanding that is expected to be signed shortly.
Mr. Speaker, the MOU will allow the four parties to work together to ensure northern employment, training, and business opportunities are maximized by using a collaborative approach to project development. In the lead-up to the signing of the MOU, the three Indigenous groups have, over the last three years, collectively received $350,000 in funding to support their participation on a project working group and steering committee as part of the establishment of the MOU.
Much of the work completed for the Taltson hydro expansion to date has been of a highly technical nature, requiring the support of specialty consultant firms. As the project moves beyond technical design and towards baseline fieldwork, regulatory approvals, procurement, and construction, the skill set requirements will broaden, and the project is expected to provide more opportunities for northern businesses.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring that the benefits flow to Northwest Territories residents and businesses through the ongoing work to expand the Taltson hydro system will be an important consideration as we advance the project. It will be several years before this project is able to proceed to construction. In the meantime, the Government of the Northwest Territories will be working with its Indigenous partners to undertake studies, complete planning and regulatory work, and hold public community engagement sessions to ensure that residents and businesses can receive maximum benefit from this project. Quana, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question 16-19(2), asked by the Member for Nunakput on June 11, 2020, to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, regarding income assistance regulations.
The question was in three parts. The first part of the question asked whether "money, or the value of goods, in excess of $500.00 per year, received by a person under a self-government agreement, a land claim agreement or an impact benefit agreement" was always considered unearned income for the purpose of determining an applicant's net monthly income, or was this provision included in the regulations at some point subsequent to their coming into force.
The Income Assistance program has several exemptions that can be applied to unearned and earned income. These exemptions allow applicants to benefit from these types of income while still contributing to their household.
Up until August 2007, monies received through the Inuvialuit Final Agreement or other land claims were considered unearned income and were not included in the calculation of net monthly income. Effective September 1, 2007, these monies remained unearned income but were included in the calculation of net monthly income.
As of December 1, 2012, monies received through the Inuvialuit Final Agreement or other land claims were exempted up to $500 per person per year. Further, in August 2016, any land claim payments for children were fully exempted.
The second question inquired about the rationale for including land claims beneficiary income in the calculation of unearned income, when Residential School Settlement payments are not included in the calculation.
Section 20(5)(m) of the Income Assistance Regulations states that monies paid in response to pain and suffering, such as Residential School Settlement Agreement payments, are exempted from the calculation of Income Assistance. Land claim payments are not considered payments as a result of pain and suffering.
The third question asked, if the Government of the Northwest Territories were to exempt land claims beneficiary income from being considered unearned income when determining an applicant's net monthly income, how much extra would it cost the Government of the Northwest Territories in Income Assistance for the current fiscal year.
At this time, the department is not able to provide financial information for the current 2020-2021 fiscal year since it is still in progress. However, during the past three fiscal years, $1.78 million in land claim or treaty payments was declared, of which $1.28 million was automatically exempted. During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, 1,032 applicants declared $691,000 in land claim or treaty payments, of which $491,000 was exempted.
If the Income Assistance program were to exempt 100 percent of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement or other land claims payments, it could potentially increase expenditures by approximately $200,000 per fiscal year, which would be dependent on the amounts paid out by Indigenous governments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act. Bill 3 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 13, 2020, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment for review.
On October 14, 2020, the standing committee held a public hearing with the Minister of Infrastructure on this bill. The committee is awaiting some information committed to by the Minister during this hearing. The committee thanks the Minister for her commitment to provide additional information and is looking forward to concluding their review in the near future.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Rule 74(1)(c) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the review period for Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act, be extended for 120 days. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. The motion is in order. To the motion. All those in favour? All those opposed?
---Carried
Merci, Monsieur le President. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of the matter of privilege referred by Motion 5-19(2) on March 11, 2020. To date, the committee has held numerous meetings to discuss this important and complex issue. A public hearing previously scheduled for October has been postponed to November 17, 2020, to allow the committee to further promote public engagement on the use of official languages in this Legislative Assembly.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the review period for this matter of privilege be extended for 120 days. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion. All those in favour? All those opposed?
---Carried
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: "Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 1-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT;" "Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 2-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT;" "Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-19(2): Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery - Recommendations to the GNWT;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 340-19(2): Domestic Violence." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Finance and ITI.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following six documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 153-19(2): Government of the Northwest Territories Public Service Succession Planning;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 313-19(2): Providing GNWT Staff Who Leave the Territory with Two Weeks Special Leave;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 197-19(2): Business Incentive Program;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 224-19(2): Dehk'e Frank Channel Bridge;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 268-19(2): Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy Funding Delays;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 333-19(2): Business Advisory Council." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, further to my return to written questions, 14-19(2), I wish to table the following document: "Taltson Hydro Expansion Project Contract List - September 1, 2015 - September 1, 2020." Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 259-19(2): Responsibility and Preservation of the Government Art" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 317-19(2): COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Funds for Education." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents.
