Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response from the Minister. I'm not sure he actually understood what I was saying. We need long-term, continuous data sets, but I want to move on. I support the efforts of our staff to stay on top of the situation, but I am not convinced that the Transboundary Water Agreements are working as they should. Could the Minister tell us what lessons GNWT has learned from this experience and whether any changes will be made to the Transboundary Water Agreements? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
To just elaborate on the third question: yes, we continue to monitor, and we are continuing to do it with our transboundary agreements. This agreement is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, as it takes into account traditional knowledge, biological indicators, and indicators on early warning systems to detect changes in water quality before they reach the border. While there were some challenges this summer with its implementation, we have seen improved communications and notifications since then. Our bilateral management committee, which impacts the agreement, is led by ADMs from both governments. As well, deputy ministers are now meeting quarterly to ensure effective communication between our two jurisdictions. The GNWT continues to pursue a seat on the oil sands monitoring committee that would give us a stronger voice on related monitoring program decisions. The GNWT will continue to protect NWT interests with the context of the NWT-Alberta Bilateral Water Management Agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement today, I spoke about electoral reform, but I'll get to reforming democracy if I can get a few yesses out of the Department of Lands first. My question for the Minister of Lands is: will he develop land use area regulations for the Ingraham Trail? Perhaps I can get agreement that this work can be part of phase 2 of the Public Land Act and regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Lands.
Thank you. I should just say no, but I won't this time. The department has prioritized the implementation of the Public Land Act. This is a major body of work that involves the development of multiple regulations to bring the Public Land Act into force in early 2022-2023, or earlier. This work is to be completed within existing resources and requires a dedicated team whose main focus will be on this important work. This is the important part that the Member has been asking for: yes, we will look at this. As we are working through this process, we will identify issues and challenges that we need to amend to the Public Land Act and regulations, but it will be in phase 2 of the act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When I first ran for this job, I never thought I'd be so excited about an agreement to develop land-use regulations. In the past, we have tried to develop a Yellowknife periphery area strategy. This initially failed because it largely had a recreational focus and ignored the residential aspect that these are people's homes. It also failed to get proper consultation and engagement from the Akaitcho Government. I believe this work still needs to be done, to set out what the future of the Yellowknife periphery area looks like. Will the Minister develop a Yellowknife periphery area strategy?
For the Yellowknife peripheral area, it has become clear that land management consideration must consider a diverse set of land users. Planning needs to consider activities such as traditional use, tourism activities, mineral exploration, agriculture, residences, commercial use, and recreational use, and how these activities might coexist. The department is reviewing the work completed on the draft for Yellowknife recreation management and has been engaging with Indigenous governments and organizations. In light of these interests and input from Indigenous governments and organizations, the department is revisiting how best to develop a plan for the Yellowknife peripheral area.
I think that was a yes. I'm glad to hear that, and I'm glad to hear we are working with our Indigenous governments. Really, at the end of the day, what I am looking for is to give the vast majority of the land in Yellowknife North back to the Akaitcho and to keep a few leases in fee simple where my residents currently live. Can the Minister write to Akaitcho on what they would require to agree to land disposition of those leases?
As I mentioned, the department is engaging with Indigenous governments and organizations on a range of issues, including planning in and around Yellowknife. The Department of Lands also undertakes Section 35 consultation with IGOs and on all land distribution decisions, which will also include the process of completing a bulk land transfer of vacant public land to the City of Yellowknife. A technical review briefing has been offered to the MLA on related matters by EIA and Lands and may help answer these questions in their full context.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier just quoted, "How much money is one life worth," when speaking about the COVID budget. My question is: I ask the Premier how much are the lives worth of those who we have lost since March 2020 to addictions, which could be secondary to mental health issues and trauma? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Honourable Premier.
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. I stand by the Grand Chief's message: how much money is one life worth? We could use that in many instances. The Grand Chief used it with the secretariat and our measures in there, so I don't want to twist his words, but it can be used with many things.
Addictions and mental health has been something that all societies have been struggling with for many, many, many decades. It's not as simple, in my opinion, as just putting a treatment centre in Yellowknife. Treatment centres work for some; they don't work for all. AA works for some, but it doesn't work for all. On-the-land healing works for some, but it doesn't work for all. School supports, the child counsellors might work for some, but it won't work for all.
What I am saying is that we need a continuum of services, and this government is doing the best to provide that continuum of services to address our mental health and our addictions within communities. Again, it's something I hold to my heart. The reason I came in here was because of homeless people, and I have said that before. If I was to share some of the stories I've heard of the homeless women, I would shock Members on the other side, and that's why I came in, to make changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is a budget of about $86 to $87 million over two-and-a-half years for COVID. GNWT amounts for addictions and on-the-land have been quoted in the House last week: $2.3 million a year for addictions treatment; $1.8 million for on-the-land healing. That is $4.1 million a year. That is $10 million for 2.5 years. It doesn't add up for me. When is the Premier going to look at a better way of providing addiction services or if her Minister, if she wants to pass it on, can look at a better way of providing addiction services? We have mental health counsellors, all those types of things, in our system. They are burnt out, too. We are short-staffed, so we need to look at a better way. Maybe it is putting more money behind it.
The Minister of Health and Social Services would like to take this answer. I would like to defer it to her.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, what the Department of Health and Social Services is doing early next year is to survey people who have received treatment in addictions centres to understand directly from them, the people who have used these centres, about the successes and shortcomings of their experience. I am very interested in seeing that information. What I remember from our tour that you were on, as well, Mr. Speaker, as a member of the social development committee, is there was quite a gap between what was being said by people in the NWT and what was being said by clients in the centres. I am very interested in that first-hand information to understand whether the approach we are taking now is one that is resonating for the clients themselves. Thank you.
Addictions come from, like we said, we have drugs and alcohol. There is usually a root cause, but I know one of the things that we have lost a lot to is overdoses and alcohol and freezing to death. Will the Premier work with her Cabinet Member, maybe the Minister of Justice, to make sure that maybe we can have a -- everybody knows in the communities who are the drug dealers and how these drugs are coming in, but everybody is afraid. We need to have a way to work with the RCMP so people have a safe way to report and do kinds of things. As long as we have the supply there, we are going to have the problems.
The Member is right. Mental health and addictions are not just one department's responsibility. It goes across all departments. In fact, it's a community issue. The stories I heard from women, when they were children, what happened to them did not happen because of our government. It happened because of people, so it does take a community to deal with the mental health and addictions that we are facing. Mr. Speaker, what I can commit to is that we will bring this issue to the committee of Cabinet or social committee, and we will look at a wholesome, all-of-government approach to dealing with that. However, Mr. Speaker, in respect, I would like to see the results from the survey that the Health and Social Services Minister has committed to. At that point, it would make sense that we would sit together and look at what we can do from a whole-of-government approach. Again, it will mean that all Members will need to look at that, as well, and all communities. We need to deal with this. It's not okay.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is just more of a comment to the Premier. I am glad that you are going to take this further, and if there is a survey, I am reaching out to the residents of the Northwest Territories to make sure they take part in this. It's going to take not just one community. It's going to take the whole territory to deal with this, and I don't want to lose more family members, more constituents, to overdose, freezing to death this winter because of addictions or anything. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. That is taken as a comment. Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The $1-billion Rapid Housing Initiative, which is complementary to the National Housing Strategy, was announced in September this year, and the applications are due at the end of this year, on December 31st. This is barely two months away, Mr. Speaker, and this makes me quite nervous, especially when I hear the Minister for the Housing Corporation talking to a colleague of mine about hoping to have the advisor person for the co-investment fund in place by the end of November. This does not leave somebody who is just potentially coming into the GNWT, coming into the Housing Corporation, to get their feet wet and to really be able to dive right into an application process in one month. I am wondering if the Minister of the Housing Corporation is willing to commit an existing employee of the Housing Corporation to do the application process for this Rapid Housing Initiative and have them assigned to the application process. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Member, for your comment. This is something that I am wanting to complete by the end of November. We do have an offer that is out there right now, and we are in the process. If we do have a decline with the offer, we are going to be looking to hire in-house. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I really want the Minister to see great success from these different federal housing initiatives. For this Rapid Housing Initiative, not the co-investment fund but for this Rapid Housing Initiative, will the Minister allocate an existing staff member from the Housing Corporation to do the application process, starting right away?
With the federal announcement with the rapid housing program that is offered to the Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and CMHC will be meeting next week on strategically how we are going to be program-delivering. Also, I will be meeting with my federal counterpart to speak about this program because he did not leave us a large amount of time to be dealing with this application. I just think that the timeline is honestly unrealistic, so I will be talking to the federal government, as well.
I am happy to hear that the Minister will be sitting down with the federal Minister for CMHC in order to discuss the Rapid Housing Initiative. I think it's really important, and I think that it's important that everybody in this House support the Housing Corporation and make sure that they have the resources that they need in order to be successful in putting housing on the ground. With that in mind, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of housing please allocate a member of the Housing Corporation today to be the champion of the Rapid Housing Initiative?
We are in process. I will keep the Member updated. Should we be able to hire someone immediately, I will inform my colleagues of what the outcome was of the position, whether it was declined or accepted.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am tempted to try to put my remaining three questions into one, but I don't want to get in trouble, so I am going to pick one. What I would like to know is: has the Housing Corporation been able to reach out to any of the potential partners that would be involved in the rapid rehousing initiative? One of those key ones would be that the Rapid Housing Initiative favours applications that have received financial supports from municipalities, like in the form of property tax or permitting-fee waivers. I am wondering if the Housing Corporation has had the opportunity to reach out to the City of Yellowknife or had the opportunity to reach out and discuss this with people like the integrated case management, who would know what vulnerable populations in different communities desperately need for housing, in order to get houses on the ground? Thank you.
The announcement of this federal funding is very new. CMHC and the NWTHC will be meeting next week, and these meetings will be amongst the managerial staff here in the Northwest Territories. This is not a meeting that would be with the federal government at this time. Right now, I am just looking at the possibilities for this Rapid Rehousing Program initiative. Like I had said, three months to get these applications, and it takes us a year, 365 days, for us to complete a co-investment application. This is unrealistic. I will be talking to the federal government because this does not work for the Northwest Territories. We need an extension on the application process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: "2020 Northwest Territories Environmental Audit Technical Report." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Section 61 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act permits the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories after the approval of the appointment by the resolution of the Legislative Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly considers the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner essential to exercise the powers and perform the duties under the Act;
AND WHEREAS the term of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is expiring;
AND WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly is of the opinion that the appointment of an Information and Privacy Commissioner should now be made to effective on November 23, 2020;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Sahtu, that pursuant to Section 61 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, that Mr. Andrew Fox be appointed for a term of five years as Information and Privacy Commissioner;
AND FURTHER, that the appointment be effective November 23, 2020.
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
Thank you. Motions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS Section 23(1) of the Human Rights Act provides the Commissioner on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly shall appoint an Executive Director of Human Rights to carry out the responsibilities set out in the Act,
AND WHEREAS the Board of Management is tasked with recommending an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation to the Commissioner;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Sahtu, that the Legislative Assembly recommends the appointment of Ms. Nicole MacNeil of Yellowknife as Executive Director of Human Rights during good behaviour for a term of four years as recommended by the Board of Management.
AND FURTHER that the Speaker be authorized to communicate the effective date of appointment to the Commissioner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
