Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NTPC, provides an essential service to residents and businesses in the Northwest Territories. Without reliable electricity, many of the activities we take for granted, such as cooking, washing clothes, or using our computers, would be impossible. It is therefore critical that the corporation maintains its assets to ensure that electricity is available when it is needed and that it is delivered at an affordable rate. The vast majority of Northwest Territories residents have their homes powered by hydroelectricity. Approximately 75 percent of the electricity consumed annually is generated by hydroelectricity with the remainder generated by diesel, liquefied natural gas or solar.
Members we have heard my predecessors and I refer frequently to aging infrastructure and the challenges it creates in maintaining reliability of supply. Many of NTPC's key assets, particularly its hydro units, are reaching the end of their design life. The Snare and Taltson hydro assets have provided renewable energy to Northwest Territories residents and businesses for many decades. NTPC has been able to extend the life of these assets through maintenance and repair but has now reached a point where refurbishment or replacement can no longer be delayed. Reliability will continue to decline if we don't make significant capital investments soon. The long-term benefit of investment in hydro refurbishments is that these units can then generate clean, reliable electricity for another 40 to 50 years. The long-term health of our hydro system is critical to stabilizing the cost of energy across the Northwest Territories. However, we need to manage decisions within an environment of limited resources.
NTPC has an extensive capital plan to improve reliability of core assets and support reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as per the 2030 Energy Strategy. Many necessary projects will financially be supported by the Government of Canada through its Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, or ICIP. NTPC has been allocated over $85 million through ICIP to advance several hydro refurbishments as well as other alternatives and renewable energy projects. Given a limited window of opportunity to ensure federal funding support, we recognize that it is far more cost effective to move forward with projects now rather than face ongoing emergency repairs for equipment failures. We recognize that ICIP funding will only partially off-set the costs of these capital investments. Customers and/or ratepayers will be responsible for paying 25 percent or more of these costs, which place upward pressure on the cost of energy. NTPC is working with the Department of Infrastructure to identify other sources of funding to help mitigate energy cost increases and to defer non-essential projects.
NTPC has developed a strategic plan to ensure it maintains its focus on lowering electricity rates, improving reliability and meeting its 2030 Energy Strategy commitments. The plan is based on four pillars: reliability, economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and innovation. It outlines NTPC's approach to addressing these challenges and identifies potential growth opportunities. There will be some additional short-term capital costs that NTPC will incur, but over the longer term, the strategic plan will help reduce upward pressure on rates. This plan will be shared with Members and the public later in the year. This government understands that the high cost of living is a major concern for NWT residents. Through the 2030 Energy Strategy and NTPC's strategic and capital plans, we remain focused on our government's priority to lower the cost of power and increase the use of alternative and renewable energy whenever possible. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. COVID-19 has affected us all and the pandemic has highlighted why meeting these mandate commitments are so important. As global supply chains have been disrupted and economic activity has been restricted, the need for locally sourced food has become even more valuable. Northern harvesters and trappers have been deeply impacted by COVID-19. Their economic livelihoods have been affected, which is an important part of northern culture. That is why now, more than ever, we need to support harvesting and land-based programs.
Mr. Speaker, I stood here during the last sitting and announced that the Government of the Northwest Territories, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, had launched three new programs in the fall of 2020 aimed at supporting both families in need and harvesters during the pandemic. These programs included a country foods harvesting subsidy, harvesting training, and mentorship funding and the launch of the take a family on the land program. I am proud to say that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was able to support all eligible applications received under these programs and has provided an estimated $340,000 to harvesters and trappers. The funding was distributed to just over 20 organizations across the territory.
We are not done. For ongoing programs such as the take a family on the land program, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources plans to reach out to partner organizations this year to ask for feedback so that we can do an even better job next year. For the new pilot trapper mentorship program, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is working with interested regional Indigenous governments to collaborate on the development of the program to best meet regional needs. We are working hard towards launching this pilot program in the coming weeks.
As for our fur industry, Northwest Territories trappers are well-positioned and protected from ongoing market disruption through the Government of the Northwest Territories' Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program. In 2020, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources increased both eligibility and grubstake amounts to offset the challenges trappers faced due to the recent downturn in the fur industry. We will continue to communicate with trappers to show our support for the industry. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is also continuing to work with our partners to evaluate the existing programs and develop harvester mentorship programs that support a strong and resilient traditional economy.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a tough year for harvesters and trappers. The Northwest Territories traditional economy can and will continue to endure thanks to the hard work of these individuals. The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to stand with harvesters and trappers and support them as part of our efforts to bolster the traditional economy, create employment opportunities in small communities, and increase food security for Northwest Territories residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, March is nutrition month, and I would like everyone to join me in celebrating next week. It is a time to highlight the importance of accessing and eating healthy food. The theme this year is "Good for You! Dieticians help you find your healthy." Dieticians support individuals to reach their nutrition goals, both to prevent poor health and to improve their overall health. I am encouraging residents to find their healthy by talking to dieticians if they have access to one. There are other sources of good dietary information, including traditional harvesters and healthy food experts in their communities who may be able to offer support and guidance in making wholesome food choices. Nutritious eating looks different for everyone; our culture and traditions are an important part of what we eat and how we eat.
Mr. Speaker, I can't talk about nutrition month without talking about food insecurity. It is a major issue in the NWT. High transportation costs, rising food prices, along with changing environmental conditions that affect wildlife harvesting are compounding this issue. Food is a vital part of culture, well-being, and health. Food security is essential to our ability to make healthy choices and live our best lives. Research consistently shows the link between wholesome food choices and healthy eating. Having access to affordable and nutritious food is a vital determinant in improving the health and well-being of our people and communities.
Mr. Speaker, addressing food insecurity is a priority for this government. We identified it in our mandate and have committed to increasing food security through efforts to support locally produced, harvested, and affordable food. It is also a key priority in our Anti-Poverty Action Plan. We have taken a whole-of-government approach to this issue through the establishment of the food security interdepartmental working group to ensure collaboration to address this important issue.
Through our renewed Territorial Anti-Poverty Action Plan, sustainable livelihoods action plan, and the agriculture strategy, we have begun work to support residents in accessing local sources of fresh food and ensure future generations have the skills they need to feed their families. We have taken action to improve food security by introducing new and enhanced programs to support harvesters and families going out on the land. A total of $330,000 in funding was provided for regional harvesting, a training and mentorship program, a pilot program for trapper mentorship, and assisting families to go out on the land. We continue to deliver the Small Scale Foods Program in each of the regions of the territory to assist in the non-commercial growing and production of food. This program helps underserved, remote communities, and organizations operating within them, to get the resources they need to support and promote local agriculture. We also offer funding to eligible organizations in their efforts to improve food security in their communities through a variety of programs.
Mr. Speaker, we know that addressing food security is a shared responsibility that requires a coordinated response from both the public and private sectors. It is important that we come together to identify priorities, challenges, and most importantly, solutions, to develop a path forward in our approach to improving food security. In January, the Department of Health and Social Services hosted a virtual anti-poverty round table to continue this important work. Over 80 delegates from across the territory, representing Indigenous governments and organizations, community governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses, including local grocers and agricultural producers, discussed how to improve food security.
Experts from the NWT, British Columbia, northern Manitoba, and Nunavut shared their knowledge and experiences on harvesting and local food production, with the goal of providing long-term solutions to food insecurity that address underlying issues and empower people to provide for themselves. They talked about innovative projects that are leading the way in developing healthy food systems here in the North, as well as across the country. Representatives from the GNWT also provided an overview of the government's work on improving food security. Short panel discussions were followed by longer breakout sessions, where delegates had an opportunity to discuss what they learned, as well as share their thoughts and experiences. Delegates discussed how to build strong and sustainable systems so that hungry people had access to wholesome and affordable food. They talked about finding ways to include traditionally harvested food in local grocery stores and how to develop community specific, culturally adapted harvesting strategies and practices to strive towards Indigenous food security.
Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee members for helping to plan the round table, all the presenters, and those who shared their experiences. Thank you also to all the delegates who attended. I hope everyone left with a shared commitment to creating a sustainable, healthy food system for their communities and the territory. The GNWT is currently working on a report summarizing what was discussed at the round table. I am looking forward to sharing the report with Members and making it available on the anti-poverty website later this summer.
Mr. Speaker, we all have a role to play in addressing poverty in the NWT so that residents have access to supports they need to live in dignity, with access to the basics of food and shelter so they can be full participants in their families and communities. Our commitment to ensuring residents have access to nutritious, affordable food is a critical component in advancing our poverty-reduction goals. This government will continue to actively collaborate with our partners to develop shared approaches and find innovate solutions so that we can move forward as an equitable and healthy territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about the incentive to work. Due to COVID, we have seen the economic and business opportunities put on hold or disappear. The federal government, along with this government, has provided financial support to the residents and businesses of the NWT and continue to do so during this difficult time. Payments made to those who have been chronically unemployed but were very capable of working acted as a disincentive to seek or accept employment, while others leveraged it as stop-gap and opportunity to move forward.
Mr. Speaker, what I find in the NWT is that most people of working age who want to work are currently employed. This is true in Yellowknife and the regional centres, where opportunities actually exist. In smaller communities, employment opportunities are limited and almost non-existent for some. Any opportunity for employment in a smaller community is mostly short term and negatively impacts any government support one receives for basic needs. Because of this, there is not the incentive to accept temporary employment when one knows it will only set you back financially. It is in these communities where a living wage should be considered.
Mr. Speaker, I have talked to employers in the private sector. Many have the same concern, and that concern is that we are enabling a generation of people who have come to accept that living on government programs is not only acceptable but is now considered a way of life and a right. I do believe that there are people who are experiencing hardship, have limited opportunities, and do need government support, and providing that support to them is the right thing to do. However, there are those out there who are very capable but, for one reason or another, are not interested in joining the workforce nor in seeking training or higher education. This failing not only falls on the shoulders of those not wanting or willing to work, it also falls on our shoulders and the shoulders of parents and the community, as well.
Mr. Speaker, my expectation and hope is that all capable people are willing to get out of bed in the morning and be productive, but that is living in fantasy land as there are a few who are very capable and, for whatever reason, have no intention of ever doing that. I do have hope that there is a way to get them out of bed, off the sofa, off the games, off the cell phone, and out to work. Therefore, I challenge them: what will it take for that to happen? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is on mental health in the small communities. A lot of people are hurting from depression with all the deaths that we have been having over the last year, with the bullying, and it all comes into a cycle. We have to step up as a government, Mr. Speaker. I asked a couple of weeks ago. How I used to do it with the youth: I used to travel, and I would bring a professional hockey instructor or someone to come into the community. We would go to the school and do school talks, and you would feed them. You are there for three or four days, but we would do that three times a year, and then you never come back. For our adults, we need help in regard to sharing circles, to bringing people in, professionals who could listen, who could help them in regard to the hurt that has been passed on through residential schools and all that.
As an Aboriginal person, going to residential school myself, I hang on to that sometimes, and I do not use it as a crutch, though. I use it to push myself forward. I try to look at things in a positive light and try to help. With adults, again, getting teams brought in with some specialists with regard to being able to hear people's concerns and try to fix the problem and bringing them in for two or three times a year, maybe four times if it's possible, to the community, having someone there to let them know that they are not alone and we are listening to them, our government has to step up in regard to that. They have been doing a lot of good work, the teams that I see who are going around with the needles and the planes. They should be doing that now with people, bringing people to deal and cope with all the stuff that communities are dealing with.
We are having a tough time, Mr. Speaker. The communities I represent need help in regard to this, and I plan to be using that once we are able to start bringing people out into the communities, when we are accepted to come and help them. We have to look at this, as an Assembly, at the people you all represent and have to step up and ask their MLA for help in regard to doing something like this. I look forward to talking to the Minister of health at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
Mr. Speaker, I am having a computer issue. Could you move on? Thank you.
Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am going to speak once again about the issues pertaining to the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Today marks the fourth time that I have done a Member's statement about this topic in this Assembly. I spoke at length about the discontent and disappointment that the people of Fort Smith have about the changes done to the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Oftentimes, though, it seems my words fall upon deaf ears when it comes to this topic. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to share with this House that I am no longer the only voice opposing the changes made to the Fort Smith Regional Airport. I stand here today with the support of 550 people who agree with me and with what I have been saying about the changes done to our airport.
Mr. Speaker, last month, a petition was started by a small group of concerned Fort Smith residents. The petition is requesting that the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Infrastructure restore the Fort Smith airport runway to its former specifications, in other words return the airport runway to the specifications it was before any changes were done to it in 2019.
This government, primarily the Department of Infrastructure, refuses to acknowledge that any errors or missteps had occurred regarding the changes done to the Fort Smith airport runway. I have asked the former Infrastructure Minister this very question. It was firmly denied that any wrongdoing had occurred. Mr. Speaker, I now have 550 people who would disagree with the Department of Infrastructure in that assessment. I argue that wrongdoing has taken place. Otherwise, the people of Fort Smith, would be pleased and perfectly content with the changes done to our airport. If no missteps were made, then why am I standing here today with the backing of 550 signatures who state otherwise?
In closing, Mr. Speaker, my hope with delivering this petition today is that my words on this topic will now carry more weight and meaning. I hope everyone will see that I am not speaking for myself and my own opinion about the Fort Smith airport. I will speak more about this later when I present the petition. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2019, mining, oil, and gas dominated the Northwest Territories' economy by accounting directly for 21 percent of the overall GDP in the North. However, when we look at the spin-off industries and benefits, this number is much closer to 40 percent of our economy. There has been a significant downturn in mining-exploration spending due to COVID restrictions. Many exploration companies have been able to retain claims but are not able to do any work as access is cost prohibitive and will be so into the foreseeable future. The mining industry continues to be at risk. Exploration companies do not qualify for federal initiatives as they are not revenue-generating and are seasonally driven, which does not fit well with the year-to-year comparisons used to qualify. Exploration is the life blood of mining. Mines need exploration companies to develop new projects and extend the life of existing operations. Without federal recognition and help, many exploration companies will not survive. Our government should be advocating for all companies with active exploration and mining operations in the Northwest Territories to qualify for the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy or any subsequent programs regardless of the 30-percent revenue reduction requirement.
As a result of the decline in the industry, service and supply companies, many of which are northern or Indigenous small businesses, are losing out. Existing mines have been cutting back on capital projects or removing or indefinitely deferring items from their work plans. Government-mandated COVID-19 safety measures are driving up costs and reducing the already very thin profit margins for businesses that are already struggling. Last year, mining companies adapted very quickly to COVID-19, for example, sending staff from vulnerable communities home with pay and chartering direct flights to ensure southern workers are segregated from Northerners during travel. They are good corporate citizens who contribute a lot to the North, and as such, they deserve our support.
While the future of the mineral sector in the North is facing great uncertainty, as it is throughout the world, diamond mines have shown their ability to endure and project well beyond 25 years. This is exemplified by a global industry where diamond mining has been ongoing since the 1800s. With the right supports given to the exploration sector in the Northwest Territories, we can provide our residents with economic certainty through well-paying, meaningful jobs and an abundance of royalty payments, particularly in the arena of green industry minerals. It is in that arena I see the NWT playing for a very long time to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. After 50 years of existence, the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, or CARC, is ceasing operation. CARC is a public interest, research, and advocacy organization committed to environmentally responsible northern development, support for the rights of Indigenous peoples, respect for the authority of northern governments, and increased international co-operation in the circumpolar world. It was established in 1971 in direct response to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline proposal and the Berger Inquiry. In addition to research and policy analyses, CARC's activities include public communication, advocacy, contributions to the public policy agenda, and publishing books and reports. CARC often acts as an intervener, facilitator, and data repository, and has facilitated significant conferences on the Arctic. CARC is a registered charity operating under federal law. It is governed by a board of directors.
To quote the current chair and NWT resident, Lois Little, "There is a tendency for organizations to just keep going. We looked at who is in the best position to influence current and future decision-making in the Arctic, and we decided others were better positioned to do this, so we decided to step aside. The North is a very different place from what it was 50 years ago. Northerners have regained a lot of control over lands and governance, and they don't need us to help them to be heard any more."
There are still big questions out there about what sustainable development looks like in the Arctic, and the impacts of international problems such as climate change and contaminants. Northerners have the capacity to take on these issues and to make themselves heard on national and international stages and in new ways and places that didn't exist when CARC was born.
I am proud to say that I served as CARC's research director from 1995 to 2005. I set up and ran CARC's Yellowknife office and coordinated the Northern Minerals Program that included interventions in Canada's first three diamond mines. We helped secure benefits from diamond mining, including legally-binding environmental agreements, the genesis of the protected areas strategy, a heritage fund, and more. There were lots of mentors and great people, including Robbie Keith, Terry Fenge, Lindsay Staples, David Schindler, Tony Penikett, and many others. Much of that work continues to be relevant today. The values and spirit of CARC continue to guide much of the work I do as a Member of this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been waiting patiently for this Cabinet to present its post-COVID economic recovery plan, and I'm starting to think they are at a bit of a loss. If they're looking for ideas, they have to look no further than the great constituency of Yellowknife North where $947 million will be spent over the next 18 years remediating the Giant Mine site. However, the GNWT seems to have absolved itself of any of the responsibility to capture the economic potential of the Giant Mine remediation project. This is to say nothing against the project team and ENR, who are doing an amazing job ensuring that remediation is done properly from an environmental perspective, but environmental scientists are not economists, procurement experts, or lobbyists, nor should we ask them to be.
If we need a model for how to build our remediation economy, look no further than what ITI does to support the mining economy. We lobby hard. We attend conferences. We have positions dedicated to supporting the sector. We mandate benefit agreements. We negotiate socioeconomic agreements. We can use this project to build an industry in our territory, but we are failing to capture one of the largest economic development opportunities in our history. It's not just Giant Mine, Mr. Speaker. It's the sumps in the Beaufort-Delta. It's Cameron Hills. It's Norman Wells. It's Ptarmigan Mine, and hundreds of other federal contaminated sites across the North. There are decades of work to be done, and we need to demand a larger role in doing it. We need to be at the federal Treasury Board asking for northern labour requirements or management of some of the contracts. We need to be monitoring the socioeconomic outcomes of the projects and recording that data. We need to train the next generation of specialists in our polytechnic.
Mr. Speaker, the Giant Mine Oversight Board has been advocating for this work since 2016, with little success and little response from either the GNWT or the federal government. The YKDFN have recently launched a petition calling on the federal government to comply. Remediating the North's contaminated sites is an act of reconciliation, a massive economic driver, and leaves a better future for next generations. So, Mr. Speaker, let's get a plan in place and build a remediation economy that makes the North leaders in Canadian remediation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, after-care is prevention. It helps residents successfully navigate life outside treatment to reduce cyclical use of institutional care and maintain personal wellness. I say "wellness" and not "sobriety," Mr. Speaker, because after-care is not exclusive to addictions treatment. After-care is the network of relationships and community support essential to success after institutional care.
The GNWT invests a significant amount of money in the wellness of residents through a variety of institutional care. For example, the GNWT budgeted $35 million on supportive living in facilities outside the NWT; $28 million to provide safe custody and supervision of adult and youth offenders; almost $19 million on community wellness and addictions; and over $2 million on addictions treatment facilities outside the NWT. That's over $84 million invested in variations of institutional care budgeted in the 2020-2021 Main Estimates.
While the process of care varies, the after-care goal is the same: safe and healthy reintegration into a person's home community, rooted in personal and community wellness. Regardless of what is driving the need, whether it is to maintain sobriety after addictions treatment or remain on the right side of the law after incarceration, the pillars that build effective after-care are the same: stable housing; consistent income; and physical and mental wellness of both the resident and their family. People working to maintain sobriety after treatment often experience ongoing systemic issues that challenge their ability to maintain personal wellness. They have difficulty finding a job that can support them, face barriers to secure safe and affordable housing, and struggle to find their fit within their community and family. People leaving our correctional facilities and those with cognitive disabilities returning from institutional care face the same barriers. Our vulnerable populations are the most expensive people to not care for, and may potentially cycle through government care without proper support.
If after-care needs are consistent, why not bring together an after-care team focused on wellness to preserve the GNWT's investment in the quality of life of Northerners and its bottom line? Sourcing safe and stable housing, helping people find meaningful employment, and community involvement in establishing community-based support networks are absolutely an additional investment, but they are more affordable than cycles that find people reinstitutionalized and ultimately leads to healthier communities, and that is an investment worth making. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Nolan Swartzentruber arrived in Iqaluit in 1974, assuming assigned duties as a classroom teacher at Nakasuk Elementary School followed by tenure as vice principal at the said school. Beginning in 1978, he served as the principal in Nuiyak school in Sanikiluaq, immersing and enjoying the lifestyle of the small traditional community, fishing for cod in Hudson Bay, watching the community boat arrive on the beach after a successful walrus hunt; observing the landing of the planes on the ice in 1978 with a herd of 60 reindeer on board, replacing a vanished caribou to be released and hunted in future years; listen to the excitement when a polar bear was spotted near the community; and standing amazed by the talents of the skilled soapstone carvers.
In 1984, the family moved westward to Fort Simpson. During this time, he served as a principal and later was hired by the Deh Cho Divisional Education Council as director. Here, below the treeline, he spent many weekends cutting deadfall, stacking firewood, and preparing for the winter. He enjoyed outdoor trips navigating the Dehcho River, loving every minute of the peaceful and pristine landscape while harvesting fish, camping, hunting moose and caribou.
During his tenure as educator, he engaged with various projects with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in Yellowknife, served on the ECE Strategic Plan Steering Committee, ECE Teachers' Training Steering Committee, ECE's Financial Steering Committee, Principal Certification Program, Western Arctic director and superintendent/president, Association of School Board administrator. He was invited to sit at the negotiating table for NWTTA contractual agreements in 2009. He was recognized by his peers, awarded NWTSA distinguished service award.
He demonstrated an ongoing lifelong love of learning, always engaging in novel information and acquiring new skills. Hobbies included stain glass, photography, film development, woodwork, fix-it projects, and music. That which he learned, he passed on to the students and community members. He was accepting, fun-loving, friendly, always there to lend a helping hand. He vowed lasting relationships formed during his 36 years in the North.
He was an honourable man, Mr. Speaker, holding himself to high standards, and remaining true to himself and his beliefs. Central to his life and most important were his three girls: his wife, Fanny; daughter, Sharon; and granddaughter, Trinity. He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed by everybody that knew him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions are for the Minister of education. Can the Minister tell me what his department's plan or approach is to getting those who are very capable but not willing to work off the couch and into the workforce using the tools at his disposal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT has the highest employment rate, the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, but it's not evenly distributed. We have communities where everyone who wants to work is working. Then you have small communities where there're people who might want to work, but there're no jobs. Over half our small communities have less than 50 percent employment. We have a number of different problems. In regards to the people who don't want to get off the couch, that's a tough one. How do you motivate them? I think the best way to start is to start young. ECE's doing a number of things, including career and education advisors, to help young people figure out what they want to do with their lives, show them what opportunities are available, what education they will need to get there, and all of that. I think that is going to be a boom to our labour market in the coming years. There are a number of different things that we're doing. The Member provided his questions to me earlier, and I think that I will be able to provide more of those comments as he asks them. Thank you.
What concerns me is that, if we cannot motivate those NWT residents not willing to work, then this government, along with business, are forced to recruit from not only outside the NWT, but outside Canada. Can the Minister confirm what labour shortages exist in the NWT and how we expect to encourage Northerners to fill them?
I always remember when I was a relatively new MLA and the Premier stood up at that time and said there's more jobs than people to fill them in the territory. I never really thought about it that way, but that really is the truth. That's why we bring in thousands of people a year to do work. What we really need to do is ensure that our northern residents are trained to get those jobs. We might still need people from the South. We likely will, but that's okay as long as we're keeping money in the North and northern people are working.
In 2015, ECE completed with the Conference Board of Canada a labour market forecast, and at that time, it was forecasted that between 2015 and 2030, there would be 28,500 job openings in the Northwest Territories. We're doing the work now to update that to 2035. Interestingly enough, we're also looking at doing the work that we already did but also focusing on new and emerging economies, things like infrastructure projects, housing construction projects, tourism and knowledge economy, and mining and remediation. They fit in nicely with things like the earth resources specialization, the new polytechnic. There's a big labour shortage. We know we need tradespeople. I could stand up here for hours talking about all the needs we have. We need teachers. We bring in hundreds of teachers every year from the South. You're not going to get an argument from me that there's a labour shortage.
Employers are frustrated. They try and employ Northerners, but most are working. Some of those who are capable and available refuse to work. What, if any, incentives, does the Minister's department have to encourage people to get out and take a job?
There is a number of things the GNWT as a whole does. Supplementing wages is one thing so that employees can be paid a higher wage, things like our wage top-up program. We also have a wage subsidy program through ECE that supports employers who hire people who might need training. We help those kinds of people who need the training who maybe don't have the opportunities to get the big jobs yet. We are developing a polytechnic university in order to help train people to get the jobs they want. The plan is to make it as easy and accessible for people to get educated and get trained as we can. We have a small community employment program where we hand out millions of dollars every year to communities and businesses to create jobs in communities. There's a number of things that we're doing. I wish there was a silver bullet to address this issue, but there's not. We are casting a wide net.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Don't get me wrong. Not all people who are unemployed are lazy. Some just need a chance. I also expect some need to be challenged as they must possess skills that they can survive off of little government support they receive or funds they receive from their parents. I would ask the Minister if there's any way we can have those capable people provide community service or work with employers in return for the monetary compensation they receive so they can acquire skills and possibly find out what interests them and hopefully move forward with their life. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We do have, like I mentioned, the small community employment program, which does just that. It puts money into communities to create jobs. I will also note that this is one of the reasons that I wanted to have a look and review of the Income Assistance program. The Member mentioned a few times that maybe it's easier to just not work than to work, and then perhaps, that's keeping people on the couch, so to say. Is there a way that we can use those programs to help people get passed that point, get over the welfare wall, as they say? That's something else that we're doing. Again, there's a number of wage subsidy programs. We have our Skill 4 Success initiative, which is focusing on increasing the number of people in trades, and there are programs in there that help pair employers with apprentices and get people into those programs. Basically, what the Member is asking is: what does ECE do? Everything we do is to try to get people employed, get them into the regular market. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
