Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it took 18 months for the pandemic to finally hit my riding of Nunakput. The first scare we had was in Ulukhaktok and I really want to thank our mayor Josh Oliktoak and his staff and the health centre staff that did the awesome job to contain that, and then we didn't really have an outbreak there.
But unfortunately it came to Tuk. I want to thank the community leadership, my mayor Erwin Elias, the TCC chair, and all the nurses and the health care workers, and the Rangers, who have been working nonstop to take care of our people. And I also want to thank our health care workers that were flown into the community, and my Minister for taking the late calls from us in making things happen.
Mr. Speaker, I'm really proud of my entire community. It has come together for each other. It's been exhausting, and the total number of cases are 10 percent of my people in the community of Tuk, there's a hundred people, and we're still on the road to recovery. Mr. Speaker, I'm thankful it wasn't worse and the case numbers are still dropping. It remains much to be seen yet.
Our small communities, Mr. Speaker, do not have the resources to help their residents in regards to increased demand on food, the hampers that we should be giving. People need assistance. They can talk -- they can't go to Inuvik to go buy food or it's not easy to go out on the land because we're on lockdown in the community. Things need to get -- to keep busy for our youth. But I'm happy that IRC and the Community Corp delivered boxes on the steps for the kids, and the school gave them homework. So we're keeping the kids busy. And the mental state, it's a big thing right now because they're under lockdown.
Our community leadership has asked about what financial supports are available to access and to pay for all the financial isolation centre was set up, all the food, the check stops on the highways. The community is willing to do what it takes but in case it has had zero help for payment.
I'm going to be asking the Minister today where -- if the community's lockdown, they should be paying the bill to assist. The community does not have a budget to these costs, it can't come out of their O and M. The money, you can't take it out of their gas tax funding because it's not for that. So the GNWT should cover all the costs for small communities across the territory and assist them. And I'll take my time now.
So Mr. Speaker, it's just -- what we really need to do is make sure if COVID Secretariat or CPHO shuts down the community on lockdown, that's when the bill should be getting sent to them. They should have to pay, not my community, not any community across the territory, because at the end of the day they have enough problems in regards to stretching out the dollar and to try to provide service, you know, for the constituents that we represent.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind everybody back home to stay safe and across the territory keep physically distancing, sanitizing your hands, and stay home. And if you're not feeling well, make sure you're getting checked by the health nurse. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
