Secretary.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do have a publicfacing document as our executive council handbook that does describe the processes expected for Cabinet decisions. That is in the process of being updated. This practice has been put in place in advance of that. But the next updated executive council handbook will explicitly make clear this requirement. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. So, yeah, this talks about this work being done on page 30. Is the current version, does it that's publicly available, does it contain this new tool for the Executive Council and Financial Management Board? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Premier.
Turn it to the secretary to Cabinet, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the tool is in place and being operationalized. There's just been a bit of lag. We're doing other updates to the executive council handbook as well. So the next version will have that explicitly made publicly available as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Sorry, this is very cumbersome. When is that going to happen? When is this new version of the executive council handbook with the new tool for climate change going to be made public? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to direct that to the secretary to Cabinet.
Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I want to say in a matter of weeks, not months. It is still subject to some approvals. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks. Just one more item on my May/June list to raise with the Premier, so that's now on the list and that's all I have for this one. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm looking at the item on page 31 around increasing the you know what, I've skipped myself ahead. Never mind, Mr. Chair. I'll come back for this section.
Thank you. Questions? Are there any further questions on ensure climate change impacts are specifically considered when making government decisions?
Seeing none, Committee, we will move to pages 31 to 33, increase employment in small communities. Questions? Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Now that I'm on the right page.
I'm looking at the working group that's been established for this purpose, and I note that it says that it's fulfilled and the timeline was winter of 2020. So that's the establishment of the group. However, it does state that they are going to be making recommendations, identifying gaps, programs, all of that in the progress to date.
So can the Premier or the Minister speak to where that information is if this group has been established for almost I guess it would just be a year if it's winter of 2020, but when are we going to see some information or data flow out of this group? Thank you.
Thank you. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm just giving the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment a moment. Yeah, I think he's fine to answer the question. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister Simpson.
Thank you. So the working group has been established. It has come up with some great ideas, doing some great work. Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Nokleby.
Okay, I'm guessing that maybe the Minister missed my question. It was around when are we going to actually see the work coming out of the working group the ideas, the gaps, the information that they think is needed, etcetera? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Simpson.
Thank you. So there has been some work that has been done already. Each department is pulling together its own information and then the working group will look at that and amalgamate it and the departments have been putting that information together. If they're not already sharing that with each other and starting that work, it will be happening quite soon. There have been some changes that have been made through based on the discussions, so. One of the changes is the communities who have the community labour market development plans will be eligible for multiyear funding through the Small Community Employment Strategy beginning in the new fiscal year. So that's one example of the types of changes that are being made. Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The next one I'm looking at is on page 32, the increased seasonal, parttime, and fulltime employment in the small communities. The part about amending the Housing Corporation policies to allow for the homebased businesses, it says that it's in progress and that the changes were delayed until February of 2022. Well, we're now in March of 2022 so I'm curious to know if we are moving forward on allowing homebased businesses in Housing Corp buildings. Thank you.
Thank you. Premier.
Minister of Housing, please.
Minister Chinna.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will have to get back to the Member because there was some, I want to say like complications when we were looking at this and looking at the requirements in these public housing units. They were built for low income families. They weren't built for businesses or childcare to be running out of them so we're still taking a look at those. Thank you.
Thank you. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you for that. I think that the Minister's colleague over at ECE might want to have some of this be taken care of so we can create some of those day home spaces that seem to be needed under our new policies. And I'm going to move on here. This one actually has so much in it. And really I feel that I would be remiss to not comment that this is one of the most important priorities for myself. I think if our communities are stronger, then Yellowknife will only be stronger so even though it's not riding.
My next question is around the makerspace programs. It does say that it is fulfilled and that they have been developed and implemented, but it's my understanding there has been some delays in that work. Could the Minister speak to whether or not that is correct and when they will be complete. Thank you.
Thank you. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That would be the Minister of ITI. If you can she's online I think.
Minister Wawzonek.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, so there is there's a few different things happening with respect to the makerspaces. The makerspace project here in Yellowknife did experience some delays, although I think they are on track or catching up as of now and do have funding to see themselves opening up a fairly significant operation.
There are other initiatives that are underway. There is the arts, craft, technology manufacturing centre in Inuvik that was opened in 2019, and they are partnering with a number of regional organizations in the Beaufort Delta to bring the makerspace concept and the makerspace initiative to other regional centres, including for example Tuktoyaktuk and I believe Aklavik as well, as well as I believe a couple of others.
There are also initiatives happening I know in Lutsel K'e, and I believe one other here. I apologize I don't have it in front of me, but. So when they're saying it's complete it's because a lot of these initiatives are already well underway in that regard. But, you know, certainly we encourage communities that are interested in exploring this to come forward because there's they just seem to be very successful both from the perspective of starting up the arts, crafts, technology but also just as providing communities spaces where people can start to share entrepreneurial ideas. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Nokleby.
Thank you for that. I guess I was just confused how it could be fulfilled if the timeline was fall of 2023. So I appreciate the explanation there. I did have a chance to visit that centre in Inuvik and found it amazing. And one of the things about it is that it does give the people the ability to start small businesses. So I'm because, for example, there was a silkscreen or a shirt screening so people could start a Tshirt business. You know, there was the 3D laser printers, all of that kind of thing.
So I guess my next question is part of this work being done to marry or merge the business side of ITI supports in providing small businesses with like accounting skills, all of that kind of thing, in with the makerspaces. If you're already going to have community people coming there to create product, why not then have that be the space to learn about business as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Wawzonek.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I couldn't agree more, and there is actually some exciting work happening in the space right now specifically with respect to the organization up in Inuvik and looking at whether or not they would be in a position to actually coordinate and provide or sorry, the resource so that all the smaller organizations, the smaller makerspaces can utilize their experience and put their experience to use, also looking at different programs to to have business mentorship pilots underway and that is that pilot is going to be starting this fiscal year. And looking at well, I mean, there's BDIC involved here as well. There's funding coming in from the federal government under CanNor as well. There's so there's a few different streams here. And, you know, I have to say this is also I should actually note this is being coordinated as well with ECE and ENR. So it's an area where there's actually quite a lot happening, Mr. Chair. It's one that I feel quite strongly and quite excited about. And I do think there's this is something that we'll have to provide a more thorough update to Members on because, again, there's quite a lot that's expected to get underway in the next few months between the Inuvik group and the mentorship pilot. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, just a oh sorry, I've got sorry, I've got really bad feedback right now. So just in regards to this this priority here, I see a lot of our priorities of course are very connected, and so in conjunction with increasing employment in small communities from the inside out, there's also a potential for increasing employment in small communities from the outside in. And when I think about our priority of increasing regional decisionmaking authority and also the drive to ensure that some positions within the GNWT are also returned to communities, that kind of brings the subject of housing into this conversation and something that really might be missing from from this priority item as far as targets under here.
We've heard from the Minister of Health and Social Services, for example, that one of the positions that they were looking to fill within Tuktoyaktuk was unable to be filled because of a lack of housing in the community. And so, really, one of the barriers to achieving the success that the GNWT would like to achieve in some of our priorities really relate back to the availability of housing.
And so I'm wondering how the GNWT is tracking housing needs in relation to increasing employment in small communities and where the ability to put positions into communities is further hampered by the lack of housing in our small communities. Thank you.
Thank you. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll start, and then I'm not sure if the housing minister would like to expand on it, but I'll begin with it.
I agree that you can't look at employment in small communities or look at increasing employment in small communities without looking at the need for housing. So I'm giving you a heads up on what but basically I do know that the Minister is working. We just had a discussion today actually and the Minister is working with the federal government as stated earlier today on a working group. She is also working with the Indigenous governments. Indigenous governments are getting money from the federal government for housing programs. We're hopeful that we believe that the federal budget will be released I believe on April 7th tentatively. That's so we're hoping that we will also receive money for housing.
I think that the Minister was hoping that the Indigenous governments, again I'd like her to expand on it, would be looking at not only the needs of housing that they have in their communities for their membership but also looking at ways to make it an economic economically viable, such as getting into market housing to address the needs of people that might be coming up for business or for healthcare or for teachers or for all of their needs. So Mr. Chair, I think that I've given the Minister enough time, and if she'd like to expand, I'd like to give her that opportunity.
Thank you. Minister Chinna.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And my apologies, I just went out to get some water. But I didn't expect there to be questions, but what I've heard is that increasing employment in smaller communities.
One of the things that I'd really like to elaborate on is that through the 90unit delivery, we are requiring for the need for apprenticeship and that's built into those contracts. But not only that we've also been requested by the Indigenous groups to acknowledge those Indigenous groups where our houses are being placed, when they are to be built, to give them an opportunity for employment and training as well in their own communities, and looking at partnerships for them as well too if they're not if they don't have the capacity to fulfill these contracts. And we have put at least one house in every single community, 33 communities, and looking at those at those deliveries as well too.
And then also working with the Indigenous groups and looking at the the influx of funding that they will be receiving. Market housing has been brought up. You know, I always like to, you know, reflect on my riding. I do have one of my smaller communities as Colville Lake that has zero almost no, I don't want to say zero but pretty much no government resources in there unless you're a teacher or a teacher pretty much I want to say that. And, you know, we have like lack of housing as well too so we need to start working together in partnership with these Indigenous groups. And I want to have the opportunity to expand and give them the updated information that we have as a corporation and what is needed in the community, what we can construct and build, repair, programming in those communities. Like I said, we do have a limited budget as well too, but we try to be very strategic with that budget. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Ms. Cleveland.
