Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Happy New Year. This is the end of the fiscal year and the end of the public health emergency.
Mr. Speaker, as you know it's been two years since we declared a public health emergency in the Northwest Territories and doing so disrupted the lives of NWT residents, along with people around the world, and they have been disrupted again and again by public health orders restricting travel and gatherings, closing schools to inperson learning, sending workers home, and preventing nonresidents free movement across our borders all to prevent the spread of COVID19, Mr. Speaker.
Some residents have suffered serious illness and have been hospitalized. Sadly, 21 NWT residents have died, including elders and knowledgekeepers. I grieve with those who have lost loved ones.
The pandemic has taken a toll on the physical and mental health of many NWT residents. At the same time, it has also shown how resilient and kind Northerners are. During community outbreaks, neighbors, friends, and strangers stepped up to help one another by bringing food to those in isolation and offering other kinds of support where it was needed.
Mr. Speaker, I want to sincerely thank all healthcare workers across the NWT. We are so grateful for their ongoing efforts over the course of this pandemic. Their work to manage every outbreak, deliver vaccines to every community, offer testing services to those who needed it, provide care for residents with more serious infections, and step up to be redeployed and offer their expertise when and where it was needed, they did all of this and I thank them.
When this pandemic began, we had a limited understanding of this virus, and with no vaccine or treatment available we had to take urgent action to manage the spread and prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. Once declared, the public health emergency enabled us to make decisions quickly about public health measures that would help keep us safe. It enabled the chief public health officer to issue orders to protect residents and minimize risk to the public. These orders included
travel restrictions;
mandated isolation for those infected or at risk of being infected;
limiting the size of public gatherings;
implemented infection control with physical distancing protocols; and,
minimized the potential for outbreaks within highrisk populations such as longterm care facilities.
We also established a compliance, education and enforcement task force to respond to complaints, and investigate when orders weren't followed or when the public was at risk.
As part of our early warning surveillance strategy, we were one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to implement a wastewater surveillance program that later garnered international recognition. We have used wastewater signals to inform public health actions such as targeted testing of travellers. We also added the COVID19 school screening program and the DetectNWT program for businesses to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID19 in both schools and businesses.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT launched the largest and most comprehensive vaccine program in the territory's history at the end of 2020, targeting highrisk populations before expanding to everyone else. By April 2021, vaccine teams had visited all NWT communities at least twice. We were also one of the first to roll out third doses and to vaccinate 12 to 17 yearolds. I am very proud of our efforts.
Today, four out of five eligible NWT residents are vaccinated and half over the age of 18 have had a booster shot.
Mr. Speaker, the public health measures taken by the GNWT have been guided by the most current scientific evidence, intended to save lives, and implemented to ensure that our health system could continue to function and respond. Now the data is showing us that the time is right to end the public health emergency.
With most of the population vaccinated and treatments available to lessen the severity of COVID infections, we are transitioning from a broad territorywide emergency response to a continuous readiness approach that ensures our health system remains ready to respond to outbreaks, protect highrisk populations, and support communities with readiness planning. With a better understanding of COVID19 and more tools in our toolbox, the public health emergency will end tomorrow.
To maintain readiness, we have transferred some resources from the COVID19 Coordinating Secretariat to other GNWT departments. These resources include 811, wastewater testing, and communications, education and enforcement.
Mr. Speaker, the end of public health emergency means that we are moving away from public health orders and encouraging residents, businesses, and organizations to manage their own risk and make their own choices. Effective tomorrow, there will no longer be a requirement for masking, testing, or to report positive COVID cases. In addition, all travel restrictions will be removed and selfisolation plans will no longer be required. Isolation will no longer be mandatory but recommended.
We expect to see an increase in COVID cases because the pandemic is not over. It is simply entering a new phase.
I will conclude by asking all NWT residents to be considerate of each other's choices when it comes to COVID and to be patient and compassionate as we all adjust to another round of changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Best Minister statement ever.
Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, education is very valuable and important in creating longterm successes for our residents. To address ongoing shortages of qualified trade workers in Northwest Territories communities, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is committed to supporting training for apprentices. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation continues to work with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to promote and coordinate the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's apprenticeship program in order to secure additional candidates throughout the Northwest Territories. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation aims to hire up to 12 local housing organization apprenticeship positions in total this year.
The local housing organizations currently employ over 40 journeycertified staff in various trades that will support apprenticeship assignment opportunities in the future. The demand of apprenticeships at local housing authorities and organizations will be reviewed as a part of the LHO engagement aspect of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's renewal strategy.
Mr. Speaker, currently the Housing Corporation has eight apprenticeships with LHO staff in Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Sachs Harbour and Lutselk'e set up to write the trade entrance exam for the housing maintain serviceperson.
Through our contracts, we have 25 apprentices currently working on the Housing Corporation projects. By 2024 the Housing Corporation is committed to increasing the number of journeycertified apprenticeships by ten by requiring at least one apprenticeship for all housing projects.
In addition, through our contracts there have been 33 work placements for apprentices as a part of the Northwest Territories new construction contract work since April 1st, 2020.
Being an apprentice is often one of the first steps in a lifetime of work in the trades. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation aims to support apprenticeship through opportunities across all regions of the Northwest Territories despite challenges due to shortages of apprenticeship applications and certified skilled workers available to serve as their mentors and supervisors. The Housing Corporation is committed to this program.
The Corporation is happy to announce that two apprentices have been journeycertified since April of 2021. The first was a housing maintenance serviceperson in Norman Wells who gained their journey person certificate on April 1, 2021. The second gained their journey person certificate as an oil burner mechanic in Yellowknife at the end of October 2021.
Since this program started in 2007, the Housing Corporation has seen a total of 21 people receive their journeyman certificates.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the role of the Corporation that plays in the training and education of new apprentices across the Northwest Territories. We will continue to work with our colleagues at Education, Culture and Employment on the apprenticeship program as we work towards increasing the number of certified apprentices and celebrate the skilled trades across the Northwest Territories.
Being from a small community myself, I have seen firsthand the importance that skilled trades play in our communities. The apprenticeship program not only helps improve housing in the short term but provides apprentices with the skills and education to continue improving housing in the future as well. I look forward to seeing the good work these apprentices will be doing across the NWT. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
General rate application. Mr. Speaker, the past two years have been a difficult time for us all as we endured the challenges associated with a worldwide pandemic. We now face a period of economic uncertainty due in part of the war in Ukraine and its global implications on the availability of, and cost of, goods and services.
Mr. Speaker, this government is aware that residents of the Northwest Territories are concerned about cost of living, including the cost of electricity. We recognize that inflation is putting pressures on household budgets and rising costs make living in the North ever more expensive.
Electricity rates across the territory are set by the Public Utilities Board, an independent quasijudicial body. Electricity rates are influenced by a number of factors including, but not limited to, revenues from sales, fluctuation in fuel prices, inflation, as well as fixed costs borne by utilities to operate and maintain their assets.
While our government is working hard to protect ratepayers from costs associated with the necessary investments in Northwest Territories Power Corporation's aging infrastructure during a period of unpredictable costs, there remains a need to revise rates across the territory. To this end, Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation filed a general rate application, or GRA, with the NWT Public Utilities Board yesterday afternoon, seeking a change to electricity rates in the communities the Power Corporation serves.
Unfortunately, despite significant federal and territorial government investments, current rates are not producing sufficient revenues to cover costs of producing and delivering electricity to customers. Northwest Territories Power Corporation requires an overall revenue increase of approximately 7 percent to address this situation, which will be phased in over two years. This is the first increase to base rates the Power Corporation has proposed since 2019.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation has worked very hard to keep rates as low as possible while providing reliable services and investing into new and refurbished assets such as hydro units, local power plants, transmission lines, and power poles. Many of its assets are beyond their serviceable life and require investment now to avoid risks associated with catastrophic failure. We simply cannot risk waiting any longer.
Fortunately, in collaboration with the Department of Infrastructure, the Power Corporation has been able to secure federal funding from Investing in Canada's Infrastructure Program towards several of its capital projects. To date, a total of $89.4 million for six projects has been secured which would otherwise have been fully paid through rates.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT will also continue to help offset higher residential electricity rates across the NWT through the Territorial Power Support Program, or TPSP. This program ensures that all NWT households can, with modest energy saving efforts, pay the same power rates as Yellowknife. The GNWT subsidize the difference between local rates and Yellowknife rates up to 1000 kilowatt hours in the winter and up to 600 kilowatt hours the rest of the year. This program represents a cost to the GNWT of several million dollars annually.
The rate increases being proposed in most communities are in line with, or below, annual inflation since the last rate increase. The rate increases are also consistent with electricity rate increases in other parts of the country. In fact, after two years most residential customers will have experienced a bill increase equal to an average 1 percent per year since 2019 after TPSP is applied.
In the Snare and Thermal zones, the GRA proposes that rates increase by 2.5 percent in each of the next two years. A portion of this will be covered by the TPSP.
If the Power Corporation's proposal is accepted by the Public Utilities Board, it is estimated that an average residential customer in the Snare and Thermal zones will see an increase in their monthly bill of approximately 3.5 percent or $11.50 after two years.
While the Taltson and Norman Wells rate zones have also not seen a rate increase since 2019, the need to adjust for historical issues and to meet Public Utility Board guidelines that rates in a given zone cover between 90 to 110 percent of cost to deliver electricity in that zone has resulted in a higher rate increase proposal.
Rates in Norman Wells and the Taltson zone do not currently meet the 90 percent threshold and must be increased by 10 percent in each of the two years to be able to close the gaps between what it costs to deliver power and revenues collected from customers.
To reduce the burden on the customers, the Power Corporation is asking that the proposed rate increases be implemented over the next two years rather than all at once.
The proposed rate increases in Norman Wells will also be offset by TPSP so the actual impact of the proposed rate increase on the residential customer will be the same $11.50 per month as in Snare and Thermal, or a 3.5 percent increase over the next two years.
Customers in Northwest Territories Power Corporation communities in the Taltson zone have had the lowest rates in the NWT for a number of years and do not qualify for the TPSP. Even after the increase proposed in this GRA, rates in Fort Smith and Fort Resolution will remain lower than any other community in the Northwest Territories and lower than the TPSP rate.
Mr. Speaker, while I recognize that the timing for these proposed rate increases is less than ideal, Northwest Territories Power Corporation is required to file an application with the Public Utilities Board to address its current and fiscal realities.
Despite fiscal financial contributions from the government to fund necessary work on the Power Corporation's aging infrastructure, as well as government support programs designed to offset higher rates in communities there, unfortunately, remains a need to adjust rates at this time.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation will continue to work with the GNWT and the private sector to increase its customer base as well as identifying operating efficiencies and costsaving opportunities within the Corporation to help stabilize the cost of electricity moving forward while ensuring our grid remains reliable. Quyananni, mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier this week, the Inuvik Airport runway extension is a very important project, not only for my riding but for the North, for Canada, and it is a strategic location project for all North America. I also mentioned earlier this week the project is delayed and stalled even though there is a timesensitive part of the construction that needs to occur this year or it will face a delay of another year.
Mr. Speaker, the estimated cost of this time sensitive work is estimated $ 8 million and this money can save the project timeline and keep it on track.
Mr. Speaker, while I recognize there is costing estimates and other details that need to be worked out, I argue to the government that this money needs to be allocated now so the project can continue and discussions on other financial aspects of the design of the project can occur at the same time. This will ensure that we safe is the project timeline while providing security and desperately needed jobs to the Inuvik and surrounding communities.
The overbudget costing of the project is not from what I understand due to the contractors but due to the specs that have been designed and given to the contractors, which was done after money was announced by the federal government. These specs were designed by the GNWT and are what is driving up the costs.
I am aware of there being discussions between the parties, and I am hoping that this timesensitive phase has been resolved and that our local contractors can get to work and keep this project moving along. I will have questions for the Minister responsible later today. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you have heard me speak many times about alcohol and substance abuse, not only in the Tlicho region but in all of the regions throughout the Northwest Territories. Remember, there was a time when there was no alcohol or drugs in our communities. Now they are everywhere and many people feel powerless to control that.
The impact of alcohol and drugs have been devastating on our people. A person is affected mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Relationships are broken. Parents become unavailable and homes become unsafe. The families and the children are the ones who pay for this.
Mr. Speaker, I am saying this in a simple way here but as I speak, there are so many people in the midst of their addictions.
Mr. Speaker, there are also many peoples who want to be free of their addictions and are frighting to stay sober. We need communityled solutions for addictions and substance abuse recovery programs and aftercare. This is often overlooked. We must be able to continue to support people once they have completed an addiction recovery program.
Currently, there are not enough communityled and ontheland addictions recovery programs or aftercare programs available in the NWT.
In 2020, Minister Green of the Department of Health and Social Services was quoted by CBC that she was not aware of differential access to the kind of care people receive in Yellowknife compared to the rest of the territory.
Has Minister Green been to the community of Behchoko? To Gameti? To Wekweeti? To Whati? I can tell you there is a major difference in access to care for those in need of addictions and substance abuse support in the Tlicho region compared to Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. By the time this House reconvenes in May, the opportunity for public comments on the review of NWT mining royalties will have closed without much public debate or media coverage. Why is this important?
There has never been a comprehensive and independent review of mining royalties and the present process is fundamentally flawed, with literally billions of dollars of potential government revenues at stake.
I submitted eight pages of comments on a previous version of a research paper. It took two attempts to even get an acknowledgement and there has never been a detailed response. Very few of my comments and suggestions were incorporated or implemented.
The only information to guide the review to date are the faulty PriceWaterhouseCoopers competitiveness study a highlevel discussion paper with vague next steps and no timelines, and a research paper that perpetuates the extractivism paradigm. The discussion and research paper contains no actual analysis of past performance of our mining royalty system let alone any evaluation of its fairness or ability to maximize revenues or benefits.
The secrecy surrounding mining royalties and the lack of any financial analysis continues to cripple this review and these papers barely acknowledge this problem let alone propose any solutions. Clearly this review is heading towards the status quo.
That should surprise no one given the rampant regulatory capture within the department as a result of its conflicting mandate of promoting and regulating mining. This review needs to be done independently just as was done with the procurement review, with an independent panel and a report.
These papers don’t even make any substantive use of previous work done by worldclass experts like the ITI commissioned Natural Resources Governance Institute Report, Northwest Territories Mining Sector Review and Benchmarking Study, or the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment's Report on "An Economic Analysis of the GNWT’s Approach to the Mining Regime Fiscal Review". These experts have concluded that "the NWT has one of the world’s most charitable fiscal regimes for the mining sector" and "the NWT sells its nonrenewable resources more cheaply than most of the other jurisdictions in the world." I’ll have questions for the Minister of ITI on how to fix the fundamentally flawed review of our mining royalty that's currently underway. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, you caught me off guard. Mr. Speaker, in Hay River, and throughout the NWT, residents have been shocked by the high utility costs. Yes, utility costs. And food costs to date. This, along with other rising costs, is having a significant negative impact on one’s financial ability to meet everyday living expenses.
Mr. Speaker, residents of the Northwest Territories are deeply concerned as they see the cost of living rise and their spending power shrink. I am hearing it, and I am sure you are hearing it as well.
We all know of residents moving or considering moving out of the Northwest Territories due to the inflated cost of living.
With the loss of each resident, we are not only losing a per capita federal allocation of $34,716 annually, but considering problems of recruitment and retention we will also lose qualified individuals with skills and experience which will be difficult to replace.
Mr. Speaker, as with any decline in the economy, shock waves are felt long after the initial jolt, and what is being experienced postCOVID is further fueled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All is having a devastating affect on NWT residents’ ability to meet their financial obligations while trying to save for the future.
For some, it may result in the loss of a business, loss of a home, loss of one’s life savings, or not being able to place food on the table. If you are not living it, it is difficult to understand.
Mr. Speaker, we constantly hear government say there is limited resources available to financially assist residents beyond supports currently provided. This government and local governments are only adding fuel to the fire through increased taxes, increased business licence fees, increased utility costs, and increased service fees; All the while residents are hearing that other jurisdictions are finding ways to lessen the burden such as pausing collection of the fuel tax, offering rebates on electricity and fuel bills, suspending or lowering vehicle registration renewal and service fees, reduction of business licence fees, and other innovative solutions. It is solutions that residents are looking for from this government.
Mr. Speaker, residents need to know that we are here for them and that we are prepared to move forward with solutions that will lessen the impact of the rise in living costs.
When it comes to reducing the cost of living the question is what is this government prepared to do to keep residents in the Northwest Territories? Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to provide some clarity around the issues at the Inuvik Airport. Media has reported that the need to dig a trench is the issue; however, it appears upon further investigation this is not correct. The real issue with the airport project and why a delay now could cost this construction year has to do with the permafrost our coldhearted friend that causes so many headaches for engineers and contractors in the North.
Due to ground conditions, construction of the runway expansion in Inuvik requires that the design and construction factor in the protection of the permafrost. Similarly to how the ITH was constructed, the design calls for layers, or lifts, of granular material to be directly placed on top of the frozen ground. The layer then acts as a buffer, keeping the ground under the construction permanently frozen. This eliminates drainage issues and the ground heave that normally occurs with the freezethaw cycle of the active layer and provides a stable, frozen platform on which to execute new construction. If material is not placed this winter, under frozen conditions, the project will be delayed a year.
Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the execution of this project has been backwards. Rather than starting with a functioning design and developing a subsequent realistic budget, the GNWT has instead taken the $150 million offered by the federal government and are now trying to force the design to meet the budget. The $40 million "overrun" described in the press is in fact the additional amount of money required to meet the material specifications that the GNWT is asking for specifications that may not align with conventional construction methods on permafrost.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about how decisions made by this department during the construction of the ITH have led to its degradation in only a few short years. Cuts and changes were made to material and design specifications based solely on budgetary considerations and now we have a road that doesn’t function as designed.
Are these same senior bureaucrats now making engineering decisions, outside their capacity, which may result in our first major project with the DND going sideways?
I’ve often spoke about the need for 100 percent federal dollars and that the DND investment in infrastructure is a way for us to achieve this. Now I worry that, given how the project is shaping up, that the federal eye will wander to the east and west of us and, yet again, the NWT will be the losing territory while the other two benefit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Colleagues, before we continue, I'd just like to recognize former Member, former Minister, and former Speaker, Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty. Welcome.
Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as today is our last sitting day of this session, I want to use my statement to wish my constituents a good spring break. This weekend, Fort Smith will be hosting its annual Wood Buffalo Frolics winter carnival for the first time in three years. The pandemic shut out this festival for two years, and this year the event will be organized by a new set of individuals from years past.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish all my colleagues a good and restful break from this House until the May sitting. I know that as Members we will not always agree on all things that come before us, but that does not mean we become enemies and work against one another. As Members of this House, we must always strive to put differences aside and work together in the best interests of our constituents and all the people of the NWT. That is how a healthy and functioning democracy works.
Also, to any of my colleagues who wish to visit Fort Smith at any time, I want to assure you that you will be treated like royalty. That is the courtesy which I extend to all holders of any public office or any dignitaries visiting Fort Smith. My family and my community and I always welcome all visitors to our community with open arms.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to wish all the amazing constituents of Thebacha a happy and healthy spring break. I know the effects of the pandemic are still present in our lives in various ways. But I hope we can begin to put all that behind us and move forward in a new and positive direction as a community.
Also, as always, I would like to wish my community team a special thank you. They know who they are. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow the public health emergency ends but the fight against COVID19 does not end, and we must not stop talking about vaccination, Mr. Speaker. We are in a privileged position, having 82 percent of our population vaccinated and that remaining percentage is not due to a lack of vaccines. And it is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that those people who have refused to be vaccinated, some of whom have convinced themselves they are in an idealogical battle for freedom, will see that tomorrow we have zero restrictions left and maybe they will go quietly, get vaccinated, and protect themselves and those who are most vulnerable, Mr. Speaker.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, we are lucky that we got early access to vaccines. Canada is lucky that it secured access to vaccines yet, Mr. Speaker, in low income nations around the world, only one in ten people are vaccinated and this is due to a shortage of vaccines.
Canada has not lived up to its international covax commitments. We have not lived up to global vaccine equity. And we may be a small jurisdiction but I believe we need to be adding our voice to the fight for vaccine equity and making sure that we, and the Government of Canada, are a leader in this area.
Mr. Speaker, this is not just about vaccine equity. It is about the fight against COVID. This is a global battle and if we do not help the global self and low income nations get vaccine in their arms, we will see new variants emerge. We will not win the battle against COVID.
Mr. Speaker, during our vaccine implementation, we were leaders. We were one of the lowest waste jurisdictions. We did everything we could to make sure we did not waste vials of that vaccine, and I am proud of that work. But, Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that we continue that work. We continue to advocate for vaccine equity and we make sure that we do not let a single dose expire in our hands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be able to say that after two long years of living through a global pandemic, we are close to moving to an endemic stage. April 1st marks the end of a twoyear long public health emergency.
As we emerge into the endemic phase of COVID19, we are picking up the pieces, trying to figure out what moving forward looks like individually and collectively.
We all appreciate and acknowledge the importance of cultural, sport, and recreation events as gatherings begin again. Some are already planning big events while others aren't yet comfortable. And that's okay. The shift to endemic is going to be a unique transition for each of us.
But gathering once played a huge role in our territory both for our quality of life and the economic stability of our communities. Gathering restrictions meant lost revenue sources for municipalities and as a result they are emerging with empty pockets yet expected to play a vital role again in our quality of life.
Further to lost revenue, Mr. Speaker, many communities incurred significant unforeseen costs to respond COVID19 safety and community outbreaks. Costs, we can all agree, are not found in the municipal funding formula.
The federal government's CanNor's Canada Community Revitalization Fund recently announced $3.1 million over two years to nine different NWT communities. These funds are to make public spaces more accessible and attractive as the territory opens up after the pandemic.
While these funds are much needed across the territory, 24 communities did not receive funds from this federal funding pot; notably are most remote communities in the Mackenzie and Beaufort Deltas. In addition, these funds do not kickstart the ability of municipalities to provide community activities.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize the government is still managing the costs of COVID19 and there will be many more costs to incur as we continue throughout the endemic. But for communities who were issued public health orders by the GNWT and implemented those orders from their own internal resources is a cost those communities cannot incur in the face of an existing municipal funding gap. We are all coming out of this pandemic on uneven ground but our communities that provide central social gatherings and programs for children, youth, adults and elders need the supports in place to help their communities emerge healthy and with hope. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The communities of Tu NedheWiilideh riding have seen significant decrease in housing infrastructure dollars for the 20182019 to 20222023 budget. As a matter of fact, thank you NedheWiilideh's receiving only 1 percent of the overall capital budget.
Mr. Speaker, how can we be effective with 1 percent of the capital budget for all four communities in my riding?
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before, overall onethird homes in Dettah, N'dilo, Fort Resolution, Lutselk'e are in core need. How can I represent my constituents if the NWT Housing Corporation consistently ignores homeownership and home repair programs in their budgets? It is imperative that a portion of the homeownership and home repair program presented in this main estimate budget specifically address the core need of homes in the Tu NedheWiilideh riding.
I will have questions for the Minister of Housing or Minister of Finance later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As restrictions are being lifted, it's time to say goodbye to long cold winter and welcome the bright sunny days of spring.
The people of Inuvik are looking forward to celebrating the 64th annual Muskrat Jamboree on April the 8th to the 11th. We will gather safely in front of Inuvik of the east branch of the Mackenzie River to visit and spend time with our family and friends.
The festivities start with the crowning of our 2022 Muskrat Jamboree king and queen, and we will all enjoy our first traditional community feast since the start of this pandemic.
We will practice traditional skills like nature calls, harpoon throwing, log sawing, muskrat skinning, tea boiling, just to name a few. We will also enjoy an all cultures traditional dress parade, drum dancing, talent show, jigging, also an old time dance. And let's not forget about the food tents and the exciting dog teams and skidoo races.
I would like to acknowledge and thank the many volunteers and sponsors that work hard for hardworking committee members that make Muskrat Jamboree happen for everyone in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of success stories here in the Northwest Territories, and it’s important that we highlight those stories to show our residents, and especially our youth, what’s possible.
Mr. Speaker, if you travelled to Hay River, or Katl'odeeche, or Enterprise lately, you may have been wondering whether you took a wrong turn somewhere and accidentally wound up in Hollywood. That’s because for the past few weeks, Hay River has been serving as a filming location for the upcoming fulllength film Cold Road. The man behind this project is Hay River’s own Kelvin Redvers.
Filmmaking has always been Kelvin's passion and, beginning as a student at Diamond Jenness Secondary School, he spent countless hours writing, directing, producing, acting, and all the other things you need to do to make it in the TV and film industries. He's paid his dues, built a career, and has a number of successful projects under his belt. Now he's returned to Hay River to direct his first ever featurelength film and we're happy to have him back.
It's fitting that Cold Road is being filmed in the South Slave, as it was the long quiet highways of the region that inspired the film's story.
The original plan was to film the scenes in northern Alberta but it became clear, and only a couple months ago actually, that there were no suitable locations in Alberta and it just wouldn't work. With the end of winter approaching, the crew began to grapple with the reality that delaying the filming until next winter meant it was likely that funding would dry up, and the movie would never be made.
With only a few days before the fate of the film would be sealed, Kelvin began reaching out to the NWT Film Commission, the Department of Infrastructure, the Town of Hay River, and others, in the hopes of saving the production. Mr. Speaker, despite government's wellearned reputation of taking its sweet time, things moved quickly and within a matter of days the necessary elements were put in place to make filming in the NWT a reality.
I have to thank the film commission, the Minister of ITI, and the Town of Hay River for their support and their determination that was instrumental in bringing the production to the NWT.
Over the course of filming, roughly half a million dollars will be spent in the NWT. On and off, about 50 people will be brought up to work on the film – all staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, and contributing to the economy. The production is using local caterers, contractors, and other service providers, and is renting vehicles, facilities, and equipment to assist with the production. Dozens of local businesses have benefited, and four local businesses have been used as shooting locations. The crew has said that residents have made it easy for them to film in the NWT, and they would have no problem coming back to do it again. And Mr. Speaker, we'd love to have them back because they've proven to be a great group of people. I know the crew is grateful to many Hay River residents and businesses for the support and responsiveness, including Rick and Jane Groenewegen, Brent and Jackie Kruger, Ernie Pokiak, Shawn Buckley, Anne Peters, and the staff at the Ptarmigan. And Mr. Speaker, I have quite a list here but I see that my time has run out so I can't list everyone, they know who they are, and Mr. Speaker, I'll see you on the red carpet at the premiere of Cold Road. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River north. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the Fort Simpson Speed Skating Club.
Mr. Speaker, the Fort Simpson Speed Skating Club is a strongminded youth who have been working hard over the last two years to keep attending practices and competitions despite all the COVID19 related closures.
This year the team traveled to Yellowknife for the NWT championships in February, and the whole team's mental and physical strength was tested. Every individual brought home huge personal best times and increased selfconfidence. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to watch these young athletes from Fort Simpson perform and give their all, including my oldest granddaughter Paige.
This season, six skaters were able to travel outside the NWT. That's right, travel outside the NWT, and down to Calgary to compete at the Olympic Oval. The sheer size of the rink and the competition gave each of these young women invaluable race experience.
In speaking with one of the coaches, the athletes had personal best times and had a couple of medal winners. Tamara TancheHannah, the most senior member of the team, went on to represent Team NWT at the Canadian Youth Championship West in Selkirk, Manitoba. She initially qualified in 2019 and was suddenly able to attend this year. The entire speed skating team has struggled through the challenge of sports during the pandemic and they have all come out stronger mentally and physically.
The coaching staff and the community are extremely proud of the team of young athletes that have managed to keep training and compete throughout the unprecedented global lockdown.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the parents and coaches for taking these young athletes to these events. It involves a lot of driving from them to Yellowknife and then flying from there. But, what I have heard from my granddaughter and my personal experience as a coach, this is one of the most exciting times for the young athletes. That is right, a sixhour drive to Yellowknife is about bonding time and sharing it with your fellow teammates.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am happy to see our young athletes given this opportunity to travel to other sporting events and I am looking forward to other success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's a number of people I want to recognize today.
I am going to start with the Tlicho Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty. Welcome, glad to see you back in the House again.
Ms. Kate Reid. Kate Reid I knew from the work of my colleague Julie Green when we were trying to do the campaign for women in leadership and look what happened. I'm hoping to see your name on the ballot this coming election, Kate, so welcome.
The northern Indigenous counselling graduates. Everyone knows that we need more people for counsellors. We know that we need more Indigenous people, people that can relate, so I'm truly honoured to see you all here.
And the babies in the House. It reminds me, in all honesty, of the time when I went and got my own social work degree as a single mom, with two young children and one still nursing and I noticed you were nursing, so congratulations. I was the fist person to go to university in my whole family and both of my children are in postsecondary. So congratulations for what you're doing and congratulations for breaking the cycle. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Welcome everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Range Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge and thank the people who are the northern Indigenous Wellness Warrior graduates. I'm pleased see Johnny Ongahak here and the rest of this group.
We created, at the Department of Health and Social Services, an addictions recovery and aftercare fund in order to assist communities to hire these graduates and help with addictions aftercare at the community level. I am happy to say that we've got nine agreements in place. They are in communities from Fort Smith to the Beaufort Delta. And we are very pleased that you are willing to take on this work that's so needed in the NWT. Thank you.
