Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two of the pages from Monfwi riding. From the community of Wekweeti grade 10 students, Nate Simpson and Alexis KotchileaJudas, along with their chaperone Melvin Tom from Wekweeti. So I would like to say welcome and to recognize them. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, very happy to welcome Mr. William Jacobs here in the gallery, resident of Yellowknife South, and also acting as a page this week. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, climate change is real and flooding is real. This government has the capacity, resources, and financing to address disasters and should not offload it on the communities. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of MACA, what is the department's staff complement and qualifications of those who provide flood modeling data for flood scenarios in the NWT? I know that the communities do not have that capacity and expertise, and we cannot expect them to carry those costs for that capacity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll actually get the Minister of ENR to answer that question because it will be more of an ENR question.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has three dedicated hydrologists. During spring breakup, these three hydrologists assessed conditions and relay information on to Municipal and Community Affairs, communities, and residents regarding water levels and ice conditions and forecast weather. If required, they can reach out to other agencies and scientists such as Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada to assess conditions such as weather, forecasts, and satellite imagery. They also participate in the EMO meetings as scheduled and as needed. So that's the ENR's part of the EMO process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Minister for that. It was a mouthful, and the flood still caught us off guard.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me what work, if any, is the department doing to assess those factors in the Hay River watershed that may lead to flooding? What, if any, flood monitoring reports has the department generated for the communities of Hay River and K'atlodeeche and are they shared with communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ENR hydrologists compile an annual spring water outlook report that assesses snow conditions and current water levels. These reports are or the reports this year was released to the public on April 25th, 2022. Daily water monitoring bulletins are generated during spring breakup, and they're shared with Municipal and Community Affairs and communities. As mentioned earlier, ENR hydrologists participated in the Town of Hay River and NWT's EMO calls as needed and when they required them to be there, they were there. The bulletins are made available by the department on its website as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Minister for that, and I'm glad to hear the hydrologists participate in the EMO exercises. Unfortunately, I wasn't invited to any of those so I wasn't privy to it.
Considering the drainage area of the Hay River basin is mostly in Alberta and BC and with the drainage area of approximately 47,900 square kilometres, can the Minister confirm if the department has any standing on the Alberta Watershed Planning and Advisory Council or at least consult with the advisory council or other organization with similar interests? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hear the concerns by my Member from Hay River South. I can tell you that as the Member that was with Nahendeh, I wasn't invited to those meetings as well. It's local EMO and the team that are doing the work. So I understand your frustrations about it, but it's the process, and that's how the work is done.
ENR hydrologists have worked close have close working relationships with their counterparts in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Yukon. They receive information about snow accumulation each spring and other information of water levels as needed. This year ENR hydrologists participated in calls with the Alberta river ice forecasting centre. So we have a close working relationship with our counterparts in other provincial jurisdictions and the Yukon territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we talk about lessons learned and the lesson is that we have communities in flood zones. We have residents in flood zones. We have businesses in flood zones. That will not change. So when will the Minister start discussions with communities and federal government on what can be done to mitigate damage, or do we need to be taught further lessons and incur more costs before we take some action on mitigation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can honestly tell you this year our government provided more information to residents, communities, on proactive steps to prevent flood damage. That started with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, ENR as well part giving that information out there. ENR is currently working with Natural Resource Canada to update flood mapping for the NWT that were created back in 1980s. ENR is cost sharing this work under the federal Flood Hazarding Identification and Mapping Program. Updated maps are the first step in understanding existence of areas impacted, and they're important tools for consideration of future planning and mitigation efforts.
I can tell the Member and this House and the public that ENR staff were there as soon as they were allowed to be and safely get in there, and they started doing that mapping, identifying where the high watermark is. So this is all started part of the process as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are related to my Member's statement regarding a school for the Hamlet of Enterprise.
Mr. Speaker, the Hamlet of Enterprise has gone to great lengths over the years to meet with various officials from ECE regarding a school for Enterprise but have constantly been told there's no funding available. Can the Minister commit to working with the hamlet to ensure they will receive assistance from ECE in order to have a school in place for the fall school year? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we can't have a I can't commit to having a school in place by September. Schools need to be constructed or space would need to be renovated. There would need to be amendments to likely the Education Act. There's too much work to be done to have a school in place by September.
That being said, I have met with representatives from Enterprise, and I'm happy to continue to meet with them and have discussions as well as with the Hay River DEA, who are also involved in those discussions. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I ask the Minister to commit to meeting with the Hamlet of Enterprise's mayor and council, along with the Enterprise education working group, as soon as possible to discuss this all too important issue. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd be happy to meet with them. I know they have been busy lately. They've been providing evacuation services for a lot of the residents in Hay River. But if they're ready to meet or whenever they're ready to meet, I'm happy to meet with them. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And I believe the hamlet would like to meet by themselves as a hamlet and not have any involvement with Hay River at this point.
Mr. Speaker, this government has the opportunity to do the right thing by working collaboratively with the residents of Enterprise to find solutions to the request for a school, whether it be a new build or an existing infrastructure. Can the Minister commit to putting this request at the top of their business plans and quite possibly have a school in place for the coming school year? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I said earlier, we're not going to have a school in place for this upcoming school year.
I can say that, you know, there are some roadblocks with the Education Act with the way all the districts are drawn, and so I know the Member has stated that hamlet doesn't want to work with or to have the Hay River involved but I think the Hay River DEA does need to be involved at this point. That's probably the easiest way to get things done. I've had meetings with representatives from Enterprise and the DEA, and there was discussions about perhaps starting small, having a teacher in the community, travel into the community, something, just some sort of education presence in that community, and then going from there. So I don't think that, just given the fiscal situation, the fact that we have to fight tooth and nail for any piece of infrastructure, that we're going to be getting a school in Enterprise this upcoming school year. But that doesn't mean we can't take those steps to have education provided in the community and move towards something like that in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for all his responses today. If he can't commit to having a school by the fall, if he's happy to meet with them but then we got to include Hay River, the DEA, I'm not sure how that process works, but I'm just wondering I want to know if the Minister is committed, you know, to having a school in Enterprise? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this Assembly, it's getting near the end. This is probably our last kick at the can to get things done. And so if there's going to be a school in Enterprise, it would be a future Minister. But I spoken I've had conversations with representatives from Enterprise. I hear their passion. I hear their desire to have their children stay home, be educated in the community, and I want to continue to work with them to see that come to fruition.
Part of the issues are with the Education Act, the way that education bodies are created, and the way schools are created, and the authorities of the local district education council, the authorities of the local DEAs. So I don't need the anyone from Hay River to be at the meeting with the community or the Hamlet of Enterprise but I just think that in this situation, that might be the path of least resistance to get things off the ground. But I'm happy to hear out the hamlet and go from there. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, as I mentioned in my Member's statement, are for the Minister responsible for Homelessness.
This past fall, or actually last spring, it was raised in the House when there was struggles with the board to keep the emergency shelter warm with my continuous talks with the Minister. What I would like to know now, since the Housing Corporation has taken over operations of the two shelters in Inuvik, can the Minister advise what is the plan on the future running of these two homeless shelters in Inuvik? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Homelessness.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for her question. I did respond to her in earlier this year. I travelled to Inuvik with my staff to address the housing issue in the Inuvik region and also during COVID as well too.
The Housing Corporation did speak with the Indigenous groups. They are in support of an expression of interest for the homeless shelters in Inuvik. Right now the advertisement for a request for proposal was advertised May 6th, and the closing date is May 31st, 2022, and our intention is to work with the with the person who or the company who is going to be submitting for the RFP.
We did have conversations as well with local memberships that were interested. But I'm not too sure, I can't confirm right now, if they have put forward any submissions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The cost of running the shelter over the winter has, I think if the last numbers that I received from the Minister, have almost quadrupled from what their funding is normally is. So I'm just wondering if the RFP is put out now and the Indigenous groups are going to run it and they come back with an amount that doesn't meet what the budget used to be, because this is the issue that I raised with the Minister even when we met with in our community in my community, what are we going are we going to continue to is Housing Corporation going to continue to run these shelters? Because, you know, I hope that this discussion is going to keep going because I don't want these people I mean, they're already homeless, and we don't want them to not have a space to go sleep safely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Housing NWT was just there to support the boards at that time. They did have some issues. They did have some board issues, staffing issues, management as well. Housing was there to support them and try to in trying to find successful solutions.
The Indigenous governments in the Member's riding has only supported the expression of interest. They did not say that they would be taking over the homeless shelter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that brings me back to my initial thought, question, is what is going to happen to the homeless shelters in Inuvik if nobody bids on these RFPs? Like, I'm looking at the RFP. I've received an email from past board members about the RFP and how strict and how many things that they're asking for. We know that there's gonna be ongoing issues. So what is Housing Corporation going to do now that they've assumed operations? They have assumed. These boards are no longer there. They're dissolved. They've closed up their books. So what is Housing Corporation going to do? Or are our homeless going to be on the streets come fall time? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now I am confident on the RPF going out. The closing date is the 31st. I can't comment whether we've had success or no success with that approach. The operation of the homeless shelter right now is supported by Housing NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I guess my final supplementary question to this Minister is where's our homeless strategy? It was promised in the 18th Assembly. The Minister has said on repeated occasions, when asked by Members of this side of the House, when are we going to see it, it'll be the oh, it'll be ready the next session, next session. We haven't seen it. Where is this homelessness strategy and when can we expect to see this strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've taken the strategy back to my department. It's a very complex issue to be worked with within the territory. But not only that, the strategy doesn't come with any money. How are we going to support and operate the strategy coming forward? And speaking with my colleagues in other departments, that I'm looking at hopefully being able to table this document in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is for the Infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, elders in my constituency have told me of an existing route that is more suitable, that the route chosen for the winter road. Will the Minister commit to reviewing all land alternate route and incorporate traditional knowledge for the Gameti winter road that could to lead to an allseason road. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now the GNWT's efforts is focused on the approved mandate which advances the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Slave Geological Province Corridor. And I'm always willing to listen, but we don't have this on the budget to be able to build that road. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, will the Minister at least do this: Will the Minister commit to working with the community of Gameti and Tlicho government to develop a working group to begin the process of allweather road? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure is working with the Tlicho government to advance some of these projects. Last week there was a meeting that we had, and it's, you know, looking at the Whati transmission line, the access road, some of the roads along in the Tlicho region. So yes, we are working with the community and the government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Does the Government of the Northwest Territories have a plan for dealing with rising prices in the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a really good question. I assume we do. I mean, we look at, when we're putting in proposals, to have some room for inflationary price costs. So it depends on which project actually. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
