Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member must be reading my social media. I had the opportunity to attend an FPT recently where I think my lead word was "interoperability." It is something that, quite frankly, doesn't sound very exciting, not the sort of thing that gets somebody's political blood boiling, but is quite critical to the functioning of the services from the IT perspective and one that we need to do a better job of, Mr. Speaker. There's really no way around that. So I'm pleased to have some attention here. It's been brought to my attention by my officials that lack of attention, lack of awareness and understanding of what it is, of what this is, that doesn't give it the attention and therefore the clout that it needs. So happy to speak to this and happy to also say, in light of that, Mr. Speaker, we are putting forward, through the Office of the Chief Information Officer, a framework this fiscal year, and that will give guidance to get to a place where we can say that we have proper interoperability with that framework in place to provide the kinds of policies, programs, guidelines that corporate structure that is required for it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, a good message to all Ministers, I am watching your social media very closely.
Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering how this framework will help reduce silos and how will it be ensured that departments are coordinating in their software and hardware purchases? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in many ways this is the culmination of why ISSS was created in the first place under the last administration and now is coming more and more to its fruition. Again, I know we've said this more times than I would like to count, COVID was not a help in this particular regard. It was certainly a big draw on this particular division to pause some of the transitions required during COVID. But now turning back to what should be regular business, the chief information office does create a business partner approach with departments. This is meant to have that crossjurisdictional committee effort, bringing departments and representatives from departments in, to be able to discuss and look at what are the IT needs, not dissimilar to how it happens over on the capital planning side where ADMs from all departments come together to work on these requests. Now we'll be doing that on the IT side better as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that the government is doing is currently evaluating all of the redundancies and efficiencies of its programs and services through government renewable. And so I'm wondering if ISSS itself is involved in its own government renewal process focused on the interoperability of GNWT digital infrastructure and redundancy reduction between GNWT departments. Right now there is a lot of silos happening, there's a lot of fragmented digital systems, there's a lot of purchasing that's happening individually within departments, and so I'm wondering if they're doing kind of their own capture of inventory of systems throughout the government and evaluating how to bring those together? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, very timely. This is something that I think a lot of the provinces and territories are becoming very aware of and the importance of. It's a table that provinces and territories sit at together as a symposium because it's an issue that doesn't necessarily get the attention until something goes wrong. So very happy to be able to speak to it now, to give it that kind of attention it deserves in advance so we can try to be more proactive going forward. As I've said, Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the helm of Information Shared System Services is now in a position to start to put those pieces together, to develop this kind of framework. We're not outside the government renewal process. ISSS is part of government renewal just as is every other division, and they've gone through the process of having their inventory done and can now get down to the work of ensuring that they are providing a framework for all of government to improve the IT services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's hard to find a specific budget line for Ebikes buried in the two and a half billion dollars so I was hoping the Minister of Infrastructure could tell us what is the total budget for this rebate program? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am so excited the Member's all charged up for this project.
Under the 20222023 Energy Action Plan, the GNWT plans to allocate some funds for the 20232024, for a pilot program, which is aimed at increasing the adoption of Ebikes and also mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions which means this is new money pending approvals during this session. It will be provided through Arctic Energy Alliance. Mr. Speaker, the program will be administered by Arctic Energy Alliance, and application criteria and details are yet to be finalized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
So I'm getting some funds sometime, Mr. Speaker; I was hoping for a little more detail. I guess, does the Minister have any more information of when and how someone will be able to apply for this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Arctic Energy Alliance, the organization which will be delivering the program, is currently outlining the details, including the application criteria, the rebate amount, so this information will be finalized, publicly available, in advance of the April 1st, 2023 launch of this program. It's also important to note, Mr. Speaker, that this is a pilot program, which is aimed at better understanding both the public interest as well as impact on helping towards greenhouse gas emissions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm whether all funding that is required for the bridge has been secured? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is speaking specifically for Frank Channel Bridge. In December, Cabinet, most of Cabinet, were down in Ottawa having discussions on some projects. You know, we've had very positive discussions with Transport Canada. So pending approval for funding approvals, permit applications, then this project will be submitted, with the construction commencing once these authorizations are received. So, yes, we did receive initial funding. It's not enough. Like many projects here in the territories, we've gone back and asked for more. So we are hoping to get some positive response from that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a liability issue. So what is going to happen after 20232024? That's why I asked that question.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell this House when will the Frank Channel Bridge be replaced? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I mentioned that we are looking for funding cost escalations on the bridge. Once we get that, we have discussions with Tlicho government to be able to work with us in partner to be able to get this bridge done. I wish I could put a set date when this will be completed or started. Right now we're pending approvals for funding. Once we get that, we know it's a priority. We know it's something that we need to get done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, this bridge, Frank Channel Bridge, is important for all of us, for all the Northwest Territories as mentioned. So I want to ask the Minister when was the last structural assessment completed on the Frank Channel Bridge? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is something that we are looking at. You know, the Member talked about public safety on the bridge. There are a number of things that we could do as a precaution and perhaps impose things like weight limits, additional inspections, rumble strips, perhaps more signage. These are a number of things that we can do to mitigate some of the risks on that bridge. But in terms of when the last inspection, I'd have to get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is the same answer for a year. So what is the plan if there is no money? What if the federal government says there is no money, so what is the plan after this?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, you know, as I mentioned, when we were in Ottawa we had some really good discussions for the Frank Channel Bridge in speaking with the transport Minister. As for the plans, right now we're looking at getting costs escalations for the project. And if we don't get that then perhaps that we need to come back to Cabinet. That's the only alternative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a set of questions here that I'd like to ask the Minister of Infrastructure today.
My first question is in regards to the DIMS system that the GNWT uses to house all of its documents. And I'm wondering why is DIMS housed within the Department of Infrastructure and not within the Department of Finance where the Office of the Chief Information Officer sits? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the enterprise information management division is responsible for the record management, and DIMS is the platform that is used. There is a specialized required for the records management hence that's why it's sitting in Infrastructure. The EIM has strong working relationship related to the governance with the chief information officer and the Department of Finance. So the CIO has delegated responsibility for information management from the Financial Admin Act to the enterprise information management. So EIM develops policies and provides advice and assistance due to the expertise around records management.
Mr. Speaker, this is a governmentwide program which is focused on managing information, assets, and government DIMS. Manages both the electronic and the physical records as well that the GNWT centre holds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I, once upon a time, used to work at the Department of Finance, I had the privilege of using DIMS. I adored DIMS. It makes it easier to finds documents and store them and share them with your colleagues. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering what departments still need to be loaded on to the DIMS system in order to access it as part of their regular workspace? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you'll be happy to know that as of January 2022, the Education, Culture and Employment has begun the rollout, and we're working with Health and Social Services to be able to assist them in implementing the DIMS program. So Health and Social Services are looking at migrating two of their divisions as a starting point. So, I mean, this is great. We're starting to move all of our different departments into one integrated system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's another reason why DIMS is really important, and it's for access to information and privacy protection as well. And the ATIPP Act is also rolled into kind of being able to use that system as well. And so especially given that, you know, digital technology changes so quickly and the need for us to keep up is so relevant in today's day and age. I'm wondering what is the actual timeline for all departments to be absolutely on DIMS, integrated into it, given that I believe it's coming up four or five years since I had the privilege of sitting as a public servant in the Department of Finance? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like I mentioned, Education, Culture and Employment is planning deployment in 2023 for four more divisions. So we'll work with them to see what additional supports we can provide through Infrastructure to help the other divisions as well. And I mentioned Health and Social Services has indicated two more divisions that could go forward. But we'll need to see how else we can support them to get to the other units that we need to combine as a whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it reasonable to expect for this to be done before the end of the 19th Assembly? Thank you.
No, but I want to say that the department can sometimes be challenged with being able to dedicate some time, our resource to implement DIMS. You know, as the Member knows, the two biggest departments Department of Health and Education, Culture and Employment are two big departments that we need to implement into the whole of a DIMS program. So ECE has begun staging the deployment since January, and it's based on some of the readiness and the approval of their operational classification systems. Health and Social Services, as I mentioned, we're getting closer. I just no, I don't think we're going to get there by the end of this session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To get this done right, that's what it takes. Thanks.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on Francophone education in the NWT. And probably to the Minister's and my own relief, I am going to be doing them in English.
So Ecole Allain StCyr in Yellowknife is at 90 percent capacity with a trend of increasing enrolment fueled by GNWT supported immigration and retention of students. Can the Minister tell us what triggers planning for a new or expanded school and whether discussions have started with the Commission Scolaire Francophone Territories du NordOuest? Merci, Monsieur le President.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for ECE.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And in a way, these are champagne problems as they say. We have been working on increasing immigration and so we've seen those numbers go up. As well earlier in this government, we introduced some more liberal regulations, expanding access to French first language education to nonrights holders so this is sort of a situation of our own making. And in terms of the conversations about facilities for CSFTNO, I wouldn't say they've started, I would say they've never ended. They've been ongoing for many, many years.
The way that our process works is that each year school boards provide ECE with their requested capital projects. Sometimes it is something small, like blinds for classrooms, and sometimes it is a school. And so we started having those discussions this year with the CSFTNO. And I think that both us and the school board have been waiting on those census numbers to indicate how many rights holders there are in the territory so that we can have an informed discussion.
I will say that I have spoken to students at Ecole Boreale in Hay River. They asked me about a gym, and I wish I had better news for them but the fact is it is difficult to get new infrastructure. We have school standards and when we build new infrastructure or we renovate, we do it according to those standards. But in the territory, we have 49 schools and we look at each of those schools. They're assessed by the Department of Infrastructure, and they're assigned a rating based on their condition. Unfortunately for Ecole Boreale or sorry, maybe I'll just leave it at that. I'm sort of getting off track here, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that because he's of course getting into my second question. The problems in Hay River are different and, in some ways, very similar, though, to what Yellowknife was like before the expansion of Ecole Allain StCyr. Ecole Boreale has been forced to keep its senior students in a portable for 13 years. Count it 13 years. And there are continuing issues with heating, water, and sewer services. The students also need to compete for gym time with the nearby public school.
Can the Minister tell us what he is going to do with regard to Francophone senior students in giving them a permanent home and a real gym for Ecole Boreale? Merci, Monsieur le President.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And those portables, they are old. I believe they were supposed to be in place for two or three years but here we are 13 years later. And we have had issues with them. There's ongoing maintenance issues that we've been dealing with. So we would all love to see those replaced. Unfortunately, like I said, we have 49 schools. Many of them are in worse condition than the facilities in Hay River. And so it's difficult to make a case to, you know, renovate or build new facilities to replace facilities that are in better shape than other facilities around the territory.
So I'm afraid it's not the best news. But there are joint use agreements between the Hay River DEA and the CSFTNO that speak to the use of gyms. And it is definitely not an ideal situation. I wish we had a gym for Ecole Boreale but we are doing the best we can. I think that if the community was open to looking at school swaps, that might be an option, but that is a difficult topic to broach in Hay River. And at some point, we may get to the point where we really need to start looking at those types of angles. Thank you.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. And I've got some of the numbers that he was talking about here. As I understand it, there are 840 students in Yellowknife and 135 in Hay River that are rights holders for French first language education. And that doesn't include immigrants, other nonrights holders that are already in the system, and of course there's caps on all of that. But if all these students and their parents exercised their constitutionallyprotected rights, we'd be in real trouble in terms of meeting their educational needs given current facilities.
So can the Minister explain what he's going to do what plan is there for this contingency if everybody exercised their rights and especially given that we've got some out of date and unnecessary enrolment caps? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, I thought I had dealt with this issue a few years ago. I spent a lot of time personally meeting with the chair of the CSFTNO about the regulations. And we settled on some updated regulations that, you know, are by no means perfect but seemed to address a lot of the outstanding issues that we were facing, both the school board and the GNWT. Since we recently received those census numbers, we can now look at how to move forward in terms of the regulations, the capacity, and all of those types of questions. We have not had time to do that given how recently those census numbers came out and everything else that's going on. But that will be the startingpoint for any future conversations. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. And I do want to acknowledge that this Minister has taken a constructive approach with CSFTNO, from everything I've heard so I want to give him credit for that. And I understand now that we've got these census numbers, which is good, but I can't even count or remember the number of times GNWT's been taken to court and lost over Francophone education rights in the NWT over the last 15 years.
So can the Minister tell us how he intends to keep GNWT out of courts over constitutionallyprotected Francophone education rights? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish I could say that we would never go to court again, but I think every jurisdiction in Canada is engaged in ongoing court cases with their respective French first language education bodies. I made attempts with the regulations. I admitted the students that were at the centre of the last court case. And I will say that we actually did win that on appeal. But it's a difficult subject. I understand where the school board is coming from. They want to protect their rights. They want to advocate for their students. And there's French first language school boards across the country that want to do the same, and I believe they all work together and support each other. So sometimes I feel as though perhaps the issue is more of what's happening nationally than in the territory that causes us to go to court but regardless, I believe we are in a good place. We have good relationships with the French first language school board and no matter what happens in terms of court cases, I want to ensure that we do our best to maintain those good relationships. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
