Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Lands, who seems to have primary responsibility for the former Cameron Hills solid gas field.
Can the Minister tell us when the abandonment agreement with Environmental Liabilities Management Incorporated, or ELM, was signed and the value of that work or contract? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the question. The abandonment agreement with the contractor was signed on December 9th following a procedural process authorized by the court. The work is being undertaken by the receiver to carry out the order issued by the regulator of oil and gas regulations. The cost to complete this work is $15 million but as the workers or the contractor gets into the site, there may be additional costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. So during the review of the public accounts, it was revealed that an extra $20 million had been added to the GNWT's environmental liabilities fund as a result of Cameron Hills.
So can the Minister confirm this is the total amount of liability GNWT has calculated for Cameron Hills and whether any further funds will be needed for proper closure and reclamation? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to date, the GNWT's only calculated the liability required to carry out the order issued by ROGO. This order includes closure of oil and gas wells at Cameron Hills along with removal of pipelines and related infrastructure such as tanks and batteries. The cost of reclamation under the land use permit and water license, such as sumps and contaminated soil, has not been estimated at this time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. So there's going to be another hit coming our way? So as I understand, the closure and reclamation plan for Cameron Hills has never been completed, and there's no publiclyavailable cost estimate for the site. So it's not clear just what ELM is actually doing and how the public is supposed to have any input.
Can the Minister tell us when the closure plan and cost estimate work will be completed and why this work was not done before ELM was contracted? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The contractor is conducting work to meet the timelines in the order issued by OROGO to close the wells at Cameron Hill and remove pipelines and related infrastructure. This work is being inspected and certified by OROGO according to the legislation and standards. The land and water board issued a permit to allow this work to proceed. The land and water board has required the receiver to submit a revised closure and reclamation plan with other work at the site by June of 2024. This revised plan will be available for public comments through the land and water board process. The receiver is currently working on this plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I'm learning a lot from these questions. The fourth report from the receiver shows that K'atlodeeche First Nation was not happy that the current closure and abandonment work went to a southern company. There's apparently some sort of northern benefits plan that has been required of ELM Incorporated.
Can the Minister provide us with some details about what is in that northern benefits plan, and will he commit to table it in this House? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The initial benefits plan for Cameron Hills was approved in 2002, was transferred from Canada at devolution, a draft of the 2002 documents of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board is at the public registry. So it is already available publicly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the flood in Hay River last year not only damaged homes and businesses, it impacted the health of individuals and, more so, our seniors.
Mr. Speaker, I've heard of possible PTSD amongst first responders, volunteers, and flood victims. In some, we've seen an increase in substance abuse, stress, anxiety, family violence, family separations, and senior health issues as well. And that is why it's so important to get residents back in their home and to get it right and provide the support that they need.
So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of MACA tell me how many homes affected by the flooding in Hay River have been either repaired or replaced to date? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have to thank the Member from Hay River South, Hay River North, and the Deh Cho, for asking these questions, important questions, on the residents who were impacted by the flood.
MACA doesn't have the information because homeowners in Hay River are managing their own repairs and replacements. MACA only becomes aware of the work to repair or replacement when the homeowners completed a final claim for the disaster assistance. As of December 31st, MACA has processed approximately 100 claims for disaster assistance in Hay River and on KFN. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, deadlines were established for structural assessments, mitigation consultation, and final disaster assistance claim.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm that these deadlines have been reviewed and will they be revised considering residents have unanswered questions and the fact we have a long way to go before we see all affected persons back in their homes? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the deadline to request mitigation assessment and structural assessment was March 31st, 2023. This is only a deadline to make the request. This is not the deadline to complete the structural assessment or apply for mitigation funding. Assessments are conducted to take place, and work will continue until all assessments are done. The deadline to request the mitigation and structural assessment was communicated directly to all registered disaster assistance clients and advised within the town throughout various means such as Facebook and radio ads. The deadline for the submissions of the final disaster assistance claim is December 31st, 2023. Municipal and Community Affairs will be contacting clients numerous times over the next year to check the status of their repairs and replacements, reminding them of the deadline and encouraging them to submit their final claims on time. However, Mr. Speaker, Municipal and Community Affairs will explore options to extend the deadline for final claims if it becomes apparent that the repairs and replacements cannot be completed by this deadline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of the people who have been impacted by the flooding, they're seniors. There's some people who, you know, can't even read and write and they're expected to, you know, manage the remediation of their home. And like I said in my statement, some of them have come and asked me for support. I've done that. But I think that's you know, that's something that this government should be looking at and trying to provide that support however they can.
So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to reviewing the need for added funds to help those needing third party project management services or, in the alternative, allow the cost for that service to come out of remediation funding? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member has said, and in our conversations numerous times, a few homeowners in Hay River have indicated they'd like technical assistance with contracting for repairs. MACA is following up with those homeowners to confirm the status of these repairs, particularly as many of these repairs are straightforward in nature, for example, replacement of skirting. MACA is working with homeowners considering replacement to system and obtaining property appraisals so that they can make informed decisions. MACA is also discussing having conversations with Public Safety Canada to determine whether the disaster financial assistance arrangements could cover the cost for technical assistance as part of the cost of repairs as the Member's been asking. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in some of these documents, such as the adjuster's confidential reports and the mitigation assessment reports, they contradict each other. You'll have one report that'll tell you this is what it costs. As an example, somebody was provided with $50,000 for remediation through the adjuster's confidential report. Through the mitigation assessment report, it says the building is nonrepairable and it cannot be lifted or raised up. So what we need is somebody in the community to actually, you know, take a look at those reports and those contradictions and figure out if we have to do a reassessment with either report.
So, Mr. Speaker, I think it's important that MACA realizes that it's very important to have somebody on the ground come this spring. Not just the Pathfinders. We need somebody there that can actually make decisions. And, you know, right now, you know the person I think people that do it are in Yellowknife, but we need somebody on the ground in Hay River.
So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister, prior to this summer construction season, commit his staff to holding a public meeting in Hay River to update and discuss remediation efforts and MACA processes with residents? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got 25 minutes and I can talk for 25 minutes. No. The answer is yes, we will early in March. And I have to again thank the Members from Hay River South, Hay River North, and Deh Cho, for reaching out and doing a good job for their constituents. So we will be getting there in early March. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank the Aboriginal Sports Circle for this weekend and doing the traditional Dene games here in the City of Yellowknife and seeing all our youth coming from the outlying communities.
Mr. Speaker, that being said, the support of Indigenous sporting events and stuff like that, the funding, the monies where it comes from, would the Minister in spirit of the TRC Call to Action, 90(1), what kind of negotiation is the GNWT involved in with the federal government to secure federal funding for sports for youth in the Beaufort Delta and Nunakput and all that riding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the NWT there are no programs that we fund that are exclusively for ancestry. In other words, we don't recognize Inuit. We recognize all residents. When we provide funding through that, the pots, we work for all residents of the Northwest Territories. However, Municipal and Community Affairs has during engagement with the SPAR framework which will govern how MACA invests lottery dollars in the NWT. MACA will seek feedback on the type of specific action stakeholders want to do so that will be one of the opportunities to look at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think we have to go a little bit sorry, do a little bit better than that. I think what the Minister has to do is talk to the federal Minister and hold TRC and that claim accountable for the funding that they're doing for Aboriginal students. Not only Aboriginal students everybody who lives up in the Delta. I mean, right from the Beaufort Delta in Nunakput, the cost of travel, everything that comes into play with that, Mr. Speaker. Something has to be done. We're not getting the youth are not getting out travelling. They need help. We have to help them. Where's the money? Would the Minister back it up in regards to talking to the federal government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's a good segue to actually I'm going to be meeting with the federal Minister this weekend. I'll bring it up with her there. But right now what our department has been doing, through the lottery dollars and through the BDSRA, we do provide funding for the youth, an opportunity to participate in that there. Again, it's with the organization. I know there's a group that's doing a hockey tournament, sort of kind of interchanging between communities up in the Beaufort Delta and they're organizing that right now. So that money is some of that's happening there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how much money does MACA allocate for the youth of Nunakput and the Beaufort Delta on a yearly basis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, $250,756. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's not good enough. Prices, especially if our carbon tax goes up, at least need a million dollars for the Beaufort Delta and Nunakput communities to provide service to the youth in our traditional like I always said before, the tournaments that would happen in Aklavik, Inuvik, and Tuk and, you know, bringing the communities from Sachs and Paulatuk. Would the Minister go forward and meet when he meets with the federal Minister this weekend and ask her, increase and ask to take action in regards to the TRC. Take action, give us a million dollars for the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that amount of money that I talked to you about, it was a quarter million, there's also programs out there through contribution agreements that the communities are able to access that there. But as the Member said, I can have those conversations with the federal Minister to see what funding help the federal government is available to give to our jurisdictions. The biggest challenge is when we talk to the federal government, it's about Canada as a whole, how the NGOs work. And when we talk about some of the challenges that we face, that's where we have to work with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I had said that I'll be asking the Minister for clear and decisive action on the overdue improvements to the healthcare system here in the Northwest Territories. We are year three and a half into our mandate here already, and my question would be to the Minister. Earlier today I mentioned a series of healthcare recommendations issued by the Canadian Medical Association in August of last year. What action has the Minister of Health and Social Services taken in response to these recommendations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I haven't seen those recommendations so I can't comment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure, you know, you'd just have to look online. I'm sure you'd be able to find that.
Moving forward, though, Mr. Speaker, last week in Ottawa Trudeau announced a pitch to probably about $196.1 billion over ten years to all the provinces and territories, additional $46.2 billion for the provinces and territories as well. So outside the CMA recommendation, what action or strategies to date have been taken and employed by the Minister's department to tackle the ongoing healthcare crisis here in the Northwest Territories? And if she could maybe just elaborate a little bit more about the money that's coming from Ottawa and maybe if you could help break that down and how can that help the healthcare system moving forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal government has offered a package of different kinds of money, CHT, CHT top up, escalator, tailored bilaterals, and so on. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details at this point.
I can say, however, that the federal government is focused on supporting territories and provinces in four specific areas. They are data, primary care reform, mental health and substance abuse, and aging with dignity as well as health human resources. As the Member, I am sure is aware, we introduced a health human resources plan in June of last year which was with medium and longterm aims to increase our resident workforce, and we followed that up in August with some shortterm incentives; that is, incentives that would work in the shortterm to bring more staff to us. In May, we completed our data strategy. This is what we are reporting on and to whom. And the Member can find the results of our reports on the Canadian Institute of Health Information website. They follow metrics for every province and territory and compare them to national averages. Mental health and substance use is a priority area for us. These are all priority areas. And we continue to invest in helping people regain their health by both services available in the territory and those that are available in the south.
In terms of primary healthcare, which is an effort to create teams to help patients rather than everybody being attached to a single healthcare provider, which is proving difficult to sustain, we have used federal money to create a primary healthcare pilot program which has not been used in the Member's home community of Fort Resolution but, which nonetheless, exists and which we are working on expanding because it has been very successful.
So those are some of the things that we're working on, and we feel that we are aligned with those federal priorities that were outlined in their plan last week and we look forward to developing action plans which will then release the money to us. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister, for your answer. And I appreciate that. It seems that it's clear that many of the issues in the healthcare system are systematic in nature.
Will the Minister commit to a full operation review of the healthcare services in the Northwest Territories so that the findings of such review can inform necessary reforms and prepare the next Assembly to get ahead of this problem? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, both the department of health and the NTHSSA are part of the government renewal initiative. Phase 1 was to do an inventory of programs. Phase 2 is to look at how those programs are funded. So we're participating in that process and look forward to working with the results. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final short supplementary. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister. Just part of the review that you probably are going to look at, can we also take a look at the medical travel review policy that's outdated and inflexible to improve the access to healthcare for those residing in small communities here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I'm sure the Member is aware, there is a review underway now of different components of the medical travel policy. I'm sure he's also aware that the benchmark for the medical travel policy is the NIHB benefits, which are available to status people. And it is our job to meet those benchmarks for the whole population. However, we are at this point subsidizing this federal program for NIHB, and that's something that we want to bring to an end. And I have a call with the Minister responsible for Indigenous Services Canada this week to talk about that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, while the GNWT has increased community funding in the 19th Assembly, the value of that increase has likely been eaten up by inflation. The funding gap is probably unchanged from where it was at the start of the 19th Assembly at $40 million. Mr. Speaker, we've heard that MACA is reviewing the community funding formula in collaboration with the NWTAC. So will MACA finalize the new and improved community funding formula in the life of the 19th Assembly and will the community government dollars in the 20232024 budget be disbursed on this new formula? Thank you.
