Colleagues, before we begin, I would like to recognize former president of the Nihtat Gwich'in Council, Mr. Jozef Carnogursky. Welcome to the Chamber.
Good afternoon, colleagues. February is Indigenous Languages Month in the Northwest Territories. It is a time to acknowledge the importance of language and culture to the wellbeing and resilience of Indigenous peoples around the North. It's also a day to recognize the many language champions working to address the language crisis facing Indigenous peoples. To our interpreters, thank you for the invaluable services you provide every day. Mahsi.
Colleagues, today I am proud to announce the renaming of the Legislative Assembly's meeting rooms in the territory's nine Indigenous languages. This project was inspired by nature and reflected in language. Each room is named after an animal in one of the Indigenous languages. Illustrations were done by the NWTborn Indigenous artist Trey Madsen.
All Members, staff, and public are encouraged to use the translated room names to integrate Indigenous languages into our everyday work. By celebrating Indigenous Languages Month, we acknowledge how fundamental language is to the identity of Indigenous peoples in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho, colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, three years ago I was given a mandate to initiate a review of the income assistance program to ensure its objectives, benefits, and delivery support the social and economic aspirations of the people of the NWT. Since then, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has put in a considerable amount of time and effort into fulfilling this mandate. Based on the findings of the review, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is now in the process of finalizing the most significant changes to the income assistance program in a generation. These changes are supported by a proposed additional investment of over $5 million annually that will flow directly to our most vulnerable residents.
Mr. Speaker, the current income assistance program provides financial assistance to residents for rent and utilities, based on actual amounts, additional allowances for persons and seniors and persons with permanent disabilities, and set amounts, based on family size and community, for food, clothing, and furnishings. The program is intended to ensure a minimum standard of living and support greater selfreliance. To determine how well we are achieving these goals and whether these goals are still appropriate, the department conducted an extensive internal review of the program and engaged with stakeholders and the public through virtual focus groups, online surveys, and telephone interviews.
A total of 363 people participated in the engagement, with representation from Indigenous governments, nongovernment organizations, utility providers, landlords, the public, and frontline staff who deliver the income assistance program, and current and past income assistance clients.
In addition to the public engagement, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment completed a satisfaction survey, with 262 responses.
Based on this work, we are proposing to introduce two distinct income assistance programs this summer. First, we are proposing to introduce a redesigned income assistance program for clients ages 19 to 59. Over the years, there have been a number of incremental changes to the income assistance program, including modest increases and exempting certain types of income from the income assistance calculations. However, these increases have not kept up with inflation. The last full adjustment of benefits based on the Consumer Price Index was in 2005. To address this issue, we are proposing to increase benefits based on the new Market Basket Measure North, which is the Government of Canada's official measure of poverty that has been adjusted to reflect the realities of the North. This will ensure that there is a clear link between the amounts provided by the program and the amounts actually needed to establish a modest, basic standard of living. To reduce the program's administrative burden on staff and clients, we are proposing to streamline benefits and remove the requirement to participate in a Productive Choice. To remove barriers to employment, we are proposing to increase the amount of monthly income that can be earned before it is deducted from benefit payments from $200 plus 15 per cent of additional income to $500 plus 25 per cent of additional income. We are also proposing to remove employmentrelated suspensions so clients are not suspended from the program if they try to maintain employment but are unsuccessful. To advance reconciliation, we propose to increase the exemption for funds received from an impact benefit agreements and treaty or land claim agreements from $500 per year to 100 percent. We also propose to increase the unearned income exemption from $1200 per year to $350 per month.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a renewed income assistance program, we are also proposing to introduce a new income assistance program for seniors and persons with disabilities. The program will be based on annual income so clients will only need to apply and report their income once a year. By moving to an annual process with income determined using the notice of assessment, only taxable income would be considered when determining benefits. As such, under this new income assistance program, money that seniors and persons with disabilities receive from friends and family, lottery and bingo winnings, and income tax returns and GST will no longer be included as part of the assessment.
Mr. Speaker, due to the magnitude of these changes there is still much work to be done regulations and policies must be amended, a performance measurement plan has to be developed, staff need to receive training on the new programs, but we are well on our way and I look forward to updating this House as we continue to make progress on this important initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, addictions continue to be a serious issue in the NWT. Many residents have experienced the grip of addictions at some point in their lifetime while many others have watched family or friends battle drug or alcohol dependencies. The GNWT is committed to making sure that residents have access to the right combination of culturally safe supports and services where and when they need it. This is why the 19th Legislative Assembly made it a mandate priority to increase the number and variety of communitybased mental health and addictions programs, including aftercare. To ensure that actions we are taking best meet the needs of the people we serve, we regularly conduct internal and external audits to make sure that we are measuring up to our own standards and priorities. This is why we welcomed the 2022 findings of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s audit of addictions prevention and recovery services for the period of August 1st, 2016 to July 31st, 2021. The findings from the audit help us understand where our programs are on track and where we need to improve outcomes for residents experiencing addictions.
Mr. Speaker, we accepted all seven recommendations by the Office of the Auditor General. The audit speaks to the importance of aftercare, cultural safety, access to services, coordination of services, and client outcomes. Later today, I will be tabling the Addictions Prevention and Recovery Services Work Plan that sets out concrete actions that we will be taking in response to the audit. The work plan identifies five areas of improvement to address the seven recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General. These include
increasing our understanding of residents' selfdetermined mental wellness and addictions recovery needs to inform program planning and priority setting;
enhancing partnerships with Indigenous governments and communities to ensure a continuum of services that better meets the addictions needs of residents; improving access to culturally safe addiction prevention and recovery services;
increasing consistency in coordination of addictions services and aftercare; and
enhancing the ability to track communityidentified and service useridentified outcomes.
Mr. Speaker, many initiatives were already implemented, or work was underway during the time the audit was taking place. Examples include the establishment of the cultural safety and antiracism unit that will ensure cultural safety is represented in all policies, programs, and documents. Another is the transformation of the addictions and recovery system by ensuring residents and their families have access to the right level of care when and where they need it. This model of care uses a recoveryoriented approach to provide same day access to flexible mental wellness and addictions recovery services. The community counselling program eliminated wait lists for counselling services. Other examples of work aligned with the audit recommendations include the
establishment of an Indigenous advisory body;
establishment of the peer support and addictions recovery and aftercare funds;
development of a territorial approach to managed alcohol;
establishment of the mental wellness and addictions recovery advisory group; and
creation of Indigenous patient advocate positions and an Office of Client Experience.
Work is also underway to develop a territorial model for medical detox and the establishment of transitional housing for addiction recovery.
Mr. Speaker, we will be working closely with Indigenous and community partners, as well as health and social services advisory bodies to refine and implement approaches to advance change in the addictions and recovery services system.
Mr. Speaker, I understand the devastating impacts addictions have on families and communities across this territory. The work plan outlines how and what we will be doing to provide safe and effective services as well as meaningful tools to help struggling families and individuals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce today the launch of a new funding portal on the Government of the Northwest Territories website that will make it easier for territorial residents, businesses, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, and others, to find information and access funding opportunities offered by the Government of the Northwest Territories. This initiative also advances our government's commitment to open government by making government information accessible in a way that is responsive to the needs and expectations of NWT residents.
Mr. Speaker, the government's job is to help improve the lives of the people we serve. We must not only accomplish our broader mandate objectives but also make smaller meaningful improvements along the way. These actions are the building blocks to accomplishing our broader priorities and this funding portal represents one of these smaller but significant achievements.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories provides over 120 unique funding programs to residents, delivered by nine departments and agencies across the government. It is understandable that sometimes residents have difficulty finding these programs as the information, while provided online, is located on various government websites. This comprehensive new funding portal brings all these programs together in one online location. Residents can filter through based on who they are and what kind of funding they are looking for. The launch of this portal provides citizens with a clear and simple path to accessing the monetary support they need.
Mr. Speaker, whether you are a small business owner looking to grow, a nonprofit organization seeking support, or an individual who needs financial assistance, this new feature on our main GNWT website allows you to find the resources and supports you need to succeed.
It also represents equitable access to government funding, Mr. Speaker. Some residents of the Northwest Territories are less familiar with today’s online world, and many struggle to navigate websites to find what they need. This small improvement means that more residents, regardless of their comfort level with technology, can more easily understand and access funding and support available to them. The launch of this portal is a direct response to what I have heard from residents, businesses, and nongovernment organizations across the territory. It demonstrates our commitment to empowering residents and providing the resources they need to thrive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Drin Gwiinzii, Mr. Speaker. February is Indigenous Languages Month in Canada, and once again the Northwest Territories proves unique in that we are the only political region in Canada which recognizes 11 official languages, nine of which are Indigenous. Indigenous Languages Month is an opportunity to celebrate the NWT's unique culture and heritage, once again emphasizing how important it is that we preserve and revitalize Indigenous languages. We will achieve this through their everyday use, indepth educational program, and new technology such as apps, ensuring these languages survive for generations to come.
It was with this in mind, Mr. Speaker, that in the last sitting I introduced a Private Member’s bill to change the name of my riding Great Slave. It was my intent to identify a name more representative of the Indigenous people of the Yellowknife area and their culture.
When I began speaking with people on this topic, to gauge residents' thoughts and opinions, it soon became apparent to me that many people had strong feelings about a rename. Some were not open to change and felt the name should stay Great Slave. Some wanted the change but objected to the name that I had proposed, which was just a placeholder, Mr. Speaker. And others had wonderful ideas about how the name should be chosen and what significance should be looked at. Geographical names were proposed as were some that represented the wildlife and the flora of the NWT.
Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, I have decided not to move forward with my bill in this Assembly. I want to ensure that the proper time and consideration is given to this important decision consideration that is beyond what one MLA can do and particularly one that is not Indigenous. It is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that the 20th Assembly will take a good look at the names of all the ridings in Yellowknife, as well as those outside, and determine a new methodology for renaming them that incorporates local traditional knowledge and has the approval of the Indigenous governments.
Mr. Speaker, before settlers arrived, Indigenous people had names for the different areas in this region that we call Yellowknife. It is respectful and honourable to have them lead the discussions when renaming the ridings of the Legislative Assembly.
I just want to say big thank you and mashi cho to all of our interpreters and translators who have to deal with me speaking a mile a minute. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. On February 15th, the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission ("CRTC") announced that it would not review Cabin Radio's application to take its programming on air with a new FM radio station. There are a number of problems with this decision, and it needs to be reversed.
First, while I respect the authority of this quasijudicial regulator, I am concerned with the lack of NWT representation on this body. The legislation establishing the CRTC states that federal cabinet appoints up to 13 members. The only requirements are that an individual must be a Canadian citizen, ordinarily resident in Canada, and not have any direct role or interest in the telecommunications sector. If you look at the CRTC website, there are now eight members and one apparent vacancy on the board, with geographic representation from five regions where the northern territories are lumped in with adjacent provinces.
For the first time ever, a northern resident, a Yukon First Nation citizen, was appointed in August 2019. This is a good thing but why is the NWT lumped in with Alberta in terms of representation on the CRTC?
That BC and Yukon commissioner was also one of the two dissenting opinions on the Cabin Radio decision. I want to quote a few points from her dissenting opinion: "There was not enough evidence on the record to show me that Yellowknife cannot sustain a second commercial radio station," and "the Commission may wish to consider a departure from its general practice not to accept further applications for a commercial radio station to serve the Yellowknife market for two years from the date of the decision."
Another dissenting opinion had the following to say, Mr. Speaker. "The existing commercial radio stations in Yellowknife cannot bar competition indefinitely by citing unprofitability. Diversity of voices should be supported as much in a somewhat remote northern community as elsewhere in Canada. Contrary to the decision, I believe publishing the applications received and proceeding to a hearing is the appropriate and timely response. The alternative is further delay."
While I personally disagree with the CRTC decision, the public wants to know if Cabinet is doing anything about this situation. I think we also need a more systemic fix to ensure that the NWT's interests are known and understood by the CRTC through its membership. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Fort Smith is home to some of the oldest school infrastructure in all of the NWT. Not only that, but Fort Smith is also home to three buildings with a residential school legacy and all of them are still active in use today. The three buildings I am referring to are PWK High School, JBT Elementary School, and Breynat Hall at Aurora College. To be perfectly clear, all of these structures are either former residential schools or former federal Indian day schools, and they're the only remaining of such structures left standing in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, JBT was built in 1958 and officially opened in January 1959, which makes it 65 years old. Originally, it was a federal Indian day school with students from multiple nearby communities until the building was purchased by the Government of the Northwest Territories in 1969. After that, the building was converted into an elementary school which is, to this day, being used for the purpose for students of Fort Smith.
In addition, the former Grandin College was built in 1962 and was run by the Catholic Church as a residential school until 1971 when the Government of the Northwest Territories bought the buildings and converted them into PWK High School. Since then the government has continued to use the old Grandin College residential school buildings for the high school in Fort Smith.
Mr. Speaker, the link between federal Indian day schools and residential schools have already been firmly established by the academia and the testimonies of survivors from both systems; therefore, both these facilities carry a heavy history of abuse and colonialism that cannot be ignored. We know that both systems caused a lot of damage to many of the students who attended these schools. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, these schools are 65 and 60 years old respectively and are in serious need of replacement. For these reasons, I am once again calling upon our government to begin the process to replace and decommission these two facilities.
Two years ago, I tabled an ECE document entitled NWT's Schools Capital Needs Assessment Summary. It was dated April 22nd, 2003, and listed all schools in the South Slave, the year each was constructed, the year of the last major renovations, and the year that it should be reviewed to determine if a replacement is necessary. According to that document, JBT was scheduled to be replaced in 2018 and PWK was scheduled to be replaced in 2020, but neither has happened despite the age and history of both schools. I do not agree with that. So I am hoping that our government takes notice and will work with Fort Smith to replace and rebuild new schools for our community. I will have questions for the ECE Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off by wishing my daughter, and the Minister of education's sister, Chelsea, a Happy Birthday today. Hopefully her coworkers are spoiling her, in Calgary.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the 41st K'amba Carnival is on and runs from Thursday, March 2nd through to Sunday, March 5th. It is an event that brings friends, family, and tourists together and is a great way to usher in the start of soontobe spring weather.
Mr. Speaker, to pull this event off requires ingenuity, dedication, and countless hours by a dedicated community and group of volunteers. The impact K'amba Carnival has on the K'atlodeeche First Nation spills over into the town of Hay River, where it generates much excitement. The people of K'atlodeeche First Nation and Hay River look forward to this event as not only great entertainment and fun for all but the recognition that spring and warmer weather is just around the corner.
Mr. Speaker, this year's event will start on Thursday with a fire feeding ceremony at the Chief Lamalice Complex, followed by a children's talent show, crowning of the K'amba Carnival Queen, Prince, and Princess. Friday evening will see youth outdoor events, a $6,000 bingo, and the opening of registration for the dog races. Saturday will start with a pancake breakfast, followed by dog races, hand games, adult outdoor games, all capped off with an adult talent show in the evening. The canteen will be open all day and let's hope they have bannock burgers which are a “must try”. Sunday, being the final day of the event, will again start with a pancake breakfast, more hand games, dog races, adult outdoor games, a poker derby, and hopefully more bannock burgers.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself, the MLA for Hay River North, and all Hay River residents, I would like to send a big shout out to Diane Tourangeau, who is working many hours to pull this event together, and to the K'atlodeeche First Nation for hosting it, the K'amba Carnival Committee for making it happen, and the many sponsors and volunteers that are bringing this 41st K'amba Carnival annual event to life.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of you here to skip out on Friday's session, as I may very well just do that, and take a trip to the K'atlodeeche First Nation and Hay River this weekend and enjoy some of the festivities taking place, along with the bannock burgers. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a mandate item of the Government of the Northwest Territories to increase affordable housing, especially for vulnerable people. I have said in this House many times how the communities in the Tlicho regions are in a housing crisis. Behchoko, the largest Dene community in the NWT, does not have enough homes to shelter its people.
Mr. Speaker, when youth need a safe place to live so they can go to school, the GNWT should remove all barriers in their way. There should be extra supports and services to assist youth. We should not be forcing youth to navigate government programs just to be sheltered in a safe space. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this is not happening for constituents in my riding, for a young adult in my riding, and this applies to a lot of others who find themselves in these situations.
Mr. Speaker, a young adult that I am talking about, who was raised in the child welfare system, who is facing homelessness but has found safe housing in their home community, who is trying to complete high school education, who is struggling to navigate government system to access financial support to pay for housing and other expenses. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT says they are not eligible for housing assistance because they are not sleeping in a room.
This is exactly the problem, Mr. Speaker. Our communities are in a housing crisis. There is nowhere to house people. They are forced to sleep on couches and then they have to fight with government programs and services to give them the financial help they need to get out of this situation. This is unacceptable treatment of our vulnerable population. I will have questions for the Minister of education. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the federal government's universal child care goal is to build a Canadawide communitybased system of quality care. This is good news. But unfortunately this good news has had a rocky shotgun start here in the Northwest Territories. While the foundation for $10aday child care takes shape, some struggles we are seeing aren't new to this funding model.
The federal government's own explicit model in this new Canadawide social program is Quebec who, in 1997, built an affordable child care system. This system has led to large increases in birthgiver employment and prominent economists say that child care reforms will, over time, pay for themselves in increase government revenues and lower benefit costs.
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's program saw its own growing pains and, luckily, the NWT can learn from their experience. The Institute for Research on Public Policy published four recommendations to address the anticipated growing pains of universal child care . The recommendations called for increased early childhood educator wages, being prepared to inject more funding as no one has addressed whether the federal commitment will actually achieve its goals, and to close the maternity and parental gap benefits. But ultimately, they concluded Quebec tried to do too much too fast and should have focused first on rapidly expanding capacity.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT's current early childhood infrastructure fund has a $1 million budget for projects that preserve, expand, or create new centrebased child care infrastructure in NWT communities. Most recently, the Yellowknife Daycare Association built a new facility that serves 104 children. In 2018, this build costs roughly $4 million. The Yellowknife Daycare Association currently has over 400 children on their waitlist. Pair this with ECE's desire to create 300 new child care spaces NWTwide, and we know this fund will not go far enough to address the needs of our territory.
Mr. Speaker, you don't need to look far here in Yellowknife to find an entrepreneur, healthcare worker, teacher, or public servant looking for child care to meet a looming return to work deadline without any nibbles of potential open spaces. To see this initiative's success, the GNWT needs to be ready to inject more funding in operations and infrastructure through substantial capital grants or loan guarantees to accelerate a coordinated sector expansion.
Working toward universal child care is a good news story, Mr. Speaker. But without learning from Quebec's growing pains, we are already walking in their footsteps, and I worry we are not properly preparing ourselves for a successful next mile. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask a lot of questions of the Department of Lands, not as many as the Minister asked in the last Assembly, but that's because I have a long dream list for the Department of Lands.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make some changes to our leases. Ideally, I'd like people who lived in their lease for decades of their life to be able to own that home, to have the certainty that that land can be passed on to their children and they won't have to, you know, have the remediation requirement that comes at the end of a lease over their head.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to see us sort out pricing on leases, to make sure there is fairness there. I'd like to sort out some sort of rightsbased option for our hunters and trappers out on the land so that they're not under the same lease and in the same conversation as some sort of recreational user. Mr. Speaker, I would like to finally get rid of this having two types of land. And I know the Minister would like to do many of these things and, in fact, they are dependent on two pieces of work largely: The Public Land Act coming into force and the Land Lease-only policy being reviewed.
This Minister had big dreams, I would say, at the beginning of the Assembly of getting that Land Lease-only policy in force within two years, and then COVID hit and it kind of became hopefully at the end of this Assembly. And when I asked him last session, it was more I hope to get a timeline back to you when we will complete this work. So my hope is that he's gone back, he's got a hard timeline, and he will get that work done in the life of this Assembly, similarly for the Land Lease-only policy.
Mr. Speaker, there's a lot of little changes I would like to see. I'd like to see a cabin lottery. That's one of those other potential things that may happen just in the life of this Assembly. Many of my constituents have complained they've reached the maximum amount of outbuildings on their property so they can't build a greenhouse. I think that's completely at odds with our goal of food security. Many have expressed a desire to run Airbnbs out of their leases. That's presently not allowed. I think that would be a great business model in all of our communities to allow some sort of commercial interest in our leases, or at the very least they'd legally be allowed to live in their houses. I'll have questions for the Minister of Lands about whether we're actually going to complete any of this Public Land Act work or Land Lease-only policy work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish you a belated Happy Birthday yesterday. I heard you turned 29 so Happy Birthday.
Today I'd like rise in the House to speak about the Dene drums in the Gahnihthah film that got selected to be part of the Yellowknife International Film Festival, the Swedish International Film Festival, the Berlin Short Film Festival, Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, Los Angeles Skins Film Festival, LA Documentary Film Festival and the Skabmagovat Indigenous Film Festival in Finland.
The film is a short documentary about a group of Liidlii Kue Dene that go into the Nahanni National Park to learn the Dene drum songs from the Deh Cho region of Denendeh, Northwest Territories. The short documentary was shot before the pandemic was edited during the pandemic and is now screening across the world.
Mr. Speaker, the director Jonathan Antoine studied cinematography at Capilano University in Vancouver. At the end of the program, he took another cinematography certification program and has been working ever since. Jonathan's first short documentary called "Trapline" got selected to the
LA Skins Film Festival located in Los Angeles, which is one of the best Indigenous film festivals in the United States.
Jonathan went back home to Liidlii Kue to make documentaries and short films about his people and his family. Jonathan made the Dene Drum Songs for the love of the Dene drum that is very special to the people of the Dene. The drum represents the heartbeat of the human spirit. The Dene are very connected to the land and to Mother Earth. This documentary is about the connection to the drum.
Jonathan Antoine would like to thank his mom, his dad, his brother and sisters, his nieces and nephews, his friends, and the people of Deh Cho for encouraging him to make films.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to announce that it was screened at the 4th Annual Liidlii Kue Film Festival this past weekend at the rec centre in Fort Simpson. I have been advised that this event was well attended.
Mr. Speaker, I have a list of people that were part of the production of this documentary, and I will ask it to be deemed as read. Mashi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Director: Jonathan Antoine
Producer: Olinto Beaulieu Liidlii Kue First Nation
Cast: Angus Ekenele, Olinto Beaulieu, Bobby Cazon, Skylar Deneyoua, Nolan Mendo, Brandon "Buttons" Norwegian, and Edward Villeneuve
Info: Canada, 2021, 11:28 min Shooting
Format: Digital Festival
Year: 2023
Category: Short Documentary
Email: @email
Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the family's permission, I am honoured to be able to read the eulogy of a constituent of mine, Chief James Bennet Firth, who passed away on February 14th, 2023.
Chief James Bennet Firth was born in Aklavik on August 15th, 1951, to his beloved parents James Bennet (Ben) and Joanne Firth. James was the eldest son born to them and had eight siblings, five of whom he is survived by.
The first few years of his life he spent out on the land at Dthaa Tee with his family. They moved to town when his dad was hired at the local power plant. James was ten years old and remembers this as a time when his mother passed away. Being one of the oldest, he helped and cared for his younger siblings. James recalled how the community helped the family with cooking and even remember getting new shoes. James enjoyed packages from his godmother Elizabeth Kunnizzi as she knew what his favourites were. And he fondly remembers Jijii Alfred would come to check on them and at times camped.
He attended Peter Warren Dease School in Fort McPherson and Sir Alexander MacKenzie school in Inuvik where he graduated from high school. He then went on to ABTC in Fort Smith, NT, training in electronics. James continued training with CN in Edmonton, Alberta, who hired him and then he moved to Inuvik for a 40year career with what is now called Northwestel. Growing up with sports and school, curling was one he continued for many years, enjoying many bonspiels.
While living in Inuvik, James met Verna Hansen in 1972, and they were married in 1976. Together they had two children, Bradley and Jacqueline. James and Verna would have eight grandchildren, each of whom were his pride and joy.
James was elected chief of the Inuvik native band and held that position for 13 years. He took good care of his people, both the young and the elderly. He would share his harvests with people, and that practice continues on through his son Bradley and his grandchildren.
James was a huge part of the negotiations of the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement in 1992. Together with the negotiation team, they settled one of the largest land claim agreements in Canada. He also served as vicepresident of the Gwich'in Tribal Council and was appointed to numerous boards, such as the Gwich'in Development Corporation Renewable Resource Board and the Denendeh Investment Incorporated.
James was taught by many elders. William Vittrekwa, Uncles Willie Firth, Johnny D. Charlie, John Edward Snowshoe, and Bea Jerome, and his grandmother Mops, who all took time to teach him skills for harvesting and surviving on the land. While living in Inuvik, he became very close to the late Emma Dick and her son Richard. He learned from them how to go whaling and Emma called him the Gwichovaluit. Last summer he made his last trip whaling with his grandsons Jared and William. He made sure Verna always had muktuk to share at Midway Lake Music Festival.
James used his skill to mentor many young people by taking them out on the land or giving them a camp to use for their harvesting. His two grandsons were taken out on the trapline since they were very young. Both were recognized with Youth Trapper of the Year awards. His son Bradley now carries the same passion and love for trapping and harvesting from the land.
Because of his upbringing and the love for the land, James made sure no one went without. He shared his harvest. He helped many who needed extra help. And as one elder said of James, he shared and provided us food and gave our boys employment to help others. James travelled up the Peel River in the fall for many years to go moose hunting with elders such as the late Amos Francis and Isaac Kunnizzi and everyone's uncle, Abe Stewart. Their harvest was always shared with the community. James took a lot of young people under his wing by providing them with employment with the business he built. Others he gave the opportunity to go out on the land and learn those skills, and it didn't matter whether they were Inuvialuit or Gwich'in. Also mentioned something that he said is that I hate that I'm leaving the youth with them being so lost. They don't even know where they come from anymore. I wish I could have been able to help more.
He was known for not giving up on anyone, especially those struggling with addiction. It's fitting that James became chief seven generations later after his late great grandfather Vishriinintsi Tyi who was chief of the at the Teetl’it Gwich’in.
Chief James Bennet Firth was a true Dinjii Zhuu, trapper, hunter, fisherman, and whaler who respected the land, animals he harvested, and shared as his people always have done. On Thanksgiving Day, he had a talk with his children and his grandchildren as his illness progressed. He also sat down with his siblings and gave each of them a job he wanted done for him. He spoke to them about the importance of life and most importantly how strong our people are. He encouraged them to remain together, stay strong, and keep moving forward as the young children are following behind us. James final words: I am grateful for my family. He will be remembered for many years to come, and we as family will continue his life legacy. God bless.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community and the community of Fort McPherson as well at this time. Mahsi.
Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions.
I needed a moment, Mr. Speaker, after that. I'd like to recognize my husband who is here with us today; he's travelled down. So my husband, Jozef Carnogursky. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in June 2021, I questioned the Minister of ECE about the state of JBT School in Fort Smith. Today I am going to carry on with that questioning. At the time, the Minister stated that the last time a technical assessment was done to JBT was in 2005, almost 20 years ago.
Can the Minister tell us if a technical assessment of JBT was done in the last two years or if one is planned to be done soon? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last technical status evaluation was 2005. These evaluations are typically done when work is planned to be done on a building. However, there was a building condition assessment completed on JBT by the Department of Infrastructure in August of 2022. These assessments are not as in depth as the technical status evaluation, but they do provide an overall assessment of the building. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, in June 2021, the Minister said that the Department of Infrastructure has a database that produces a rating for schools, and JBT was rated 0.52. The Minister said that that was an "okay" rating.
Can the Minister tell us if JBT's rating has changed since then and to please explain the process for how ratings for schools are actually produced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that would be the facility condition index rating. And that has increased from .52, I believe the Member said, to .61, which is just a function of its age. This is determined by a database which is managed by the Department of Infrastructure and includes factors in outstanding maintenance required for individual buildings. So if the building needs a lot of work, it will have a higher number. Once that work is done, it could lower the number. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us, based on current capital needs assessment figures, when does ECE anticipate that JBT School is expected to be replaced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
