Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to say that joining us today in the gallery are the dedicated public servants responsible for the planning and organization of the Weaving Our Wisdom gathering that was held here in Yellowknife last week. So please join me in recognizing them and congratulating them for their excellent work in hosting a very successful and very impactful gathering. Lena Larson, the director of community, culture, and innovation, and her team Jasmine Vogt, Kyla Wright, Jessica Dutton, Chris Stipdonk, Desiree Munro, Erika Doehring-Lafferty, Inamesit Graham, Marcus Ilesami, Miranda Yeo, Tarilee Wedzin, as well as Karen Blondin Hall director of cultural safety and antiracism, alongside with her team Janelle Bruneau, Morgan Ranseth, Anneka Westergreen, Courtney Vital, and Tisha Heron. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have some pretty cool people that live in Kam Lake, and I'd like to welcome to the gallery today. Inemesit Graham, Lena Larson and Caroline Blondin Hall.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to recognize a friend and also his friends are with him, Dean Myer. I see you here, welcome. And to your friends and colleagues. Mahsi.
Visitors in the gallery. I believe the Member from Twin Lakes may have missed somebody.
Mr. Speaker, I also too want to recognize Dean Myer from Yellowknife. My family and his will forever be connected. Thank you for coming today.
Thank you, Member from Twin Lakes. Recognition of visitors in in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oh sorry, I guess I forgot something too.
If we missed anybody in the gallery today, welcome to your Chambers. I hope you enjoy the proceedings. It is always nice to see people in the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to build on my Member's statement with my questions specific to the Minister of health. Mr. Speaker, when you get a health bursary, it either comes with a return to service agreement or you have to pay it back. It's that simple, Mr. Speaker. But the department of health pulled the carpet out from the dreams of this young person who was inspired to do service Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Health and Social Services do the honourable thing and reinstate that $6,000 grant to help inspire this young person to help Northerners? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have I am familiar with the circumstances that the Member is speaking to, but I don't have the level of detail to make any decision in the House here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member, can you please wait. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
I'm that excited, Mr. Speaker. I'm that excited. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is well within her purview, her authority, to say yes to this young person to reinstate this grant bursary which was offered to her earlier this fall that is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please, would she do that?
Was that a question, Mr. Speaker? I didn't really hear the Member.
Thank you. Member from Yellowknife Centre, can you please
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be willing to revisit this decision to give a yes?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned to the Member, I will you know, I'm familiar with this situation in a small in a small amount. I don't know how many bursaries there are. I don't have the level of detail. I will not make that decision here in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Ministers want the questions in advance. They got the question in advance by me asking it. It should be pretty straightforward. Will they revisit this decision, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I will get back to the Member on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Member from Yellowknife Centre. Final
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm curious with respect to this question is there a yes or a no in the vocabulary of the Minister to confirm she will revisit this decision? Thank you.
I've asked and I've answered the Member. I will get back to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for our big money Minister, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Our gaming regime is actually quite liberal, and I wonder if the reforms we need are actually to put some a finer point to it so we can capture some revenues. So, first of all, I'll ask is the Minister willing to amend the Lotteries Act to include the VLTs or virtual lottery terminals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am aware of the Lotteries Act and how outdated it is along with many of our legislation, and I'm willing to have a look at the legislation. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister bring forward gaming corporation legislation to allow for casinos, landbased casinos to operate in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is something I think we'd have to go and consult with the local Aboriginal groups and the Council of Leaders to start doing work and see what we can do to update our Lotteries Act. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister. Is the Minister will the Minister bring forward reasonable regulation for online gambling to capture potential revenue leakage? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think that's something that we have to bring forward and look with our legislation and something that we'd have to consult with all the local Aboriginal groups along with the government agencies to see what we can do. Thank you.
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
I think it might be too specific, Mr. Speaker, but I appreciate what the Minister is saying. So will the Minister bring forward these items that I brought up today and a revenue sharing model with Indigenous governments at the next Council of Leaders meeting? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the agendas are decided collaboratively so we'd have to bring that forward again. Thank you.
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot of sweat equity that needs to be put in to apply for federal funding. The requirements and forms can be quite complex. Can the Minister of ECE explain how her department envisions helping organizations to grow capacity to take advantage of ECE's new vision for small and medium arts organizations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECE has been distributing just under half a million dollars to approximately 17 organizations across the territory and ECE also, in October of the previous of this previous year entered into an agreement with the Canada Council for the Arts, and this was an agreement for $750,000 of funding to help support arts organizations in the Northwest Territories. And part of that funding, ECE was able to hire an arts officer, and this person is currently working on a work plan and funding program guidelines to help organizations develop as the Member is speaking about in her statement and in her questions today. So this person will also be connecting local arts organizations to local funding and also national funding opportunities, and I'm really excited to be able to share more details in the new fiscal year. Thank you.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure I heard a clear answer today, but that's okay. If it's for the next fiscal year, I appreciate that. I'm glad the new arts officer position was created, but can the Minister explain why there have been no public information nights up to this point about all these big changes or at least none that folks I have spoken to have heard about? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while changes are currently rolling out in real time, there's also more changes to come, and so the intent is that with this new position and the work that they're doing, that ECE will be in a position to communicate some of these changes in the next fiscal year and to be able to meet with existing and developing artists and to find out what their goals are and how different funding that's available can support that. And so I hear what the Member is saying, and I think the Member is one step ahead of ECE but ECE is happily working to catch up to where the Member is at and what the Member is asking for and is really excited to be able to work with arts organizations across the territory. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for the compliment that I'm speedy.
Will the Minister of ECE commit to providing Pathfinder services as and when needed by small or medium arts organizations to reduce barriers to access for our northern artists to funding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to be able to say yes to the Member on that one. ECE and ITI are committed to providing pathfinding services for artists and organizations across the territory. This work is underway and is expected to be launched this summer. And so I'll make sure that I share those new happenings with Members so that they're able to share that with artists in their community the across the territory. In the meantime, there are arts funding available through ECE and through ITI, and there's staff members eager to support people to direct them where to go for what best suits their goals. Thank you.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Great Slave.
Member from Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my questions on the Fort Good Hope arena status. The community of the Dene organization is leading the project and actively working on it. The Department of MACA has assisted where possible, including funding and developing the scope of work and estimated costs to have this building and facility completed. Can the Minister provide an operational update on the progress of this facility and the construction scheduling? Thank you.
Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes down to the local governments, they are the lead on such projects with the support of MACA to get through the projects and assistance and guidance. Ultimately, the local community government is responsible for the projects and completing them. Thank you.
