Please be seated. I'd like to thank Marc Casaway for doing the blessing today.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, residents have noticed a significant increase in illegal activities across the territory and within public housing. In particular, there has been an increase in drug use and sales. I am concerned that this behaviour is a risk to public safety, especially to elders and children in our communities. Local housing organizations are actively looking for ways to address and report drug use and sales in public housing by working with the RCMP, the rental office, and residents.
Proving illegal activity can be challenging. Witnesses may be too frightened to formally complain for fear of retaliation. I am calling on Members of the Legislative Assembly and residents to report illegal activity in public housing so that local housing organizations can address the issues and help keep residents safe. Housing NWT has limited options to address illegal activity, but that is slowly changing. Last year, local housing organizations met with the RCMP and have built a relationship that allows the RCMP to share information that can support expedited rental office hearings. As a result, the Inuvik Housing Authority has been successful in obtaining expedited rental office hearings due to illegal activity in public housing units.
But make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT does not evict tenants on a whim. Evictions are the last action in a long process seeking to address non-compliance with a tenancy agreement. At each stage of the eviction process, Housing NWT staff work collaboratively with tenants to recommend appropriate support services. If a tenant takes corrective action to follow their tenancy agreement, they can avoid eviction. If the agreed-upon actions are adhered to, the local housing organization may amend the application to the rental officer and continue to work with the tenant.
Mr. Speaker, people on waiting lists for public housing deserve fair treatment. Allowing tenants who continue to cause disturbances to stay in public housing after the rental officer has ruled that the tenancy should end is unfair to other people who are waiting to access public housing.
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the rental officer issued 63 eviction orders to public housing tenants. 18 tenants were evicted. Of those evictions, three were evicted under section 46 of the Residential Tenancies Act for illegal activities, and 13 of the evictions were due to disturbances.
As I mentioned earlier, illegal activity can be hard for local housing organizations to prove, but they often go hand-in-hand with repeated disturbances, which could lead to eviction.
So far, this fiscal year, there have been seven evictions from public housing. Two of those evictions were due to illegal activity, and three were due to disturbances.
Mr. Speaker, the 20th Legislative Assembly is committed to keeping residents and communities safe. We will continue to do this with the support of the RCMP, local housing organizations, the rental office, and communities. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.
Mr. Speaker, the Workers' Protection Fund provides no-fault insurance coverage for employers and benefits and care for workers in events of workplace injury.
All employers share the cost of this compensation system by making payments based on their assessable payroll, which is the amount of earnings they report for each worker, and the group rate for their industry. Each year's assessment rate must generate enough revenue to cover all current and future costs associated with workplace injuries occurring in the assessment year, including health care, rehabilitation, and wage replacement benefits.
Effective January 1, 2025, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission will introduce two distinct years' maximum insurable remuneration, or YMIR values, for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. YMIR is the maximum amount of salary or wages for which a worker is fully covered by the WSCC in the event of a workplace injury and sets a dollar limit on the amount of payroll that employers report per worker.
The decision to have separate YMIRs is based on changes to the average weekly earnings of each territory and the WSCC's goal is to ensure that a minimum of 70 percent of the NWT and Nunavut workforces have their earnings totally covered in the event of an injury. Employers will receive notification next month of their individual industry group rate for 2025, along with the YMIR value for each territory for the upcoming year.
I am pleased to announce that through strong stewardship of this fund, the WSCC can maintain the average employer assessment rate for 2025 at $2.40 per $100 of assessable payroll, and the amount has not changed since 2020.
The WSCC will continue to monitor workplace safety trends to better determine where support and resources are needed to help workers in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission. Ministers' statements.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about the lessons learned from the 2023 wildfires regarding insurance. On May 27th, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs discussed the importance of having insurance and ensuring residents are aware that proof of insurance or prior refusal is required to be eligible for the disaster assistance program. I have questions about what exactly residents need to provide to show they have been refused coverage, Mr. Speaker. How can residents demonstrate uninsurability especially have homes have been destroyed by fire. The Minister said, I quote, fire insurance is usually included in general insurance for residents and businesses and all homeowners, tenants, business owners, and organizations should check their insurance coverage with their provider.
But, Mr. Speaker, many residents do not qualify for insurance or cannot afford it. Home and fire insurability are major concerns in this territory now, and I know it's affecting a lot of residents in my riding. Insurance costs are skyrocketing and has become a big cost of living issue quickly, as if we needed another one. I would like to know what mitigation efforts the government can undertake to help reduce the cost of insurance.
The insurance corporation of British Columbia is a provincial Crown corporation in British Columbia that provides vehicle insurance. I am curious to investigate what we can do here in the territory. Could we establish a public insurance model for fire insurance or partner with another program to help reduce costs for residents?
We are waiting on the after action review of the 2023 wildfire emergency response. But, Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what this government plans to do about our insurance affordability problem. I will have questions for the Minister of MACA at the appropriate time.
And Mr. Speaker, while I have a few seconds left for my statement today, I just wanted to make a special acknowledgement of one of our staff, Cynthia James. I wanted to congratulate her on her retirement and thank her for her work. You know, I've worked with her very closely as chair of SCOGO for the past year and just really appreciate the perspective that she brought to the table and the wisdom that she was able to share with me and has helped me grow into the role and wish her all the best going forward. So thank you very much, Cynthia.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my constituency assistant has many wonderful talents, and I am thankful every day for his support. Today I would like to read a slightly edited opinion piece that he wrote for Lucky Mall in 2020.
I never knew my maternal grandfather. A veteran of the second world war, he did not give up his life open the field of honour but he never really came back either. Like many other Canadians who returned from the front as heros, he kept an indelible memory of the horror that he encountered. At a time when post-traumatic stress disorder did not exist, he served his country as a military nurse before being enturned for a few years upon his return to Canada. He died in a psychiatric hospital. War kills, but even when you escape it, it still leaves a lasting mark on your mind. Both among the military and the civilian population, those who have experienced this terrible human tragedy are sometimes lastingly affected by it. You never really come out of war completely unscathed.
Mental health issues are a reality for many veterans who have participated in the missions of Bosnia, Afghanistan, Syria, and beyond. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2019, there were nearly 25,000 veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and more than 33,000 struggling with mental health issues. And that's just those who had the courage to ask for help.
Trauma is a vector for other public health issues, including drug and alcohol abuse. When we fight the opoid crisis, we are also fighting for the well-being of our veterans.
Furthermore, as our country continues to welcome refugees from armed conflict zones, it's important to remember that some of them will also need psychological support. We must show compassion to all those who have experienced such trauma and do everything possible to ensure that care is available.
On Remembrance Day, let us remember all those who died defending our freedom but also those who are alive and continue to relive the horror. We do not forget, and our hearts are with you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sahtu heating fuel emergency. Facing $50,000 for one heating season is terrifying. This, Mr. Speaker, is the sentiment of my riding according to the recent Cabin Radio article and conversations I've had with numerous constituents. Today will bring our last fall sitting to a close and, again, I must raise the alarm bells regarding the issue of increased fuel prices in Norman Wells. I'm grateful to my colleagues who have voiced support towards the issue, many of whom realize it's just a matter of time before similar situations arise in their own ridings, and to the Minister of Finance for ongoing conversations with Imperial Oil and federal counterparts. However, there is a still a ways to go to bring relief to this situation.
Mr. Speaker, emergencies aren't anew to this territory in recent years. We have dealt with COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and floods. In these instances, the government has adapted, innovated, and found ways to offer support. Innovation could or should not be a stranger, and it is needed now in Norman Wells. Currently, the cost of air freighting fuel in is approximately $5 million. This cost needs to be offset to help the Sahtu residents. Apart from declaring a state of emergency which could freeze prices, what can be done? How can we divert funding to offset these costs, Mr. Speaker? Are there options to pull from the carbon tax revenues or funding from devolution royalties for example?
Mr. Speaker, I'm worried about the outcome for my constituents if there is no further intervention or government support offered. I do not want to return to this House and having to speak about widespread devastation in my riding because no one could afford home heating oil. I want to ensure that the Premier and Cabinet grasps the severity of what this could mean in the hardships of winter pressures coming. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And mahsi, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I implore the Premier to work with his Cabinet colleagues to introduce support for the people in my riding who will inevitably suffer in the coming cold months. And, Mr. Speaker, I assure residents I have every confidence. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, these days we face a challenging global landscape with tense conflicts and political developments around the world. However, while the future may be uncertain, what we can be certain of is our country is safer thanks to the unimaginable sacrifices generations before us made to preserve the values of freedom and democracy during conflicts stretching back centuries.
Every year we wear these poppies over our hearts to remember the sacrifices of our armed service members, all of whom came back from world wars drastically changed mentally and physically, and tragically, too many paid the ultimate price. This tradition began immediately after the first world war as society came to terms with the scale of lives lost and the realization that war still stubbornly persisted into modernity and, if it anything, technological advancements made wars even more destructive.
While Remembrance Day has different names across the world and is celebrated on different dates, the spirit remains the same, a spirit of both profound grief and gratitude for those who gave everything in the line of duty. In many of these countries, they too remember the enormous contribution Canadian soldiers had on their own liberation from tyranny because we were not just fighting for ourselves but for nations around the world. We should share in our pride that Canada and Indigenous nations have always been home to so many young men and women who were ready to rise to the occasion when the world needed them.
So let's reflect once more on what it took to stand here today as democratically-elected representatives of the people doing our best to serve all our constituents no matter their identity or their ability and strive to support the veterans who bless us today with their presence. We will remember them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we won't be meeting again now until after Christmas, but I wanted to ensure everyone certainly the work will continue. Mr. Speaker, I've decided to put together a little wish list for Premier Santa and the Members of his workshop that I'd like to see accomplished and hopefully when we get back in February, we'll be discussing a positive change to those items.
The list, Mr. Speaker, would be way too long, and I wouldn't have time in my Member's statement to say them all, but I will highlight a couple, Mr. Speaker:
First of all, I wish for relief for the people of Norman Wells with the issue they're having with the cost of living and their crisis with fuel, as my colleague from the Sahtu has mentioned;
Mr. Speaker, a solid plan to ensure we stand by our commitment, again, to prioritize housing for all the residents in the Northwest Territories;
That we continue to provide action to support and curtail the ongoing drug crisis that many of our communities are facing, Mr. Speaker;
That we see meaningful action to deal with the issue facing and our continuing health care crisis, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank my colleagues for this week. It's been a trying couple of weeks, obviously, in this House. I'd like to thank them for their hard work, their dedication, and their passion as we work through the issues, we work through the capital budget and other things that we've had to do this session.
I'd like to say certainly a Merry Christmas to all our staff, to my colleagues here, to the residents of Inuvik and the residents of the entire Northwest Territories, and I look forward to getting home, doing some work in my constituency, and seeing everyone again. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last night we passed a bill to allow the creation of a trust that would provide resources to support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives long into the future. Now, we were all so tired by that time last night that we kept our comments relatively short, so I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the incredible potential of this initiative not only in terms of conservation and Indigenous self-determination over Indigenous lands but also its economic potential.
We often struggle to find our competitive advantage as a territory in terms of things that can drive our economy. We focus on all our disadvantages, all the things that we don't have, like I was speaking about in my Member's statement on Wednesday. Our territory is a vast 135 million hectares with many remote communities and very little infrastructure. But we can also turn those challenges into an economic advantage. And that's exactly what project finance for permanence has done.
To quote the project's strategic plan, few places on Earth offer the opportunity to build on existing momentum to support local Indigenous-led objectives and achieve globally significant conservation and economic development outcomes. The NWT is one such place.
Now, under Our Land for the Future Agreement, Canada will invest $300 million to be matched by $75 million in private funds. So that's a total of $375 million for the exclusive use of Indigenous governments. It is expected to create over 5,000 jobs, and every dollar in investment will create more than $4 in economic impact.
Now, this will not be a fly in/fly out workforce. This is something where only our own people are the ones who can do this work. For example, the Indigenous guardians programs which have already taken off and shown to be very successful. Conservation is a sector where we with truly capture all of the socioeconomic benefits, and it goes far beyond wages, to physical health by keeping people active, and cultural health through the everyday practice of culture and traditional knowledge.
Now, Indigenous communities and governments have been working hard for so many years on this initiative to get us to this point where we're signing this momentous agreement, so I commend them on --
Yellowknife North, your time is up.
Mr. Speaker, may I have unanimous consent just to conclude my statement. Thank you.
Member from Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Seeing no nays -- we have a nay. Sorry, Member from Yellowknife North.
Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Burgundy recently released a letter which some could say was completely unfortunate on their approach. They could have gone about this a little bit differently. The criticism they received was basically targeted at the author. They viewed it as a large business wanting their way, and they attacked them on their pocketbook. But what was ignored is the message within the letter. Here was a bell being rung by an industry partner that underpins our economy and who's saying we have a path for economic opportunity for the next 25 years.
Mr. Speaker, they are saying we could do things. It was profound, their letter, if you actually read the text. 2040, they're saying we could keep things going. But even more exciting, Mr. Speaker, was the statement that said, in fact, the Jay pipe alone represents one of the largest undeveloped kimberlite pipes on the planet. This is a statement that should have been the headlines of every newspaper in the world. They are seeing opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, Burgundy isn't looking for a pass; they're looking for a path forward. Mr. Speaker, they went so far as saying here we're giving some ideas. They throw several easy-to-read headlines such as mine reclamation provisions, and they talk about the cost of holding money back. And what they're really asking for is can we do a progressive return of their deposit. Any situation of asking, if you've done 50 percent of the work why are you holding on the money, as an example. Return some of it. Find a way. They're concerned about valuation, can we speed up the process, all within the GNWT's reach. The Mineral Resource Act, they're not asking to say we don't want to have regulations. They're just saying can we be grandfathered, but more importantly, if you read the message saying MRA regs have been out for years and years to come, we're just looking for some transparency about the hidden unknowns.
Mr. Speaker, under environmental permitting, they're not saying change the system and dump the system. They're just saying they view it conflicted, would the GNWT work as a partner, acknowledge they have challenges, and they want to meet them. I don't hear they don't want to be permitted or regulated; I hear we want to do things differently but progressive. Mr. Speaker, the water management is the same argument. They want to work with the Northerners to achieve a good end.
Mr. Speaker, ultimately, no one is saying that big business should get a pass. This big business isn't saying they want a pass; they say they want to be a partner in the future. 25 years ahead with the biggest diamond mine pipe should not go ignored. Mr. Speaker, this is a true and genuine opportunity for economic sustainability of the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this year I brought the issue up about the cell service in the community of N'dilo. Public safety is a mandate of this government. And in N'dilo, we have completely poor service in the cell towers we have there. So I have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure as to how we can help resolve that issue.
But, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to take this time to also -- as the session comes to an end, I just want to quickly thank my beautiful darling wife for taking care of the home while we serve as the MLA for the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding. Also, I want to thank my constituents Taylor Pagotto and Warren Delorme who work hard behind the scenes to bring forward all constituent issues and concerns to my attention as the MLA for the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding.
Most importantly, I also want to thank all the translators here today, the Legislative Assembly staff, caterers. And also I want to say thank you to Ms. Cynthia James in her retirement and obviously a big mahsi cho to you.
Finally, and I just want to say Seasons Greetings to all my colleagues and all the residents in the NWT and to my constituents in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding. This is the time of year where we want to take care of each other, watch other our families, and have a safe holiday. And, Mr. Speaker, thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements.
Colleagues, last session, I spoke about a startup Basketball Program in Fort Liard. Today, I would like to add to the story.
Corbin Wilson is a 17-year-old Fort Liard student who was selected to play on the Basketball NWT team that travelled to the Nationals tournament held in Toronto in August. This is quite an accomplishment for Corbin who started to play basketball regularly less than a year ago. He was one of a group of boys who began playing on the Fort Liard outside court and with one hoop back in the summer of 2023. The boys evolved into the Fort Liard Warriors, Fort Liard's first organized basketball team in many years, which gained players as the 2023-24 season went on.
As the closest community is Fort Nelson, British Columbia, their first tournaments were played there. The school principal and teachers in Fort Nelson were immensely supportive in encouraging and contributed volunteer coaches when the Warriors had no coaches to travel with them. Corbin displayed excellent playing skills and leadership early on and became the Warriors team captain.
MACA sponsored a regional travel basketball clinic in the fall of 2023 and Fort Liard was fortunate to have a coach come in. Fort Liard's recreation was able to bring the same coach back in the spring of 2024 which further developed the players' skills and prepared them for the annual Wolf Pack Tournament that was held in Fort Simpson.
In May 2024, him and four of his teammates travelled to the basketball NWT nationals and Canadian Summer Games selection camp and Corbin was chosen as the first alternate for the team.
With strong family support, he was able to attend the YK training camp for the whole month of July where he impressed the coaches with his dedication and hard work. He moved from an alternate to a full-fledged team member within a couple of weeks. In the end he was able to fully experience the national tournament in Toronto, truly a life-changing opportunity.
Corbin's family and the community rallied to fundraise for him through activities like Chase the Ace and Jail and Bail, and the hamlet council donated to his considerable costs. Corbin also participated fully in team fundraising activities while at the training camp in Yellowknife.
As Corbin completes his grade 12 this coming year, he will continue to play on the Fort Liard Warriors team and has committed to coaching young youth to help grow the basketball program. Thank you, Corbin, it is great to see young people pay it back. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize my constituency assistant, Mr. Taylor Pagotto, who is in the gallery with us today. I couldn't let -- I share him with the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, and he mentioned him in his opening statement so I couldn't be remiss not to recognize him for the amazing work he does for the Range Lake riding to help all the constituents out there. Thank you so much, Taylor. You work very hard every day, and we're very lucky to have you. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to recognize Taylor Pagotto who I share as a CA with the Member from Range Lake. Also, I just want to say that our CAs that we use in this House, they do a lot of work behind the scenes, the research, and especially taking calls on the weekends and nights from my members in my riding. So I just want to recognize Taylor Pagotto and Warren Delorme. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to take this opportunity to share my recognition of the staff in this House - the interpreters, the pages that have come and gone, and my colleagues here for the Christmas holidays that are coming up, and have a safe season until we meet again here February the 5th, and special congratulations to retirement to Cynthia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Colleagues, recognition of visitors in the gallery are for people here in the gallery. Please remember this moving forward. Thank you.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to recognize -- we got lots of pages in the house today from the Frame Lake riding. I recognized her earlier this week but wanted to recognize and thank again Lucy Mackay. We've got Emereigh Moffatt returning, so thank you to her for her service. And also Tika Ristau. So thank you to all three of our Frame Lake pages this week. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, it could never be said enough that our interpreters and translators do an important job, and sometimes I don't know how they keep up with us when we get going but acknowledging one particular translator, Ms. Sarah Cleary, she's a constituent and she's a translator extraordinaire, grateful for her services and her kind friendship. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Elise Scott, chief governance officer with WSCC.
