Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister of Education, Culture and Employment
The Honourable Caitlin Cleveland was first elected in the 19th Assembly as the MLA for Kam Lake in 2019, and has served as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment since 2023 after being acclaimed to the 20th Assembly.
In addition to owning and operating a northern business for over 20 years, Minister Cleveland worked in a variety of communications and policy roles in both the public and private sectors before entering politics.
Between 2019 to 2023, she chaired the Standing Committee on Social Development, fulfilling a goal to be a part of the discussions and decisions affecting social programs in the Northwest Territories. Her noteworthy work on the Committee included guiding the considerable review and input into recommendations on housing in the NWT, suicide prevention, and improvements to caring for children in care and building supported families.
Within the scope of her portfolios, Minister Cleveland is focused on helping children grow into successful NWT residents that recognize opportunities and develop successful careers that contribute to a growing economy. She advocates for new approaches to sector diversification and innovation, and ensures the North is welcoming both skilled foreign workers and investment in the critical mineral resources across the territory. She persistently explores solutions for efficient and equitable access to programs and services, upholding a shared vision of an NWT where people are supported in the ways they wish to live, work, and grow.
Minister Cleveland is a lifelong resident of Yellowknife where she lives with her husband and their three children.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When people are working and our economy is booming, the North feels different. Meaningful employment improves mental health outcomes, increase in school attendance, jumpstarts community participation, and decreases social support demand. Our North success is deeply rooted in the GNWT's ability to support northern small and medium businesses that rely on the financial influx of public service procurement.
This past Sunday, Industry, Tourism and Investment completed its second online public engagement session to gather feedback from northern entrepreneurs as part of a...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 64)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to the assistant deputy minister for that. I think that's a worthwhile commitment, and potentially an area where the GNWT can come together and save some money by consolidating that, so I really appreciate that. My next question is in regard to the Yellowknife Airport Revolving Fund. I just noted that the airport improvement fee has come down, of course, with people not travelling because of COVID and the recommendation from the Chief Public Health Officer, but I notice that the aeronautical revenues appear to have come down by half. However, the...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 64)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. One of the commitments I was looking for was a commitment to include the cost of the virtual meeting software in the cost for software that is coming back to committee, so I'll start with that one. Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 64)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Earlier today, the Minister and her staff were talking about the money spent under the technology service centre since April 1st related to COVID. The total number was $1 million, and under that was an amount for software. I'm just wondering if they can repeat that because I didn't have time to write it down. Thank you.
I understand that it's cold sometimes. We have, in the North, some pretty tough people, and I think they would love to start their staycation season a little bit early given that they have been in town for a long time and would love the opportunity to break out their campers. Some of them who are extreme die-hards would love to just camp in the snow. I am wondering if ITI would be willing to open the season a little bit early this year. Don't worry; I am not a snow camper. If they would be willing to open the parks a little bit earlier this year. I know Yukon just announced yesterday that they...
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. When the sun starts coming back, I get excited about summer, and the sun is coming back. I am wondering if the Minister of ITI will let us know when ITI plans to open campground bookings online this summer. Thank you.
I appreciate that. I can confirm, though it's great news to hear that there is one complaint this year, I receive a complaint probably every week about procurement from Kam Lake businesses. Whether they are escalated or not is another story. Sometimes, it's great news that things can be sorted out between conversations with MLAs and Ministers, and sometimes, they require a little bit more digging. I am wondering if the Minister would be willing to make the annual reports that go to the Comptroller General public so that, potentially, people can find patterns within those, if there is more than...
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 64)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. My question was: does the Minister feel that they will reach this year's goals? Thank you.
Debates of
, 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 63)
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am going to stick with medical travel on the heels of my colleague from Great Slave. One of the things we've been hearing lately is that, because a lot of our medical travel people travel to Alberta, that Alberta is actually saying to people that they must isolate in Alberta before returning to Yellowknife where they then isolate again in some cases. I'm wondering if the Minister can confirm if that is still happening for medical travel patients or not? Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister's due diligence in having already set up that meeting and look forward to hopefully having a conversation about that with the Minister. In regard to the people who the Minister was able to converse with who were impressed by the timelines, perhaps the Minister can encourage them to participate in the survey next year and we can improve some results for the Northwest Territories in that report card. One of the things that was highlighted within that report card was that the GNWT wasn't even meeting their own timelines within the regulatory process. I'm wondering if the...
