Statements in Debates

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is on the descriptions of cost shared agreements. To a large degree, we're dependent on our federal counterpart to assist with resources and if there's such a high change in our society for increased services and in justice, rehabilitation, counselling, those types of related services, is it the department's wishes or are they going to seek further agreements to cover some of the shortfalls that we're experiencing in the area of justice and rehabilitation? Are we going back to the federal government for more money? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I emphasized the critical state we're in on the low waters here and the shipment down the Mackenzie River. My question is to the Minister of Housing.

In this new fiscal budget, can the Minister confirm the list of housing units destined for the Sahtu? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Can the Minister answer my half portion to the last question, proposed dates, can the Minister come back to me on proposed dates; is it next month or July or August? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that answer.

Moving on to my next question here, Mr. Speaker, on February the 29th here, I requested from the Housing NWT Minister housing inventory for the Sahtu. Due to the MTS cancellation, is there what is the new shipping alternative plans for materials as well as new units? Thank you.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to have preliminary discussions with the principals of Buffalo Airways. Instructions to stakeholders on the Sahtu resupply is as important as the plan itself.

Mr. Speaker, we can no longer deny the reality of low water levels only minimizing repercussions of it. To bring into perspective, Mr. Speaker, last fall's barge delivery to Fort Good Hope seen a topup to the winter road resupply season of 600,000 litres of fuel.

Mr. Speaker, January the 8th, 2024, Sahtu seen the costs of aviation fuel delivered to Norman...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too agree with the principles of the business plan; however, there's always room for improvements. It's a fouryear document that really sets the direction for this Assembly and a everchanging climate, whether that climate is the cost of living in the small communities, the larger communities, and our territory as a whole. So realizing that, we really don't have any idea what the economic environment is going to be next year or the year after, but having the guiding principles to move forward with an updated review, certainly shows efficiency of this Assembly in moving...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 17)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And moving forward, there's always the cost of capital costs of delays so there's a factor to that, and I'm not too sure what that cost is because I'm not privileged to the materials, but I want the Minister to keep that in mind here, it may come back to haunt this government on the cost of capital or the cost of loss. All of a sudden your sheet of plywood already doubled if you went to six months in purchasing, for example.

My last question, an Indigenous madeinthe North to the housing crisis is being proposed by leadership of Fort Good Hope. Will the Minister accept my...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that reply and information here. We all learned something, and I thank the Minister for some heartful discussions we had prior to the winter road season closing back in our last sitting of February. Since then, we have delivered additional fuel with the assumption that there might not be any barge, so it was very comforting to know, looking back now, those plans were discussed, actions were taken, and the additional shipments of fuel went to some of these communities.

And my question to the Minister is, is there going to be inventory checks...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Welcome back. Part 1 of 2, Sahtu climate change and unprecedented low water levels.

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by expressing my deepest appreciation and sincere gratitude to NWT's Buffalo Airways for their recent announcement to provide air barge freight services to the Sahtu region. It's homegrown northern companies like Buffalo Airways that not only recognize a crisis but, most notably, step forward to help.

Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie River covers a distance of 1650 kilometers starting from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. This waterway...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 14)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My contribution to the time is I only have two questions.

As you know the Sahtu, like many other communities that are serviced by the MTS company, depend solely on the barging of goods and services and is a lifeline to sustaining these communities, including this government to the institution in these communities.

We are in a similar situation as last year with the recent cancellation notice given today on the barge and acknowledging that narrows down servicing the Sahtu communities along the waterway for seven out of 52 weeks for the whole year.

We have learned something...