Denny Rodgers

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's come to my attention that the Keskorie boarding home in Yellowknife has reached capacity. In addition, Mr. Speaker, hotels across the capital are also at full capacity. This presents a serious challenge for residents from my riding who must travel to Yellowknife for medical and dental care. Some of these individuals are making long and difficult journeys, Mr. Speaker, for critical medical appointments, appointments they've been waiting for, sometimes months. Yet, when they arrive, they are faced with the distressing reality that there is nowhere for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. No further questions.

How often does the department then -- given that it is arm's length, there's obviously reporting coming through, how often does the Minister or the department communicate with the members at OROGO?

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just firstly, I recall -- I'll ask the Minister, has there ever been any of these positions outside of headquarters? I believe at one point there was one in the Beaufort Delta, but I'm not 100 percent sure. Can the Minister confirm.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If it happens, we live in the same community I guess. The Minister mentioned a communications plans. So is there any details on how that will roll out, how we're going to let people know in Inuvik that this is certainly happening and that they may want to consider doing, as the Minister stated, booking the nonurgent appointments at another time. Can there be a little more detail on what that communication plan will be, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my statement this morning -- or this afternoon, sorry, can the Minister provide us with an update or whether she's aware of the lack of accommodations in Yellowknife and, Mr. Speaker, how this may impact -- how this impacts people if they have medical travel.

Yeah, and, you know, even the larger ones. And the challenge, obviously, in the larger ones may not be as much the cost. Again, if we could do this as a -- if you look at doing it as a bulk transfer rather than look at having to take specific portions and survey it out or section it out. I mean, again, you can easily identify what is in the municipal boundaries and can be done. It can be done as one massive survey. And I think if the department would at least commit to looking at that option, and maybe providing some assistance to the municipalities to kind of help them -- help them along to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, and I'm assuming I can -- this is the proper activity to bring this up in. My questions are around some transfer of lands in the -- specifically for this one in the Inuvialuit settlement region.

I note that in the information items there is obviously the land claim implementation funding of $5.4 million, and I'm wondering if as part of that, you know, what the department is doing to make it less difficult, I guess, for Indigenous organizations, specifically in the Inuvialuit settlement region, for IRC to access lots in the communities that they can then use...

Thank you for that; I appreciate that answer. And you look at contract services, Madam Chair, $3.562 million in there, I'm not sure what level of detail the department has here with them today, but I'm just curious as to how much of those contracted services are done in the NWT versus consulting firms or firms outside the NWT. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My colleagues have done a fine job on asking most of the questions in this section, but I do have just a couple of high-level.

Just on the funding itself and I believe -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- that the Minister stated that in the climate change accumulative impacts and knowledge, the $8.3 million, $2.6 million of that is for the climate action plan. I guess my first question, and again, how much of that is federally funded and how much of that comes out of our coffers, Madam Chair?