Good afternoon, colleagues. Before we get started today, I’d like to pay tribute to and acknowledge my elders who live a healthy lifestyle and are resilient role models. In Paulatuk, Marcus and the late Ida Ruben celebrated their 54th anniversary, May 5, 2014. In Sachs Harbour, Frank Kudlak will turn 85 on December 24, 2014. In Tuktoyaktuk, Persis Gruben turned 96 on October 20, 2014; Bill and Lucy Cockney celebrated their 60th anniversary on May 1, 2014; and Adam and Annie Emaghok celebrated their 63rd anniversary on August 24, 2014. In Ulukhaktok, Jean Kagyut turned 94 in September 2014. We’re not sure of the exact date; her parents told her it’s when it snows and melts. Andy and Mary Akaoakhion will celebrate their 51st anniversary on December 15, 2014.
My riding of Nunakput is blessed to have the knowledge, culture, language and wisdom of my elders.
Mr. Speaker, over the last few days, the future of energy and the approach of the Government of the Northwest Territories to energy in the Northwest Territories has been explored, deliberated and discussed at length.
The 2014 Northwest Territories Energy Charrette has generated a great deal of interest throughout our territory and beyond. Over 120 people participated in the entire charrette and there were many more who attended the public discussion held on Monday, November 3rd.
We had representatives from communities and Aboriginal governments from every region of the territory and attracted experts in the field of
renewable and sustainable energy from across Canada and even as far away as Germany.
The focus of discussions was on what we can do today to address the high energy costs that contribute to our cost of living and the approach we need to take to ensure we have sustainable energy systems in the long term.
I would like to emphasize that there was a strong project focus to these discussions. This is why the Government of the Northwest Territories invited Mr. Axel Lambion from Germany, whose company specializes in biomass energy systems. Lambion Energy Solutions has been operating for 100 years and has developed over 3,000 projects across the world. Other participants, such as Marlo Raynolds from BluEarth Energy and Anouk Kendall from Decentralized Energy Canada, provided their perspectives and experience with regard to renewable energy projects on the ground today. These include projects that could be built in the short term, including solar, biomass and combined heat and power systems.
I would like to thank all Members of the Legislative Assembly who participated in these discussions. I would also like to acknowledge Minister Miltenberger for his efforts to ensure this charrette was a success and his commitment to change our approach to energy in the short term to ensure communities have access to affordable and sustainable energy systems in the long term.
Mr. Speaker, there will be outcomes from the 2014 Energy Charrette. A report on the charrette discussions will be released within a month. The government will circulate the report widely and ask for additional input and include residents who expressed an interest but were unable to attend the charrette.
The government will then look at developing a response to the charrette report that could include changes to the current Energy Plan early next year. We would like to work with all Members of the Legislative Assembly on this initiative and will be following up through the standing committee process to further engage Members in the discussion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Lands, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, as part of devolution, the Government of the Northwest Territories took over responsibility for the management of environmental liabilities and securities for resource development projects in our territory.
The regulatory system in the Northwest Territories provides for environmental protection, including terms and conditions within various authorizations. Security provides additional protection to ensure that there are funds to address environmental liabilities if proponents fail to take remedial action.
Several departments are responsible for managing financial securities under individual licences, leases and permits. Our government recognizes that these responsibilities must be closely coordinated and effectively managed on a whole-of-project and territory-wide basis in order to have a full picture to reduce financial risk to the GNWT and to protect our land for generations to come.
On September 12, 2014, I announced the establishment of a dedicated division in the Department of Lands to oversee the management of financial securities. The liabilities and financial assurances division will provide for strong and effective collaboration between departments with legislated responsibilities for security deposits, as well as central agencies such as the departments of Finance and Justice. This division will also lead and coordinate short and longer term policy development concerning the government’s management of securities.
Mr. Speaker, the establishment of this new division is well underway and it has already taken steps towards providing support to other departments managing environmental liabilities and financial securities.
Our government has reviewed the fall 2012 Report of the Commissioner on Sustainable Development and the Environment, which considered the federal government’s management of securities that were transferred to us under devolution. The audit provided practical recommendations on improving governance, risk management approaches and controls. The report provides a useful starting point where we can learn from federal experience and build approaches to improve securities management and protect the GNWT from financial risks.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands has already initiated the development of a securities information management system for the GNWT. This system will address the handling and processing of securities and support departments’ analysis of ongoing reviews of financial security. This analysis is necessary for evidence-based policy development and securities interventions which will balance the needs of government, taxpayers and proponents.
In the interim, the department is leading and coordinating the establishment of a cross-departmental interim protocol for security management addressing the operational handling requirements for securities.
Mr. Speaker, it is essential that our government also have the right tools to support informed decision-making. To this end, the division has started the necessary baseline policy reviews to inform both short- and long-term policy development.
Although individual GNWT departments continue to develop interventions and review proposals with significant reclamation obligations, the Department of Lands is taking on the additional responsibility related to security management and assessment for individual projects. By doing so, Mr. Speaker, it is gaining valuable insight that will lead to an informed policy baseline that considers both operational realities and the needs of our government.
In addition, we are developing important partnerships with our industry, academic and public sector counterparts, including resource management boards. These partnerships will also help support a broad-based and informed policy basis for our government moving forward.
We also need to make sure our investment climate is attractive, while our environment is protected. The GNWT has noted industry’s concerns about the risk of double bonding if there are potentially overlapping securities requirements. Our new division will help ensure we can address this concern, while managing any potential environmental liabilities and, at the same time, encourage sustainable land use to ensure strong economic development in our territory.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting the land and environment of the Northwest Territories while supporting responsible, sustainable development consistent with our Land Use and Sustainability Framework. Consistently assessing appropriate securities for developments is one of the ways we will do that. The creation of the liabilities and financial assurances division will support us in this goal and ensure that potential environmental liabilities can be remediated so the northern environment is protected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of ENR, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, as a result of devolution, much of the lands and waters of the Northwest Territories are now the responsibility of our government. We had prepared for this eventually by getting our policy house in order through the development of the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy and its action plan. We built these documents collaboratively with our partners, in particular the Aboriginal governments of the NWT. They represent a huge success, and they demonstrate how innovative we are here in the North.
I am very pleased to report another critically important success.
Our post-devolution responsibility for water and our commitment made in the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy was to negotiate transboundary water management agreements with our neighbouring jurisdictions in the Mackenzie River Basin.
As of yesterday, our negotiating team has reached a stable intentions document with Alberta. This is following having reached agreement on an intentions document with British Columbia earlier this year, in June. So, we have now accomplished a critical stage with the two key jurisdictions upstream of us. These two agreements cover over 85 percent of the Mackenzie River Basin. With these two agreements in place, we can confidently say that we are protecting the vast majority of the Mackenzie River Basin, and because the Mackenzie River Basin is about 20 percent of the land mass of Canada, these agreements are of also national and international significance.
Both intentions documents meet the strategic outcomes for these agreements that were approved by Cabinet in 2012.
First and foremost, they are ecological agreements that protect the health of the aquatic ecosystem while allowing for development by both parties. This has only been negotiated in one other place in the world, in Australia, and in the face of drought they were not able to maintain their commitments to the aquatic ecosystem. Because we will absolutely fulfill our commitments, we will be the first jurisdiction in the world to demonstrate how to truly protect the health of the aquatic ecosystem while allowing for development.
Further, the Alberta and BC intentions documents also create an adaptive framework for cooperative management of transboundary waters, set out cooperative decision-making processes and create clear notification, consultation and information-sharing requirements. With these agreements in place, we will no longer find out about upstream developments and events in the newspaper. We are building a much closer, more productive working relationship with our Mackenzie River Basin neighbours.
Throughout the negotiating process, the opinions and values of Aboriginal governments and other stakeholders were critical. Environment and Natural Resources has engaged deeply with Aboriginal governments over the last seven years as we worked together in meetings and regional workshops throughout the NWT to develop the NWT Water Strategy, and we worked even more closely over the last three years as negotiations proceeded.
We continued to engage repeatedly with Aboriginal governments, updating and briefing them, and then revising our positions to take into account their views. The NWT Water Strategy Aboriginal Steering Committee was also updated regularly on the progress of the negotiations. Just last month, on October 6 and 7, we brought all Aboriginal groups to Yellowknife to consult on the NWT-BC Intentions Document, and we received strong support that we will continue to build upon as we work with Aboriginal governments in implementing the agreements. Following that meeting, we met with regulatory boards and NGOs from both within and outside of the NWT.
Traditional and local knowledge workshops and community-based monitoring have added valuable information to the engagement and consultation process. People in the NWT are experts on the place where they live and work, and we have and will continue to ensure they have a voice and opportunity to speak during this process.
We have discussed different elements of the intentions documents with governance and ecosystem science experts from across Canada. They have all expressed strong support for what we have accomplished.
Aboriginal consultation and public engagement regarding the BC and Alberta agreements are coming to an end. A highlights document that includes the comments and concerns we heard during consultation meetings and responses to those concerns is currently being distributed to Aboriginal groups. A FAQ document has been published recently to provide residents of the NWT with additional information to better understand concepts included in the intentions document.
We will continue to pursue transboundary water management agreements with Saskatchewan and the Yukon and are also planning on beginning the discussion with Nunavut.
Both Alberta and British Columbia are committed to signing these agreements in February, after they have completed their consultations. This will be a highly anticipated celebration, one we hope to host here in Yellowknife.
I want to recognize our small but very powerful and effective water team that got us these agreements, one of the best water teams in the country. They drove the process and showed the other jurisdictions just how things are done here in the North.
Mr. Speaker, we are on the verge of taking a major step towards achieving the vision we developed for the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy: to develop transboundary water agreements that ensure the waters of the NWT will remain clean, productive and abundant for all time. We did this by working together. I am proud of the work we have done, and I believe that this work will be a legacy for future generations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Northwest Territories are committed, passionate and extremely hard working.
I would like to take the opportunity to recognize a particularly dedicated business owner, Mr. Francis Anderson. Mr. Anderson has been the owner and operator of Saville Enterprises, a thriving hardware store in the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, since the age of 19.
Maintaining a business in one of the most northern communities in the Northwest Territories may have its challenges, and Mr. Anderson’s business is a great example of how they can be overcome. His work to provide the products, services and knowledge needed by his community is renowned.
Mr. Anderson opened his business over 30 years ago and his is a success story and part of the foundation of the made-in-the-NWT business community.
Business people like Mr. Anderson empower the entrepreneurial spirit of the Northwest Territories. Those who are starting in business or thinking of following the path to entrepreneurship will benefit from his leadership.
With the construction of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway, access to these communities will improve and opportunities to invest and grow our economy will be realized, particularly in our small business and tourism sectors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Mr. Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be absent from the House today to attend the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership Ministers’ meetings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Did you know a Dene man passed away suddenly on Sunday, November 2nd? He was born and raised in the Hay River area. “Watch, learn and teach” was his motto. He was taught traditional survival skills by observing, getting involved and practicing bush skills from the time he was 10 years old
He came from a family of 17. He often talked about how his dad made him a boat and bought him two hunting guns when he was 15 years old. He lived outdoors all the time, working, hunting and trapping. Jim believed that if you watched and listened to your elders, you would live a good and long life. That was self-discipline and being resourceful.
Mr. Speaker, Jim worried about his grandchildren and younger generations losing their ancestral language. Children need to listen and understand their language so they can keep their language and speak it. Jim, Daniel Sonfrere, Pat and Ted Bugghins first started the Katlodeeche First Nation to establish the Hay River Reserve in 1972.
Funeral services for the late Jim Lamalice is today at 2:00 p.m. in the town of Hay River at the Pentecostal Church. The feast is at the Chief Lamalice Complex following the laying to rest at St. Peter’s Cemetery on the Hay River Reserve. Mahsi.
Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am taking this time today to congratulate the newly elected leaders from the community of Fort McPherson. Elections for one president and four councillors were held in 2014 and I look forward to working with the new community leadership in the coming year: President William Firth and his council Glen Alexie, David Krutko, Abe Wilson and Leslie Blake.
This new council will oversee daily operation of the Designated Gwich’in Organization which is a community organization operating under the guidance of the Gwich’in Tribal Council. I trust that our territorial and community governments will work positively towards a healthier and stronger community and territory.
Mr. Speaker, I want to extend best wishes to all communities throughout the territory. Let’s continue to work together as leaders. As leaders in today’s economy, we pledge to our people that we will serve them in our upmost dignity. I look forward to working with you on community issues, concerns and comments. Congratulations and all the best for you and the community.
Also, Mr. Speaker, on November 17, 2014, the Gwich’in Nation will elect a president for the Gwich’in Tribal Council. I would like to wish both candidates, Richard Nerysoo and James Wilson, all the best, and I look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to continue a familiar theme: health care for my people. I don’t want to give the impression that our health care system is fundamentally flawed. It isn’t, Mr. Speaker. But as the Minister of Health says himself, there’s definitely room for improvement.
One of the goals of our health system is to deliver services as close to home as possible, and I’m all for that. A simple change would really help out the people of Fort Liard and, at the same time, probably lower the costs of health in my region.
People of Fort Liard are already getting some of their health services in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. Liard residents often use their own resources and drive south for certain services. It’s only 210 kilometres from Fort Liard to Fort Nelson, compared to 284 kilometres towards Fort Simpson and then an additional airplane ride to Yellowknife. The road to Fort Nelson is in better shape, too, because it’s Highway No. 7, Mr. Speaker.
What’s more? Fort Nelson is triple the size of Fort Simpson, so it has more services. It is not uncommon for Fort Liard patients to be flown to Yellowknife, which is almost 800 kilometres away. Instead, why not send patients south to Fort Nelson General Hospital?
Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians cross provincial or territorial borders to receive health care. Oftentimes it is a simple matter of patient choice because it is more convenient to skip across the border. This is made possible by the in-Canada portability provisions of the Canada Health Act.
I would like to see a formal agreement between the Department of Health and Social Services and the BC Ministry of Health that allows Fort Liard residents to receive health care in Fort Nelson.
Across the country, agreements of this kind are very common. With expanding the use of electronic medical records, it should be easier than ever to manage this type of arrangement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the fall of 2012, Choice North Farms of Hay River began exploring the option of developing a manure compost facility. The facility would see the composting of approximately 5,700 tonnes of manure annually. In addition to the manure composted, there would be a significant amount of paper and cardboard required to mix in the manure that’s reducing the amount being sent to our landfills each year.
After selecting the site with the assistance of AANDC, the first federal application was sent directly to Lands administration office in Yellowknife in early 2013, but the application was rejected for lack of an agricultural policy in the Northwest Territories. I want to stress that.
A second federal land application was made to the office of Municipal and Community Affairs in Fort Smith. That application was rejected for lack of an agriculture policy in the Northwest Territories. Further discussion around the issue identified that MACA should have sent their own application to the federal department, not the application from Choice North Farms, and then have worked to establish a lease agreement between Choice North and the territorial government. There seemed to be confusion as to how the process worked and this was the first application of this kind. There was further concern about the lacking agriculture policy to allow MACA to lease land for this purpose.
Mr. Speaker, there is a few more paragraphs here about the long, convoluted path that my constituents had in trying to secure land, but in 2014, October 2014, just recently, my constituent attended the NWT Lands administration office in Yellowknife to discuss property that he had applied for. Because the land was unavailable, they were willing to look at another parcel but they had been informally told that if they continued to pursue a new site for this compost project, the application will be turned down because there is no mechanism to develop agricultural lands outside of municipalities. Until the NWT Lands or the Commissioner or Lands department establish a mechanism, Choice North Farms can expect the same results.
The situation has been communicated up through the department by the lands officers that have they have been working with, so there is an awareness of the issue.
Currently, they are working with Ecology North and GNWT ITI waste management on a pilot project. Technical requirements for this project have been completed. The manure is ready for compost, and they are prepared to move forward with this project, pending access to land.
The compost could and would be used for agricultural small scale farming, landscaping, mine reclamation and a host of other land and food-based projects. This compost could be shipped to other communities that are unable to grow food due to soil restraints, and Choice North Farms sees this as a vital…
Excuse me, Mrs. Groenewegen. Time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I please seek unanimous consent to conclude the last little bit of my statement? Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
This compost could be shipped to other communities that are unable to grow food due to soil restraints, and Choice North Farms sees this as a vital support piece for local food production in all communities.
This is a viable project and much has gone into it. I will have questions later today for the Minister of MACA and maybe the Minister of ITI, I’m not sure, but I can think of a whole lot of topics, a whole lot of titles for this Member’s statement on manure composting. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Next Tuesday is November 11th, Remembrance Day. The year of 2014 also marks the 100th Anniversary of the Great War, the war to end all wars is what they said back in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, they were wrong.
While we have no veterans from the First World War in the Sahtu, and few from the second, I wish to pay tribute to all the veterans and those who bravely served in the Canadian Armed Forces including people from the Sahtu: Swaine Bavard, Wilbert Cook, Darrel Cook, Wayne Lennie, Hughie Kenny, Stanley Cook, Tim Cook and countless others I have not named today.
I would also like to salute our Canadian Rangers and the Junior Canadian Rangers patrols across the Sahtu and the North, and to encourage all the little Cadets in our communities to keep up the good work and your training. Volunteering and services are where you learn the most as a leader. These men and women, whether at the Battle of the Somme, Juno Beach, Korea or Afghanistan, have suited up and some have paid the supreme sacrifice.
This year Remembrance Day will have an even deeper meaning for Canadians after two tragic attacks in Quebec and Ottawa that have taken two of our soldiers from us. As Northerners and Canadians young and old don their poppies, we are taking part in a national display of pride and respect, a visual pledge to never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice. According to the Royal Canadian Legion, more than 18 million Canadians wear a poppy to honour, thank and remember Canadian fallen veterans and those who continue to serve today.
I would also like to salute our First Nation Aboriginal vets from coast to coast to coast. Some lost their status, like the late Tom Eagle. We must pressure Ottawa to continue to overturn that injustice. In fact, it was the veterans of World War II who fought Ottawa to give the Aboriginal people the right to vote in the ‘60s.
While poppies are free, the Legion poppy campaign supports retired members...
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Sorry; your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Our donations directly support Canadians serving and retired veterans and their families by ensuring we never forget the horrors of war but remember what they stood and did for all of us. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to keep my last sessional statement of 2014 with a simple message of thanks and gratitude. First and foremost, we’ve just heard Mr. Yakeleya mention a very beautiful rendition for our fallen soldiers, and as we approach November 11th, it’s important that we give thanks to our fallen heroes, past and present.
Our success as a nation stands on the shoulders of their sacrifice. Let’s unite as an Assembly and grant them a moment of silence.
---Moment of silence
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and colleagues. It’s hard to believe that this will be the last Christmas holiday season for the 17th Legislative Assembly. I wanted to send an early and heartfelt season’s greetings to all residents of the Northwest Territories, and for my hardworking colleagues in this Chamber, I wish you a special time of meaning and cultural tradition with your family and friends. Thank you, colleagues. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A diverse and committed arts community exists in the Northwest Territories with literally dozens of groups in the areas of dance, theatre, music, film, visual arts, crafts and many more. Organizations may be small, but they are big on hard work, enthusiasm, commitment and inclusive programs that reach out across our communities.
Artists understand and acknowledge how the arts function to support our social strengths, our health and well-being. Hill Research Strategies in Ottawa reports reveal the link between the arts and student engagement and education, positive economic impact and cultural tourism, improved quality of life, importance in Aboriginal health and well-being, the list goes on.
Beyond these, at a time when social changes and challenges are many, the arts provide a valid way to engage community learning, exploration, idea exchange and critical dialogue that ground our culture and identity. These same artists are seeing gaps, key gaps, that are limiting the role the arts can play in diversifying and strengthening our territorial economy. One is the lack of a properly funded arts hub, typically found in every other capital in Canada. Another is a fine arts school. The two could easily go together. A proper gallery could showcase the work made in the regions as well as a place to foster and develop a more sophisticated arts discourse. A place for research, exhibition, education, and documentation of contemporary and modern visual arts. A place to attend screenings, to learn how to felt, paint, sculpt, to participate in group shows, to see contemporary art exhibitions, to hear artists speak and participate in group projects. A place where artists can learn, inspire and be inspired; a place that can expose and motivate people through art made here and elsewhere in the world. An arts hub would enrich our community by celebrating what we do while displaying great works from the past and present, from near and far.
Exhibition opportunities absolutely essential to an artist from the NWT are woefully lacking. We need to develop an NWT arts centre from the grassroots, with guidance from the diverse arts community already here, and developed through partnership and vision from our vibrant community. An NWT arts hub is a place that will require start-up costs and financial support. It can move forward through partnerships of public, governmental and private funding. This is a huge opportunity and the time is right, the players are ready.
Will the Minister take this as a priority, lead the conversation towards realizing this goal, filling this gap and strengthening the NWT community and economy with an arts centre? The talented bunch of artists across this territory, our society and our people deserve it.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Colleagues, before we hear our next Member’s statement, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery this afternoon of Mr. Jean-Christopher Fleury, Consul General of France. Welcome to the Assembly.
The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each year the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, CCSA, joins organizations across the country in observing National Addictions Awareness Week. Organized by CCSA, National Addictions Awareness Week highlights issues and solutions to help address alcohol and other drug-related harm. It provides an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about drug prevention, to talk about treatment and recovery, and to bring forward solutions for change.
In 2014, National Addictions Awareness Week will be held November 17th to the 21st, a little over a week from now. CCSA will also mark the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims on November 19th, during National Addictions Awareness Week, by drawing attention to the growing problem of drug-impaired driving.
Preventing youth from using drugs is a priority for CCSA and our partners, so this year’s theme for National Addictions Awareness Week is youth drug use prevention, especially addressing the use of alcohol, cannabis and prescription drugs among our youth.
I encourage Members and NGOs to join the dialogue, a dialogue to help create a healthier society, one free of harms of substance abuse and misuse. You can follow CCSA on Twitter – some of us are doing that – @CCSAcanada, and you can use the hashtag #NAAWCanada to help support this year’s activities during National Addictions Awareness Week. You can also share resources on your social media channels.
There are several activities that I am aware of that are planned for Yellowknife during National Addictions Awareness Week. One is the kickoff of National Addictions Awareness Week: a sober walk. Students, staff and community members will march through the downtown streets of Yellowknife on Monday, November 17th. As well, the Tree of Peace will be hosting an information fair on the first day of National Addictions Awareness Week. Many organizations around Yellowknife that deal directly and indirectly with addictions will be there at the fair.
I invite everyone to take part in National Addictions Awareness Week events in your community, and remember, if you need help, it is available to you. Take advantage of it.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to finish off this session with a real good, feel good news story. It’s about a small office in the Northwest Territories that has been doing great work in getting Northerners very active and can potentially have a big impact across this nation.
The most recent Walk to Tuk Challenge involved over 1,600 NWT participants from 17 communities on 102 teams. Seventy-three of those teams were successful in reaching Tuktoyaktuk, walking a grand total of 207,808 kilometres. Calculating in hours of exercise equalled about 48,918.5 hours of exercising. On average, each participant accumulated 245 minutes of weekly exercise, which is 95 minutes more exercise than the 150 minutes that are recommended by the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for adults aged 18 to 64. This was all done during the darkest and coldest times of the year.
As the NWT embarks on the fifth anniversary of this successful program, it is my pleasure to announce that the NWT Rec and Parks Association’s Walk to Tuk Challenge has been selected as one of six finalists in the Play Exchange program and will be showcased on a national television show in January 2015 and will be eligible for up to $1 million to launch this program nationwide.
This is huge not only for the NWTRPA and addressing active living in some of our health issues but it also has a big impact for possible tourism in the Northwest Territories.
The Play Exchange is a national online challenge that was launched in February of 2014, to fund and support creative ideas to get Canadians living healthier lifestyles. Some highlights of this Play Exchange challenge, in fact the Walk to Tuk Challenge was chosen out of over 400 submissions from across Canada, and the top six finalists each receive mentoring and support from the LIFT Philanthropy Partners to develop a strategic plan for their idea.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
