Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we're faced with another season of floods and wildfires, I understand that many communities and residents are concerned about the potential for disaster events. We have experienced a series of unprecedented disasters over the past four years, and as the snow melts, we are seeing dramatic changes in our landscape as a result of record low water levels. In light of this, I strongly encourage residents to check with family, friends, and neighbours, and especially the elderly who may not have access to the internet, to collectively take action to prepare for this year's highrisk season. We have learned time and time again, including during last year's historic wildfire season, that we are stronger together and that NWT residents will be there for each other during time of need.
Mr. Speaker, we learned many lessons from last year's disasters, and we are not waiting to make further improvements to our emergency management system. Ahead of this year's highrisk season, the NWT Emergency Plan was updated to better reflect its purpose and to make it easier to understand. We also clarified roles and responsibilities of communities as the leads for coordinating local emergency management in their communities, as well as how the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous governments, and nongovernment organizations work within the NWT emergency management system.
As lead for the emergency management, community governments should have a local emergency management organization with participation of Indigenous governments and other community partners. We also want community governments to be empowered to involve Indigenous governments, nongovernment organizations, and private industry in the development of emergency plans knowing that updates to the NWT Emergency Plan identify what costs may be reimbursed to those should the Disaster Assistance Policy be applied.
Mr. Speaker, community governments should have community emergency plans that are reviewed periodically and practiced annually. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has contacted all community governments to offer assistance with planning activities and provide workshops to support this important work. The department has also provided tailored supports to the community governments, including presentations, meetings, and practice exercises since the 2023 highrisk season. The department has facilitated emergency planning workshops in 12 communities. Our government has also been proactive with improving our preparedness and capacity to respond to emergency events.
The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs' emergency management division, the emergency management organization, and all departments reviewed their procedures ahead of this years' highrisk season. We also issued a call for surge staff to support all the departments and agencies when faced with emergencies, compiled a database of available staff, and have proactively provided training.
Each department is also responsible for updating their own business continuity plan for a wide range of emergencies that may occur and impact departmental business.
As part of this work, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has developed a shared resource on business continuity planning, including scenarios to assist with departments in identifying essential staff. An interdepartmental working group led by the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs is currently working to coordinate these plans.
In advance of this year's highrisk season, the department has also rolled out its annual Emergency Preparedness Week and Be Ready campaigns to promote the importance of personal and family preparedness. This year, the focus is on the importance of having insurance and making sure that people know that proof of insurance or prior refusal is required to be eligible for the assistance of the Disaster Assistance Policy is applied after an event. While overland flood insurance may be difficult to obtain in some communities, 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.
As Northerners, we know all too well that emergency events can be stressful, disruptive, costly, and potentially devastating. We also know that with better preparation, we can mitigate some of the damages, stress, and financial impact. Community governments can do their part by ensuring emergency and business continuity plans are up to date and thoroughly addressing potential risks. Similarly, private businesses, nongovernment organizations, and residents are all encouraged to develop business continuity plans and emergency plans that consider their specific circumstances.
I urge all residents to be prepared as the 2024 highrisk season approaches. Practical things that we can all do to protect ourselves including developing workplace and household emergency plans that include plans for pets, preparing emergency kits, and a grabandgo bag, and also getting insurance where it is available. I also strongly encourage residents to access information from trusted sources when emergencies occur, including your local authority leads and the Government of the Northwest Territories' public safety website where residents can find information and other trusted sources of information for more detail. Using this website, residents can quickly access all relevant safety information, including the latest wildfire updates, highway conditions, and information about outages, air quality, and much much more.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize all of the good work that our staff have been doing since last summer and extend my sincere appreciation to all emergency responders who keep the NWT communities and residents safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
