It's not that bad. It's mostly for small communities and regional centres, that we have lots of people living in the regional centres as well that are affected.
So, Mr. Speaker, on Friday the 20242025 Budget was tabled with a $2.2 billion operating budget. The Minister states: This is a practical and realistic budget aimed at reducing our overall expenditures in 20242025 to help restore balance and increase our fiscal capacity to deal with unexpected events.
The Minister also states this budget is about value and efficiency.
Mr. Speaker, I understand we are in a time of fiscal restraint. We need to reduce our debt, and we have to be very careful with our spending. We have dealt with COVID, floods and fires which has cost the GNWT a lot of money. The cost of delivering goods and services in the NWT is challenging and continues to increase. We don't know what this upcoming fire season will bring.
The GNWT needs to meaningfully support local economic development. We need to grow our local economy to build local resilience. The government should be putting money towards actions that will improve the lives of residents in small communities and regional centres and improve the capacity of local communities because this strengthens the territory overall.
Mr. Speaker, the people in my riding make up 6 percent of the territorial population and represents four of the 33 communities. In the Tlicho region, like many small communities in the NWT, there are significant challenges to address.
For a long time, our small communities have fallen below the regional centres like Yellowknife when looking at outcomes in education, health, income, employment, labour, mental health, housing, and the list goes on. At this rate, the small communities will never have equitable services for our residents. And now, Mr. Speaker, our small communities are in a fight for survival against drugs and crime. The increase of drugs and criminal activity in small communities across the NWT has mostly been a silent killer, but the illegal activities of the drug trades are increasing and becoming more overt and quite apparent in the smaller communities. We don't seem to be acknowledging or properly addressing the crisis this brings into our communities. And this is my concern with the budget.
Mr. Speaker, I don't see how this budget is going to improve the lives of residents in small communities and other regional centres. Our communities need us to put money behind our words. If we are a government that wants to improve the lives of residents in small communities, then it would be reflected in our territorial budget. In this budget, there is not enough focus on prevention.
Our children and youth in small communities need hope. They need to have positive and healthy outlets for them to spend their time. They need modern and safe infrastructure and facilities to play sports and do cultural activities, and these facilities need operational funding to ensure programming and organized games and other healthy activities can be scheduled regularly for them.
Mr. Speaker what will children and youth do if they don't have positive outlets to do sports and recreation? We have organized crime infiltrating our communities, corrupting our youth, destroying families, and disrupting our way of life. Our focus should be on ensuring children and youth in small communities are safe and healthy with a future to look forward to.
Providing sports and recreation activities enables a positive path for our youth as we combat against highrisk behaviour. Support the small communities to ensure children and youth have consistent outlets in sport and recreation. This budget needs an increase in sport and recreation funding, specifically to support youth and small communities.
Mr. Speaker, we also know that our communities face a funding gap. For several years, municipal and community governments have been underfunded to operate and provide services. The government of the 19th Assembly did increase $5 million in funding for municipalities, but we know, Mr. Speaker, there are tens of millions of dollars still shortchanging our communities.
By increasing the funding for municipalities, it will not just improve the financial sustainability of communities, but the benefits will multiply throughout the community. By increasing funding to communities, the GNWT will create more local jobs, more local contracts services, and improve programs and services for local residents.
The capital city holds almost half of the population of the NWT, which includes headquarters for both the territorial and federal government. It is the hub for most mining activity in the NWT and contains the biggest portion of the private sector. So in the capital city, there are much more services, programs, and opportunity for people. Overall, life is good in the capital city. Many families can afford nice homes and fill their kitchen with food, their kids receive a good education and a have a higher likelihood to graduate, and they can play a variety of sports, there is health care and RCMP services. In the capital city there is opportunity.
But, Mr. Speaker, what about the rest of the territory?
Well, Mr. Speaker, for the rest of the territory, the small communities are used to making do with fewer resources. Consider, for example, the midwifery funding for Yellowknife that is being reallocated. Well, with all due respect, Mr. Speaker, I know that the $900,000 for that Yellowknifebased program can be used somewhere else. Moreover, also on the topic of health care, I want to comment on agency nurses.
Mr. Speaker, I know that there are several Members here who want to eliminate entirely the usage of these agency nurses within the NWT. However, Mr. Speaker, I am unsure whether the NWT will ever be able to completely cut the usage of agency nurses across all communities. Because if we did, then some small community health centres would be left sitting empty and unused and they'd eventually close completely, Which would put our communities' safety at risk and leave no health professionals present at all. That can never happen, Mr. Speaker.
This brings me to my next point about cuts, Mr. Speaker. I am speaking specifically about the cuts to the Fort Smith Correctional Centre. Are these cuts the beginning of broader cuts for other regional centres and small communities? What will they cut in next year's budget, or during the rest of the 20th Assembly? I guess we will wait and see.
Our small communities are deteriorating on top of underfunded budgets, rising costs of inflation, and rising costs of goods and services. They are fighting an increase of violence and crime and are increasingly having to respond to emergencies and natural disasters.
The biggest form of support the GNWT can provide to communities to increase their local economy, to increase social programs and services, to provide more opportunities for residents, and improve the lives of residents in small communities is to put the money directly into the hands of communities. This budget needs to increase funding for municipalities.
The support that ECE has in place, such as the Small Community Employment Fund, is an excellent program that supports communities to hire summer students in a variety of local positions. This budget line needs to be increased.
Another way to support small communities is through decentralization, transfer of jobs and services away from the capital. In the past, the government has recognized the value of moving jobs and services into the regions and smaller communities but in this budget, I don't see decentralization happening.
Overall, the government has reduced some positions for this fiscal year but, Mr. Speaker, the value of moving jobs into the regions has been overlooked. Decentralization can stimulate growth in communities. We need to focus services where the service is needed most. The GNWT should have positions and services transferred into small communities for this budget.
Mr. Speaker, I represent four small communities in the NWT. I come from a small community so I've seen firsthand the challenges our communities face.
We know that many families, as their children get older, they leave our small communities. It is not uncommon for families to relocate to regional centres so their kids receive a better education and have more opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, people also leave because some don't feel safe as they once did. Our homes and communities are not the same places they used to be. There is minimal programs and services, little opportunities for jobs, and our youth have too much free time on their hands which makes them vulnerable and more likely to get into trouble and be negatively influenced. Our small communities need the attention and focus of this government to ensure all children, no matter where they live in the NWT, to have equitable access to opportunities by investing in:
Sports and recreation;
The municipal funding gap; and
Enhancing small community employment programs.
We are supporting small communities. These are areas, Mr. Speaker, that I want to see the budget improve. I have spoken many times about housing. We are in a housing crisis in the NWT. We have overcrowded, unrepaired, and deteriorating units. We have people homeless and couch surfing. Housing is another major issue why people aren't living in small communities and why people are actually moving out of small communities because there is simply nowhere to live. It is surprising that the overall Housing NWT budget is reduced compared to last year, given the state of housing in the territory. How is the GNWT going to improve the state of public housing units or build the units needed in communities with a reduced budget? The GNWT knows the cost of addressing core need in the NWT is approximately $300 million in capital and $18 million in ongoing operational funding. Mr. Speaker, how will the GNWT bring the units it has out of core need with a reduced budget?
We need to increase homeownership in the NWT to reduce the demand on public housing, yet these budget lines are reduced. The Homeownership Entry Level Market Housing Program and the Homeownership Assistance Programs are reduced. How is the GNWT going to increase homeownership?
I would also like to know how many units Housing NWT will sell to clients over 20242025. Housing has many older units that could be sold to clients at prices clients could afford. This will increase homeownership and reduce the burden on housing to maintain them. I want to see the budget provide more focus on housing supports, specifically for small communities, to fix up the public housing units that exist and to support and expand homeownership. I recognize the housing Minister is formalizing relations with Indigenous governments in regards to housing, and this will support creative solutions. This is positive.
I am concerned, however, that the budget that is required to fix up the units currently operated by Housing NWT is insufficient, and this is among my biggest concerns with this budget. I would like to see more resources towards housing to ensure that our residents, those especially in smaller communities, have a safe, affordable, accessible, and suitable home.
These are my priority issues for the budget that I would like to see improved. These are changes that will meaningfully improve life for those in small communities, and this should be the priority of the GNWT, to help those most in need. Mashi cho. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Replies to the Budget Address.
Colleagues, I'm going to go back to number 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I was a little quick to get to number 6. Member from Nunakput.
