Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't need to remind the Minister that she definitely has to be very vocal at her federal tables to ensure that they recognize the time frames in the North and our very, very short seasons.

Onto my next question: Insurance is very expensive in the North. And with the economic downturn from COVID, rates are only increasing. For example, a remote lodge could have an insurance bill of $12,000 for this year with no revenue coming in.

Will the Department of ITI grant a temporary waiver on the insurance requirement in the Tourism Act...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't try to just rush it in this time. Okay. Well, modern technology here. My apologies, Mr. Speaker. Oh, jeez. Sorry. I don't have it memorized. I apologize. Okay.

So, Aurora College could offer courses parttime or virtually so that small businesspeople and their staff can attend when it works for them. Safety training could cover areas like fire suppression and disaster training, including how to set up sprinkler systems, mitigate floods and fuel spills, and responding to other events that often occur as the result of our harsher and changing climate. All these...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased with that response. I just urge the Minister to encourage her department to actually proactively reach out to some people because they don't always know that they should come and ask for help.

One of the biggest complaints we hear from small businesses is the amount of hoops that they have to jump through to access funding and government programs, something that was really a problem even before COVID.

Can the Minister explain how the work of the Red Tape Reduction working group is reducing the burden on small business and, in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ITI. The earlier GRIT funding for tourism operators was a much needed, if somewhat delayed, relief for our tourism sector. This relief which includes money from CanNor has not been renewed for the upcoming year. With the easing of the restrictions delayed, it apparent that we will not see a viable tourism sector this year.

Will the Minister commit to providing a phase 2 of the GRIT funding or something similar for the upcoming year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In recent years, northern tourism and the economy have been challenged by disasters like forest fires, the pandemic, and now flooding, causing this fledgling economic sector to become virtually nonexistent. Through no fault of their own, our tourism operators require even more support than they ever have before.

Despite recent news that NWT lodges are allowed to bring visitors from southern Canada, this is not enough for our suffering tourism and hospitality sector. Many businesses do not have the means or capacity to adjust their business models to meet new safety...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, like cake, so I hope I get to spend some time with the Minister eating that cake with her. My last question is a slightly different tack. How many employees within the GNWT are on transfer assignments, and while those transfers are taking place, how is human resources and Cabinet ensuring that the backfill is being done correctly and that client service isn't suffering? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to help the Minister promote her programs. Can the Minister speak to what career options or programs that are available within the GNWT that are made available to high school students in order for them to plan their careers in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT needs to take a hard look at our employment strategy, to incorporate not only our northern graduates upon their return, but to ensure that Northerners and people committed to the North are able to advance in the public sector. An integrated strategy is needed that involves not only HR, but incorporates the input of and data collected by ECE and SSA so that we are proactive about our work force. This strategy should identify future employment trends and identify pathways to help Northerners work towards their employment goals and include cross-training...

Those were somewhat ECE-related questions, so I think it speaks well to the Ministers breaking down their silos that the Minister of Finance could answer some of that. I appreciate that. My next question is: what incentive does the GNWT have to hire Northwest Territories graduates when the federal funding formula actually encourages the GNWT to hire from outside? I believe we were all told when we came in that one of the best ways to increase our revenues was to encourage more people to move to the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister speak to how this conflicts with our priority to hire...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of human resources. First question: is there a system in place to connect Student Financial Assistance and human resources in order to help post-secondary students identify viable career placements within the GNWT? Thank you.