Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2016 actor Denzel Washington was asked why playwright August Wilson insisted that only a Black filmmaker should direct the screen adaptation of his Tony Award-winning play Fences. Denzel answered, It's not color, it's culture. Steven Spielberg did Schindler's List. Martin Scorsese did Goodfellas, right? Steven Spielberg directed Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese probably could have done a good job with Schindler's List. But there are cultural differences.
He continued, I know, you know, we all know what it is when a hot comb hits your head on a Sunday morning, what it smells like. That's a cultural difference, not just color difference.
Who tells a story and where they tell it, matters. Here in the Northwest Territories, we have storytellers and filmmakers who understand this place in a only a way Northerners can: Its beauty, its humour, its everyday truths. They understand the sound of a frozen lake, the feel of a kokum's hand, the smell of a freshly smoked hide. They know the excitement of Hay River's Polar Pond Hockey, the bonds built over picking aqpiks in the tundra, and the realities of life in remote northern communities. As Northerners tell stories, whether passed down by ancestors or unfolding today, they are blending tradition, creativity, and new technologies to bring them to the screen.
In the budget address, the Minister of Finance said, For too long, the North has been a fairytale for Canadian identity about snow and cold, dogsleds and aurora. Fairytales are not real. But Mr. Speaker, fairytales and folklore make great movies, especially here in the Northwest Territories.
The finance Minster also said, The true story of the North lies with its people. And this is true and these stories, our stories, need to be told.
Today, I want to talk about the people who are ensuring that northern stories not only endure but reach further than ever before.
It is an industry that is coming into its own as an economic force: Breaking down stereotypes, telling real northern stories to the world, and growing through collaborations and mentorships between Northerners and southerners.
Mr. Speaker, across the Northwest Territories, filmmakers and production organizations are building a more established and confident film sector. Their efforts are strengthening local capacity, opening doors for northern talent, and supporting good jobs in communities. At the same time, their work is showcasing the people and places of the Northwest Territories to wider audiences.
The Northwest Territories Film Commission supports projects from development to delivery and promotes the NWT as a filming destination. Their programs are working. Every dollar of support given to this program adds $8.90 to the NWT's film and media sector. Since the rebate program's launch, it has supported over 20 projects, filmed in communities across the territory. We have seen a change in the type of productions, indicating growth in the industry.
Most of the activity was once generated by documentary and reality-style series, but we are now seeing feature length films like Red Snow and Elijah and the Rock Creature, and scripted television series like Alaska Daily and Arctic Air. Recent filming in the territory includes high-profile projects, which remain confidential, but signal strong confidence in the NWT as a place to produce high-quality screen content.
In the past, we have seen shows like North of North become wildly successful. While filmed in Nunavut, this production is an indicator of the significant appetite for northern stories and the ample space for the Northwest Territories to meet that interest.
Mr. Speaker, there is no shortage of talent in the Northwest Territories. Our writers, directors, producers, performers, and technicians continue to demonstrate exceptional creativity and professionalism. They strengthen the territory's reputation as a place where compelling stories are told authentically and with care.
This flourishing in film has been powered by local producers and organizations like Dead North, the NWT Professional Media Association, and Western Arctic Moving Pictures. In fact, a few big milestones lie ahead for the industry this year. In 2026, Western Arctic Moving Pictures will mark its 25th anniversary, and the Yellowknife International Film Festival will celebrate 20 years of supporting filmmakers, audiences, and screen culture in the North.
The film and media sector is a growing economic driver with real value to the territory, with knock-on benefits to other sectors like tourism. Data shows that people have travelled to the NWT inspired by something they watched, like Ice Road Truckers, Arctic Air, and Alone. The industry also creates new opportunities in smaller communities by hiring locals, like the Alone franchise did in two different seasons, to fill positions as guides, knowledge-holders and wildlife monitors.
Our landscape, our stories, and our people have the ability to tell the rest of the world who we are, showcasing that while there is ample magic here, the finance Minister was right in the budget address: We are not a fairytale. We are real people with the creativity, humour, and sheer will to tell the tales of the North in a way that draws attention, attraction, and investment from across Canada and around the world. I am confident that the future of filmmaking in the Northwest Territories is ripe with possibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, nurse-to-patient ratios measure the average number of patients assigned to each nurse in our hospitals. When those ratios become too high, workloads become less manageable, compromising the quality of care and even threatening patient safety. High nurse-to-patient ratios not only compromise care, they also take a serious toll on our nurses, creating a cycle that worsens staffing shortages as burnout drives them away. Overwhelmed nurses must decide what patients receive timely care, leading to chronic stress, exhaustion, and a feeling that they cannot provide the quality of care they passionately want to deliver. Excessive overtime only accelerates this burnout, forcing nurses to work longer and take less time to care for themselves.
Research shows that whenever nurse-to-patient ratios are high, they identify understaffing as the reason they consider leaving their jobs. Many transfer to less demanding settings, while other nurses leave the profession altogether. Recruitment also suffers as new nurses are far more likely to leave frontline practice within their first one to two years.
Here in the NWT, recruitment and retention are the Minister's top priorities, yet our vacancy rate stubbornly remains among one of the highest in the country. The facts are clear why. This government's half-measures aren't breaking this cycle of burnout. The Minister often points to staffing problems across Canada as if they are beyond our control, but it's time to look to the solutions provinces are already implementing. Emerging evidence shows that mandating minimum nurse-to-patient ratios strengthens staffing, increases recruitment, and improves quality of care.
British Columbia is leading the way. In 2023, their government signed a memorandum of understanding with the BC nurses bargaining association to implement minimum ratios, and evidence shows that hospitals with improved staffing are already seeing real benefits. Now that we have a proven solution to turn to, it is time for this Government to spare no effort, mandate reasonable nurse-to-patient ratios, support our nurses, and empower them to deliver the standard of care that Northerners deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about the impacts on the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells.
Mr. Speaker, Norman Wells and the Sahtu region face two converging crises threatening our families and children. Imperial Oil's closure, being one, has already forced 11 students across five families planning to leave Norman Wells, with eight more potentially affected. That's nearly 20 percent of our student enrolment population, children uprooted from their schools, parents forced to choose between community and economic security. Simultaneously, the federal government cuts the Jordan's Principle funding or stripped away critical supports.
Mr. Speaker, for years, this funding provided specialized educational assistance, supports to occupational therapists, and health supports that showed us what's possible when schools are properly resourced.
Mr. Speaker, now it is being stripped away. Hundreds of student support assistants are being lost across Northwest Territories. In the Sahtu, students are losing specialized equipment, health services, and therapy. Without specialized staff, all students suffer and, critically, we lose the ability to ensure safety, education of our staff and students.
Mr. Speaker, these positions provided meaningful employment to northern residents, many Indigenous. That employment is disappearing precisely when Imperial Oil closure eliminates other jobs. We cannot stand by while the gap between Indigenous students in the North and their southern counterparts widens. We cannot accept our children losing education security. The Sahtu is resilient, Mr. Speaker, but resilience requires support, partnerships, and action planning.
Mr. Speaker, our children and families deserve better, and I encourage this government to act with urgency on this crisis demands. Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the Minister of ECE. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Association of Communities are holding their 60th annual AGM here in Yellowknife this week. I attended the event last evening, caught up with some old colleagues, and had an opportunity to again touch base on some of the issues that the communities are facing.
Mr. Speaker, I spent 11 years in municipal politics, so I know the great work that this organization does on behalf of their communities and all our communities across the Northwest Territories. I know they've got, Mr. Speaker, meetings scheduled with Cabinet this weekend as well so I'd like to wish them all the success. If you have an opportunity to drop by -- they're at the Chateau Nova over the weekend -- and say hi to some our community leaders, mayors, councillors. I certainly encourage you to do that. And, again, wish them all the success. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from the Dehcho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Despite the well-established connection between oral health and overall well-being, far too many Northerners continue to face significant barriers when trying to access even the most basic dental care. Mr. Speaker, this lack of access does not only impact residents; it also carries a substantial financial burden for the government. When dental services are not available in communities, preventable oral health issues escalate to emergencies requiring medical travel, an expense that continues to grow year after year.
Oral health is not a luxury. It is a core component of general health, affecting nutrition, speech, confidence, mental health, and the management of chronic disease. Untreated dental problems often lead to infections, pain, difficulty eating, and serious medical complications. These cases too often result in emergency room visits or specialist referrals that require costly travel arrangements, accommodations, escorts, and sometimes repeated follow-up appointments.
The result is avoidable strain on both residents and the government's already overextended medical travel budgets, yet many residents in small remote communities wait months, sometimes years, for a visiting dental provider, if one arrives at all. Others must leave their communities at significant personal and financial costs. These gaps in coverage create inequities that Northerners should not be expected to accept.
Mr. Speaker, we must do better; invest in reliable, community-based dental services. It is not only the right thing to do for residents; it is also fiscally responsible. Strengthening dental services contracts improve recruitment, retention, and collaboration with Indigenous governments on local preventative programs. We will reduce medical travel costs and promote healthier communities. Oral health must be treated as a priority, not as an afterthought. This government must take meaningful action to ensure every community has dependable access to dental care. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of health.
Thank you, Member from the Dehcho. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this Freaky Friday, I would like to build on our ITI Minister's statement earlier and highlight yet another of Yellowknife's burgeoning new arts festivals.
On February 16th, the Still Dead Film Festival rose like a zombie from the grave of the infamous past film festival Dead North and brought indie horror film back to life in Yellowknife. 350 excited filmgoers dragged, stumbled, and crawled their way into the sold-out Capitol Theatre to enjoy an evening of laughs and screams with the creativity and talent of Yellowknife's amateur filmmaker scene on display. I was lucky enough to get tickets, along with my colleague from Great Slave, and I really enjoyed the films.
In what is becoming a running trend for these local festival statements, again, I really enjoyed Johnny Vu's entry which disturbingly parodied the perils of trusting ChatGPT for life advice. Along with his co-creator Elliot Pope, they deservedly nabbed the audience choice award. Best film went to Heart Above All by Chris Aitken and Emmanuel Ramos. Best sound to Paired by Jocelyn Shepel, best acting to Paul McKee, best effects to Monsters by Tanya Krueger and Carson Asmundson. And a big shout out goes to Kai Walden who won the best emerging filmmaker award. Congratulations to all film members, filmmakers, crews, and actors on a job well done.
Mr. Speaker, festivals like this are so good for our community. They bring people together and give them a creative outlet when they might otherwise be shut in from the cold and isolated from connection. As one filmmaker I spoke to said to me, making that movie got me through the winter. It also highlights how important movies and gathering as a community at our beloved theatre are to Yellowknife. I have to mention the Capitol Theatre's contribution to making this festival happen and the great support manager Chris Wood has always shown to our local film scene.
I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the brain trust behind bringing this mainstay of Yellowknife's film scene back to life, led by none other than former Yellowknife North MLA Rylund Johnson and his fellow organizers Heather Heinrichs, Qillulaaq Arngna'naaq, and Keelen Simpson. Thank you to them, the filmmakers and everyone involved in our incredible growing northern film scene. You are contributing so much to our community.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Member from Yellowknife North.
Mr. Speaker, how many of us stopped playing sports when we were kids because we weren't good enough to make a team or because we kept getting benched in favour of the better players on the team? How many of us didn't try a sport at all because we thought well, I am not the athletic type, I'd never be able to compete with the athletic kids? Or how many of us were on a competitive team but there were so many practices and games, it was so intense, there was so much pressure, it took over our lives and then we quit because it just wasn't fun anymore?
Sports are supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be a game, play. As we get older, hardly any of us become professional athletes. We tell ourselves we should stay active but realistically, none of us are going to make time for sport in our busy adult lives unless it's fun. And yet for some reason, so much of our system of organized sport revolves around the idea it has to be competitive, that we need to focus resources on the most skilled players and weed out the rest. The idea that the drive to win is the thing that's going to motivate us the most, even from a young age, to try and push to be our best selves, that if we're out there giving everyone participation medals and no first place trophies that we will never develop excellence.
Well, we can look to the country that won the most medals in the recent Olympic Games, Norway, a country of only 5.6 million people, tiny even compared to Canada and yet they have the best winter athletes in the world. Yet, they do not have any system of competitive sports for youth under the age of 12.
Their national youth sports strategy is called Joy of Sport for All. It's about ensuring there's a place for every child in every sport and encouraging everyone in the family to play sports together. Of course, there's also an emphasis on building competence in sports. It's more fun when you can feel confident in your skills. I think Norway's model is a good reminder that we can afford to shift resources towards more emphasis on inclusion in youth sports. We need to recruit more coaches who may not be or have ever been the elite athletes themselves, but they're able to create joyful spaces for kids to play and grow and build physical and mental resiliency. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from the Yellowknife North. Members' Statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the beginning of our term, this Assembly has identified addressing the effects of trauma as a key priority. The commitment recognizes what many of our residents already know, that individuals collective and intergenerational trauma lies behind many of our health and social challenges facing our small communities. To this end, the Government of the Northwest Territories has provided community-based programs, smaller healing initiatives across the territory, and this funding makes a big difference to my communities. But at the same time, a serious gap remains in our continuum of our care. The Northwest Territories has no dedicated territorial-wide trauma treatment centre. Now Indigenous-led efforts are stepping up to fill that gap.
Over years, I have learned about the work of the Endacho Healing Society which has been steadily advancing the establishment of a northern Indigenous-led trauma healing lodge. Unlike community-specific projects, their initiative can serve residents from across the Northwest Territories and generations. It is a lot of work that they have taken on, years of planning, feasibility work, and partnership building to integrate a culturally grounded approach with clinical support in a setting close to home.
As always, I remind my colleagues, health is a treaty right. Honouring that right means confronting the intergenerational trauma of colonialism that underlies violence, addictions, and upper representation in the justice system. Strengthening our trauma healing capacity through Indigenous-led initiatives is how we can truly uphold these rights and implement UNDRIP into the delivery of these critical health services.
A territorial-wide healing lodge represents the first major step towards long-term, systematic investment in Indigenous healing. Healing is health, and health is the foundation of community, safety, and well-being. There is still time in our term for this government to act decisively on our priority of adjusting trauma. We know that works, we know where capacity must be built, and we know where resources are needed. It is time to build a territorial-wide Indigenous-led trauma tragedy that honours treaty rights, strengthens communities, and ensures healing is finally accessible to all. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the health Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk today about something truly sparkling. And no, it won't be about the northern lights although they are pretty spectacular. Today I want to talk about healthy smiles and the amazing folks that make that happen.
There was a time when dental therapists were common which, you know, I hope to see again one day. Imagine this: We all know this story. You're down south, and even that could mean Yellowknife, that could mean somewhere else. You have a toothache, and you need to call a dentist. Boom, you get it done. Mr. Speaker, but that sometimes isn't as easy as you think. It's kind of like finding a polar bear who can do the dance of a ballet. Rare, serious, interesting, but difficult to find. But guess what? Northerners are known for standing up to challenges. They don't back down. We're known as tough. Mr. Speaker, that's why, in the old days, the northern dental therapist program was so successful. We need to bring them back.
Mr. Speaker, dental therapists, in their own way, were kind of like the James Bond of the NWT dental world. They were cool under pressure. They saved people day to day. Their dental tools were kind of even like their special gadgets. They were, at a time, fearless in the community, helping people far and wide. Mr. Speaker, they were giving kids check-ups, and hopefully they were not involving too much wiggling, teaching us about how to outsmart those sugar bugs. Mr. Speaker, they were patching up the chops and giving people good smiles, and they were doing it with great enthusiasm. Because without them, many of us may be eating lukewarm bannock and sipping tea in prayers.
Mr. Speaker, what's at this point is smiles are important. They can be bright like the aurora. They give people their own individual power. But the time has gone by long enough, we need to bring the dental therapists back.
Mr. Speaker, their honesty was truly appreciated. They were heroic in their efforts. They didn't do everything in the dental system, Mr. Speaker, but they did confront the challenges before them. Every moment we postpone in bringing back this program, we put people at risk. I don't want to see us putting our good old kiddos through a risk. I want them to be living a happy, cavity child-free experience, Mr. Speaker. I want our elders to feel more confident when they tell their stories of wisdom and the occasional fishing story that I am not so sure is truly accurate. But the truth be told is we have a vision, we can tackle this problem, we can get behind this. Let's make our communities stronger. And stronger communities are happier, Mr. Speaker, with a smile. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in communities across the Northwest Territories, the conversations have shifted. Instead of talking about the next shift or the next rotation, families are talking about layoffs, closures, and what comes after the mines.
Mr. Speaker, for many families, this is not just about economics; it is about the loss of stability, of long-term plans, and the trauma of watching that unravel almost overnight. Mr. Speaker, for many Indigenous communities, the mines brought opportunities, but they also came with enormous sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, pristine lands were altered and will never fully return to what they once were, even with reclamations. Despite these impacts, Mr. Speaker, the mines provided stable employment, good wages, and the ability to build a good life for employees and their families. Mr. Speaker, it has also allowed many to remain in their home communities, connected to their culture and heritage, in places where the cost of living is high and steady income is essential.
There were also personal sacrifice made, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, rotational work meant extended periods away from family and missing many milestones and important moments that could not be recovered. Employees and their families accepted that reality because each rotation brought the security of a steady paycheque.
Mr. Speaker, today that security is slipping away. Families who sacrificed so much are left wondering whether they will be able to stay afloat or will have to rely on social assistance. Mr. Speaker, this is a grief. It is a loss of identity, loss of purpose, and loss of the security that people have relied on for years. Families who gave so much in good faith deserve more than uncertainty. Mr. Speaker, they deserve a government that stands with them, supports them, and protects them as they face this loss. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of ITI. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had a thought on this bright and cold morning as I walked into the Assembly this morning, and I know that when we get overwhelmed in this House we often go for a walk to get some fresh air and reinvigorate our spirits. In wintertime in Germany, residents throw open the windows to clear out the stale air, and I hope that I can do a little bit of that today. Poetry does this for the soul. So today I wish to share a poem by Mary Oliver with the House.
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements.
Colleagues, I would like to share with you some very exciting news about housing in the community of Nahanni Butte.
The Nahanni Butte Dene band merits profound recognition for delivering 17 new housing units from 2023 to 2025, directly uplifting 17 families in this isolated northern community. This year marks further progress:
One new transitional/short-term accommodation unit;
Three additional rooms expanding the general store's capacity in 2024; and,
A completed staff housing project.
Over four years, the band addressed minor and major repairs across 14 existing homes, with ambitious renovation plans extending beyond 2030.
These milestones gleam against Nahanni Butte's formidable challenges: No all-season road access and three months of annual isolation demands ingenuity at every turn.
Band staff demonstrated unrelenting commitment, partnering creatively to truck materials, coordinate fly-in crews, and navigate winter delays. Their solutions transformed housing to the number 1 priority identified in the 2021 community needs and demands study from aspiration to achievement.
As the keys transfer to shortlisted applicants today, the community extends heartfelt gratitude to vital supporters:
Housing NWT for core funding;.
Federal partners CIRNAC, CMHC, HICC, CanNor, and NICHI for bridging gaps; and,
Northern Industrial Construction for their expert execution.
This coalition proves remote communities thrive through unified effort. Colleagues, stable homes restore dignity, anchor families, and foster self-determination. Nahanni Butte's success counters overcrowding, health risks, and youth exodus that plague small communities. Each unit signals hope, enabling elders to age in place and children to thrive locally.
I have had the opportunity to visit these homes and speak with the tenants and leadership. They are very happy and proud of the new units and the band's commitment to its membership. I hope you will join with me to celebrate this model of Indigenous leadership and partnership. I continue to urge sustained investment to match their vision through 2030 and beyond. Nahanni Butte Dene band, your perseverance inspires every Northerner facing isolation. Thank you for showing us what's possible.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize some Yellowknife firefighters who have joined us today, Christian Bittrell, Adam Katcher -- I am going to struggle with this one -- Justin Zawirucha and McKinley Moore. Thank you very much for being here today. Thank you.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize some pages that we've had here from Hay River for the week. Natalie Boucher from Hay River North, as well as Kennedy Bolt and Malikai Beaulieu from Hay River South. We're always happy to have the youth in the chamber, and I hope they learned something. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Hay River North. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery. Member from Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would also like to welcome members of the International Association of Firefighters Union and the Yellowknife firefighters into the chambers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your chambers. We thank you very much for allowing us 19 people to represent the Northwest Territories, even if it is only for a short-term of four years. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to see people in the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement today, I talked about the dental therapist program. It was an enjoyed program in the Northwest Territories. It even had schooling and training in Fort Smith, then it went to Saskatoon, and then it went the way of the dodo bird. They're trying to revive it and hence that's the theme of my Member's statement today, which is trying to be very friendly and remind people how important and critical it was to service this.
So my question for the Minister of Health and Social Services is what is she doing to help bring back this program to life so we can have dental therapists in our communities where we need them most. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, right now I believe the only place in Canada, since 2011, is in Saskatchewan. They have just revitalized a bachelor of dental therapy and began intake in 2023. What happened over the history of this was that the federal government quit funding it, and we in the Northwest Territories were a satellite to the program that was federally funded. And, yes, it was an amazing program and we had many graduates into our communities. I believe we still have a couple that are within the system. And the Minister of ECE and I have had these conversations and also have had a conversation with the president; however, I will continue to follow up with the Minister on that conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister provide me, and certainly this House, some information with respect to what infrastructure the department of health is going to be moving forward on this in partnership with the current dentist organizations here in the Northwest Territories? In other words, they can't do it all. Can we build some type of partnership and infrastructure to meet the needs of Northerners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
