Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for the Status of Women.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that the GNWT did engage with stakeholders to gather input for the development of Family Violence Strategic Framework, and this involved reaching out to community partners like the NWT family violence shelters, frontline service providers, and government departments. This work also involved researching and tracking developments in other jurisdictions. In 2023, a What We Heard report called Insights Guiding the Development of a Family Violence Strategic Framework was prepared and available on the GNWT website. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Okay, thanks to the Minister for that. I understand there was a What We Heard report, and then the strategic framework was, in fact, released. But it did say in the framework that the intention was to move from this general framework with some general recommendations to an actual action plan. So when will a new action plan on family violence be released with funding attached, timelines, and milestones? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The gender equity division has begun work on coordinating with other departments through a family violence interdepartmental working group which was reactivated in August of 2025. This interdepartmental working group consists of members from health and social services, justice, Housing NWT, education, culture and employment, and executive and Indigenous affairs through their integrated service delivery agency.
The working group will also be working closely with a family violence coordinator to provide overall direction on the development of a corresponding family violence strategic framework action plan, including indicators which will be reported on annually. The projected completion date for the action plan is June of 2026, and a release of the annual report is the spring of 2027.
The family violence strategy is funded through the national action plan to end gender-based violence, which includes enhanced core funding for NWT families, shelters, and transitional housing projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Status of Women. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that we do now have a date for the action plan to be released.
Overall, I would just like to know what is going to be done differently this time. We've had many working groups and action plans in the past. What will be done differently this time that will lead to transformative change not only in government policy and legislation and the justice system but also leading to wide-spread access to safe homes and transitional housing that would really allow survivors to take their power back? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand as both Minister responsible for the Status of Women, and also Minister responsible for Housing NWT, that the added need for transitional and supportive housing is critical to the healthy growth of families and communities. We cannot continue to work in a silo as departments but need to work together to make better informed decisions. We also need to be responsible as leaders to speak out against family violence and violence in general. We need to raise our children and grandchildren to uphold traditional values and teach them that women and children are sacred. We need to do better both as a government and in communities and with leadership speaking out against family violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Housing NWT.
Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT has announced the pending opening of a transitional housing facility near the Yellowknife Airport. Can the Minister describe how the department has engaged with our homeless population on this solution. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, engaging with our encampment folks over the last couple of years has been important both through EIA's integrated service delivery and with Housing NWT. One thing that we found with Housing NWT is that we worked with encampment folks and people that are camping broadly, meeting with them weekly, having those visits, having those discussions, see how we could work with them, and either talk about discussions in terms of transitional housing, supportive living, but also reintegrating them into the overall housing system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly am pleased to hear that the Minister's staff have been meeting with encampment residents. I would note that the residents themselves felt that the meetings were not as frequent as the Minister has said in her answer. But I am pleased to hear that they've been meeting.
Mr. Speaker, what kind of opportunities are being provided to potential occupants of this facility to have influence over its design, location, and construction? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering the urgent need for transitional housing in Yellowknife, we needed to move quickly and move forward with the design. And in terms of the occupancy, we're working with Yellowknife partnerships committee, the Salvation Army, the YWCA, the Yellowknife Women's Society, the city of Yellowknife, the RCMP, the fire department, along with Housing NWT and EIA, to work in collaboration so this facility will be a proper facility out at the Folk on the Rocks site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, again, I'm pleased to hear that the department is doing a pretty extensive engagement with various NGOs, but I do want to continue to advocate that that engagement also -- and involvement occurs with the population themselves.
Mr. Speaker, I note that the capacity of the facility is planned to accommodate 25 people. Does the Minister have a current estimate for unsheltered residents in our community, and will the 25 spaces be sufficient to meet that need? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, the need for 24 spaces is tied back to the need in 2024 of 30 individuals that would be without shelter and which was further informed by the utilization of the on the land camp which was 20 at its peak. We have been able to add shelter beds during this time to help meet the need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure in regards to my Member's statement.
Communication with the department and the regional department is important to ensure the safety all our users of NWT highways. How often is your office staff in contact with the regional department to look at improvements and/or maintenance reports from the highway inspectors? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is in regular contact with the region, the regional superintendent for road safety. We are constantly in contact with the contractors also to ensure that the proper work is being done on those roads. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Highway inspection is very important, especially within the Beaufort Delta region, from the border right to Tuktoyaktuk. How many highway inspectors are there in the Beaufort Delta? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know that off the top of my head for highway inspections, but I'm quite certain that a lot of the staff that drive on the highway would be reporting any issues or concerns. The goal of the department is to have safe highways in the Northwest Territories that are, you know, safe for NWT residents to use. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Member from Mackenzie Delta. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's a vacancy of a highway inspector in Fort McPherson. Has this position been filled, or is there any interest in this position? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if that position's been filled or not. I know, like any position in the GNWT and in the territories, we are struggling to recruit people. So I'll have to find out for the Member and get back to him on whether that position's been filled or not. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my colleague's comment on economic development, Mr. Speaker, if we want our youth to contribute to the NWT economy, we need SFA to be proactive. With that in mind, can the Minister provide rationale as to why the student financial assistance regulations allow for programs or courses in the access programs at Aurora College to be considered post-secondary level but exclude bridging, preparatory, or transitional courses or programs which in mind serve the same purpose? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging the comments of the Member and let her know that I am looking into kind of where that differentiation is, and how we can be a lot more clear about this for residents.
So, Mr. Speaker, there are some transitional or bridging programs that students can qualify for -- or may qualify for funding for under the SFA program, and that's for ones that earn credit toward a certificate, diploma, degree. And so in that example that the Member gave during their statement, there are paramedic and medical -- or emergency medical training programs that are delivered through designated institutions leading to recognized credentials that are eligible for SFA. And I think that's the really key part, is that it has to be accredited and it has to be eligible for credentialing so that we can ensure that we're investing in programs people can take and take into the workplace. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, how does the department plan to address the systemic barriers that prevent students like the 19-year-old Tlicho citizen from Behchoko accessing financial support for training that directly contribute to fulfilling critical workforce gaps in the territory? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if a person is doing a training program that is less than 12 continuous weeks or is kind of more in tune with workforce development training, there are programs that are available through the labour side through workforce development. And so depending on what the program might be, there is that side of things. And there also is the student financial assistance that's really focused on certificates, diplomas, and the degree funding area. So we do have a whole breadth of programs that students can access. But the really key part about this is we want to ensure that at the end of the day students are ending up with credentials and certifications that they can carry from workplace to workplace to workplace. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. What alternative supports or funding mechanism are currently available or being considered for students pursuing nontraditional or short-duration programs that lead to essential certification in fields like emergency response and health care? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the workforce development programs that I just spoke of that I would be very happy to provide the Member with. We also have upgrading programs directly in our high schools. There's the adult learning basic education that's now been taken online to make sure students in every community have access to it. That's through Aurora College. We also have alternative high schools in the territory where people can do modularized learning. I know the House has heard me speak about Phoenix School before. There's also Sunrise Institution up in the Sahtu. So there's multiple different examples across the territory of alternative learning environments for students. In addition to that, we'll also see some new programs come out of education, culture and employment in response to the closure of the community learning centres by Aurora College, and those are leading directly to the purpose of employment. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I just want to continue my questions with the nominee program for the Minister of ECE.
So legal aid in the NWT does not cover immigration law issues. Other jurisdictions offer these services to residents. Will the Minister commit to investigating this issue with the Minister of Justice and provide information on services that might be developed or, barring that, supports and pathways for newcomers who need them? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can definitely work with ECE officials in order to explore this further. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Banner day.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT lacks robust newcomer supports. Without appropriate services, newcomers are deterred from choosing to remain in the NWT. Providing those services is top of mind for organizations like CDETNO, FFT, and the Literacy Council. I know the Minister knows this, and she speaks with them. Can she confirm as to whether in her conversations with these support organizations, who have flagged key services for newcomers that lack adequate funding, whether these services will be addressed by her department or federal funding partners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So settlement services in the Northwest Territories are funded by the federal government. This was a key topic of conversation at our meeting in Toronto, and I will continue to pursue increases in settlement services for the territory. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure more information will come out in due course. But just to confirm, the Minister said the allocation has been restored to 300. Does that mean that 103 spaces will be open for this remaining calendar year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The quick answer is yes. And the added information to that is that we have until the end of the year to use those spaces, and so this is something that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is going to have to work on in very short order.
I'd also just like to reflect on the work that staff have done in order to support this program for the year. They've been working, you know, on their heels all year and being very responsive and as responsive as possible with the amount of requests that have come in. So I just want to thank them for their incredible work on this. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the requests to correct the decline in mining is financial incentives that will help support the industry, lower costs with very high cost jurisdictions. We hear that all the time. So can the Minister inform us of the mineral incentive program, how -- what its uptake was or is currently and what the economic benefits have been to our communities as a result. Thank you.
