Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I don't have that level of detail from the diamond mines. But this would be everything, for example, from a one-person business operation to something as big as Tlicho Investment Corporation and beyond, who has hundreds of employees. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Monfwi.
What I meant to say here is that from 2024 to date, I would like to get that information but, you know, if you can provide us with that information, that would be good so that we can share with our members.
Yeah, I know increased NWT Indigenous and NWT resident employment at the natural resource sector, is that only related to the diamond mine at this time, or is there any other exploration? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is other exploration happening in the territory. There's other drill projects happening in the territory, other advanced projects happening in the NWT as well, but the only mines who report to us for these types of statistics at this point, because they have their IBAs, are the diamond mines.
And as far as the Member's first question, in regards to providing information on procurement, I'd be happy to provide the Member with the information that we do receive from the diamond mines and definitely happy to share that. Thank you.
Okay. I will go back to the Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. I think we're out of time. But, yes, that's it for now.
Okay, thank you. Next on my list I got is the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I want to ask some business planning questions that aren't 100 percent clear exactly where they land in the budget. So the first one I wanted to ask -- or first series, I guess -- are just the risks and mitigations activities page.
Over the last two business planning cycles, ITI has noted that no changes were required to its risk profile or mitigations. Maybe I am misunderstanding what that page is for. But does ITI have internal triggers or external indicators that they use to decide when a risk or mitigation must be updated? Are those triggers documented and time bound? It just seems -- yeah, I will just leave that as my first question.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for this one here, I would like to be able to pass to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the deputy minister.
Yes, so the risk matrix for ITI is all very low -- low risk. You know, there's pieces in there, for example royalties, which we know were very low but we can't really mitigate that. Another risk area would be what we've already been addressing with parks and evacuations. And so, yes, this is just done through regular business and we haven't had to make any changes, but we do keep an eye on the risk matrix on an annual basis. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay. I mean, I guess this is where we get into the difficult area of, you know, is ITI the department that's responsible for the economy or not. I recognize that we want to have a cross-departmental, government-wide approach to these economic risks that we're facing but, I mean, it's just strange to me that, like, ITI -- I mean, I will just get right to the nose of it. I mean, what evidence did ITI review in 2024-2026 to conclude that existing risk and mitigations remain fit for service -- fit for purpose, sorry, despite significant shifts in the NWT economy and operating context, for example the shifts that we've been seeing in the diamond industry, which forms the backbone of our economy. That seems to me like a massive economic risk. So that's not considered a risk that we would need to mitigate with our department that is responsible for economic development and diversification? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I would say that's not a new risk for the NWT at all. It's definitely a risk that this government and this territory has been addressing since -- you can go back and find documents from 2003 that say, hey, our entire GDP is now coming from pretty much diamond mines, and we need to plan for the next piece so we don't end up in a constant boom and bust cycle, which is what we went from gold. We had a massive bust, and then we went to diamonds, and we have still not diversified our GDP. So this is absolutely a risk that continues within the Northwest Territories, but our controls do lie within how we ensure that we are supporting industry, supporting diversification of our GDP, how we, you know, are doing things like reviewing our royalties, how we collect royalties, how we are reviewing our Mineral Resources Act. And so that is all information that is captured within the business plan already.
And to the Member's question about, you know, is ITI responsible for economy, I would say that this Cabinet has invested a tremendous amount in our economy but that our investments have found their way into places like health care investment and housing investment. And I know the Member and I have had conversations to quite a large extent about how we capture that as a government, and that is something that I'd still like to pursue because saying that, you know, our economy is isolated to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is absolutely not true, nor should it be, and making sure that we have a diversified GDP means that we have to look at this from an all-of-NWT perspective and therefore an all-of-government perspective. Thank you.
I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. I think, yeah, I mean, if I could communicate back what I am feeling when I review our business plan and particularly ITI's consideration of risk, I mean, I think that risks to the NWT economy have increased significantly in the past few years, or at least become more acute, and some significant changes occurred that were unexpected. I agree with the Minister's point that, you know, we knew that the diamond mine closures were coming. I've made lots of statements about that, and I think lots of Members have noted it. However, there have been some changes to diamond markets over the past few years that have significantly accelerated the problem. And so I think when I look to risk mitigation, particularly with the Department of ITI, I think that that acceleration is something that should be acknowledged, and I think people in the NWT would take probably a fair bit of comfort knowing that the government is pulling out all the stops, is recognizing the increased risk that changes in the diamond market have created for our economy and are looking to this department, and the GNWT as a whole, to respond to those risks and challenges.
So it's just a piece of feedback in terms of seeing that in the business plan, and that piece missing there feels to me like an oversight. I know that the -- I mean, I do want to pause here and just note that the general public probably doesn't read the business plans generally. I certainly didn't when I was a member of the public. But I want to be clear that what goes into the business plans and what comes out of the business plans does matter to the public. And so, yeah, I guess I am just making a point here, but I am curious to hear the Minister's feedback on that. Thanks.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I definitely appreciate the Member's point. All that to say that while that page specifically has not been used to capture the extent of risks as far as economy is concerned, I am happy to take away the Member's feedback and to kind of have a conversation around the department about -- or sorry, have a conversation with the department around how we're interpreting what needs to land on that page. So I can definitely take that away and revisit as well kind of how other departments are using it to make sure that there is alignment between each of them and bring that back. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And just to kind of close out my comments on the risk that don't relate to economic development and diversification, which I will ask in a later page, I would just note that I think taking a risk-based approach to our economic planning and response may be a change that we could look into. I think, you know, as risk increases or as the greatest risk that we're facing, I just think it would be helpful to look at it in that sense and think about mitigations that we could be putting in place and think about changes that could be -- because it's very easy to get locked into, we've got these programs, these are what we're delivering, yeah, the economy is facing some major challenges, but we're working our way at it. I think it's helpful to revisit things that we're doing, to consider whether we're doing enough or whether we're doing the right things, and so thinking of it in the sense of risk mitigation may be helpful. Just putting a plug in for that.
The next one I wanted to get to in this section just -- because it's not very clear to me in the department summaries where this actually lands, is the work that's being done to grow and enhance the northern workforce, the various skill development and employment transition efforts that are going on. Maybe the Minister, first could, just clarify where that takes place because it's not clear that it's in ECDEV and diversification or where it lands. Thanks.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it is because a lot of that work happens over in ECE. So same Minister, different hat. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I only ask because there's a number of targets in the business plan -- under ITI's business plan that I wanted to ask about. So maybe I will just start asking, and maybe this is the right section.
So I noticed that a number of the measures and targets that we have are related to northern employment, percentage of northern employment. I will just pick one project. The Giant project is below the target that the department has set. I am just wondering what is being done, generally, to increase northern employment percentages in the existing projects that we have like Giant considering the significant workforce changes that may be coming with the result of early diamond mine closures. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And, Mr. Chair, very happy to chat about these type of metrics which definitely expand over both departments.
So within the Giant Mine remediation project, I want to first acknowledge what the Member is talking about here which is that the employment numbers are lower than expected but the procurement numbers are looking good. So what we are seeing is that a lot of our northern employers are having to source additional staff and additional resources from outside of the NWT. This is something that I've had the opportunity to have conversations with different employers from Giant Mine about, and one of the things they have assured me is that last year's numbers will look better than the previous years, and those just still need to be reported on. Many of those employers have, they themselves, taken on different on-the-job training programs and have also made sure that they're essentially working hard to get those numbers up.
One of the things that is going to, good or bad, work in a little bit of our favour is being able to repurpose some of the staffing from the diamond mines. But one of the things that really does impact this is a lot of the work that happens out at Giant Mine is seasonal, and seasonal is very hard for people to make do with in the North and so it means that it either doesn't work for everybody, because they've got full-time employment, or you're having to kind of stack different jobs and positions. And so one of the things there is how can we support employers to bring together some of those different opportunities and knowing what those opportunities are. So, for example, within there, making sure that we are, again, working with different proponents of different projects that are happening in the territory, making sure that they are connected in with different companies that are doing some of this work, but then also making sure that we are working, for example, with the federal government that is doing some of this procurement and explaining to them that northern businesses need longer lead time to make sure that they are ready and that they are properly resourced in order to take on some of these opportunities. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Next on my list I got is the Member from Great Slave.
No, Mr. Chair, I don't have anything further at this moment.
Thank you. Is there any questions from Members? I will go back to the Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will try to be brief. I just want to kind of finish up the conversation that I was having with the Minister here. And can the Minister just -- considering that the growing and enhancing the northern workforce by investing in skill development, that there's a number of pages in the business plan -- in ITI's business plan that speak to this, recognizing that skill development and workforce tends to be an ECE thing.
Can the Minister just help us better understand what the Department of ITI is responsible for regarding all these metrics and measures that they have in the business plan related to workforce growth and transition? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister..
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, certainly workforce development and training doesn't happen in a vacuum and a lot of the training opportunities that we see in the Northwest Territories really do rely on partnerships with industry in order to do them. We're seeing a lot of, you know, need for trades. That requires a partnership with an employer. We're seeing a lot of need for on-the-job opportunities where people can still put food on the table, make a living, not have to leave an employer they may have been with for a long period of time and still be able to fill a new role and evolve with their business. And this is incredibly relevant when we're talking about evolutions of businesses that have traditionally served diamond mines.
We work quite closely with education, culture and employment, with health and social services, and with industry as well. And a lot of what we're seeing for asks, especially in regional centres, is for mentorships and for relationships with somebody who has established and kind of gone through the hours and the labour of love to figure out what works and what doesn't work for them or what works in a region, and being able to pair up with somebody who wants to start afresh. So there's definitely a synergy there between departments but ITI definitely has to be at the table given the relationship with the workforce and also making sure that ITI and ECE and Prosper NWT are working together to also understand what industry is saying they need. So it's important that that training also doesn't happen in a vacuum.
And through yourself, Mr. Chair, I'd like to see if the deputy minister has anything that she would like to add.
Thank you. I will go to the deputy minister.
So I think -- thank you, Mr. Chair -- where ITI plays a role is really specifically targeted in the diversified sectors, so our tourism mentorship program. SEED is available for any businesses or residents to come -- or sorry, businesses to come and access funding that they can use for whatever mentorship programs that they think would best suit their business. Also in our northern food program. So we try and ensure that those mentorship programs are well known. And introducing youth to programs as well, such as in tourism week or agriculture week. We also have the arts to market program where artists get to go and learn the business of doing arts by being mentored through a process to become self-sufficient. So those are direct programs that ITI administers, and I can say that a lot of the numbers on those are making good progress. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. And the Minister in response on Giant, you know, I don't want to just focus on that project but, I mean, it's a project that is going to be ongoing for a while. There's also talk of airport development and military investment. What I am wondering is what is the department actually doing to ensure -- to address the issues with these new kinds of development that are going to be -- that are where our employment numbers aren't being met and yet we have the risk that we're facing of losing employment through the diamond mines, what is the department doing to try and mitigate that risk and work with projects like Giant, work with DND, whoever is building projects in the NWT, to try and structure the contracts in ways, structure the work in ways that respond to people's needs for employment so that we are not as reliant on southern employment to get these projects done? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we all have things that keep us up at night, and this is one of mine.
Mr. Chair, we are at an exciting crossroads as far as the Northwest Territories is concerned. We are definitely at a -- as the Member reflected on earlier, a different -- seeing diamond mines close at a different pace than what we had anticipated. We are also acknowledging that we need to maintain that workforce of northern workers in order to be able to capture the opportunity that we see coming toward us. And so that is making sure that people have employment to go straight into so that we don't lose anybody but also at the same time making sure that we are doing the training and workforce development that we need at the same time.
To the Member's question of what am I doing, I am constantly talking to industry about what their needs are and constantly -- because part of this is not just, you know, the DND opportunities the Member is talking about or the infrastructure development, but there's also still major advancements in critical mineral mines that are happening in this territory, and we still want to see the fruition of those opportunities come to the North and come to Northerners and so still working hard alongside those proponents. And so I am constantly asking them for their workforce development plans and timelines because I want to be able to provide that to regional high schools, career education advisors, and to the career development officers and the business development officers that are in those regions so that they can speak to people very specifically about what opportunities are coming and when. So if we know, for example, that we're going to need five electricians, who wants to be an electrician? If we know, for example, that we need environmental technicians, who wants to do these roles? Because when I talk to kids these days, they want to have meaningful employment but might not necessarily know exactly what they want to do. They might know they want to be involved in an arts. They might know they want to run their own business. They might know they want to work at the mines. But they want to know what those opportunities look like, and this is how we tell them that.
The other side of this, Mr. Chair, is having conversations with the federal government around the procurement needs of this territory.
So the federal government put out a web page advising people to kind of get their criminal record checks done or their security clearances done in anticipation for some of this work. And just an example of that, of something that I've communicated to some of our federal partners, is that we need to ensure that all Northerners have space for employment in these opportunities. Some Northerners are ready and some Northerners are, you know, ready but need training opportunities that are very specific to certain roles. And some Northerners have training, but might also be carrying with them, you know, a minor infraction from 30 years ago that landed them a criminal record and that might mean that, for example, they won't get a security clearance to clear brush on a site that is being prepared for a DND project. And we need to make sure that there are tiered levels of security that make these projects accessible to all Northerners because we want to make sure that from one NWT border to the other that if somebody wants access to an opportunity, we're working together to create it for them. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No. The Minister shared a lot of information there. I think the -- I think I guess if I could just get some comments in on this, what I would say is that I recognize that the problems we're trying to solve here are complex, and it's not easy to just answer on the fly and on the floor, and I don't expect necessarily answers on the fly and on the floor to these kinds of questions. But my point is that I want the department -- because I can't see where else this could land. It could be ECE. It could be ITI. But we need to be thinking about how to deal with this workforce transition that I think is about to hit us like a wave, and I want to be really clear about that on the floor and be eyes wide open about it. I keep using that phrase, but it was a good one. And I can't think about who would be the coordinating force here if not the GNWT. No single employer is going to step up and be able to do this. So I think we need to be thinking it through. I support the department in resourcing and making changes as needed to do it. But I think we've got to come up with solid plans and changes to how we're doing things to improve these employment numbers considering what we're facing. Leave my comments at that, Mr. Chair.
Okay, I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, just to reassure the Member and all Members in this House that we have not stopped talking about this at all over at the Cabinet table and with departments. We are very much having the same conversations and working through the same motions that the Member speaks of and that it is not just ITI; it is absolutely every single department. If you are all of a sudden having to stand up significant projects in this territory, that has an impact on housing. It has an impact on health care. It has an impact on our roads to be able to bring material up to the territory. And so this is certainly an all-of-government approach and is not something ITI is doing on their own but ITI certainly has a significant role to play, as does ECE. Thank you.
Thank you. I am going to go to the Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The last topic I just wanted to address, in the business plan on page 21, it identifies work specifically around the Mackenzie Valley operational dialogue. And I know that a lot of people have put a lot of work into this, stakeholders from lots of different organizations, different levels of government, industry, and I think there's also been a lot of disappointment as to the concrete or tangible outcomes or results that have come out of all these meetings and all this effort, and it's not really clear from the business plan either what concrete has come out of it. You know, we're measuring number of meetings or number of initiatives, but what does that mean at the end of the day to people what improvements are being made, because we've heard over and over again that people feel that the regulatory processes could be made more efficient, that could make more sense, it could, you know, be made more effective. And so a lot of resources and people's time and energy has been put into, you know, this dialogue and it's really unclear after a number of years what's come out of it.
So can the Minister explain what tangible results this dialogue has produced to date in a way that would sort of make sense or make a difference to people on the ground, whether you're sort of working in the industry or, yeah, involved in the regulatory processes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So some examples of some tangible results have been things like the regulatory streamlining partnership between the feds and the GNWT that's currently underway, the exploration data bundle that we just released at Roundup, boards working to build online tool pathways to make it easier for regulatory -- or sorry, for proponents to pursue their land use water licensing permits, and another example of that would be the targeted amendments that are currently being made to the Waters Act. Thank you.
