Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, I would take some issue with the suggestion that the government has ever zero accountability for any of the positions that it fills at any time. While there will be, of course, a period where there's a blackout, where we're in -- all of us as elected Members aren't present. That is a -- there's some fairly specific parameters -- and I don't have them in front of me here -- around what may or may not happen when there is a blackout period and what the public service at that time can do. And so, similarly -- but, again, the direct appointment process doesn't change in terms of how positions are direct appointed under, again, the Public Service Act and with the parameters here.
So with respect to the positions -- you know, the narrow scope of positions that would go through the Premier's office, so deputy ministers for instance, again that too, Mr. Speaker, the notion that there's no accountability there, there's -- you know, there's still the Premier and then there's an incoming government that comes in. So I -- perhaps we're talking about something different, the two of us, but there's no changes to the guidelines or the rules around direct appointments and there's always some degree of accountability, in my view, in what happens in this place, in this building. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear the Minister. I am not going to say she's wrong from my perspective; I am going to say I do respect the point. I just want to make sure that that's clear. But I don't think she's missing the concerns I am raising which is functionally that when the government goes off to -- or sorry, when the Assembly goes off to an election, the government's still in function, they make decisions, and the next public service report isn't out for six months and there's no one here to ask questions. So, Mr. Speaker, that's the function of the issue.
So, Mr. Speaker, what transparency and accountability can the Minister provide to ensure that appointments made during these types of periods will meet the test, and they'll certainly meet the smell test not just it's a matter policy in secret? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, again, so just to be very clear, the rules, the Public Service Act, the processes that we go through don't change. You know, they don't change in or out. There are rules around blackout period. I'd be happy to -- again, I don't have them at my fingertips. But there are rules during a blackout period about what is allowed, including for Ministers when we're acting as Ministers. We're -- certainly, my recollection of the last blackout period is we're not -- we're expected to not be making significant decisions. It's -- there is also, further, Mr. Speaker, a process convention on transition between different governments and what is permissible and expected. So all of these things are built in to create some of these processes of accountability.
I think it's probably helpful, Mr. Speaker, that it come to the floor of the House, that people are aware that there are some of these processes in place, transition for the Assembly, as well as around what is permissible. So I am certainly happy to get a bit more detail on what is permissible during these periods. It's -- that would be a -- yeah, happy to do that and can provide it to the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Can the Minister explain why transferring a land lease to immediate family members after the leaseholder has passed away requires such a complex and costly legal process? Even when there is wills and estates are in place, that is not helping the process. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Leases are dealt with by the Department of Environment and Climate Change so I'd like to redirect it to that Minister. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Minister of ECC.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of different types of land within the Northwest Territories. We could be speaking of municipal land, private land, Indigenous land, or Commissioner's land, and each one of those designations have a slightly different process; however, the legal registering of those processes require that they are registered through the lands office and that typically requires assistance of counsel or -- yeah, I will leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Member from Monfwi.
Given the high legal costs associated with the current lease transfer policy, will the Minister commit to reviewing the process to determine how it can be simplified to reduce the financial burdens on families? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number -- as I said, there are a number of different types of land that fall under different bodies, whether it's a municipality, the territorial government, or Commissioner's land or Indigenous land, and each of these policies, processes require input from the different associated governments. So to stand here and make a commitment to change policy based solely on a commitment in the House is not something I am prepared to do today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister take steps to ensure seniors who pay land lease fees receive the same relief as seniors who receive property tax relief across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the property tax relief program does not fall under my portfolio. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So in my Member's statement today I talked about the need to find solutions that can gain their own momentum, that can be replicated and empower people to take more control over their lives, and the need to create housing, in particular, that's long lasting with local capacity to properly maintain and repair the homes. So I see that in the Housing NWT business plan there's mention of an innovative pilot project in Deline involving a hybrid model of housing construction.
So my first question for the housing Minister, what is new and innovative about this project in Deline that could help some of the challenges being encountered by housing construction projects in other communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like the Member mentioned, we're finding that delivering housing across the Northwest Territories is sometimes very difficult considering our remote locations and the low water levels that we've been having over the last number of years. So one thing we're doing with Housing NWT is we're looking at different types of designs and different types of delivery. And with this new innovative design in Deline, what has been introduced is a mechanical core system which is shipped up to Deline, either by winter road or by the barging system, and the community builds around it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so what kind of local training and skill development is being done in association with this project in Deline? And if the Minister knows, how much uptake has there been with those training programs so far? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One thing we've noted as Housing NWT is we're accelerating local trades and local labour market development. And with all of our projects, we're asking that this be a big component is that we're adding apprentices and also local companies delivering on the projects. And this is something that we're doing in Deline in partnership with the Deline Got'ine government, and we're hoping to introduce this throughout the territory with other Indigenous governments or members of the NWT Housing Forum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I wonder if the Minister can explain more about the plans and timelines for potentially expanding this pilot to other communities to be able to share some of the successes and lessons learned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one thing we are doing currently is with our Build Canada Homes proposal is -- we're hoping that this would be a big part of the proposal is how we build in community but have that mechanical core system as a big part of our design. So I know right now with our 48-unit modular build, we're lending that throughout the territory. And these will be modular homes that are being built in Hay River. We're also having modular homes being built in Fort Good Hope, modular homes built with the Tlicho Development Corporation. But with the Deline hybrid design, it lends to communities actually constructing homes around a mechanical core system. Because we're finding that mechanical core systems are the most difficult of any housing build, so this is something that we're hoping we'd have throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue questions to the housing Minister. I spoke to the needs assessment today, and that's what I will be asking about, Mr. Speaker.
Can the Minister detail how she will be using the housing -- the newly -- excuse me, let me start again -- how she will be using the newly released needs assessment to approach the federal government for funding. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This territorial housing needs assessment is going to provide an evidence-based platform to submit to the federal government with our Build Canada Homes proposal. So we'll provide a proposal. Most of the proposal is accepted online, and we're going to load the territorial housing needs assessment to add to our Build Canada Homes proposal. But also in our negotiations with the federal government, we'll provide them the territorial housing needs assessment. And again, it provides evidence. It provides the need across the Northwest Territories to our application. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I am pleased to hear that. And I have one constituent in particular who will be very pleased to hear that we're going to the federal government with an ask for housing, and I will make sure to relay that to them.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister detail for us how territorial funding planning is going to occur? Knowing the difference that this House has been able to make with the $150 million commitment we got, are we going to continue that legacy and plan for territorial investment alongside federal investment to address the needs of the territory? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it's important in the negotiation with Build Canada Homes that Build Canada Homes is looking for an investment. It's looking for a 50/50 investment. So our government, Government of the Northwest Territories, we need to negotiate a proposal for Build Canada Homes, then we'd come back to the government and discuss the details around that proposal. But that would be part of our investment, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought for a second I was going to get cut off there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate hearing the Minister note that territorial investment is going to be involved as well. I want us to be stepping up just as much as the feds, Mr. Speaker, although it would be great if the feds stepped up even a little bit more.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister just detail to us -- or for us, how did we get to the number of up to 2,700 homes? It's a huge number. Can the Minister help us understand what was involved in developing that number and getting to that defined number as the true need of housing in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a really good question. That's the first thing I thought when I read the territorial housing needs assessment, how did we get to a number of up to 2,700 homes when our waitlist is only 800 homes. Only. That's a lot of homes. But it comprises of the waitlist. It also comprises of the 2024 community survey and looking at the bureau of statistics. That work's being done with the bureau of statistics. Also with the UBC's HART model, the housing assessment resource tool, they use the HART model to look at suppressed households. So that's really important to understand, is in many of our communities we have suppressed households. We have sometimes parents and grandparents and great-grandparents all living within one household. So that's suppressed households, and that's added to the overall territorial housing needs assessment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last month I had the chance to meet with the Minister of housing and -- housing Minister to discuss the Dene Nation establishing an office to coordinate an Indigenous-led submission to Build Canada Homes. During that meeting, the Minister raised her concerns about the Dene Nation. My question is to the Minister, why is the Minister did not meet with the Dene national chief to discuss the Build Canada Homes program with the Dene Nation? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since I am not the federal government, I am not the one handing out the Build Canada Homes funding. But, absolutely, when we had a meeting with MLA Edjericon about Build Canada Homes, I encouraged the MLA to provide a proposal, work with the Akaitcho chiefs and provide a proposal at the regional level for Build Canada Homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Why will the Minister not work with the Dene Nation instead of describe it as merely a political body without rights when it represents thousands of Indigenous people who do have rights? And by representing so many communities, they are uniquely suited to advocate according to the federal government as a collective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a Minister of this government, I am responsible to work with rights-based organizations in this territory. And I've never said that I am not willing to work with Dene Nation to have these conversations, but I encourage the Member to work with the Akaitcho chiefs to provide a Build Canada Homes proposal with the Akaitcho chiefs. And if he's interested, we could provide that support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Build Canada Homes presents a real opportunity to begin building Indigenous housing capacity now. Why is the Minister choosing to delay that work, especially when Housing NWT federal funding is set to end next decade, and pursuant to the UNDRIP Implementation Act, the transfer of housing capacity and decision-making to Indigenous governments is already behind schedule? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the work around housing and our territorial housing needs assessment shows the -- is a big indicator of the work we have to do over the next number of years. And I think that me as a Minister and with this Cabinet, we are pushing forward and there's a lot of support around housing and a lot of support around small, remote communities. As an MLA for Nunakput,it's really important that we deliver, especially in homes in our communities. And I see it every day. I see it when I go home. And that's the life I live, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for NWT Housing. Oral questions. Member from the Dehcho.
Thank you. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the housing Minister.
Can the Minister explain why the STEP program was discontinued and whether Housing NWT is prepared to reinstate as part of its supports for prospective and current homeowners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
