Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, so a quick response, first, is that this is one-time funding that's going to two organizations. 1.5 -- just over $1.5 million to the Yellowknife Women's Shelter for the Spruce Bough transitional housing services they provide, and $300,000 to the Salvation Army shelter operations. This was money that was otherwise going to be lapsing because of just delays in terms of getting some of the work around transitional housing -- the transitional housing project that had been previously proposed for a site in Yellowknife that apparently there's some zoning challenges in that...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I can't speak to what may or may not have been going on back in 2016. But, Mr. Chair, this is an appropriation that is meant to move -- there was -- sorry, there was some funding that sunset previously in health and social services, and then we are now looking to fund this out of ECE and to step in where the funding was previously sunset to now go from what was a federally funded program in health to a GNWT funded program through ECE. Thank you.

Yes, please, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today we're being asked to consider a Private Member's bill that touches on an issue that is important and deeply felt not only in this House, not only in our healthcare system, but obviously throughout the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories public service.

And let me begin saying clearly, Mr. Speaker, that nurses are essential. We don't want to see them leave. Their contributions to this territory's healthcare system are invaluable. Their contribution to the health and wellness of all Northwest Territories residents is invaluable.

The GNWT...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're not under a deadline, per se, Mr. Speaker. There will be a new round of bargaining that will commence when the collective agreement that we're under comes to its conclusion which is in 2026 so that, I suppose, is the deadline, but as far right now, the next step really is to go to this two-day workshop and to, you know, engage really collaboratively with both parties there to determine whether or not that's going to be the process we use. Lots of time between now and 2026 to put that into place if that's the path that we go down. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, that is something I'm going to have to take away. I mean, I know with confidence that there is broad monitoring that happens in terms of -- you know, for example, the finance management board where there is a provision that looks at climate change considerations of all projects and all supplementary appropriations, all budgetary proposals.

In terms of analyzing across every department, ECC and others -- so ECC would be the lead for that section but as far as analyzing when there's increases specifically associated to climate change, again, I -- again, it's being...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, always happy to look at other options. There is a wealth of change happening in the energy space. Everything from AI managed battery technology that can look to optimize the battery systems and to the actual management of a diesel -- even a diesel generator, all the way over to micro hydro or micro nuclear which is just really tiny little facilities, not on a scale that we were -- would have before seen that are still only at a piloting stage.

So the short answer is yes, Mr. Speaker, and the longer answer is we need to make sure that whatever which of these...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I don't know if I have that number exactly. This certainly -- I mean, it's this -- this has been a long-term and longstanding problem back in -- I want to say 2012, thereabouts. It used to be something that was led by the Canadian Coast Guard. They have walked away from being the lead on this and that has left the GNWT picking up this -- the need for maintaining the harbour. The harbour restoration, really the term restoration speaks to the fact that there -- it's pretty, you know, standard and expected, really, to have to maintain the harbour and to do some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the energy systems of the Northwest Territories are in dire need of significant nation scale investment. We need the federal government to be paying attention to the situation we find ourselves in. Residents across this territory are facing not only the high cost that they currently pay. That is also significantly subsidized by the GNWT just to keep the power bills of where they are.

Mr. Speaker, we are not alone. The Yukon right now is proposing a 34 percent increase to their power bills. Nunavut pays an even larger subsidy than we do on their power bills...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there is quite a bit happening in this space right now in terms of timing. So there is the Rockhill site that is empty right now but that there's been some work that's underway with Housing NWT and the NGO community to see that it gets turned into a more permanent facility. So there is that. And I do want to make sure that that is clear. And that is not necessarily related here to what this money is for. That certainly is other work that's happening. There is also the general -- not general, but broader work happening over at EIA with respect to consolidated...