Caroline Wawzonek

There is actually quite a complex network of supports, I would say, both from the federal government, some from the GNWT, and many through the support of both levels of government. Right now, it's really only the GRIT program that is certainly sunsetting. A lot of the other programs were filling in of gaps or topping up of programs. It is certainly our effort and our intention to continue to do that into the new fiscal year. A lot of things became available in the latter part of this fiscal year, when there was an awareness that, for example, some businesses needed bookkeeping support, so...

Interest rate reductions certainly are a little bit more complicated, and that is really a lot of the way in which the BDIC generates the funds on which it relies to actually run the programs that it provides and to provide the loan portfolio that it currently has. It's a fairly delicate balance. That is not something that is right now being looked at. That said, obviously, as we move into a recovery stage and continue to go through the recovery stage, BDIC, as I just said in my last response, continues to be quite client-oriented in looking at specific ways of solving issues and solving...

Mr. Speaker, later today, I will table Tourism 2025: Roadmap to Recovery. It is the new five-year plan for the future growth of tourism in the Northwest Territories. It was originally conceived as a strategy that would build upon the success of Tourism 2010, Tourism 2015, and Tourism 2020. Each of these strategies set a goal for visitor spending, and every one of them exceeded their goal, with total visitor spending estimated to have risen from $130 million during the Tourism 2010 period up to an estimated $210.1 million during the time of Tourism 2020. The success of Tourism 2020 was in spite...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't know that I have much to add, but given that I did make the request, I wanted to just reflect that this actually came to me originally out of concern for someone raising concerns similar to what the Member for Great Slave has said, that people who are concerned for their personal safety and who have been through something in their life may not want their personal address on there. I would share the other comments raised, that, really, anyone who is making a donation to a political party or to a political candidate or wants to participate in the political process...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 28, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures) 2021-2022, be read for the second time. This bill authorizes the Government of the Northwest Territories to make appropriations for operations expenditures for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. It also sets out limits on amounts that may be borrowed by the Commissioner on behalf of the government, includes information in respect of all existing borrowing and all projected borrowing for the fiscal year, and authorizes the making of disbursements to pay the principal of...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: "Northwest Territories Tourism: Towards Resilience - 2021-2022 Marketing Plan"; "Tourism 2025: Roadmap to Recovery, April 2021"; and further to my Written Question 24-19(2), "Conflict of Interest Information." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When I said earlier that there are quite a number of programs, I say that out of personal experience. I have found it inspiring but also overwhelming, the amount of opportunity and options that are there. What I have asked for recently and what has been produced just in the last month is actually an 11-page document that says "Funding Programs: Industry, Tourism and Investment." I was recently up in the Beaufort-Delta, took this with me, and was handing it out as we were meeting with various community governments. I think what I will say is that not only will we reach out to the Soaring Eagle...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of ITI has a wealth, a variety, of different programs and funding opportunities for programs just such as this. Yes, while I am happy to give the yes and say that we will reach out to Kakisa to make sure that they are aware of it, there are so many options and opportunities. If there are communities, Indigenous organizations, Indigenous governments, individuals thinking about creating some sort of small agriculture project, wanting to learn more about commercial agriculture, there are funding opportunities for small-scale foods programs; there are funding...

As I said at the beginning, my understanding is that BDIC has contacted all of their clients. There were some whom they were unable to get a hold of, and certainly, there are no doubt some whose situations may continue to change. I cannot say strongly enough that, anyone who is a client of BDIC or who might benefit as a client of BDIC, that they please get in touch with the loans officers. There are a number of different options. For example, although some businesses have restarted on their regular payments, some have renegotiated to actually have lower payments than what they had before, some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was already some time ago that there were conversations happening within the BDIC around what to do with the loan deferral program, and the option that we took was one of reaching out, in fact, to every single one of the 139 loan clients who had their loan payments deferred. In doing that, they were better able to tailor their response such that quite a number have actually begun to resume their regular payments. Of the remaining 76, in fact, who had requested some further reductions or deferrals, they were able to tailor-make the program to either defer or to reduce...