Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that response shows one of the problems with our system. I'm going to come back to that at a later day. The Minister talked about the role of the GNWT in ensuring training. The independent after-action board has recommended that ICS training is -- sorry, institutionalize ICS in all GNWT operations because regular exposure to ICS outside of emergency context builds familiarity and improves operational efficiency during a crisis. Why won't this Minister make commitments to incorporate ICS into day-to-day operations, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has repeatedly referred to the importance of the Incident Command System when questioned on emergency management and public safety. The independent action report makes three separate ICS recommendations, but the GNWT has only fully agreed to implement one of those, for one of those recommendations to mandate and maintain ICS training for elected officials and emergency managers. The Minister is only making that training available to MLAs. Why isn't the Minister ensuring that that training is mandatory for all...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased that the Minister is aware of what -- the diagnosis of the problem; what we need is the solution. These businesses also want to know what specific infrastructure upgrades are planned to prevent on going surges and blackouts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as temperatures drop and nights grow longer, winter is coming. But Northerners aren't afraid of White Walkers or of Undead Dragons. No, they're bracing for power bills they simply cannot afford. My constituents can't remember the last time they caught a break on their energy bills, and with each passing year they're forced to make even harder choices just to keep the lights on. It's no surprise that the cost of electricity is one of the most frequent concerns I hear about as an MLA. Northerners have a right to be frustrated when they are paying the highest power costs in the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you to the Minister for that. So I mean, I don't have the benefit of the substantiations here but neither does the public, I think, at any time. So for this $39.5 million, can the Minister speak to the nature of the funding? Like, is the -- she listed a number of items there that might impact future expenditures, multi-year contracts or contracts related to fire suppression. So what does this $39 million represent in terms of fire suppression activities? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Similar to my colleague's comments on this line, will the -- it wasn't clear on the last answer. But will the base budget, then, for fire suppression be revised upwards in the main estimates -- in the next main estimates? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2025, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Yellowknife Centre, that the Government of the Northwest Territories accepts the after-action review report recommendation to create one dedicated territorial emergency management agency for the NWT providing coordination support to local authorities leading the emergency response(s);

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories implement the recommendation to create one territorial emergency management...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as our emergency management system is made up of volunteers and is ad hoc to emergencies as they arise, having everyone trained in ICS shouldn't be an offer, it should be a mandatory requirement. It's legislated in Alberta, the independent after-action report cites this as a best practice. Will the Minister legislate ICS in either regulations or in legislative amendments so we can ensure who is responsible for emergency management in the Northwest Territories is adequately trained in ICS. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I just think we need to have some very clear reporting on it just so we understand it. But maybe that is a question for the education Minister.

Finally, I guess if we could put it into terms, we often ask this, like how much money is represented when it's being spent on staffing in particular or programs, how much does it actually represent. So out of $14 million, how many EAs is that employing or EA positions is that creating? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I appreciate -- just to be clear, I will -- I mean, I'm going to continue to ask questions, but I appreciate this emergency funding, and I support it. I think it came a little late, and it's still -- until we know what that total quantum is, it's unclear whether $14 million is a significant amount. So my other question related to this is there's strings attached to this money. The Minister spoke to some of the eligibility requirements. But one of them is that education bodies have to first use their surpluses. So do we know how much surplus money is being spent...