Kieron Testart

Thank you. And on the matter of trucking, we have trucking businesses in the Northwest Territories. They have access to these kinds of fast passes to get through provincial borders without paying dues they can reconcile at the end of the month. It expedites the whole process. Unfortunately, we can't certify that process here in the Northwest Territories, so businesses are looking -- have to base their operations outside of the Northwest Territories. Alberta seems to be the case in most areas. Is this something the Minister can correct and allow northern-based trucking companies and moving...

Thank you. And I appreciate that -- yeah, especially that youth piece is really important, and I'm glad to see that we are finding ways to use funding for gang prevention and it's targeted towards youth. But I guess my concern is, like, we have -- war zone's probably too much of an embellishment but, like, we have an increasingly -- increasing incidents of violence on the streets of Yellowknife. I see it all the time because of here, in the apartment buildings, especially where there's concentrations of poverty. So on the gun part of this, I guess the organized crime front, are we doing more -...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the midst of the dumbest trade war in perhaps global history, northern businesses are very concerned, and I know the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment is chair of the internal -- sorry, the committee on internal trade. We heard a statement about it earlier. How is the Minister going to ensure that measures like the BIP program, that are very successful in protecting northern businesses and supporting northern businesses, continue as trade barriers come down across the country? Thank you.

Thank you. And what kind of metrics are we looking at to determine if it's a success? Like, is it a number of -- I guess I'll just ask that. Like, what metrics are we looking for to inform that evaluation? Because I'd like to see these programs continue. I think they have borne fruit in other jurisdictions, and I'm really -- I hear, again anecdotically, it's going really well but, like, what practically do we need to see before we expand this to other communities? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, exceptions for this kind of care have been made in the past. A patient with a very similar situation, who was not initially insured in Manitoba, has appealed this successfully but this has not been taken into account by our health and social services authority or policies and programs. Will the Minister review this case -- or this case in Manitoba, similar cases across the country, and make changes to the policy to allow an exception to my constituent? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm assuming this is where the community safety officer pilot is being funded, so maybe I'll ask about that. I just see where the pilot project has found itself. I know it's still under review but how is it going? Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, well, I mean, hopefully when we're discussing with our municipal partners, whether it's the city of Yellowknife, the First Nation, or any -- or Indigenous beneficiary group or whatever, a local authority, that we are involving more than just one Minister and one department. And I know that's the case. It's just I would like -- it would be nice if we saw a clear path forward. And I mean nice is an easy way to put it. I think it's required at this point. Like, the urgency here for housing, for example, has been well stated in this Assembly. The urgency to shore up our economy at...

Thank you. So I guess the intention -- I'm somewhat perplexed because I guess the intention of the policy -- what's being called for -- and I think my colleague, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, yes, was mentioning that, you know, let -- like, you transfer it to the municipality and then they decide what happens to it. And that's my intention -- or that's where my head goes to, because you want to give the municipalities or local authorities the flexibility to develop at their own pace and to make use of opportunities, whether that's selling land and making a profit of off it, whether it's...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, March 6th, 2025, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to develop and implement a compassionate medical evacuation policy for our emergency ground/air ambulance and highway rescue allowing for patients in critical conditions to be accompanied by non-medical escorts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, half a month your hospital's gridlocked, that's not a favourable statistic. Mr. Speaker, the Minister talked about providing support to regional health care and health care centres to release the pressure on Stanton. So how are these -- how have these efforts in regional centres had an effect on gridlock at Stanton? Thank you.