Vince McKay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the government has been working with communities to identify residents in the community that require extra assistance in case of an emergency. That being said, the government may not be fully involved at that time, especially if it's a local emergency. Even in that scenario, the government may still be involved locally in the fact of helping, you know, assist somebody out of an apartment building or whatever that may have been evacuated. So the process is updating. We're learning from the things that have happened. You know, we're -- I will have to say even this year...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So this summer was obviously another difficult time with the fires and the smoke and the fog. It did cause some issues on our highways with visibility. And I hear the Member. Same concerns I had through this. I've talked to the department, and this is something that we're going to look at. You know, so any recommendations on how we can improve our emergency situations like this, I'd be happy to hear them.

So, yes, we are looking at how we can improve this. I know Drive NT has been one avenue that's been used, and they're trying to obviously stay on top of it, but it's...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I guess that's the good thing about this third party independent after-action review, is that it brought out all these things. It brought out the -- you know, some of the issues that we were having, including this one that was raised. Yes, we are looking at making these changes in the Emergency Management Act. This is all part of the after-action review. You know, the whole point of this is clarifying our roles and responsibilities. You know, I guess after that, in 2023, having been part of it, you know, I understand the confusion and everything else that was there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would also like to acknowledge the visitors in the gallery from the Yellowknife fire department, first responders, RCMP, and also Mr. Testart up there who is also a MACA employee at times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will commit to that, and as soon as we have it done and ready, we will share that with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Workers’ Advisors Office Northwest Territories and Nunavut 2024 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The goal is to have the -- all the policies developed by next summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks for the question. Although the Ministers have changed, the work is still continued, and we're going to continue on with the line of work that's been completed for developing and working on the national building codes for the structures. So that being said, I know we don't have the full implementation yet. However, we do have it in had our projects. When we send anything out to RFP or anything like that, it is to develop to the national building codes. So right now, we're utilizing the 2020 National Building Codes and the 2020 National Fire Codes under the...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the second reading of Bill 29, First Responders Workers' Compensation Amendment Act, introduced by the Member for Range Lake.

On the onset, I want to express my deep respect and appreciation for the work of our first responders and firefighters. I know firsthand what this job entails and that these individuals -- and what these individuals face in traumatic events, dangerous conditions in their service and in our communities. After all, this is something I've done for 30 years.

Bill 29 proposes important amendments to the Workers' Compensation Act to...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 47-20(1), State of Emergency for Humanitarian Reasons for Norman Wells. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.