Last October all Members of the 16 th Legislative Assembly met together to discuss their vision, for the next four years.  Together, MLAs agreed on a vision of “strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories” and identified specific goals and priorities related to that vision.  The Legislative Assembly’s vision, goals and priorities were published as Northerners Working Together in December. 

Since that time, the GNWT has been working to develop a plan of action to achieve the goals and priorities that all MLAs have agreed to.  The GNWT’s plan will take a long-term view and will include actions that are meant to create lasting benefits for the people of the NWT.  Actions will be focused on those areas where the GNWT believes it can have the greatest positive impact over time.

Based on the vision and priorities of the Assembly, Cabinet has identified a set of five strategic initiatives that will serve as the basis for the GNWT’s planned actions over the next four years.  These strategic initiatives are: 

Building Our Future

 The Building Our Future strategic initiative will make significant investments in prevention and the long term well-being of our population.

Six action areas have been identified:

• Expand Programming for Children and Youth

• Encourage Healthy Choices and Address Addictions

• Implement Phase II of the Framework for Action on Family Violence

• Strengthen Continuum of Care for Seniors

• Enhance Support for the Voluntary Sector

• Increase Safety and Security

Investing in children and youth is a key part of our plans. Through this initiative, early childhood development and youth programs will be expanded.  Actions are also planned to help address the challenges faced by the caregivers of our residents with special needs.

To promote healthy and active living amongst children and youth and the broader population, health promotion and prevention activities will be expanded under the existing Healthy Choices Framework.

Action will also be taken to address addictions. We will work to improve awareness of aftercare services available in communities and establish community treatment options for youth and adults in each region.

We will continue to implement Phase II of the Framework for Action for Family Violence which includes significant investments in stabilizing services and enhancing community programming.

We will support the continuum of care for Seniors by investing in training for home support worker and resident care aides and the operation and maintenance of supported living facilities for seniors.

Significant investments are also planned to improve people’s sense of safety and security in their homes and in their communities. This will include expanding policing and emergency services and taking steps to reduce alcohol and drug related crime and address chronic offenders.

We will also update and refocus our Volunteer Support Initiative Action Plan and take steps to improve support for the voluntary sector.

Managing This Land

The land is the basis for our economic prosperity and plays a prominent role in the social, cultural and spiritual identity of NWT residents. The Managing this Land initiative includes a comprehensive approach designed to protect our landscapes, forests and water resources and address the cumulative effects of climate change.

This initiative includes five action areas:

• Continue to Develop Governance

• Protect Territorial Water

• Work to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change Impacts

• Improve Environmental Monitoring Efforts

• Environmental Stewardship

The GNWT’s participation in land management will be strengthened by the development of a comprehensive land use framework for the NWT and by our progression towards northern governance over land and water.

We will take several important steps to protect territorial water. With the input of the public, Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders, we will develop and implement a NWT Water Strategy. We will also advance initiatives associated with source water protection and participate in a number of intergovernmental and transboundary water management efforts. 

Climate change mitigation and adaptation will be addressed through continuing delivery of the GNWT’s Greenhouse Gas Strategy and Energy Plan.  Activities will be undertaken to adapt to impacts on the NWT’s transportation networks, developing a climate change adaptation plan, and advancing projects to develop alternative energy sources. 

We will also complete a classification and mapping framework for the NWT and invest in environmental stewardship activities including waste reduction and recovery, and wildlife management, protection and cumulative effects assessment.

Maximizing Opportunities

 The Maximizing Opportunities strategic initiative aims to achieve a balanced, diversified and sustainable economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices.

Actions planned under the Maximizing Opportunities initiative are:

• Improve Skills for Living and Working

• Support Diversification

• Promote the NWT as a Place to Visit and Live

• Maximize Benefits from the MGP and Related Initiatives

To ensure that residents, businesses and communities are able to take advantage of the opportunities that the development of our resources provides, we will invest in education and training programs. 

We will support diversification by ensuring business programs are accessible, relevant and used to support new and emerging businesses. Support for tourism, the arts, and arts and crafts production will also be expanded.

Through a national marketing campaign the NWT will be promoted as a place to live, visit and invest. We will integrate marketing messaging promoting NWT arts and crafts into existing and proposed tourism marketing strategies.  We will also enhance existing programming and funding to support increased production of traditional arts and crafts to satisfy growing demand from visitors.

We will support the GNWT’s participation in activities associated with the construction of the Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) and help territorial residents take advantage of economic opportunities from resource development and related initiatives.

Reducing the Cost of Living

The Reducing the Cost of Living strategic initiative addresses the reality of high costs of living in the NWT. The actions under this initiative all aim to help manage the cost of living in the short term and alleviate some of the pressures on cost in NWT communities in the long term.

The four actions identified are:

• Improve Shelter

• Improve Transportation Access to Communities

• Address Factors that Impact the Cost of Goods

• Support Individuals and Families

To improve the quality and cost of shelter, we will invest in new construction and expand funding available through existing home ownership repair programs.

To address energy costs alternative energy like hydro and natural gas will be pursued. We will also continue to invest in programs that encourage residents to reduce their energy use.

Substantial infrastructure investments will be made to improve transportation access to and better connect communities.

We will undertake a review of utility rates and regulations and examine approaches to lowering utility costs. Public consultation on any revisions or proposed changes to the rate structure will be an important element of this work.

To support individuals and families, we will move forward with the next steps in implementing the GNWT’s new income security framework. This will include reviewing and aligning the Public Housing Rental Subsidy and the Seniors and Persons with Disability Income Security Programs with the new Income Security Model.

Refocusing Government

The Refocusing Government strategic initiative will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations.

This initiative includes six action areas:

• Conduct Program Review

• Change the GNWT’s Approach to Infrastructure

• Strengthen Service Delivery

• Manage the Cost of Government

• Improve Human Resource Management

A key element of this initiative is the establishment of a Program Review Office that will be tasked with ensuring that programs are meeting their objectives and that government resources are used effectively. The office will develop a framework for establishing a disciplined system of performance measurement linked to business planning and budget processes.

To ensure we are getting the most out of our limited resources, we will change our approach to infrastructure planning, acquisition and delivery. We will also increase focus on maintaining the existing stock of infrastructure that the GNWT uses to deliver programs and services.

Meeting our goals as a government will require efforts to ensure that all our programs and services are organized to support our priorities, while continuing to meet the needs of NWT residents. We take steps to improve service delivery at the community and regional level including implementing structural change to boards and agencies.

We will also continue to identify cross government changes that will improve how we do business and manage our costs. These changes might include implementing shared service models, organizational re-structuring, and altering our approach to purchasing services such as air travel.

Planned actions for this initiative also include strengthening human resource recruitment and retention activities and efforts to stabilize the NGO sector.