Mr. Speaker, municipal elections were held in nine hamlet communities in the Northwest Territories on December 10, 2018. There were 71 candidates in total, vying for 46 available seats. I am pleased with the large number of candidates, as this indicates there is keen interest in local government and that individuals want to serve as leaders and decision-makers for their community.
Mr. Speaker, over the past 15 years, the Government of the Northwest Territories has worked in partnership with the federal government to help meet the infrastructure needs of community governments. These efforts have helped community governments access federal funding, in accordance with our current mandate commitment in this area.
Mr. Speaker, from January 16 to 17, 2019, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs brought community government leaders together to discuss cannabis. This was our first opportunity for such a gathering since cannabis became legal in Canada on October 17, 2018.
Mr. Speaker, from February 15 to March 3, 2019, athletes from the Northwest Territories will be representing our territory at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta. This event is an important celebration of Canadian sport and culture. It will be the largest event of its kind ever hosted in Red Deer and central Alberta and one of the largest in Alberta since the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Today, the department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) announced the nomination deadline for this year’s Northwest Territories (NWT) Outstanding Volunteer Awards. This year marks the 29th year of this award, which recognizes and celebrates the remarkable contributions volunteers make in communities across the NWT.
Residents are encouraged to nominate an elder, youth, individual, or group of volunteers in their communities. This program acknowledges individuals who donate their time to improve the quality of life for NWT residents.
On November 28, 2018 at 1:55pm, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will issue a live test of NWT Alert Ready, the Northwest Territories public alerting system. Residents may see and hear the public alert test on wireless devices, radio stations and cable networks across the NWT.
NWT Alert Ready is being developed to provide public alerts to NWT residents during emergencies and disasters and is part of the national public alerting system “Alert Ready”. The system is currently under development with full implementation planned for 2019.
Mr. Speaker, six community governments in the Northwest Territories had an election on October 15th, 2018. These elections took place for all of our communities with City, Town or Village status, including the City of Yellowknife, the Towns of Hay River, Fort Smith, Norman Wells and Inuvik and the Village of Fort Simpson.
There were 87 candidates in total, vying for 52 available seats. The large number of candidates shows that there is keen interest in the local level of government and that individuals want to serve as leaders and decision-makers for their community.
Check Against Delivery
Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to provide an update on the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ progress on our mandate commitment to develop and implement a Northwest Territories Physical Activity Strategy. This strategy will promote community wellness and encourage individuals and families to lead healthy lifestyles through the promotion of physical activity.
Check Against Delivery
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight and celebrate the 2018 inductees into the Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame.
The Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame was created to honour athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to sport from all parts of our society. Sponsored by the Sport North Federation, the Hall of Fame shares the history and the impact of our greatest contributors to sport.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is working to improve emergency management in the Northwest Territories so that we can better serve communities and help ensure the safety and security of residents.
