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Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the Minister Responsible for Seniors to update Members on our mandate commitment to enable Seniors to age in place with dignity. This is an important commitment to me personally because of the number of Seniors who live in my constituency. I continue to hear that they want to stay in their homes as long as possible. That means taking a cross-department approach to providing seniors with access to various services and support when and where needed. 

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Mr. Speaker, the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards program was developed in 1991 as a way to recognize outstanding volunteers and highlight the importance of volunteerism in NWT communities.  Today I want to congratulate everyone nominated for the 2021 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards, and to share some of the incredible achievements of the award winners. 

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has received the required permits from the City of Yellowknife for the occupancy and use of the day shelter at the former visitor centre site. With the approval of these permits, the local State of Emergency in Yellowknife will no longer be required and will be discontinued, effective March 3, 2022.

This facility will continue to offer day sheltering services to residents and will retain the same capacity.

Today, the Honourable Shane Thompson, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs announced the Northwest Territories (NWT) 2021 Outstanding Volunteer Awards. These annual awards provide an opportunity to show appreciation to volunteers and volunteer organizations for their outstanding contributions in communities across the territory.

Recipients of the 2021 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards are:

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Mr. Speaker, today is the day that the Northwest Territories tourism sector has been anticipating for nearly two years. I am so happy to finally say that as of today, the NWT is welcoming back friends and visitors from near and far.

We all know that the NWT is a growing destination of choice for travelers from across Canada and around the world. In fact, in the year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the territory had a record 120 thousand visitors, contributing more than $210 million to its economy.

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Mr. Speaker, I want to update Members on steps being taken to address the recruitment and retention of health and social services staff in the Northwest Territories. Members created a mandate priority to increase the number of resident health care professionals by at least 20 percent during the 19th Legislative Assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for health and social services workers across Canada and within the Northwest Territories.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members and the public on some of the activities occurring at the Yellowknife Airport, or YZF. The airport has had an eventful year that included lucrative cold weather testing partnerships, responding to challenges from COVID-19-related events and work to advance important infrastructure improvements.

The Health and Social Services Professions Act came into force today with naturopathic practitioners the first profession regulated under the Act.

The Health and Social Services Professions Act ensures that only qualified professionals are licensed to practise in the NWT. Regulating professions will enhance public safety as practitioners will be required to meet the accepted standards to receive and maintain their license to practise in the territory.

This new legislation also establishes a regulatory body to oversee public concerns or complaints.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Julie Green has extended the territory-wide Public Health Emergency under the Northwest Territories’ Public Health Act on the advice of Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) Dr. Kami Kandola, effective March 2, 2022.

The latest extension continues through March 15, 2022. 

The Public Health Emergency is required to continue to decisively respond to shifts in the NWT’s own public health situation, and maintain preventative measures.

Ministerial Activities Advisory for the week of March 1-7, 2022

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of February 28, 2022.

There is no travel scheduled for this time period.

Meetings and Appearances

Please note that event organizers may have attendance restrictions­­­ for their event. Contact organizers for more information.