For the second year in a row, the GNWT is providing a top-up for grubstake payments to offset the impacts of COVID-19. Regular grubstake payments were made in September 2021, and ENR is now offering a second round of payments to support trappers this season.

The Trapper’s Grubstake Program helps trappers offset some of the costs of starting up each season. The amount of funding trappers can receive is tied to the number of pelts they brought in the previous season.

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Mr. Speaker, winter has arrived, temperatures are dropping and will continue to for the next couple of months. Dropping temperatures brings great concerns for under-housed residents, without warm place to live, without comforts that many of us enjoy day to day. 

Our partners who provide sheltering services have been planning for months. I am proud to rise today to speak about the valuable and critical work that non-governmental organizations and shelter workers do to try to keep those without a home safe and healthy.

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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce the temporary day shelter will open soon at the site of the former visitor’s center in Yellowknife. The day shelter is vital to keeping residents experiencing homelessness safe during the depths of winter.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea, will conduct cold-weather testing on their Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) at the Yellowknife Airport (YZF). Testing is expected to start on December 6, 2021, depending on weather conditions, and will continue until early February 2022.

The LAH is a military aircraft currently under development by KAI. It will arrive at YZF on Friday on a massive cargo aircraft, the Antonov 124. While the LAH is an armed aircraft, it will be tested without live munitions.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is launching a new campaign focused on residents learning to live with COVID-19 as we adapt to a new normal.

Starting today, Setting Your COVID-19 Safety Nets will promote how layers of protection outlined in Emerging Wisely 2021 can work together to reduce risk so we can continue to protect ourselves and our communities from the virus.

The Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) COVID-19 Vaccination Policy takes effect today. GNWT employees who have not provided proof of vaccination are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and undergo regular testing for COVID-19 as directed by their department.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is conducting a review on Supported Living services provided to adults with disabilities.

We would like to hear from individuals with experience of, or need for, supported living services through public engagement sessions in various communities. This information will assist us to respond to how best to meet the needs of NWT residents in the future.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is now offering funding to organizations to help families get out on the land. The program is designed to offset the costs of participating in outdoor learning experiences like camping, boating, fishing and hunting, and traditional activities, so more northerners can get involved.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update on the status of the flood recovery work being undertaken by the Government of the Northwest Territories. 

As soon as the flood waters retreated last spring, community government leadership, residents, and our government got to work helping communities recover from the worst flood many of us have seen in our lifetime.