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Mr. Speaker, the youth of today are the strong, future leaders of tomorrow. Through initiatives like the NWT Youth Ambassador program, youth are provided opportunities to develop life and job skills, while building the confidence to deal with complex challenges.
I am pleased to inform the house today that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 NWT Youth Ambassador Program – Virtual Edition for youth aged 16 to 22.

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Mr. Speaker, many NWT residents are living with some form of disability. They are our neighbors, co-workers, family members, leaders, and friends.  We are grateful for the contributions that persons with disabilities make in the territory. For this reason, we continue to advance work to ensure all residents are able to participate fully in all communities, without barriers.  

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to strengthening relationships with governments. We are also committed to providing opportunities to create a more diverse, inclusive and representative public service.

Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), today announced Rolling, Action! The Next 5 Years: NWT Film and Media Sector Strategy and Action Plan (2021-2026) with a new Producers Incentive Pilot Program (PIPP) to continue developing and investing in the Northwest Territories’ (NWT) Film and Media sector.

Ministerial Activities Advisory for the week of June 1-7, 2021

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of May 31, 2021

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.

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Mr. Speaker, wildfire season is here and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, or ENR, and our dedicated wildfire management team are ready.

Today, I would like to provide an update on what ENR has done to get ready for the 2021 fire season, and the role residents and communities across the Northwest Territories have in preventing wildfires.

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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. Like all jurisdictions, our initial response was focused on public health measures.

To date, we have been successful in protecting the health and safety of our residents thanks to the actions we took early, and the commitment from residents to follow the public health orders and recommendations in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

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Mr. Speaker, before I begin my statement today I want to acknowledge that many people, including those that work in and around this Legislative Assembly and government, are being retraumatized by the confirmation of the mass grave of Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.  I am providing this notice so that those who are hurting may choose not to listen if they will be triggered by what I say.

R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met with education leaders on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 to discuss several priority initiatives.

Premier Caroline Cochrane and Municipal and Community Affairs Minister, Paulie Chinna issued the below statement on the flooding situation in Aklavik and the Government of the Northwest Territories response:

“The community of Aklavik declared a State of Local Emergency in the early hours of May 30^th and began an official evacuation of 141 residents earlier this morning in addition to 25 residents evacuated earlier as a result of flood waters breaching the banks of the Mackenzie River.