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Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us all in many ways but none of us more so than within the health and social services system.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is committed to building strong and collaborative partnerships across all levels of government.

The swift resolution to the recent cluster of COVID-19 cases in Fort Liard demonstrates how powerful those partnerships can be.

All partners in last month’s pandemic response worked together to quickly and effectively implement the orders of the territory’s Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) to help avert what could have become a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.

The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Paulie Chinna has extended the State of Emergency in the City of Yellowknife. This extension is being made under s.14 of the Emergency Management Act.

The extention continues through February 25, 2021.

This State of Emergency was initially instated to address the need for additional shelter space as a result of ongoing capacity limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is committed to managing public land responsibly and recognizes that unauthorized occupancy – or “squatting” - is a long-standing land management issue across the NWT.  Today, Minister Shane Thompson announced the Department of Lands’ new approach to addressing unauthorized occupants and outlined steps the Department is taking to address untenured structures.

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Mr. Speaker, last fall I spoke to you about how enforcing the rules on how public land is used is a critical part of making sure that land and resources in the Northwest Territories are well-managed.

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Mr. Speaker, when the Government of the Northwest Territories established the COVID-19 Coordinating Secretariat, we committed to bringing our pandemic services under one roof to improve our services and seek cost-efficiencies.

I am proud to stand here today and say we have done what we said we would do.

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Mr. Speaker, strengthening the government’s leadership and authority on climate change, ensuring climate change impacts are specifically considered when making government decisions, and increasing the use of alternative and renewable energy are mandate priorities of the 19th Legislative Assembly.

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Mr. Speaker, today I am going to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the Northwest Territories.

As Members are aware, the NWT started delivering the COVID-19 vaccine to priority residents on December 31, 2020. Rollout began only a week after Health Canada approved the use of the Moderna vaccine in Canada, and only three days after the territory received its first shipment.

The February deadline for NWT Arts Council grant submissions has been extended to April 15th 2021. This submission deadline is for artists or territorial organizations that are producing artistic works, project or events in the Northwest Territories between April 2021 and March 2022.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, this extension will allow artists and organizations more time to adjust their plans for the rest of the year for which the grants apply.

Ministerial Activities Advisory for the week of February 9-15, 2021

Ministerial Travel

Please note that travel schedules may change with little or no notice. This schedule is accurate as of February 8, 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.