The annual Premier’s Awards for Excellence were held in the Caribou Room of the Chateau Nova Hotel this morning.

 The Premier’s Award recognizes the outstanding achievement of individual GNWT employees or teams of GNWT employees who continue to strive for excellence, best practice management and improvements in the workplace.

The Premier’s Award for Collaboration recognizes the outstanding achievement of GNWT employees in teams who work in partnership with other government and non-government employees to improve services to Northwest Territories’ residents.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly made a mandate commitment to improve food security in the Northwest Territories through the effective co-management of wildlife including caribou. Our government is therefore taking significant steps with our co-management partners to support the recovery of our struggling barren-ground herds, including investing an additional $6.8 million over five years for conservation and recovery efforts.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about a new partnership between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the De Beers Group - a partnership that will help house some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Mr. Speaker, last week was Disability Awareness Week in the NWT, as well as National AccessAbility Week across the country. It is a time to promote inclusion and accessibility in our communities, and to reflect on what we can all do to make sure that everyone is able to contribute to and be a part of community life. With that, I’d like to provide an update on the Government of the Northwest Territories Disability Action Plan 2018/2019 - 2021/2022, which was tabled in October 2018 and is the final deliverable of the Disability Program Review and Renewal Project. 

Mr. Speaker, a high-quality education system is one that ensures that student wellness and the development of a positive sense of identity are promoted and embedded in school experiences, programming and environment. 

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is following through on its mandate commitment to strengthen connections with public and private sector partners in transportation infrastructure. 

 Given our vast geography and harsh climate, Northwest Territories communities and businesses rely on the aviation industry for the safe and reliable delivery of people, goods, and services.

Mr. Speaker, one of this government’s top priorities is the safety and well-being of children and youth receiving Child and Family Services. This includes making sure we maintain a child’s connectedness to family, community and culture.

We have learned from our experiences, through internal and external audits, through engagement with Indigenous governments, and through feedback from stakeholders that we need to better manage, resource, structure and sustain changes implemented under the Building Stronger Families Action Plan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the athletes, coaches, chaperones and most importantly all the volunteers who are making their way to Hay River for the annual Northwest Territories Track and Field Championships.

At 1:00pm today events will commence making this the 29^th Anniversary of one of the Northwest Territories premier sporting events.  I, along with some of my colleague from the House will be in attendance for the opening ceremonies tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update the House and Northwest Territories residents on the implementation of the NWT Carbon Tax.

The Government of the Northwest Territories committed in our mandate to advance a number of renewable and alternative energy solutions to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lower the cost of living.  One of those commitments included implementing a new NWT Energy Strategy which we achieved in April 2018 when we tabled the 2030 Energy Strategy:  A Path to More Affordable, Secure and Sustainable Energy in the Northwest Territories.  This strategy defines our long-term vision and approach for transitioning to a lower carbon economy.