Mr. Speaker, access to housing continues to be one of the most serious issues for people in the Northwest Territories. Many new players are coming to the table with a new interest in addressing this need and roles and responsibilities for housing delivery continue to change and evolve. Our government is committed to working with other governments and housing stakeholders to implement northern solutions for northern housing to help address our high cost of living.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to provide an update on the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ progress on our mandate commitment to develop and implement a Northwest Territories Physical Activity Strategy. This strategy will promote community wellness and encourage individuals and families to lead healthy lifestyles through the promotion of physical activity.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, the numbers are in and I’m pleased to say that the Northwest Territories tourism sector continues to lead our territory’s march to a more diverse economy. Even on the heels of what was an extraordinary year of growth, in 2017-2018, we have, once again, seen our tourism numbers climb.

Today, Minister of Infrastructure Wally Schumann announced the launch of a new grant initiative—the Government Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Grant Program.

The Government GHG Grant Program is an application-based, non-repayable grant program designed to support GHG emissions reduction projects and initiatives for NWT community governments, municipalities, and Indigenous governments.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Caroline Cochrane, is pleased to announce the names of five recipients inducted into the 2018 Minister’s Culture and Heritage Circle on October 29, 2018.

Recipients are recognized and respected in their communities for leadership, participation and significant contributions to the arts, culture and heritage. By category, the recipients for the 2018 Minister’s Culture and Heritage Circle are:

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight and celebrate the 2018 inductees into the Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame.

The Northwest Territories Sport Hall of Fame was created to honour athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to sport from all parts of our society. Sponsored by the Sport North Federation, the Hall of Fame shares the history and the impact of our greatest contributors to sport. 

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has a mandate commitment to support the Northwest Territories Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program or NWT CIMP. This program is a research and monitoring program to help understand environmental trends and the cumulative impacts of both human and natural changes.

Check Against Delivery

Mr. Speaker, as a government we have committed to putting the principles of reconciliation in action and to transform the way that we deliver programs and services to be more culturally informed and respectful throughout our mandate.  Today I would like to update colleagues and the public on efforts we have been adopting within our health and social services system to put these principles into action to better serve our residents.

Check Against Delivery

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has committed to supporting the film industry to further develop the skills and competencies of NWT film producers, build infrastructure, assist below-the-line crew and support services, and help develop marketing and communications plans for films made in the NWT.