The Departments of Lands and Environment and Natural Resources have merged into the Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC).
The new department will bring all functions related to environment and climate change, including land, air, water, wildlife, and forest management under one roof, as well as the combined skills and expertise of staff from both departments.
Commissioner Margaret Thom granted assent to 12 new Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) bills on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
As part of Housing NWT’s Renewal Strategy, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has updated and modernized the points rating system used to prioritize public housing clients.
Public housing applicants who have met the eligibility criteria undergo prioritization using a rating system that allocates an applicant a given number of points for certain needs (e.g., not enough bedrooms in their current accommodation; not enough income to pay for their current accommodation, inadequacy of their current accommodation).
On April 1 the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will launch a two-year pilot project to support the start up and operation of licensed family day homes in public housing units.
The pilot project, led by Housing NWT and the department of Education, Culture and Employment, is focused on non-market housing communities where no licensed early learning and child care programs currently exist. Non-market communities are those that do not have private rental options.
Communities participating in the pilot:
A renewed funding partnership between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will see an investment of $7.6 million to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food sector in the Northwest Territories (NWT) over the next five years.
Yesterday Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek tabled a new Diversity and Inclusion Framework that will help foster a public service that is welcoming, culturally competent, and free of discrimination.
The department of Finance developed the Diversity and Inclusion Framework to help departments review current programs, policies, and resources to identify and address any systemic barriers that may prevent employees from reaching their full potential or prevent people from accessing opportunities within the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Bill 60, An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax Act was passed yesterday by the 19th Legislative Assembly, aligning the NWT’s carbon tax system with the federal government’s national stringency standards (the backstop). Under the amended Act, the Government of the Northwest Territories retains control of the carbon pricing system in the Northwest Territories.
Today Budget 2023-24, which continues to build on the 19th Legislative Assembly’s mandate commitments, was passed. The prioritization of initiatives that have already been set in motion in the life of this government will ensure their sustainability and successful transition into the next Assembly.
Today Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek introduced a bill to modernize the Northwest Territories (NWT) Liquor Act.
The proposed Bill will streamline how the industry is regulated, ensure safe public access to liquor, enhance community control over liquor, and modernize liquor enforcement.
The attached is being distributed on behalf of Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations of the Northwest Territories, and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT).
