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Mr. Speaker, the knowledge and skills of professional engineers and geoscientists are vital in meeting the priorities of our government and in supporting the quality of life for Northerners.

As Minister of Infrastructure, I know how important these professions are to achieving our Mandate priorities, especially in making strategic infrastructure investments that connect communities and increasing the use of alternative and renewable energy.

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Mr. Speaker, at long last, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the members of the new Aurora College Board of Governors have been selected.

I would like to welcome and congratulate the following individuals on their appointments:

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Mr. Speaker, at long last, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the members of the new Aurora College Board of Governors have been selected.

I would like to welcome and congratulate the following individuals on their appointments:

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Mr. Speaker, with the new year ahead of us, I am pleased to highlight the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission’s, or WSCC, new Strategic Plan, Paths Towards Safety
2023 – 2027, which is available for everyone to view on WSCC’s website.

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Mr. Speaker, caribou have sustained Northerners and communities across the Northwest Territories for generations.

Today, caribou herds face pressure from a wide range of natural factors and human activity throughout their range, including the impacts of climate change. We all want to see healthy caribou herds that can sustain harvest and cultural traditions for generations to come.  

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Mr. Speaker, it is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner!  The draw for extended-stay campsites at the Prelude and Reid Lake campgrounds will be held this Sunday in Yellowknife.

These popular campgrounds, Mr. Speaker, are just two of the 17 facilities that are managed and maintained by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment across our territory. 

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Mr. Speaker, families encounter the family law system in some of life's most difficult moments, and the Government of the Northwest Territories, GNWT, is committed to improving our family law processes to ensure we support families through these hard times.

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Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is committed to strengthening the Northwest Territories emergency management by improving responses to emergency events and assisting residents and community governments to be well prepared when faced with an emergency. I will outline for Members the lessons learned from the 2022 floods, and how we are applying those lessons to prepare for the 2023 flood risk season.

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has mandate commitments to strengthen its leadership and authority on climate change and to ensure that climate change impacts are specifically considered when making government decisions.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure recognizes the challenge climate change presents, and are the taking necessary steps to ensure public infrastructure is more resilient to the impacts of a warming planet and can meet the current and future needs of NWT residents.

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Mr. Speaker, water is life: for Indigenous peoples who have relied on it since time immemorial; for residents who rely on it today for clean drinking water; and for the thousands of species that live and thrive in our North because of it.

I rise today to speak on a disturbing issue that has come to our attention in the past 24- hours.