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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.

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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.

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Mr. Speaker, in my time as the Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation I have made it a priority to travel to communities to listen to what our residents are telling us about housing and then seeking solutions to the barriers that are identified. Homeownership is a goal for many of us, but it can be a challenge. The costs of owning and maintaining a home can be expensive, and out of reach for many of us, especially those in rural and remote communities.

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Mr. Speaker, the Public Land Act  received assent on August 21, 2019, at the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly. The new Public Land Act consolidates the existing Northwest Territories Lands Act and the Commissioner’s Land Act into one cohesive land management regime. To bring the Act into force, new regulations must be developed.  

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Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to strengthening our leadership and authority on climate change as well as enhancing efforts to stabilize the cost of power and increase the use of alternative and renewable energy. As part of these commitments, our government has made almost $26 million in energy-related investments this past year, which are highlighted in the 2019-20 Energy Initiatives Report, which was released in January.

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