Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that female inmates have moved into the new women’s unit at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex. I had the pleasure of touring the new unit last week and was blown away by the care and attention that has gone into designing a facility that is tailored to meeting the needs of female inmates in our care and specifically in the Northwest Territories.

À compter du 1^er janvier 2020, les nouveaux chasseurs devront suivre la formation des chasseurs des Territoires du Nord-Ouest (TNO) avant de recevoir leur permis de chasse des TNO.

Mr. Speaker, hunting has a long and honourable history in the Northwest Territories. At the heart of this tradition is a deep respect for wildlife, the environment and the people of this land. Residents of the Northwest Territories have told us they want to make sure these values and practices are passed on to the next generation of harvesters.

Plus tôt cette semaine, Diane Thom, ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux, a déposé à l’Assemblée législative le rapport annuel 2018-2019 du directeur des services à l’enfance et à la famille.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to update Members on our economy and to discuss some of the fiscal challenges that we will face as we work to deliver our Assembly’s shared priorities.

As we move towards the first Budget of this Assembly, we must be realistic in our expectations for how quickly we can make positive changes to strengthen our programs and services and deliver on our commitments to support the NWT economy.

Mr. Speaker, The transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university is a priority of this Legislative Assembly and I am pleased to say that we continue to make progress.

To be successful, we must focus investments in programs and services that lead to better education and employment outcomes for residents, including through our post-secondary education system.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to share with the Members of this Legislative Assembly my reflections as a new Minister of Health and Social Services.

I have spent my first few weeks as Minister receiving a series of comprehensive briefings from both the Department of Health and Social Services and the Health and Social Services Authorities.  I have had the opportunity to meet with the Leadership Council, senior management, as well as staff.

Mr. Speaker, today I am very proud to rise and recognize the three deserving individuals that have been recently inducted into the Northwest Territories’ Sport Hall of Fame.

The NWT Sport Hall of Fame was created to celebrate NWT athletes and sport builders who attained a high level of excellence and brought recognition and honour to the Northwest Territories.

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Good evening. On behalf of Premier Cochrane, thank you to the Denendeh Development Corporation for the invitation to address you this evening. 

These are early days for our government but I hope you are getting a sense the renewed energy and commitment that we have as an Assembly. 

I am happy to say that this government has hit the ground running.

Everyone in this room and our recently elected leaders have a common goal and that is a desire to improve the economic future of our territory.

Mr. Speaker, partnerships between housing stakeholders and community partners is critical in supporting the housing needs of our residents. One such partnership has been between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, the De Beers Group, and the Yellowknife Women’s Society. Over the last year, all three partners came together to provide 16 single-room semi-independent suites for homeless women.