INUVIK
Community representatives had a chance to ask questions of cabinet during the last session of the Northwest Territories Association of Communities meeting last weekend in Inuvik.

Twin Lakes MLA Robert McLeod, right, sits on a panel of cabinet ministers during the final session of the Northwest Territories Association of Communities conference in Inuvik last weekend. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

K'atl'odeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabian declared oil and gas a dying industry and discouraged the government from supporting it.

"For us to continue to try and support it, it's not a good thing for us," said Fabian.

He also expressed disappointment in the GNWT embarking on a commercial fishing project and, in his view, ignoring First Nations, as well as making the plea that traditional country foods be available in stores instead of processed products from the south.

Wally Schumann, minister of Industry, Tourism and Development, didn't seem to agree that the government should stop supporting oil and gas.

"The mining and oil and gas industry is a big part of our economy and will continue to be for the foreseeable future," he said, adding that the GNWT would continue moving forward with its strategy for the commercial fishing industry.

Brad Mapes, mayor of Hay River, suggested his community become a regional centre for waste and water management.

Caroline Cochrane, minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, said an intergovernmental group is working on waste management and aims to reach all stakeholders to find the best solution.

The issue of unclean toilets along the highway in the south of the territory was brought up, and Schumann was momentarily dubbed Minister of Toilets.

He said he has directed the department of ITI to come up with a plan. The challenge, he said, is how quickly newly cleaned toilets can get dirty again.

"It's a human problem as well," said Schumann. "We can't control that. We can't have someone there 24 hours a day."

Donna Lee Jungkind, deputy mayor of Hay River, asked if the government would consider making junior kindergarten optional and allowing each community to decide whether to run it or not.

"Why would we want to pay for a program in some communities where there's already a successful program in place?" she asked, referring to other services for young children.

Alfred Moses, minister of Education, Culture and Employment, said families will have the option to decide what programs to put their children into, but the goal of junior kindergarten is to support vulnerable children and ready them to enter the formal education system.

Other topics brought up included the rise in fentanyl use, along with water quality concerns around Yellowknife and housing issues.

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