SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The justice minister says the federal government will be "plowing ahead" with marijuana legalization next July whether the GNWT is ready or not, although he hopes the territory has a plan in place by then.
"When the federal government made its announcement on April 13, it caught all of the other jurisdictions by surprise," said Louis Sebert on May 26.
While he admitted people knew the federal government promised to legalize the substance, he said there has been little discussion about it with the territories and provinces.
The territorial government plans to consult NWT residents about legalization in the coming months, with a goal of having the meetings wrap up by mid-September.
"I hope on this consultation process that minutes will be taken when these public hearings are had," said Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart during question period.
News/North previously reported the working group tasked with guiding marijuana legislation in the NWT keeps no records of its meetings and discussions.
Sebert said his department "was already researching this issue and monitoring developments nationally," although the government will have to work "very hard" on coming up with a plan.
The minister added the GNWT is interested in seeing what other jurisdictions are doing around the legalization of marijuana.
MLA asks for more info on RCMP sexual assault review
An RCMP review of unfounded sexual assault cases in the NWT has determined numerous cases were improperly categorized because of "a coding issue" rather than "an investigation conclusion," Justice Minister Louis Sebert announced May 25 in the legislative assembly.
Sebert was presenting a response to written questions from Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green asked in February.
G Division agreed last winter to review all unfounded sexual assault complaints it received between 2010 and 2016 after a Globe and Mail investigation revealed 30 per cent of sexual assaults in the NWT were categorized as unfounded.
Unfounded is a classification used when police determine an offence was never attempted or never occurred.
According to Sebert, the RCMP's review found 18.7 per cent of cases were actually unfounded, many of them because they were reported by a third-party.
On Friday, Green asked the minister whether RCMP will follow-up on the new number of unfounded cases to determine whether in fact those cases are unfounded.
Sebert said he wasn't sure of the exact nature of the initial investigation.
He agreed to ask RCMP for more information about whether they reviewed evidence in each of the unfounded cases.
Resident RCMP requested during freeze-up, break-up in Tsiigehtchic
The justice minister wouldn't commit to providing resident RCMP officers in Tsiigehtchic during freeze-up and break-up after Mackenzie Delta MLA Frederick Blake Jr. raised concerns May 26 about the availability of service during those times.
"Spring and fall make our rural and remote communities especially vulnerable to isolation," Blake said. "That means that communities that don't have resident RCMP officers might be stuck without them, and with no way to get them quickly and in an emergency."
Minister Louis Sebert said he hadn't heard of these concerns from residents before.
He also hadn't reviewed Tsiigehtchic's 2017-18 community policing action plan "as of late," he said, when Blake Jr. asked whether Sebert was aware of how the issue is addressed in it.
"The (RCMP) are able to go to the community now and spend the night there since housing has now been provided by the NWT Housing Corporation," Sebert said. "Coverage has improved. I cannot commit to having them there specifically during break-up and freeze-up."
Nunakput MLA stresses importance of traditional foods
With spring being a busy time for NWT hunters, Nunakput MLA Herb Nakimayak had questions for cabinet about how they are helping bring "local foods to local stores."
"Subsistence harvesting makes a huge difference to people's health and well-being," Nakimayak said May 25, citing high costs and health problems associated with the processed foods that are more easily available at stores.
But according to Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy, making sure locally sourced food such as meat is safe for residents could require a lot of work.
"Providing for locally sourced meat products will require revisions to the Public Health Act and regulations, and it may require other regulations or amendments to be done, regulations and legislation that might exist in other departments, like ENR, Lands or ITI," said Abernethy.
After more questioning from Nakimayak on May 26, Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Wally Schumann said sales of locally produced meat and dairy products would first require a regulatory framework and food safety guidelines.
He said he hopes we could see sales of these kinds of products within the next few years.
