Debates of June 2nd, 2016

This is page numbers 325-362

of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library.

The word of the day was community .

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Ministers’ Statements

Minister’s Statement 31-18(2): Federal Investment In Northern Housing

Minister’s Statement 32-18(2): Federal Infrastructure Funding Programs For NWT Community Government

Minister’s Statement 33-18(2): Hay River Harbour Restoration

Infrastructure Priorities For Whati

Community Capacity Building

Support For Mining Sector

Employment Targets In Socio-Economic Agreements

Income Thresholds For Housing Projects

Co-Management Board Vacancies

NWT Track And Field Championships

Mining Potential In The Sahtu

Fuel Subsidy For Persons With Disabilities

Northern Transportation Company Limited

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Track And Field Recognition, Haley Cassie

Community Capacity Building

Socio-Economic Agreements

Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Sahtu Regional Conference On Mining Potential

Cost Of Living For Persons With Disabilities

Deferred Maintenance With Respect To H.h. Williams Hospital Building

Written Question 5-18(2): Maintenance Contracts On Highway No. 1

Petition 1-18(2): The 2016 Government Of The Northwest Territories Budget

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Report of Committee of the Whole

Orders of the Day

Members Present

Hon. Glen Abernethy , Mr. Beaulieu , Mr. Blake , Hon. Caroline Cochrane , Ms. Julie Green , Hon. Jackson Lafferty , Hon. Bob McLeod , Hon. Robert McLeod , Mr. McNeely , Hon. Alfred Moses , Mr. Nadli , Mr. Nakimayak , Mr. O’Reilly, Hon. Wally Schumann , Hon. Louis Sebert , Mr. Simpson , Mr. Testart , Mr. Thompson , Mr. Vanthuyne

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

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---Prayer

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Ministers’ Statements

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Housing , NWT Housing Corporation.

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Minister’s Statement 31-18(2): Federal Investment In Northern Housing

Ministers’ Statements

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to work in partnership with other orders of government to address affordable housing requirements. As Members already know, our territory has housing needs well beyond those of the rest of Canada, especially in our rural and remote communities. The Northwest Territories has the second highest level of core housing need in the country at 20 per cent while the national average is 12.5 per cent.

To address this disparity, the Northwest Territories requires a long term, sustainable, and predictable partnership with the federal government. We have been working closely with the other two northern territories to encourage the federal government to recognize the fiscal challenges associated with housing our people and take appropriate action.

I would like to report that this tri-territorial engagement is starting to bear fruit. In budget 2016, the federal government announced $35.4 million in funding for affordable housing for the Northwest Territories to be delivered over the next two years. The federal government’s housing priority area include funding for seniors, renovation and retrofit of social housing, victims of family violence, northern housing, and Inuit housing. This includes $15 million for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region over the next two years.

For fiscal year 2016-17, the federal allocation to the Northwest Territories is $16.6 million.

Priorities in this first year will see $7.9 million spent on public housing replacement, $3 million on repair and renovation of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation rental housing, $1.2 million on single units to address small community homelessness, $750,000 for demolition of surplus housing, another $750,000 on repair support for third-party social housing providers, $600,000 on homeownership repair, $600,000 on semi-independent housing-first units within emergency shelters and $316,000 for repairing family violence shelters.

Some of the funding will also be used for minor capital repairs, fuel, and hot water tank replacements. This federal funding enhances programming already underway by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

In addition to federal funding, the Government of the Northwest Territories planned contribution for this year is $82 million to support the operation of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

We are pleased with the federal investment and thank them for demonstrating renewed commitment to housing for Northerners, but federal funding for the operation of public housing is still declining. Public housing supports stable housing for two out of every five households in our rural and remote communities, and Canada still has a role to play. We need to see progress from them on solutions around the sustainability of public housing.

The next phase of federal engagement is the development of a National Housing Strategy. In support of that, I will be attending a federal-provincial-territorial Ministers responsible for Housing meeting at the end of this month.

I look forward to working in partnership with the other provinces, territories, and federal government to develop a flexible northern housing strategy, one that has a strong northern component, so that provinces and territories can address the gaps and strengthen the housing continuum in their respective jurisdictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 31-18(2): Federal Investment In Northern Housing

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs .

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Minister’s Statement 32-18(2): Federal Infrastructure Funding Programs For NWT Community Government

Ministers’ Statements

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in the mandate to pursue new federal funding for the enhancement of community government infrastructure. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, MACA, is working collaboratively with both the federal and community governments to fulfill that commitment through various funding programs, including the Gas Tax Agreement and the New Building Canada Plan.

Funding leveraged through these programs is helping to decrease the community public infrastructure deficit in communities across our territory. The Government of the Northwest Territories plays an important role in supporting NWT community governments as they access available federal funding programs. Most federal funding programs require that eligible projects be cost-shared. MACA provides $28 million through the Community Public Infrastructure and has protected that funding in the budget process. Community governments can use that money to leverage funds available through federal infrastructure programs.

The first of the federal programs I refer to is the Gas Tax program. Made permanent through federal legislation in 2012, the federal Gas Tax program will provide $15.3 million to NWT community governments in 2016-17. When this program was made permanent, the federal government expanded the list of eligible project types and the program became a true infrastructure program, instead of being focused on specific objectives and types of infrastructure.

The funding available through the Gas Tax program is provided to NWT community governments through a base-plus formula approach, and community governments have the flexibility to identify priority projects through their capital plan and then invest Gas Tax funding in identified projects. Community governments will tell you that the Gas Tax program is often considered their favourite federal funding program due to the flexibility in the design of the program.

The second federal program, available to community governments until 2022, is the Small Communities Fund, or SCF, which is part of the New Building Canada Plan Provincial Territorial Infrastructure Component. Over the next six years, NWT community governments will have access to $38.7 million in federal money to support most types of community public infrastructure, allocated to each community using a base-plus formula approach. Fifteen projects approved for funding under the program were announced in March of 2016.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is working with the remaining community governments to identify and obtain approval on projects for those communities. Construction must be completed on projects approved under this program by December 2022.

Canada announced the creation of two additional funding programs in its 2016 budget: The Public Transit Fund and Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The Public Transit Fund includes an allocation of $320,000 to support public transit infrastructure in the Northwest Territories; and the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund provides an investment in water and wastewater infrastructure of $51.7 million. Funding available through these programs must be spent by March 2019.

MACA is currently working with the NWT community governments to identify projects for these two funding programs and will facilitate the application and approval process with Canada. Similar to projects funded under the SCF program, projects under the Public Transit and Clean Water and Wastewater funding programs require a minimum investment of 25 per cent of total project cost by the community government, drawn from public infrastructure funding provided to communities by MACA or own-source revenues.

Given the short timeframe for this program and the limited types of infrastructure that the program can be used for, MACA will issue a call for funding applications in the coming weeks and support community governments through Canada's application and approval process. As with other funding programs, approval must be obtained from Canada before community governments can begin construction.

In 2014, MACA undertook an exercise to identify the municipal funding needed for NWT community governments. Using the information on the replacement need for all core infrastructure in NWT communities, MACA identified an annual deficit of $38 million needed to address replacement and required upgrades to core community government infrastructure. The good news is that the federal government programs I have been talking about will help to reduce that community government's infrastructure deficit across the territory.

Applying the funding through the federal Gas Tax program will reduce that deficit to $23 million per year. After applying the funding available through the other three funding programs, the annual infrastructure deficit is reduced to $14 million per year over the next ten years. Although there is still a gap that needs to be addressed, the impact of federal infrastructure funding is significant.

On behalf of the NWT community governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories, we wish to acknowledge the significant contribution of the federal government towards community infrastructure in the North which helps support MACA's goal of safe, healthy, and vibrant communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 32-18(2): Federal Infrastructure Funding Programs For NWT Community Government

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Transportation .

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Minister’s Statement 33-18(2): Hay River Harbour Restoration

Ministers’ Statements

Wally Schumann

Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in the mandate to strengthen connections with public and private sector partners to improve critical transportation infrastructure in our territory. Earlier this year, a workshop was held with key stakeholders to discuss how to restore safe and effective access to the Hay River Harbour. The Hay River Harbour is NWT's marine gateway, providing services to residents and businesses up and down the Mackenzie River into the High Arctic.

The port's strategic location, with connections to CN Rail's Meander subdivision and the public highway system positions it as a portal between the Arctic coast and southern Canada. From there, marine resupply operations are undertaken from communities and industries, contributing to lower costs of living and doing business in the territory.

The harbour is also important to the NWT's commercial fishing industry on Great Slave Lake, which has the potential to help diversify the NWT economy and increase locally produced food. Canadian Coast Guard operations, RCMP, and other federal agencies also make use of this port, providing an important aid to navigation and marine safety.

The Department of Transportation's primary role in Hay River's Harbour Restoration Project has been to advance and facilitate discussions between the government partners and stakeholder groups for improved marine facilities within the NWT. Key stakeholders, including several federal government agencies and private sector companies, met in Hay River on April 12thand 13th. The meeting provided user groups with a forum for discussing challenges and technical matters regarding future restoration efforts and the development of an effective, long-term harbour restoration strategy by the fall of 2016.

The immediate goal of this strategy will be to address the challenges posed by the buildup of sediment restricting access into the harbour. Further steps include developing a sustainable maintenance plan as part of the restoration strategy, to ensure the harbour’s full and unimpeded operational capacity in the future. Overall, this strategy is expected to have significant positive impacts on communities located up and down the Mackenzie River.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform you that the working group established during the workshop is already reporting progress. The working group is being led by the Harbour Authority. To ensure that those closest to the issue are directing efforts, in early May a military surveillance aircraft recorded imagery over the harbour and the East Channel entrance. As well, the Canadian Coast Guard has announced that it will start sounding operations in the Hay River Harbour in June. All data acquired will be used to support the technical requirements of this project, which could see initial dredging work take place sometime in 2017.

Identifying funding sources for the dredging plan remains an important project component. Funding for dredging activities is a federal responsibility and there have been positive indications from Canada that resources may become available in support of restoration of the Hay River Harbour.

The February 2016 Canada Transportation Act Review report recommended a renewed commitment for federal funds to support dredging in Hay River and marine infrastructure in the NWT. The report followed a few months after the review panel held an engagement session in Yellowknife and was taken on a tour of the port of Hay River to see the issues in the harbour first-hand. This summer, the federal government will further discuss the report's findings with stakeholders. In addition to this report, the 2016-17 federal budget identified $149 million in investment to revitalize small craft harbours across the country.

The Department of Transportation will stay engaged with the federal government for more details on funding such projects. We are committed in working with all stakeholders to develop an effective and efficient long-term solution to ensure the restoration of the Hay River Harbour for the safety and well-being of all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 33-18(2): Hay River Harbour Restoration

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers’ statements. Item 3, Members’ statements. Members’ statement. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Infrastructure Priorities For Whati

Members’ Statements

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently, the GNWT's Department of Transportation applied for permits to build an all-season road to Whati. The proposed 94 kilometre road will connect the community of 500 people with Highway No. 3 and the NWT road system. And it will stop within 50 kilometres of a poly-metallic deposit owned by Fortune Minerals that may one day become a mine. Still, Fortune Minerals needs to raise $589 million to make that dream come true, and its stock is trading for pennies a share.

The hitch is that the GNWT doesn't have the money to spend on the road to Whati or any other road. Hence, the cuts announced in yesterday's budget aimed at creating an operating surplus over the next four years of $150 million, which in turn which may be leveraged by matching federal funds and/or borrowing. But is a road what Whati needs most right now? There are several indicators that this piece of infrastructure is not their most urgent priority. First, take a look at housing. According to GNWT's Housing Survey from 2014, Whati has the greatest need for housing, second only to Gameti.

The survey shows that 45 per cent of housing in Whati is inadequate, meaning it lacks one or all of the following: running water, an indoor toilet, bathing and washing facilities, or it needs major repairs. An additional 24 per cent of housing is unsuitable, meaning that it does not have enough bedrooms for the number of people who live in the home.

CBC News recently reported on a Whati woman who lives in a house with no running water and no toilet. Spring runoff is followed by the growth of mould under the house, and the smell contributes to the woman's health challenges. Her doctor has appealed to the NWT Housing Corporation for a house that is adequately heated, free of mould, and has hot and cold running water, but there isn't a house available to her for various reasons.

If we take that $150 million the Minister is trying to acquire as an operating surplus and divide it by each of the people in Whati, they would each have $300,000 to spend. That money would buy a lot of housing, obviously, but that is not what the government has in mind. When the time comes, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance about how the decision was made to prioritize the road to Whati. Thank you.

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Infrastructure Priorities For Whati

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Nahendeh .

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Community Capacity Building

Members’ Statements

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I stand before this Chamber and our colleagues to speak about something that is very important: community capacity building, especially in the smaller communities in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, if you talk to people and ask them what it means to them, you could get hundreds if not thousands of variations of the definition. Today I would like share with you one that resonates with me.

Community capacity building is a concept approach to social and personal development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibits people, governments, and non-government organizations from realizing their development goals while enhancing the ability that will allow them to achieve measurable and sustainable results.

Mr. Speaker, what does this mean? Well to me, it is the process by which people, organizations, society systematically stimulates and develops their capacity over time to achieve social and economic goals, including through improvement of knowledge, skills, systems, and institutions with a wider social and cultural enabling environment.

Mr. Speaker, community capacity building is much more than training. It includes things such as human resource development, organizational development, just to name a few. Community capacity is all about developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, and processes and resources that communities need to survive, adapting to change in needs of their population that is served and thrives in the world. Capacity building is a process of change. People and community capacity change over time. A focus on what development policies and investments work best to strengthen the abilities, skills, and knowledge based upon cannot be on one-off interventions.

Mr. Speaker, there can be short-term results, and often in crisis situations like co-management arrangements there is a need for such. But even after short-term capacity gains such as getting the community out of fiscal situations, the community must be supported by sustained resources and political commitment to yield longer term results, truly impact on existing capacities. Capacity building is about the who, how and where decisions are made, management takes place, services are delivered, and results are monitored and evaluated. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

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Community Capacity Building

Members’ Statements

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. However, in saying this, the government cannot just say here you go. It needs to do the job to ensure we prepare them to do the job. Today, Mr. Speaker, later on I will have questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs . Thank you.

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Community Capacity Building

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Support For Mining Sector

Members’ Statements

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is about our support of a crucial sector of our economy, the resource sector, in particular, mining sector. Mr. Speaker, in the past couple of decades, the northern economy has diversified in many ways. That's positive, and we have a way to go in continuing that work. Not long ago, there were few choices for major economic activity. Beyond the traditional economy, there was government and the mines. The next big hope was oil and gas. Northerners became big supporters, counting on real economic growth.

Hopes of a resource-rich northern Texas of sorts have come and gone over the generations. Now, world oil prices are slumping, climate change is a reality, and green energy is emerging. So it's hard to imagine how major oil and gas development may even become a reality. Today, there are other success stories; small business, creative arts and tourism, and that's all good. It's important to seek new and diverse ways to generate wealth. That's the way to build a solid foundation for our younger generations, new Northerners, and frankly, our future.

We should not forget one of the foundations of our economy - mining and exploration. Mr. Speaker, the mining sector has been central to the development of our economy. Mining provides diverse returns - not only jobs, but training, secondary spending, and taxes and royalties to public and Aboriginal governments. In turn, they can develop programs and services to support and empower their communities. Mr. Speaker, my colleague just spoke earlier about capacity building. That is what this is about. Many of the NWT's current mines are maturing, and exploration is on the decline.

This is a worrisome sign for the future of this sector and to our GDP. This provides challenges we must face during the life of this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I believe a successful mining sector can generate wealth for our territory, while maintaining a good and responsible environmental stewardship. The government can take many steps to improve the climate for exploration and mining development. It's time we invite the world to see what we can offer, and that is world class resources. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of ITI . Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Support For Mining Sector

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Employment Targets In Socio-Economic Agreements

Members’ Statements

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, creating jobs for northern residents and Aboriginal employees is a major part of the Government of the Northwest Territories socio-economic agreements with the three diamond mines. People who live in the areas most impacted by the mines are a part of the approval process and were a part of the approval process for their construction. These mines are on their traditional territory. Mr. Speaker, under these agreements, the diamond mines committed to build a workforce that was made up with about half northern Aboriginal people.

These agreements also include workforce development and skill training programs to ensure our people had the best opportunity for successful employment at the diamond mines. But now, after nearly 20 years of operation, the mines' employment rates are consistently below target.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present the situation as the community members see it. Mr. Speaker, people in my riding feel that they are not given a fair chance on employment when it comes down to getting jobs. The diamonds quickly discontinue employment if one of the rules have not been followed as opposed to working with the employees to see what can be done to continue employment. Most people that have gone through feel that they were not treated fairly compared to others who had worked there. Mr. Speaker, I am not privy to the details. However, many ex-miners have told me their story.

I encourage the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to work with the mines on their employment statistics and hold the mines accountable for the targets in the socio-economic agreements. We also need to ensure that company policies are consistently applied for all workers, regardless of who they are, where they come from, and how long they have been there.

Personally, I have talked to one of the diamond mines that employee people and felt very good about the discussion. Therefore, I feel that the mines are willing to discuss strategies that could increase their numbers. The diamond mines are our main source of economic activity right now. We need to do all we can to ensure that the jobs stay in the North and that the mines benefit all Northerners. Thank you.

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Employment Targets In Socio-Economic Agreements

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta .

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Income Thresholds For Housing Projects

Members’ Statements

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to talk about the challenges some residents face when they try to access housing programs for home ownership, repairs, and renovations. This is no small issue. Housing adequacy is one of the biggest obstacles facing residents in our small communities. Right now, the PATH program helps NWT residents who want to own their own home. The amount of money you can access depends on where you live, as well as your income. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Housing Corporation recognizes the differences in cost of living across the NWT, but the problem is that these rules have not kept up with the times or the rising cost of living in our small communities.

This means residents can get trapped in limbo, Mr. Speaker. They don't have enough money to pay for the work their homes need, but they have too much income to get the help they need from the housing programs that are supposed to support them. This is a real problem in communities where renovating your home can easily cost $30,000 to $50,000, if not more. Even families with two parents will find their income eaten up pretty fast when they have to deal with bringing in supplies and finding skilled contractors on top of just getting the work done.

These same issues come up with residents trying to access the CARE program for housing repairs. The NWT Housing Corporation has already done great work on making their programs more accessible to Northerners who need them.

I know that factors like income level, family size, and construction costs are being considered. But Mr. Speaker, there's still work that needs to be done. I'd like to see these rules reviewed, so that we can be sure that access to housing programs is better matched to the needs of individual communities, and that income thresholds don't exclude people in need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions later today.

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Income Thresholds For Housing Projects

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Frame Lake .

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Co-Management Board Vacancies

Members’ Statements

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. On February 23, 2016 I asked the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations a number of written questions about vacancies on NWT co-management Boards. Earlier this week, partial answers were tabled in this House. There were some shocking revelations. Co-management boards are institutions of public government that carry out legislated duties related to land use planning, environmental assessment, land and water use, and wildlife management.

These boards are part of constitutionally protected land rights agreements that were negotiated among Aboriginal, federal, and territorial governments. These boards play a crucial role in how we take care of our land, water, and wildlife, and work with communities to ensure we protect our environment. They ensure resource development does not take opportunities away from future generations.

While Aboriginal governments and the GNWT generally nominate people to these boards, most of the appointments are made by the federal government. Unfortunately, these appointments often take too long and have become politicized in some cases. The response I received reveals that two boards are now in a position where there is no quorum and they cannot legally make decisions or carry out their important work. This includes the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board that is responsible for assessing larger projects and projects where public concern is an issue.

How can we have an effective integrated resource management system when Boards do not have the legal ability to make decisions? Of the 106 positions on the 14 co-management Boards in the Northwest Territories, 24 positions are vacant. Some of these positions have been unfilled for as long as five and a half years. How can a position on a co-management board go unfulfilled for five and a half years? I was pleased to see that only four of the 24 positions are GNWT nominees and that names to fill those positions have been submitted to the federal government. This would seem to indicate that GNWT is not the problem, but are we part of the solution?

The GNWT maintains a public board appointments

section on the Department of Executive website. This is a helpful resource, but it is really difficult to determine when positions actually open up on the boards. It would be much more helpful to have a function that shows which positions are open or ending soon and how long vacancies have been unfilled. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

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Co-Management Board Vacancies

Members’ Statements

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In February, I asked what the Minister is doing to get vacancies to the co-management boards filled. This part of my questions did not get an answer and I will be pursuing that with the Minister later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Co-Management Board Vacancies

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Hay River North .

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NWT Track And Field Championships

Members’ Statements

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use this opportunity to talk about the NWT Track and Field Championships. For 26 years, Hay River has been hosting this exciting event. Last night, I had the honour of attending the opening ceremonies. I want to thank the Members who joined Minister Schumann and me in our home town for the ceremony, including you, Mr. Speaker, Premier McLeod, Minister Moses , Minister Cochrane , the MLA for Nahendeh Mr. Shane Thompson , and the MLA for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli . Track and Field Championships are an amazing event. Hay River's population grows by 25 per cent over the three days.

More than 800 out-of-town athletes from 18 communities, from Fort Smith to Inuvik and many points in between, pour into Hay River. In all, there are over 1,000 athletes participating this year. I always loved participating in the Track and Field Championships, and honestly I'm a little envious of the athletes right now who are busy making life-long memories and new friends. Golden memories. I must say, though, that the real heroes of the event are the volunteers. Just imagine what it takes to organize an event with 1,000 participants. There are 400 volunteers from Hay River alone.

For perspective, almost one out of every nine people in the community donate their time and energy to this event. So thank you to all the volunteers, the organizers, the parents, the teachers, the Rangers, the Cadets, the RCMP, the sponsors, and everyone else who makes this event possible year after year.

I also have to give a special shout out to Hay River's own PA Predators Cheer Squad. They put on a great performance to close out the opening ceremonies and I just wanted to let them know that all of us on the stage were thoroughly impressed. So way to go, and keep up the good work. Finally, I just want to say to all the athletes, good luck and have fun. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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NWT Track And Field Championships

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. I'd just like to say also best of luck to all the athletes who are in Hay River, and thank Hay River for hosting this particular very important tournament. Members’ statements. Member for Sahtu .

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Mining Potential In The Sahtu

Members’ Statements

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to make comments in and around the mining potential in the Sahtu and to acknowledge my previous colleagues in that regard in that subject, or that industry. And later I'll have questions there to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources now that we are entering into the affordable season of our remote area, boat travel in Sahtu, so it will be a lot easier and cheaper and affordable to bring the leadership together and to engage on discussions of potential surrounding the mining industry in the Sahtu region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mining Potential In The Sahtu

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Deh Cho .

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Fuel Subsidy For Persons With Disabilities

Members’ Statements

Michael Nadli

Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I must raise an issue brought to me by one of my constituents. In my riding of the Deh Cho there is a need for fuel subsidy for those with disabilities. For a bit of background, a program like this is already in place for elders and seniors. The Senior Home Heating Subsidy helps low-income seniors heat their homes, providing access to wood, oil, propane, gas, and/or electricity. But like many seniors, many people with disabilities live on fixed incomes. If they are approved by income assistance, they may be able to access a monthly disability allowance and incidental allowance.

But in the cold winters that Northerners face every year, that may not be enough. Other jurisdictions use similar heating programs to support their residents. In Nova Scotia, low-income individuals and families can access home heating rebate programs, while in British Columbia disabled residents can access a vehicle fuel tax refund. These jurisdictions have responded to the needs of their people. The Northwest Territories must do the same.

In the government's mandate, we have committed to ensuring effective supports and programs are in place for persons with disabilities, and when we met in this House in March we urged the Government to create a five-year action plan to address the needs of the disabled community. Right now, the Department of Health and Social Services is working with other GNWT departments to make an inventory of all GNWT supports available to people with disabilities. I recommend that further review and discussion of this issue be part of that process. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Fuel Subsidy For Persons With Disabilities

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Nunakput .

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Northern Transportation Company Limited

Members’ Statements

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to talk about Northern Transportation Company Limited. NTCL is Northern Canada's oldest Arctic marine operator, and among Canada's largest barging companies. Since 1934 NTCL has provided reliable and critical marine transportation services to communities and resource exploration projects along the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories and across the Western Arctic, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and as far east as Taloyoak in Nunavut. Services to Taloyoak have been recently terminated due to the financial constraint of the company.

The core business of NTCL is cargo transportation. In five short months every year, from June to October, NTCL has moved millions of tons of cargo in our seven and a half decades serving Northerners, and are as much a fixture of northern summer life as 24-hour sunshine. However in the eyes of many Northerners this may not be the case. The people of the Arctic, the Inuvialuit and the Inuit, are customers, owners, and after decades of delivering sealift cargo since 1985, NTCL has been a 100 per cent Inuit owned company, and is a founding member of the NorTerra group of companies.

NorTerra is owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation of the Western Arctic on behalf of the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic and the Inuit of Nunavut. The department has reached out to other potential supply and transportation providers and is confident that the new contracts will meet the resupply needs of the Petroleum Products Program and to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, my region of Nunakput relies heavily on petroleum products and dry goods delivered to the communities, and later on I will have questions to the Minister of Public Works . Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Northern Transportation Company Limited

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, return to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Honourable Premier .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to recognize a constituent of Yellowknife South, Gayla Thunstrom. I think I got it right today. Thank you.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a couple of Pages from the Yellowknife North riding. I would like to recognize Aisling Dunn and Riley Menard, and thank all the Pages for the incredible work they do for us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take a moment to recognize Marie Buchanan. Marie is a constituent of Range Lake, but she is also a nurse practitioner and spent many years within the North travelling to different communities and is a real value to the Northwest Territories. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Crystal Lennie to the House today and take in our proceedings. I believe she's been regularly coming to Yellowknife to take her management and leadership courses and I wish her the best of luck in that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize Marie Buchanan who helped with the birthing of either our son or daughter. It's over 20 years ago and I can't remember which one, but she was there and helped very much, and I appreciate her efforts as a nurse in Yellowknife. Thank you.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed those in the gallery, welcome. Thanks for being here with us. It's always nice to have an audience in the gallery. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Member for Sahtu .

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Acknowledgement 5-18(2): Track And Field Recognition, Haley Cassie

Acknowledgements

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to acknowledge a young lady named Haley Cassie who is participating in the current annual track and field competition in Hay River on behalf of her school, the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday Haley broke the record running the 1800-metre track. No one has broken that record since 2002. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Sahtu region, I would like to congratulate her, her family, her colleagues, her friends, teachers, coach, community, on her success and wishing all the competitors at the function or event and from the Sahtu an enjoyable event. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Acknowledgement 5-18(2): Track And Field Recognition, Haley Cassie

Acknowledgements

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh .

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, as you heard in my Member's Statement, community capacity is important. During my last constituency tour, a number of concerns were raised about Municipal and Community Affairs' role in this area. I would like to ask the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs if he can explain the role his department has in regard to working with communities in regard to capacity building. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs .

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA has a different relationship with the local band government than we would have with other governments. Other governments fall under the legislation that defines authority and roles and responsibilities. Local band governments fall under the authority of the federal Indian Act and are the responsibility of the Indian and Northern Development Canada, or INAC. We have nine local band governments in the Northwest Territories, and MACA has a financial agreement with them to deliver municipal services.

Beyond these agreements we really have no authority over their governance or their operations in their community. We work closely with INAC and, if there are areas that need to be improved within the Band, then we will try to work with the band to help improve some of the areas and help them build capacity as well.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

I thank the Member for his answer. Can the Minister please explain how his department works with Dehcho First Nations to help band communities in the Nahendeh riding to ensure the bands are successful in their operations?

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

MACA has no relationship with the Dehcho First Nations as to the operations of the band within their area. We work directly with INAC, or we will work closely with the local band governments as it relates to the municipal-type services or responsibility that we have an agreement with them to deliver.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Again, I'd like to thank the Minister for his answer. In the past, we've heard about an accountability framework and how it is important to help communities out. Can the Minister please explain how this tool is used to help the communities to achieve success without the government stepping in or entering into a co-management relationship?

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

We would like to think that the accountability framework tool has been a very valuable tool for not only our department but for community governments as well. It allows us the opportunity to identify any issues that are small before they become big issues and work with the communities to try and resolve these issues. Before we had the accountability framework, unfortunately we ran into a few situations where communities had run into some difficulties and we had to step in later. With the new accountability framework, we believe we have the tools in place to respond to any small issues before they become a big issue, and we have to possibly go in there and co-manage with the community.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Nahendeh .

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and I thank the Minister for his answer. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is very proud of the new deal direction they have taken. Can the Minister please provide this House with what tools the department gives the communities before implementing this process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

The Member is absolutely correct. We are very proud of the new deal. It's actually been since 2007 now, so it's not so new anymore, but we're very proud of the deal and the responsibility that it's given the communities to prioritize a lot of their initiatives and with the ability they have and the financing they have they can put these to use. The major difference in responsibility is probably the capital planning, and we work closely with the communities to assist them in the application process and the planning process for their capital infrastructure projects.

Ultimately at the end of the day the decision is theirs. What we've found, I think, in the past number of years is that the communities have really stepped up and embraced this. The communities are actually getting infrastructure projects done cheaper than it would have been had you stuck a government sticker on there, because you stick a GNWT sticker on there and the price seems to be a little higher. So they've been able to get some fairly good deals and finance their own projects.

Under the new Gas Tax Agreement, we're also working to implement an asset management strategy for community governments which, for the Deh Cho, will help to build off the previous efforts to advance our asset management with the band government. So, Mr. Speaker, MACA's role now is basically to be a support to the community governments as they try to forward a lot of their own initiatives and priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 144-18(2): Community Capacity Building

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement I talked about the socio-economic agreements that our government has with the three diamond mines. I'd like to ask the Minister of ITI questions on that. Does the government have any way of holding the diamond mines to account for employment targets set out in the socio-economic agreements? Thank you.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment .

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, the government of the Northwest Territories oversees the implementation of the socio-economic agreements and coordinates the Government efforts under each SEA while monitoring how well each developer carries out its respective responsibilities. I think the mines are very accountable for their respective SEAs.

Through the environmental assessment process or the regulatory process, the Government of the Northwest Territories, when the first diamond mine was established, pushed for socio-economic agreements that came out as a recommendation from the environmental assessment process. Every mining project that has gone forward requires socio-economic agreements, so we have to go through that process. The socio-economic agreements have evolved over time from the first one that was negotiated with BHP and Ekati, which essentially their only reporting was to this Legislative Assembly.

However, our government holds annual meetings with senior officials from all the mines that have socio-economic agreements. All socio-economic agreements have dispute resolution clauses and requirements for public reporting. The mines produce an annual report documenting their progress in achieving socio-economic agreement commitments and these are made public. Also, ITI publishes annual results in their Communities and Diamonds reports. Community meetings are also held to communicate results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I represent a constituency that is over 90 per cent Aboriginal, and I would like to know if there's anything specific in the socio-economic agreements between the government and the diamond mines that hold the diamond mines accountable for the employment of Aboriginal people at the diamond mine. And I recognize that the socio-economic agreement does cover the northern/Aboriginal employment, but I'm particularly interested in how the government will hold the diamond mines accountable for the employment targets for Aboriginal people.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

We've taken a number of different approaches to it. Most of the mining companies that are operating in the Northwest Territories are very large companies that stake their reputation on achieving the targets that they've negotiated. We use a process of publishing the reports. Where those targets are not being met, we follow up with meetings.

Certainly in the first instance when there was difficulty meeting targets, the diamond companies came to meet with us to find, well, why weren't we producing more students that could meet the academic requirements that could be streamed into trades or so on that could go to work at the diamond mines, and we certainly looked at that. We also set up a number of different processes where we could work with the mining companies to find ways that we could have more northern and Aboriginal employees. We also looked at how do we deal with fly in, fly out workers. We have a number of processes.

It's a very difficult area. Obviously mine safety comes to mind. You also need people with the requisite skills to do the jobs. Also there are other factors that come into play to make sure that you have a very sustainable mine that pays very strict adherence to mine safety.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

The Minister sort of answered parts of the third question, but to be very clear and focused, I would like to ask the Minister what the mines have identified as the key reasons for failing to meet the target of hiring Aboriginal employees at the diamond mines?

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

I think we have to remember that the mines, especially the diamond mines, have had a very positive impact on our northern workforce with over 20,000 person-years employed. However, we are constantly working to improve this. The mines and ourselves know that there are a number of factors that contribute, such as low commodity prices and the financial markets. The mines have to match revenues and expenditures. What they have indicated is we have a very small workforce; they have a very small pool to draw from. Consequently the more mines we have, the less ability they have to hire northern Aboriginal workers.

They’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, kind of thing, where you have the phenomenon of people moving from mine to mine, yet it’s the same people. The inventory is not growing larger. The safety issue is paramount, also they have very strict requirements in flying in and flying out, two weeks in and two weeks out, or the management, those that work four and three.

Essentially, those are the areas. Also they are limited to pick-up points. There are only so many pick-up points that have been negotiated. They would like to hire more across the Northwest Territories, but for example most of the socio-economic agreements don't have provisions for the mines to pay for employees outside the pick-up communities. For example, some mines are paying close to $200,000 to fly in workers from outside their area, and they are saying, “well, it's not in our socio-economic agreement, and we're doing it but we can't continue to do it as the diamond prices go down.” So those are the things that we're faced with, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Those are good responses. I believe that it seems to be an issue of the skills of the workforce. What are the mines and the department doing to develop a workforce, an NWT Aboriginal workforce, as per the workforce development agreement inside the socio-economic agreement?

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

The Government of the Northwest Territories works hard to bring awareness to the significant benefits that mineral exploration, mine operations and processing can bring to people. The Government of the Northwest Territories through our Department of Education, Culture and Employment is working with the mines to support them in meeting their northern hiring targets.

This includes connecting the mines with students, promoting employment opportunities throughout the Northwest Territories by working with and supporting the mines as they undertake regional and community recruitment initiatives, supporting regional and community training opportunities to prepare residents for employment with the mines, and providing labour market funding to the mines to train employees for advancement. The Skills 4 Success initiative is working a four-year action plan.

Other examples include the Northern Leadership Development Program administered through Aurora College, which provides employees with leadership skills to prepare for management, supervisory or leadership positions.

The mines have policies for priority selection for training and employment opportunities, as well as dedicated Aboriginal training investments through partnerships with impacted Aboriginal groups. They collaborate with other GNWT and federal governments. They also leverage training funding for a qualified northern workforce. They work with resource developers, the Mine Training Society and other stakeholders, including Aboriginal governments, to ensure that our local workforce is ready and prepared for the opportunities of the future.

The success of the NWT Mine Training Society in capacity building has provided 1,900 individual Northerners with training and/or career counselling and has placed over 830 students in jobs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 145-18(2): Socio-Economic Agreements

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta .

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions in follow up to my Member's statement for the Minister of Housing . I'd like to ask the Minister, right now, how does the Housing Corporation take both family incomes and community costs into account in applications for their programs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The coordinating thresholds that we use to determine allocations for programs that the Housing Corporation utilizes is done every two years, and they are separated into different zones between communities, and recognizing that there are differences within incomes and the cost of living within each zone, so there are certain things that we do. For example, I'll give an example of the PATH program to emphasize that.

So within Yellowknife for the PATH program, because of the cost of living, people who are applying for housing, their own housing, can get up to a 5 per cent down payment on that program. But in the communities, because we recognize that jobs are hard, cost of living is high, et cetera, they can access up to 55 per cent of the down payment for those programs. So we do take into account the different regions and the different costs of living within each region.

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

I know this is before both the Minister's and my time, but some of you may recall the HAP program that many of the people in the communities took advantage of in the mid-'80s. Mr. Speaker, that was a great program, but to help those home owners with the programs we have offered today, it just doesn't match up. So I'd like to ask the Minister: will the Minister direct the Housing Corporation to review income thresholds that determine access to PATH and CARE programs to make sure they are tailored to the unique needs of each community?

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Yes, so the income thresholds will be reviewed in 2017. We do that every two years. As well, like I had said when I first started here, I am committed to being very community-focused and we are sending out a survey probably towards the end of this month that is asking each specific community what their needs are and what their priorities are. We will be developing a plan, a community-based plan, from that that identifies what the communities' issues are and what they see as needs within each separate community.

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

I would also like to ask: when the Housing Corporation does repairs to public housing in small communities, could arrangements be made for its crews to assist private home owners?

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Currently at this moment we are in talks, I am in talks, with the Housing Corporation. There is a cost to having crews, but I'm looking at more of a training program. When I recognize that the CMHC funding is going to disappear within the next 20 years or so, we need to have a better plan. So I'm actually looking at more than just having crews go in and assist home owners, but actually looking at, is it possible for us to do some training of community members so that we can support self-governance and support the communities to take some ownership within their own communities.

So that's in the beginning stages, but I can guarantee that, within this government's term, we will be looking specifically at seeing how we can assist communities to take more ownership and self-reliance within their housing issues.

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

Home building and renovations are more expensive outside the regional centres. How do current housing programs take this into account?

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

As stated, we do have the different regions for the income thresholds, so we take into account the cost of living, et cetera. They are also separated by the amounts of bedrooms, the counts with two bedrooms or less, three bedrooms or more, et cetera. Again, we will be doing a new thresholds needs assessment within the 2017 fiscal year. There are programs in place such as the PATH which does give 55 per cent, again, for a down payment, versus in Yellowknife where it's only 5 per cent. We are trying to recognize the communities' needs and work within the communities.

Our survey that will be going out will provide more in-depth knowledge so that we can provide a proper plan to address those issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 146-18(2): Income Thresholds For Housing Programs

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment . As I stated earlier today, the mining sector should not be forgotten in our efforts to strengthen and diversify the northern economy. Many northern mines are maturing while exploration is in a steady decline, and the sector requires this Government's support to begin growing again.

Can the Minister explain how the department is working to encourage mineral exploration in this climate where world-wide commodity prices and investor confidence is low? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment .

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government of the Northwest Territories' mandate document highlights that benefits from non-renewable resource productions enables an investment in many of the priority areas of our Assembly. The primary means by which this Government is addressing the Assembly's priorities in this area is the ongoing implementation of the Northwest Territories Mineral Development Strategy. Establishing a Mining Industry Advisory Board has played a very important role. They are helping us to get the word out to industry that the Northwest Territories is a good place to work and to invest in.

The Fraser Institute, which sets out a report on an annual basis, has always indicated that the geologic potential of the Northwest Territories is very high. We are always in the top ten. But on the working in the Northwest Territories, we have been very low. We have been rated right up there with the Congo, at times, at 39thplace. So we are very surprised at the ratings we were getting, so we approached the Fraser Institute and asked them what their process was.

We found out that most of the people that were submitting hadn't worked in the Northwest Territories for a long time, and the ones that are here now hadn't had the opportunity to fill out these questionnaires that they send out. So we are going to make sure that they are working with current information and that they know what the realities are.

We also have the Mining Development Strategy, which is a very important piece of our toolkit. We invest in geoscience, which is the backbone of mining. We also invest in prospector training to train prospectors. We also provide a Mineral Incentive Program, which provides funding of up to $400,000 annually to junior mining companies, and that has been over-subscribed since its introduction. We are working very closely with industry so that we can continue to get ready, so that when the commodity prices come back, we'll be ready to see the Northwest Territories take its rightful place so that exploration spending will be back up where it was in 2008. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you to the Minister for his very good reply; it is much appreciated. Mr. Speaker, the territorial government and the Northwest Territories often gets criticized for its regulatory regime and I know that there's been considerable efforts in recent years to improve that. I wonder if the Minister could please elaborate on what the role this government has had in streamlining that process and are we any further ahead than we were in past years as it relates to the regulatory processes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are working at this from a number of fronts. First of all was the successful achievement of devolution two years ago and we are now continuing to devolve and evolve and the mining legislation out there will be reviewed. We are also looking at introducing a Mineral Resources Act. The Northwest Territories is one of only two jurisdictions in Canada that does not have a Mineral Resources Act. This will be very important for our mining industry. It will provide for more effective oversight and enforcement of Northwest Territories mining regulations.

We are also talking to the federal government about the MVRMA process. We pushed for it under devolution that we should take it over, and we've raised that with Minister Bennett, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs and so we have a number of areas that we want to look at to improve the mining regulatory regime. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Again, thank you to the Minister for his reply. Mr. Speaker, one of our successful programs in this area is, in fact, the Mining Incentive Program. I wonder, can the Minister inform the House what has been the uptake in the Mining Incentive Program and what feedback from industry, if any, has the department received?

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

The Mining Incentive Program has been very well received in the Northwest Territories, especially with the downturn in the economy. In the two years that we ran the program, it's been oversubscribed. We had $400,000 available for the exploration side; that was oversubscribed. There was about $1.4 million requested and we only had $400,000, so it's obviously filling a very important void. On the prospector's side, it has been fully subscribed where prospectors in a number of regions have taken the training and have received funding through the prospector's program. I think it's going to benefit the industry going forward and especially when the commodity prices recover.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North .

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Always great to see a successful government program. Mr. Speaker, lastly, could the Minister tell us how the department is actively engaging industry to meaningfully address barriers to development, such as seeking opportunities for funding and partnerships on infrastructure projects? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

We have a number of ways that we engage with industry. First and foremost is we have the Chamber of Mines for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut which is a very active association and we interact with them on a regular basis. There's also a number of industry events in the Northwest Territories. We have the NWT Geoscience Forum which is one of the largest events in the Northwest Territories where we usually get about 800 to 900 participants and it is a very important show.

We also attend the Cordilleran Roundup in Vancouver and PDAC in Toronto, and that allows us to make very meaningful contacts and to present and advertise the Northwest Territories as a good place to work and invest. We also have the Mineral Industry Advisory Board which provides very good advice. We also meet with participants, the proponents that have projects. We have a number of projects that have been approved or ready to go and the only thing holding them back is the lack of access to capital. When we lead trade missions we also bring a number of industry people along with us to help promote their projects as well.

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Question 147-18(2): Supporting Mineral Exploration And Mining Sector

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned earlier today I have questions for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations on NWT co-management board vacancies. Two of the boards do not have a quorum and 22 per cent of the positions are currently unfilled. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we have an effective co-management system with fully staffed boards? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations .

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have done a number of things. First of all we attempted to have the authority for the boards devolve to the Northwest Territories, which was not accepted by the federal government because of the fact they had a national regulatory improvement process across Canada so they felt it was in their interest to continue to keep the MVRMA boards under their jurisdiction.

In the latest election when we wrote to all of the party leaders, the leader of the Liberal Party wrote back that if they were elected they would review the environmental assessment process and we saw that as an opportunity now that we have the Liberal government. So we approached them as to the fact that through the devolution process responsibility for the MVRMA was going to be reviewed after a five-year process, and we put forward a case that we didn't have to wait five years, we should start to work so that we could transfer those responsibilities to the Government of the Northwest Territories very quickly.

So we're still pursuing that process with Minister Bennett. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

The Department of Executive website has a board appointment

section on it, but there's really no easy way to determine which positions are vacant and for how long and when positions may be opening up. Would the Minister commit to improving the website in the interest of getting vacancies filled more quickly and to ensure greater transparency?

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

I should clarify that on our website it is referring to Northwest Territories boards; those boards that are our responsibility. If the Member is suggesting that we also include federal boards, I'll be meeting with Minister Bennett next week so I can certainly raise that with her as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

I'll be happy to have a chat with the Minister afterwards and we can chat about that website because I think there must be some misunderstanding here. I think there are some other longer term solutions. The Minister talked about delegation of appointment authority. We might also look at having an independent body that would vet applications to ensure a balance of expertise and experience on these boards. We could also look at perhaps a policy of nominating candidates for sunsetting positions, maybe six months or even a year before appointments are due. Has the Minister considered these sorts of longer term solutions that I've just mentioned?

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

I believe we're doing that for NWT boards and for those board appointments that fall under our purview.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We may disagree on a number of things here. But this issue of co-management vacancies is obviously a long-standing one when some positions have gone unfulfilled as long as five and a half years. Can the Minister commit to report to this House at least annually on co-management board vacancies and efforts to improve and avoid these sort of lengthy delays and appointments? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We'll be pleased to do that. Where it has been pointed out to us by our Aboriginal government partners, we've made representation to the federal government and generally they respond on a very quick basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 148-18(2): Co-Management Boards Vacancies

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when I spoke about NTCL and the community fuel delivery, my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services . Mr. Speaker, my first question is: what is the GNWT doing to ensure that community fuel deliveries will be completed given the recent announcement that NTCL is pursuing creditor protection? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Public Works and Services .

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Public Works and Services has had a long-standing working relationship with NTCL and we recognize that they're going through some difficulties, but we have re-established a different contract with them to make sure that they're going to transport fuel into the communities during the summer of 2016. Based on the renewed contract and the decision within the legal case that they just recently had, we're not anticipating any interruption in fuel provision for this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

I thank the Minister for the response. My question is, Mr. Speaker, what impact will this have on the communities?

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

NTCL has advised Public Works and Services that this summer they intend to sell to all the communities that they typically served in prior years. That includes Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, Lutselk'e, Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, and Aklavik. The fuel services division of Public Works and Services also ensure that there are fuel reserves in each of the communities to offset any unforeseen interruptions. So this is a long-standing practice and we continue with that.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, my other question is: with the issues with NTCL will this affect the cost of fuel in Nunakput?

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's really kind of hard at this point to kind of determine how that will affect it. There's a few things that are impacting the cost of fuel at this stage. I mean, diesel is a little bit lower because of the fluctuating global markets, but there's also an interruption in the supply because of the Fort McMurray fires. So it's a little bit too soon to determine what the fuel price changes we'll need to come into to what will affect the cost. If there is a cost differential we know that none of those changes will take place until after the summer season is finished. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister, for that response. Mr. Speaker, my final questions are: what are the next steps for the GNWT? Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

On May 25thof this year, the department has issued a new tender for a multi-year fuel supply and delivery contracts to serve the eight marine accessible communities as I stated before. The contract, once approved, will begin in 2017 and it will be a multi-year contract similar to NTCL. Also I want to raise that even though Public Works and Services doesn't transport too much of the dry goods, such as groceries, into the communities we still are concerned about that, so we will be ensuring that the supplier will be taking dry cargo as well to make sure.

On a side note, we've also recently entered into a contract with E. Gruben's Transport Limited to store diesel fuel in their bulk tanks in Tuktoyaktuk and that will support the re-supply activities and establish a strategic fuel reserve in that region.

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Question 149-18(2): Fuel Delivery By Northern Transportation Company Limited

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm asking my questions of the Minister of Finance because the policy of favouring road infrastructure over social infrastructure is a matter of financial and political philosophy. Permit applications have been filed for a possible construction of an all-season road to Whati. Given the size of this project, I can only hope the detailed cost benefit analysis has been created to quantify benefits and returns. Has a cost benefit analysis been completed and if so, will the Minister table this document for all Members and the public to evaluate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Finance .

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're doing the preliminary work on the roads that are in our mandate and for us to link them to the possible reductions exercise we're going through I think is unfair. Nowhere in this budget are we debating the investment in the Whati road right now. We are doing the preliminary work and we are looking to try to leverage federal funding for these particular projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, my question is whether there is a cost benefit analysis available on the proposed road to Whati and, if so, if it could be tabled here?

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

I will have discussion with my counterpart at DOT. They normally do project description reports for these particular types of projects before we even get to an application stage for the funding, and if that is part of the work then it would be in that project description report. But I'm sure if you ask the residents of Whati they would be quite pleased to see a road into Whati which will have twofold benefits.

People will be able to work on that road which will require some of our social spending to come down, and there may also be another spinoff effect where there might be some work done to develop a mine up there which would be put more people to work. I think I've said on a number of occasions that the best social program is a good paying job.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for that. I didn't say that the roads were without benefits of their own, but rather what I'm looking for is this business case and so i don't feel like I have that yet. When the Finance Minister considers how funds should be allocated for roads rather than housing, how does Finance determine the greater advantage of one over the other?

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, we will work with the federal government. I mean, we have three roads that we are looking at. One is the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which we've heard for the last 30 to 40 years is a priority for people up and down the Valley, and it would have huge benefits to everyone down in the Valley. The other is the road to Whati and one is the road to the Slave Geologic Province. We will work with the federal government and we can put applications in there.

If they decide that one has more value than the other or one that they're able to fund at this point over the other then we'll start those discussions with them. Then we need to ensure that if they're 25 cent dollars then we need to ensure that we're in a position to come up with our 25 cent dollars.

It’s working very closely with the federal government and what they're able to afford to help us finance. Ultimately, at the end of the day, we would like to see all three roads done because they would have huge benefit for people across the Northwest Territories.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Finance would like us to buy into the need for a $150 million operating surplus to spend on infrastructure. Housing is not listed in that list in yesterday's budget but roads are. So what I'm looking for is some justification, some quantification of the benefits of this road, and I'm wondering at what point in this process that that will be produced. Thank you.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

As we move forward to finalizing some of the applications for some of the work that goes there, and again, I will check with the department, we'll see what analysis has been done. As the Member said there was some mention, I believe, of housing. I have to say we make it sound like we're not spending any money on housing and then if you look at the budget document that we're about to debate in the coming weeks, we have $146 million invested in housing across the Northwest Territories.

I think that's fairly significant and I would put the investment that we make in our housing per capita compare that to anybody else in the country. So we try and have balanced investments across the Northwest Territories. Sixty-three per cent of our budget goes to social programs. Again, the best social program is a good paying job.

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Question 150-18(2): Cost Benefit Analysis For All-Season Road To Whati

Oral Questions

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu .

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Question 151-18(2): Sahtu Regional Conference On Mining Potential

Oral Questions

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I correct myself here earlier on my Member's statement here. My question today is directed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment . Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's common knowledge that we know the high and significant contributions, the economic contributions, the mining industry brings to the growth of the region, the territorial government as well, and the workforce, and to explore and add to the contributing factor of that industry is the reason why I would like to ask the Minister's support in funding a regional conference in one of the Sahtu's communities and discuss with the land claim stakeholders who are going to have a vital

part in the approval and support of the conference and the development of that potential. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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