Debates of Oct. 26th, 2018

This is page numbers 4473 - 4520 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 going .

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Government Response to the Aurora College Foundational Review

2018 Wildland Fire Season

Expansion of Ecole Allain St-Cyr

Energy Efficient Homes in the Sahtu Region

Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - 2018: Independent Auditor's Report - Child and Family Services - Department of Health and Social Services and Health and Social Services Authorities

Passing of Glenda Comeau

Passing of Fort Resolution Residents Carol Valette, Cameron Sayine Giroux and Jody Giroux

Future of Consensus Government

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Acknowledgment 14-18(3): Retirement of United Church Minisster Peter Chynoweth

Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Resources for Child and Family Services

Child and Family Services

French Language Services Audit

Energy Efficient Technology

Cabinet Accountability

Public Housing Power Rates

Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Public Housing Power Rates

Bill 18:

An Act to Amend the Cities, Towns and Villages Act Bill 20: Ombud Act

Tabled Document 269-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 361-18(3): Proposed Hay River Fish Plant

Tabled Document 270-18(3): Government Response to the Findings and Recommendations of the Aurora College Foundational Review

Bill 30:

An Act to Amend the Human Rights Act

Bill 25:

An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act

Bill 26: Statistics Act

Bill 24:

An Act to Amend the Elections and Plebiscites Act

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. Green , Hon. Jackson Lafferty , Hon. Bob McLeod , Hon. Robert McLeod , Mr. McNeely , Hon. Alfred Moses , Mr. Nakimayak , Mr. O'Reilly , Hon. Louis Sebert , Mr. Simpson , Mr. Testart , Mr. Thompson , Mr. Vanthuyne

The House met at 10:00 a.m.

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---Prayer

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Prayer

Prayer

Page 4473

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Good morning, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

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Minister's Statement 116-18(3): Government Response to the Aurora College Foundational Review

Ministers' Statements

Page 4473

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, later today, I will table the Government Response to the Findings and Recommendations of the Aurora College Foundational Review marking an end of a year-long review process.

This review has provided an opportunity to step back and evaluate where we are today and where we need to be in the future. Post-secondary education is essential to the growth and prosperity of our territory, and Aurora College continues to play a critical role in providing residents with options for obtaining that education in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, in order to better meet student needs and changing labour market demands, it has been determined that Aurora College requires significant change.

I am pleased to announce that the government will soon begin the process of transforming Aurora College into a polytech university. A polytech university combines the practical approach of a college education and the depth of study associated with a university program. Polytech programs are hands-on and technology-based, providing students with practical training for in-demand jobs.

The new institution would continue to focus mainly on applied and technical programs, as has been the case with Aurora College in the past, but with a wider range of qualifications available to students. At polytech institutions, students have the opportunity to bridge certificate and diploma credentials into bachelor's degrees, allowing for a great deal of flexibility within a defined range of academic programs.

At the same time, we have not forgotten the urgent need for more immediate incremental changes to Aurora College. We must strengthen the foundations of Aurora College as we prepare for transformational change in order to ensure the institution remains effective, efficient, and sustainable, and that it meets the needs of students and industry, both now and into the future.

As the Minister responsible, I am accountable for Aurora College and overseeing the transformation process. We have begun forging a new path forward, and I remain committed to ensuring we achieve greater public transparency and accountability at Aurora College throughout the transformation period and at the new polytechnic university moving forward. Decisions must be properly informed and follow national best practices.

An overarching priority of the transformation will also be to maintain a strong institution with three vibrant campuses, each with quality programs that are sustainable and that use and build on the assets of the communities where they are located. We will also be strengthening our 21 Community Learning Centres. The Community Learning Centres will continue to be a vital part of the institution moving forward.

I remain committed to preparing the new institution to function at arm's length from government as was universally supported by stakeholders. Such autonomy is a defining "best practice" of public post-secondary institutions in Canada. Achieving this requires a necessary balance as the right mix of public accountability and operational independence is essential to the institutions long-term success.

Mr. Speaker, I will be working with the new associate deputy minister to guide the college's transformation into a polytechnic university. One of the first steps will include developing an overall vision for post-secondary education in the North and bringing forward the legislation to make it a reality.

Rather than starting from scratch, we will build on existing Aurora College infrastructure, programming, and human resources. This will allow for a fiscally responsible rate of growth.

The review report included 67 recommendations, and the government response either partially or fully accepted all 67 of them. Some of the key commitments include:

the hiring of an associate deputy minister for Post-secondary Education Renewal;

development of a vision for post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories;

establishing an advisory committee and an academic advisory council to ensure the college continues to function well during a successful transformation; and

developing an implementation plan to guide the transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university.

We also remain on track to implement a new legislative framework during the life of this Assembly to govern post-secondary education. The primary objective of this new legislation will be to create a process of recognition that ensures the effective governance and quality assurance of post-secondary institutions and their programs.

During the life of this Assembly, we will have achieved a great deal in regard to post-secondary education and are embarking on a new and exciting path forward. There is still a great deal of work ahead, but when the 18 th Legislative Assembly concludes next year, I believe we can all say with confidence that we have done more to advance post-secondary education than any previous Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, I am excited by the path ahead for Aurora College and the opportunities a polytechnic university will provide to our residents, communities, industry, and economy in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 116-18(3): Government Response to the Aurora College Foundational Review

Ministers' Statements

Page 4474

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources .

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Minister's Statement 117-18(3): 2018 Wildland Fire Season

Ministers' Statements

Page 4474

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 2018 fire season was well below average for the Northwest Territories. A total of 56 fires were reported, affecting 13,222 hectares. In comparison, there were 249 fires and just over 860,000 hectares burned in 2017. The 25-year average is 231 fires and about 686,000 hectares burned each fire season.

As a government, it is important for us to be able to provide assistance to other Canadian jurisdictions, as many of them have helped us during previous wildland fire seasons. The relatively inactive fire season allowed Northwest Territories personnel and resources to be exported to assist with wildland fire response in other jurisdictions facing extensive wildland fires.

A total of 76 Type-1 firefighters, 19 overhead staff and three air tanker groups were sent to British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Yukon, Saskatchewan, and various national parks throughout the fire season.

Crews that remained in the territory this summer carried out important wildland fire management, maintenance, and FireSmart activities. They cleared brush, cleaned up fire breaks, managed overgrown vegetation, and constructed helipads to ensure future protection of our communities and infrastructure.

Within the South Slave region, the communities of Fort Smith, Hay River and Fort Providence benefit from clearing and brushing activities concentrated in both the communities and along highways and around fire towers. In and around the community of Fort Simpson, fire crews continued FireSmart work around the Wild Rose subdivision, clearing and removing trees. They also did brush and tree removal in the Fort Simpson Campground and widened the community wood lot access road, so that residents can have better access to fire wood.

Within the Sahtu communities of Deline, Tulita, and Fort Good Hope, work primarily concentrated on improving existing community fuel breaks by making them wider and clearing brush.

In Fort McPherson, the crew completed five helipads near water sources along the fuel breaks near the community. In Tsiigehtchic and Inuvik, fire crews concentrated on improving the areas around weather stations, radio towers, and various patrol and fire bases.

In the North Slave region, in addition to completing a number of FireSmart activities, the Department held a FireSmart workshop at Pontoon Lake that was well attended and received by the public.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the integrity and hard work shown by our wildland fire personnel this fire season, both at home and while assisting other jurisdictions.

Environment and Natural Resources fire crews continue to provide professional service to our residents and as representatives of our government while serving elsewhere.

The Government of Northwest Territories continues to work with communities on risk assessment and hazard mitigation to identify priority areas for protection planning in the face of possible wildland fire. Earlier this year, we saw the Hamlet of Enterprise become the first certified FireSmart community in the Northwest Territories. We hope the example they have set as leaders in community protection will be a model for forested communities across the territory.

Taking FireSmart actions continues to be the most important and effective way residents can protect their values at risk from wildland fires. It is everyone's responsibility to FireSmart their home and cabin and to promote the FireSmart program in their community.

This winter, we are asking those heading out to their cabins to take time to FireSmart their property. Clearing vegetation around the cabin by cutting firewood close to home and keeping the area around the cabin free of combustible materials can go a long way in protecting from wildland fire.

Mr. Speaker, this season, only three fires are suspected to have been person-caused. I would like to thank the majority of our residents for remembering to choose secure locations to make fires for cooking and keeping warm, and for making sure those fires were out before leaving. I would also like to recognize the work of our staff in getting vital messaging in fire prevention out to our communities.

As is our usual practice, Fire Operations has debriefed with headquarters and the regions on how the season went during our annual fall fire managers meeting in Fort Smith last month. The meeting was an important opportunity to share lessons learned, report on the season, and develop winter work plans. In the spring, we will hold our annual pre-season meeting to ensure we are properly prepared for the upcoming fire season.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all our fire personnel. From the fire crews out on the fire line, to our radio operators, the air attack officers, to those doing logistics and planning, and to everyone who worked hard this summer to protect both our residents and our neighbours to the south. Your commitment and efforts are appreciated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister's Statement 117-18(3): 2018 Wildland Fire Season

Ministers' Statements

Page 4475

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake .

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Expansion of Ecole Allain St-Cyr

Members' Statements

Page 4475

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

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Expansion of Ecole Allain St-Cyr

Members' Statements

Page 4475

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu .

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Energy Efficient Homes in the Sahtu Region

Members' Statements

Page 4475

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are seeing positive results from the SIP panel models in the energy-efficient homes recently seen in four Sahtu communities.

Mr. Speaker, this model can prove and is seeing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and support our local manufacturing industry.

The four units, as mentioned, in the Sahtu have seen fuel reduction in the neighbourhood of 30 percent. These cost savings are then passed on to the tenants, a truly win-win example of innovation. Later I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

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Energy Efficient Homes in the Sahtu Region

Members' Statements

Page 4475

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake .

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Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - 2018: Independent Auditor's Report - Child and Family Services - Department of Health and Social Services and Health and Social Services Authorities

Members' Statements

Page 4475

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, like many Members of this House were shocked by the findings of the Auditor General's full audit of Health and Social Services' child and family services work. Not merely as a legislator as I'm concerned by this clear lack of oversight on the part of the Minister, I'm appalled as a parent.

Mr. Speaker, Members on this side of the House will do their work with both the Auditor General and departmental officials when we conduct our formal review of this report. However, I am concerned about the accountability of the Minister of Health and Social Services on this matter.

The government clearly has blatant disregard for the well-being of children in the Northwest Territories. How such failures of oversight by the Minister could be overlooked, not just for four years but a continued passing of the buck arguably since 1998.

In 2000, the Child Welfare League of Canada recommended the development of case-load standards, which is still incomplete. After the 2014 audit, the league was commissioned to do workload management study to help identify what resources were required to deliver child and family services. Still, Mr. Speaker, the Minister has failed to act on these recommendations. The work is still not finished.

We know the department officials were only tasked to assess their financial and human resources needs towards the end of the 2018 audit period. The Minister cannot pass the buck to his senior administrative staff, as they are newer to this portfolio than he is.

The auditors were informed that departmental officials had focused their efforts on implementing the structured decision-making system as their top priority in order to address the concerns of the previous audit, and it comes with little surprise that most of the frontline workers who met with the auditors informed them that they had not received sufficient training to support them in using these tools.

To clarify, Mr. Speaker, in 2000, recommendations were put forward, and then ignored. In 2014, an audit was conducted by the OAG and was ignored. The same year, another audit was conducted by the league, and that was ignored. We are now in 2018, and this new Auditor General candid report in hand cannot be ignored, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister on his accountability on this file. Thank you, Mr. Speaker

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Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - 2018: Independent Auditor's Report - Child and Family Services - Department of Health and Social Services and Health and Social Services Authorities

Members' Statements

Page 4476

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh .

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Passing of Glenda Comeau

Members' Statements

Page 4476

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to pay tribute to Glenda Comeau. She was born on May 1, 1951, in Ontario.

Glenda dedicated her career in the NWT to serve the RCMP. For the past 15 years, Glenda, as a public servant, was the first point of contact for many people coming into the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment. Regardless of the reason for needing the RCMP, Glenda was always kind, courteous, and professional.

Glenda's true commitment, however, was to the members. She went above and beyond the requirements of her position to ensure that the members were well taken care of. Officers who were posted to the Fort Simpson detachment were often pleasantly surprised to discover that she had gotten them all of the accessories that made it easier to do their jobs. She also made sure, to the delight of many, that the staff room was always well-stocked with snacks. In many ways, Glenda considered the members to be her children and acted like a mother figure for them.

Born and raised in Ontario, Glenda was working at a hotel in High Level, Alberta, as a receptionist when she answered a newspaper job posting for public servants for the RCMP. She started her career in the Inuvik detachment, where she spent five years.

Although she had planned to spend her retirement in Ontario, Glenda found that she couldn't leave the North. After a few months in the South, she returned to Fort Simpson. Glenda passed away in the village on July 6, 2008. A memorial service, attended by her friends and some RCMP members that she had worked with over the years, was held in Fort Simpson on August 2 nd . Glenda's professionalism and dedication to supporting the RCMP will be sadly missed by many.

Mr. Speaker, I have known Glenda since she moved to Fort Simpson, and like others, I will miss her smiling face, wise words of advice, and her humour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Passing of Glenda Comeau

Members' Statements

Page 4476

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Our condolences to the family as well. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh .

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Passing of Fort Resolution Residents Carol Valette, Cameron Sayine Giroux and Jody Giroux

Members' Statements

Page 4476

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to do a bit of a eulogy on people that passed away this summer in Fort Resolution.

Mr. Speaker, on July 1, 2018, Carol Valette, wife to Frankie Beaulieu, passed away. Carol had an adoptive daughter, Tisha, and a stepdaughter named Joslyn, three granddaughters, and two grandsons. Carol was 69 years old. She was very well-liked by the community. She chose to make Fort Resolution her home when she moved there from Alberta.

On that same day, Mr. Speaker, the community lost a young man, Cameron Sayine Giroux. Cameron passed away that day, also, July 1, 2018. Cameron was the son of Raymond Giroux, and his mother was the late Colleen Sayine. Cameron was a grandson of a former Member of this Legislative Assembly, Robert Sayine and his wife, May Sayine. He was also a grandson to the late Wilfred and Elizabeth Giroux. Cameron was only 27 years old and passed away unexpectedly and suddenly.

On August 20, 2018, the community lost Jody Giroux. Jody and Cameron were first cousins. Jody was the daughter to Linda Mckay, and the late Grant Giroux was his father. Jody's sisters are Kerry Giroux and Belinda Mandeville, Stacy Giroux, and her brothers were Sean Mckay and Grant Giroux Jr. She was predeceased by one brother, Lloyd Giroux. She was a granddaughter to Denise Mckay and well-known late elder Edward Mckay. She was also a granddaughter to Wilfred and Elizabeth Giroux. Jody was born on August 31, 1980, and when she passed away, she was only 37 years old, a few days before her 38 th birthday.

It was a sad summer for the community of Fort Resolution to lose a beloved elder and to lose two young people in our community long before their time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Passing of Fort Resolution Residents Carol Valette, Cameron Sayine Giroux and Jody Giroux

Members' Statements

Page 4477

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Again, our condolences to the families and also to the community. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North .

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Future of Consensus Government

Members' Statements

Page 4477

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of this week, I didn't know that today we would wind up at a pivotal point in this Assembly that may determine the future of our consensus style of government.

On one hand, the report of the Auditor General of Canada has presented us with concrete evidence of a significant and unacceptable failure on the part of the government, under the watch of, seemingly, the most competent Minister. We have also been faced with a shipping fiasco for which no one is taking responsibility. Further, the questioning of multiple Ministers this week has left many with the impression that Cabinet either does not respect the role of the Regular Members or does not understand consensus government.

On the other hand, the Member for Kam Lake has indicated that he will bring forward legislation to officially bring political parties into this legislature and allow those parties to spend money promoting candidates in excess of what independent candidates can spend. Passage of these changes would signal the end of our style of government.

The question is: is consensus government worth saving? We are faced with a situation where a lack of action means a lack of accountability, and it is putting our system to the test. I will have questions for the Premier about whether he will keep his Ministers accountable or if we have to do it for him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Future of Consensus Government

Members' Statements

Page 4477

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

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

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4477

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to a couple of the Pages that are here with us today that we have from the Tlicho region. From Behchoko, we have Treyanna Weyallon and Leegah Lafferty, who are here with us. I would like to thank them for being here with us, and also to the other Pages as well, who are doing such a fantastic job for us. 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

Page 4477

Cory Vanthuyne

Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to recognize Josee Clermont, who is a resident of Yellowknife North and, also, the director general of College nordique francophone. Welcome, and thank you for being here.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4477

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

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

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4477

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome to the gallery Katie Johnson, who does great work with the Literacy Council here in Yellowknife. She is one of my constituents and neighbours.

I am also pleased to welcome the Chynoweth family, Peter and Sharon Chynoweth, their daughter Heather Black, and grandson Kieran Black, who are with us today. Thank you.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4477

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. 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

Page 4477

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to recognize a constituent of Frame Lake and a neighbour, Kathryn Barry Paddock, who does great work with the NWT Literacy Council. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4477

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

Page 4478

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Josee Clermont, who is the executive director of College nordique. It's great that we work together and I am looking forward to further partnerships.

I also want to recognize, if they are still up there, we should have a group of grade six students from William McDonald coming to learn about our consensus government, so I'm excited to have them here as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 4478

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we are missing anyone in the gallery, thanks for being here with us. It's always great to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgments. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Acknowledgment 14-18(3): Retirement of United Church Minisster Peter Chynoweth

Acknowledgments

Page 4478

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the career of the Reverend Peter Chynoweth who is retiring from active ministry. During 28 years of service with the United Church of Canada, Peter guided the Yellowknife Church to become an affirming ministry, served as president of the Yellowknife Ministerial Association, chaplain for RCMP "G" Division, led monthly worship for residents at Avens, and has been a strong advocate of social justice issues. Please join me in saluting the service and achievements of Peter Chynoweth. Mahsi.

---Applause

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Acknowledgment 14-18(3): Retirement of United Church Minisster Peter Chynoweth

Acknowledgments

Page 4478

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

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

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been about six months since the new fiscal year and the budget has been passed. I would like to ask the Minister of Lands some questions about the status of the equity lease issues. Can the Minister advise if the positions have been filled and the location of where the staff is? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Lands .

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can advise that three land specialist positions have been filled or about to be filled, one in Inuvik, one in Fort Simpson starting November 5, 2018, and the third will be starting in North Slave on November 13, 2018. Thank you.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. Because, if it was passed, it would be five positions, can the Minister advise us when these other positions will be filled and location where these positions are supposed to be located?

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

The two remaining positions are in Fort Smith. I'm not certain when they will be filled, but we will certainly advise the Member opposite.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

I appreciate that from the Minister. I'm hoping these positions can get filled sooner than later. Has the department completed or have they developed a training plan for the staff? Can the Minister advise us of what that training plan is?

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

Yes, Mr. Speaker, the current lands specialist has been involved in training opportunities to help facilitate the work in the Beaufort-Delta and Sahtu regions, which of course are settled regions. We are going to continue to provide training and support as we move forward. I will again keep the Member advised as to the hires that we are hoping to make and also the training.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh .

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Shane Thompson

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I greatly appreciate the Minister's answer and informing us as we move forward.

During the process, we talked about the positions, that you have to be in Fort Smith and doing a training in there. Is this the process for doing the training, or has the department come up with a newer way of doing it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4478

Louis Sebert

Thebacha

I'm not certain as to the exact nature of the training, but we could certainly look into that. As I have mentioned, we have hired somebody in the Inuvik office, and we are starting to deal with the equity leases in that region. Of course, as I have mentioned, there are 245 approximately equity leases to deal with, so there's a large number. Those are private-equity leases. There are similar, as I understand, from the department, leases between departments, but the ones that we are dealing with and we are concerned about are the private-equity leases.

Certainly, there will be training. Each of these or many of these leases do seem to be slightly different and moving forward, will depend on the terms of these leases. I will certainly keep the Member opposite advised as to hires as they take place and also the nature of the training given to these people. Thank you.

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Question 454-18(3): Status of Vacant Land Specialist Positions

Oral Questions

Page 4479

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services . As I said in my statement yesterday on the Auditor General's report on Child and Family Services, the lack of staff and resources is a theme that runs through that report. This lack of resources is jeopardizing the safety of children and care. The Minister has committed to hiring more staff. Will he work with the Finance Minister to bring forward a supplementary appropriation before the end of this sitting? Mahsi.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services .

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have gone through the business planning process. We are proposing the increase of positions in this area. In the meantime, I have directed the department to begin staffing in anticipation of the passage of those positions so that we can hit the ground running today to start filling those positions. We have tools and mechanisms available to us, double filling positions, anticipatory hiring, eligibility list. We are doing that work now. I will have a discussion with the Minister, I'm happy to do that, about whether or not we can expedite that given the crisis that is in front of us.

As a note, in response to our internal audit that was completed in May, we have actually moved forward with re-profiling some positions and the establishment of positions within the authority. For instance, we have established seven foster-parent coordinator positions, and we have filled four of them already. We have already started taking action, based on our audit, and our audit was reconfirmed by the Auditor General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for that response. Mr. Speaker, it's hard to recruit and retain social workers because the work is so grueling. I'm not surprised that there are many vacant positions. What I would like to know from the Minister is what he is doing to strengthen the recruitment and retention of social workers.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I have actually been having conversations with some of our front-line staff to try to get a determination as to some of the frustrations they feel. Part of the frustration they feel is that, with the implementation of Building Stronger Families, they were asked to do an awful lot, both provide their duties and services they did prior to implementation but also learn and test an entire new system. It has made them a little thin. They have said they want more training. They have said they want better contact and involvement in making decisions. They want to be able to know that their voices are heard.

We have actually actioned every one of the issues that they have raised, following up on our May 2017 audit, and we have already started to see some improvements. I had a conversation with a couple of them last week who said they haven't felt this supported since pre-implementation of Building Stronger Families. They are excited by the direction we are going and excited by the direction we are taking.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found, as the Minister has said, that staff is overburdened with administrative work. The Minister's decision to engage in a system-wide accreditation exercise next year is going to increase that burden substantially at a time when the focus needs to be on building relationships with children and families. Will the Minister consider deferring this audit for at least a year?

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

This audit isn't an audit of Social Services or Child and Family Services. This is an audit of the entire Health and Social Services system. It is an accreditation, rather, of the entire Health and Social Services system. It needs to be done. We will certainly work closely with the CFS division to make sure that the burden placed on them is as low as possible. We will bring in extra staff if we need to, to help them through this time.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre .

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4479

Julie Green

Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a time when Social Services was a stand-alone department within the GNWT. It is my impression that since the current department was created many years ago, that Child and Family Services has played second fiddle to the health side of the department. I would say that this approach to the accreditation reveals that, as well. Is it time to divide the department so that each segment gets the attention it deserves? Thank you.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

That question has been asked and debated many times in this House. What we have learned over the years is that in order to provide holistic care, we need to make sure that our social services side is working closely and cooperatively with the health and social services side. Moving to a single authority and moving forward with our Cultural Competency Action Plan has given us the opportunity to move in a more client-focused delivery model here in the Northwest Territories, which brings social services staff as well as health practitioners together to do holistic healing.

If we start breaking them up, we will start creating silos, more so than exist today. In the last number of months since May, we have been working incredibly hard to break down the silos that exist within our authority in this particular area. We are already seeing some progress in that area, in the collaboration of working together of both sides of the system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 455-18(3): Resources for Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake .

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services . The Minister has been in his office for five years and, before that, was a member of the Standing Committee of Social Programs that undertook a comprehensive review of Child and Family Services. Given the Minister's clear experience and interest in this file, why has he not made correcting the deficiencies in Child and Family Services his top priority as Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services .

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Health and Social Services portfolio is a significantly large portfolio, and there are many different competing priorities and demands. The Member is assuming that I haven't made child and family services a priority. This is an area that has been important to me since before I was an MLA.

When I became the Minister of Health and Social Services , I was deeply disturbed to find out that no progress, zero, had been made on the implementation of the recommendations put forward by the standing committee. I made it a priority to move on all of those recommendations and directed the department at the time to start implementing those recommendations through Building Stronger Families. Building Stronger Families also incorporated the 11 recommendations from the Auditor General at the time, remembering that some of those recommendations actually talk about fixing the foundation and putting in the tools that are necessary to support our employees at the front line.

I heard clearly from residents and heard clearly from staff during those initial reviews that things like our Child and Family Information System was garbage and did not allow them to do their reporting in a way that needed to be done. I have brought forward budget asks on this file to both implement the structured decision-making tools and customize them to the Northwest Territories as well as a budget to bring in Matrix, which is our new information system in Child and Family Services.

That information system came in last year. Already, it has given us the ability to report on things that we have never had the capacity to do so that we can do real-time quality assessments. We are doing those today and providing those results to our front-line staff so they know where there are challenges and they are able to address those challenges immediately as opposed to waiting another year until another audit comes out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

The Auditor General, as my honourable friend from Yellowknife Centre has mentioned, found that these new administrative structures that the Minister has spoken about have not improved service delivery. In fact, these complex changes have turned it into an overburdened system, continues to leave children vulnerable. It sounds like the Minister was personally involved with approving these changes. What has his follow-up been on seeing if they are actually working given what is said in the Auditor General's report and in the department's own internal audit report?

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4480

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

In addition to the work we did rolling out Building Stronger Families, we did make significant legislative changes to allow this new delivery of child and family services to become a reality. Building Stronger Families moves us from an apprehension-based system, which has traditionally been the system provided in the Northwest Territories and across Canada, to a system that the people of the Northwest Territories told us they wanted. They wanted a prevention-based system that focused on families while at the same time protecting children.

We made a number of legislative challenges. One of them that we made that, you know, is questionable at this point, even though it was still the right thing to do, is we actually increased our requirement to report. We were having difficulty reporting. We increased our requirement to report because it is the right thing to do. Then, we put in the tools so that they can actually do that reporting. Matrix didn't come in until last year. The audits that we have done have all been for years prior to that.

We are making a fundamental shift, and we have. This work that we are doing could not be possible without laying the foundation stones, which includes the SDM, Matrix, and the legislation we put forward. When we released Building Stronger Families, I said clearly it is going to take us a couple years to build the foundation. We hadn't anticipated, at that time, that we would have this kind of response and this difficulty at the front end delivering, but we accept that that was our responsibility.

We did not reach out to our front-line staff and manage the change as effectively as we should have. We have heard from our staff. They have told us that we need to do better. We are doing better by engaging with them and working with them, still a long way to go. A lot of changes are still needed. We are committed to making those changes.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

The Minister talked about taking immediate action when he took over this portfolio. He has talked about the May audit. Clearly, these concerns from front-line staff and the totality of concerns are significant and have been present for a long time. When was the Minister first made aware that Child and Family Services was worse off now than it was in 2014?

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

I think the Member and all Members remember, when we brought forward the audit of the 2015-2016 files, the audit, too, was broke. We ended up having a real problem making some determinations. From that audit, we knew there was something that wasn't exactly right, but we didn't understand the magnitude. I directed the department to fix the problem so that we could do a comprehensive audit so we could understand where we were. That audit was completed in May 2017, at which point the department expressed to me and demonstrated the challenges we were facing.

At that time, I immediately directed that we move forward with increasing the number of positions in the upcoming budget, but we started making changes within to add other positions, like the foster management positions. I also directed them to move from a one-year audit process to a more quality-assurance-based system based on the fact that the new tool Matrix allows us to report monthly. We started making these changes immediately, as soon as we became aware. I have been monitoring the progress.

The Auditor General report was happening at the same time. We chose not to wait for the Auditor General's report to start actioning these items because, at the end of the day, these children only have one opportunity at a childhood. We wanted to make sure that we are addressing these challenges and these concerns immediately once they became obvious.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake .

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

Kieron Testart

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I am torn with these responses. I appreciate the Minister is working on this. Ultimately, he has had plenty of time to start making progress on this. Things are worse today than they were before. Someone needs to take responsibility for this, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister take personal responsibility and resign? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

A number of years ago, when we moved Building Stronger Families, I said in the media that we needed to make sure that we hold our staff accountable for this action. This is a plan that needs to be done by the staff of the Northwest Territories. It is sad to say that, when I met with staff in May and again last week to review progress that we have made to date, not one person in that department who was there last week was there when we rolled out Building Stronger Families. We have gone through a complete management change, some because they needed to retire, some because they needed to go. We are making the changes that are necessary. I believe we are on the right path.

I would encourage the Member, and I am sure he will: on December 12 th , the department will be coming to both committees with the auditor, and they will be walking through our action plan. That just doesn't demonstrate work we want to do, but it also clearly articulates work that we have done to make these improvements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 456-18(3): Child and Family Services

Oral Questions

Page 4481

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4481

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le president. [Translation] My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment . An October 5 th news release from the department says that there has been a significant improvement in French language communications and services, according to an independent audit. However, there are a number of deficiencies identified in the audit. First, what formal mechanism will be used to address and improve upon the services identified as being deficient? [Translation ends]. Merci, Monsieur le President.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4481

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just start by clarifying that I am struggling with French, but I am going to try to do the best to answer appropriately as per the interpreter. Thank you for the translation on the mic.

My understanding is that we want to know what formal mechanisms can be used to address and improve on the services identified within the audit. The audit looked at four different areas. It looked at service delivery, how we deliver our programs; active offers, do we even offer people to be able to have service in French; our signage; and our display of public information or our publications. I was quite impressed, actually, when we got the results from the audit that we have made some improvements. That is a good sign, but we still have work to go. Just because we have done improvements doesn't mean we stop now.

We need to work closely with the francophone community, and we are committed to doing that. We are going to be looking at a monitoring and evaluation and accountability plan that will track the changes that are needed and the ones that are recommended in the audit, and we will keep on top of them to make sure that we have not only adequate but the best services that we can provide in French as possible to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

[Translation]. One of the issues noted is that French language training is shorter in duration than training offered by other orders of government. I have been told, for example, that there is one group of employees taking 30 hours of coursework over 10 weeks, while in the federal government groups take up to 120 hours for the same period. The audit recommends that our training hours be aligned with those used by other governments. Can the Minister explain how she intends to respond to this audit recommendation? [Translation ends].

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

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Page 4482

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I have been assured by my department that, actually, our training is meeting the needs of employees, but I also take heed, and I think that we need to challenge that because the audit is saying that we need to do better with our training.

I am committed to actually looking at the employees that are taking that training and actually doing a survey of them and asking them personally, "Is that training enough? What would you like to see implemented?"

I will take that on, and depending on what the employees say, we will adjust our training. Like I said earlier, we want to provide the best service possible in all of our languages in the Northwest Territories, and my commitment is to make sure that we do that and that we are working towards the needs of the employees.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] Another area addressed in the report is emergency alert messaging to the general public which is not available in French. Obviously this is a very important matter. Can the Minister explain how our official languages are going to be incorporated into emergency services, including in alert messages and 911 services moving ahead? [Translation ends]. Merci, Monsieur le President.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Like I said, when I first got the audit, I was actually really impressed with the progress that we have made, but when I read the audit and it said that we need to do better with our alert messaging, that was a concern. Health and safety has to be our priority.

We are working closely with MACA. My understanding was that they did, actually, when they did the testing of the alert messaging, the radio station did have the French translation, and it was missed. It didn't happen. That is not okay. That is not an excuse. What I am saying is that we need to work closer with MACA. We need to make sure that our alert system, when it broadcasts that there is an alert out there, that people understand and can evacuate or do whatever they need to make sure that they are safe.

That is an area that we need to make sure that we bump up, and again, my commitment is that is a priority for me because that is about emergency services. That is not just asking, "Do you want a French translator?" That is life or death.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake .

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Kevin O'Reilly

Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] Finally, there seems to be an imbalance in the amount of money being spent on translation - very large - and the amount of money spent on training, which is much less. It seems obvious that if we improve training, we won't need to spend as much on translation, and we can enjoy the benefits of all of our official languages at the same time. How will the Minister put greater emphasis on training, in keeping with the recommendations from this audit? [Translation ends]. Merci, Monsieur le President.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4482

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I want to start by saying that translation services is not as easy as just speaking a second language. It is actually a profession. It is actually formal training to be able to do that. It is an expensive profession, as well, but a very necessary one within the territories.

The training that we are looking for more with our employees to whom we are offering the French languages is more on the active offer. It is being able to notice when somebody needs translation services, be able to say that, hopefully, in their language, and be able to transfer them over. It is more condensed training that we are looking at.

I agree with the Member. If we can get more people trained in speaking French fluently, then we won't need as many translators. However, I do have to say that not all of us have that capability. I went through high school here. We didn't have an option of Indigenous languages back then. We learned French, and Mr. Speaker, I struggle with saying "hello," "goodbye," and "how are you doing?" today.

Not everyone can get there, I recognize. I am going to try again. Until then, we will need professional translators to be able to provide the service, and we need our employees to at least be able to say, "Bonjour," and I can't say the rest, but "do you need a translator?" That is what we are focusing on, but like I had noted before, our training, if it is not meeting the needs of the employees, then we need to find out what their needs are and work on strengthening it. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 457-18(3): French Language Services Audit

Oral Questions

Page 4483

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu .

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Bonjour, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, following up to my statements on the innovation of new technology coming north, it is a far advancement to the cabin dad had.

My first question here is: if the SIP panels are such an innovative proven technology with reductions to the utility costs of the homes, what is the NWT Housing Corporation doing with this proven technology for continuance to the SIP model homes? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Member is quite right. The NWT Housing Corporation has utilized the structural insulation panels in the past and, most recently, for communities in the Sahtu region. We are going to continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the SIP panels in these units, but I anticipate that there will be gains in energy efficiency and see how we can utilize the structural insulation panels in other communities in the Northwest Territories, especially ones where we do see high costs of the utility costs.

Yesterday, I had questions from another Member, and we talked about the user-pay power system. I mentioned that with that user-pay power system, we have also seen an 8 percent decrease in fuel consumption, which that funding actually goes back into programs we run through NWT Housing Corporation. We are going to continue to monitor and evaluate these solar panels. I am sure we are going to see some really good results, then hopefully continue to use them in other communities as one of our goals is to create energy-efficient homes, adequate, safe, and affordable homes, as well.

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thanks to the Minister for the reply here. I think we're going in the right direction. We know there's a demand for this technology in the smaller communities where you have already high utility costs for the livelihood of the homeowner. Given the demand that's out there, is the Housing Corporation working with the manufacturing companies already in the North to improve on a supply-chain manufacturing system for these SIP panel homes?

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

To be honest, I think it's too early to say. We've got to do our evaluation, monitor the SIP home, the solar panels, as well as, like I said, we have to do the research and continue to monitor and evaluate before we look at expanding the program, but we are anticipating that we are going to see some energy efficiencies, and hopefully we can move forward with this.

Most recently, as well the Member knows, we did sit down with the Deline Got'ine Government around other housing infrastructure needs, as well as promoting our housing programs and how we can work together. Right now, it's too early to say. We are going to continue to evaluate and research before we make those decisions. Right now, I am pretty sure that we are going to anticipate some savings and we will continue work with the communities and the local governments as well as keep the Member apprised of those evaluations.

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4483

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Sahtu .

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4484

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that reply here. That leads to my other question that the Minister touched on here. I was going to encourage the Minister to give a strong consideration in viewing the end product that's already in Deline and witness the consumption and reductions through the receipts of the utility bills for those homes and

schedule a manufacturing conference or meeting in Deline with some of the potential manufacturing in the North. Would the Minister commit to initiating that workshop, if you want to call it, in Deline between the Deline Got'ine Government, the public, and the manufacturing companies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4484

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

As I mentioned, it is a little bit too early to say what we are going to do in terms of expansion of this program. We have to evaluate. We already had an initial discussion with the Deline Got'ine Government on a lot of our housing programs and how we can work together as well as work with the federal government.

We do want to support our communities, as well as the communities that have the highest utility costs, and address our cost of living. I am committed to continuing that work, but we are going to need to look at the evaluation and continue to monitor before we decide what our next steps are. As I mentioned, early onset, we are seeing some really good results. We will commit to working with the communities that we have installed these structural insulated panels, the ones that we installed in north Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Deline, and Colville Lake. We will continue to work with the Member moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 458-18(3): Energy Efficient Technology

Oral Questions

Page 4484

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North .

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4484

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe in consensus governments, and, after working in the system, I know that the grass is greener on this side of the fence. Of course, there is always room for improvement. In order for our system to function, strong leadership is required. Now is the time for that leadership. The Premier has quite broad powers, greater than most people realize, I believe, and with that comes a great responsibility. Every time I go into his office, I feel like Luca Brasi in the beginning of The Godfather, so I know. I'm sure he's firmly in control of his Cabinet.

I want to ask the Premier : this House has made clear that it will not tolerate an acceptance of the failure outlined in the Auditor General's report on Child and Family Services. What is the Premier going to do about this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4484

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Honourable Premier .

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4484

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to say that I'm very concerned about the Auditor General's findings that there are serious deficiencies in the delivery of child and family services, but that's not news to me. I have been involved at a national level working with the Council of Federation with the premiers, and every jurisdiction in Canada has serious deficiencies in delivery of child and family services.

I also chair the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group where Minister Abernethy and I led a review of best practices in childcare in all of the provinces and territories and we tabled a report, but that does not denigrate from the findings of the Auditor General. In my situation, I have to find out the seriousness of the matter. It's very serious. I read the Auditor General's report. The methodology that they used, they have reviewed 37 child files and 37 foster care files. They also said that the department provides protective and preventative services to over 1,000 children a year on average over the past 10 years.

To me, one child in care that's not dealt with properly or who doesn't receive the proper care or protective care is an emergency.

I have to deal with becoming more involved with the file. As the Member said, I have some powers. The Legislative Assembly appoints the Ministers. I issue the portfolios. I have a couple of options. Before we get to those options, Members can speak to the Minister or we can have what we call "fire side chats," which in the past have proven very beneficial in improving our government's performance. If there are still concerns about the Minister's performance, as I said, I have two options. Either a Cabinet shuffle or one that we take very seriously and is a more serious is the removal of a Minister's portfolio.

I have reviewed the actions. I have looked at the report. It's a very serious situation. I believe that and I'm satisfied that the Minister has taken this issue seriously. It's very important for the public to know that this government is taken seriously. I'm waiting for my friend, the Auditor General of Canada, Michael Ferguson, to come on December 12 th . I would like to discuss it in more detail because I don't know.

I understood we dealt with the 2014 auditor in good faith, where we put in a foundation, and now for the report to come back and say, "Well, you know, you're worse off than you were before," I'm wondering what happened to their previous audit. I need more information. I know this is very serious. It's a very serious concern, and we are not going to take it lightly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4484

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

I would like the Premier to harken back to his days as a deputy minister and maybe bring that iron fist out again to handle this situation because it is serious. The concerns of the public and Members of this House regarding issues with MTS had been shrugged off by the Minister of Infrastructure, and his responses have been defiant to the authority of this Assembly. It's clear to anyone who pays attention that the Members on this side of the House consider that behaviour unacceptable. I know that the Premier has been watching every day that we are in the House. He sees what we see. What is the Premier doing to handle this situation?

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

We knew when we got into the situation of operating a barging company that there would be some serious issues. It is a very challenging environment to operate in, and we recognized that there would be situations where we would not be able to make deliveries.

We have put in place a revolving fund, which allows us to try to make the three communities as whole as possible, even the communities that are not in the Northwest Territories, and we are spending approximately $3- to $4-million to try to deliver all of the fuel that the community needs. Of course, that is a top priority. We also will be delivering the food and goods that they had purchased, and some we just can't afford to deliver, such as vehicles and so on.

That is the responsibility we have taken on ourselves. As far as the operations of the barges, and I understand that there was fuel that wasn't up to spec, we will examine all of those in the normal course of operations, like we do in every operational situation, and we will take steps to try to make sure that it doesn't happen again. There have been suggestions that perhaps somebody was asleep at the wheel. If that was the case, we will find that out as well.

Right now, our priority is we have to get fuel into the communities. We don't want the communities to freeze up. We want customers to get their food and so on, and we will continue to operate on that basis.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

My questions are more about what the Premier is going to do to get his Cabinet in line. It is clear that the Members of this House are not happy with some of the results that are being produced, the way that Cabinet is answering questions, and the way that they view the Regular Members.

I am not here to do the Premier 's job for him, but I think he needs to sit down with the Ministers who everyone knows are causing some issues and make them realize that we are here to serve the people, that the questions coming from this side of the House are coming from the public, that we ask them for the greater good, and that defiant answers and refusals to answer questions and share information and work with the Regular Members is not appropriate.

Will the Premier sit down with his Cabinet colleagues and put them in place for us?

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

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Page 4485

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

In my view, in my estimation, that is what we should all aspire to and certainly will have discussions with all of the Members of Cabinet as we want to do.

I think that is why I have relied on fireside chats, to try to make sure that we are all working, pulling in the same direction, and I find that when we treat each other with respect and when we work together, we accomplish a lot more.

I certainly thank the Member for bringing this to our attention again, and it is important for us to continue to pay a lot of attention to it and continue to aspire to improve in those areas.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North .

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

R.J. Simpson

Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said, I was hoping he would bring up the old deputy minister iron fist, but I didn't hear that.

The fireside chats are great, and I admit that we haven't had enough of them. I brought this up before at the mid-terms, but the phones work both ways. I can walk down that hallway; the Premier can walk down our hallway. He knows the issues.

Will the Premier commit to reaching out more to the Regular Members so that we can build a better relationship with Cabinet and work better for the people of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Certainly I will endeavour to do that, and the deputy iron fist, perhaps that was the good old days, but certainly I will continue to work very closely with the Ministers to continue to work to deliver on behalf of all of the Members and also to serve the people of the Northwest Territories. We always aspire to get better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 459-18(3): Cabinet Accountability

Oral Questions

Page 4485

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta .

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4485

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions about the impacts of the Housing Corporation's adjustments to public housing utility rates. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister: how is the department's income security programs division responding where its clients have been affected by changing public housing utility rates? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4485

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment .

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that the withdrawal of the utility payments by the Housing Corporation was done in September 2018, so we haven't really seen a huge impact of it yet. I should clarify in stating that not everyone that is in housing programs is actually an income support clientele. It is combined.

Our goals within the income support program are to make sure that people have enough to meet their basic needs. We are ensuring that no one that is on income support that is in public housing or outside, not only in public housing, but in market housing, that their utilities are paid. The effect to the people that are on income support would be nil, other than basically they would now have to bring in their utility bill to be paid. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

I asked a similar question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation . Has the department itself calculated how the Housing Corporation's changes to public housing utility rates has impacted demand on income support programs?

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Like I said earlier, we haven't really looked at that too much, but it is a bigger thing than that, what I am actually concerned about, and I had spoke on that before in the House, is that income support will be necessary for some people. People with disabilities or seniors, people that have specific challenges in life, they might need support for their whole lives, but we also need to focus on people actually progressing in their life or productive choices.

That is why I had committed earlier to actually working with the non-profits, setting up a table before the end of this calendar year, so that we can work more on how we can support people that are on income support so that -- I hate to say this -- we don't have people thinking that they can just, you know, "I don't have to work. I can just lay on the couch and collect a paycheque," because that is not okay.

I don't say that in a derogatory term. I don't mean that derogatorily, but we have kind of set up a society that almost says it is okay, and we need to change that. We need to focus on giving people who are on income support the pride and the goals and the opportunities so that they can progress in life, and that is what I am looking to do. That is the goal of the focus when we meet with the non-profits is: how do we support people better than what we are doing?

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

We don't have non-profit organizations in all our communities, just for the record.

How will the department work with the Housing Corporation to ensure a coordinated government approach to this mandate commitment?

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

I am not 100 percent sure what mandate commitment we are actually talking about, because we have quite a few mandate commitments. I am sorry, but I have to ask clarification on what mandate commitment specifically the Member is asking about.

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Frederick Blake Jr.

Mackenzie Delta

It seems to be a mandate commitment to have our public housing residents to have an increase in payment to their power bills. That is what I am referring to.

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Caroline Cochrane

Range Lake

Thank you for clarifying. I didn't realize that the utilities was actually a mandate commitment, so I will have to look on that. I can say that we need to support people so that they become as self-reliant as possible, recognizing that self-reliance isn't something that will be attainable for everyone.

I understand the reasoning for the Housing Corporation's decision. I used to be the Housing Minister , and my understanding is that within some communities, because people weren't paying their utilities, houses were becoming the public car wash. When people were hot in the winters, instead of turning down the thermostat, they were opening windows.

I understand the theory on how we needed to get people more taking care of their utilities and realizing the cost. I think what we missed in that is that we need to look at income support as well. How do we reward people for actually being more conservative with the utilities? We are in a day of climate change. We are in a day of really ugly things coming for our children and our grandchildren if we don't start getting people more conservative, looking at how can I as a person help impact what is happening within our world, within the Northwest Territories?

I need to look at more ways to be more positive and reinforcing and rewarding good behaviour versus punishing bad behaviour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 460-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4486

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4486

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation . Mr. Speaker, my question is: does the NWT Housing Corporation have plans to expand the Northern Pathways to Housing program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4486

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation .

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4487

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do believe I did a Minister's Statement on the good work that we are doing with the Northern Pathways to Housing program.

Currently, we have one of those programs set up in Fort Simpson that is being managed by the Liidlii Kue First Nation. It is working really well, and I am proud to say that we have helped some people transition into housing or get the support and assistance that they need, whether it is treatment or to get back on their feet. We are going to get one shortly up in Behchoko here, and we are hoping to see some good results out of that. As I mentioned when I did that statement, we are going to be expanding one into the community of Aklavik.

We are going to monitor and evaluate, like we do all of our programs, and see where we can address some of the homelessness concerns and issues outside of the regional centres into some of the smaller communities. I am sure the Member is referring to Nunakput, and as we monitor and evaluate the program and see how we can expand it, we will definitely look at it. It is a pilot program, and on its initial stages and evaluations, we are seeing that it is serving the right purpose. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4487

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

During these past couple of weeks or, actually, during this session, we have seen realities. Sometimes we don't need studies to see that programs or departments are failing, and they are failing hugely. One of my colleagues mentioned to the Premier that they need to be accountable for the services that we provide to the territory. We really need to stand by that, Mr. Speaker. Housing in my region is becoming less and less as the population grows.

Mr. Speaker, core need as well as general housing availability are critical housing issues across the territory. Mr. Speaker, how is the Housing Corporation planning to increase available housing stock, specifically in Nunakput?

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4487

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

I will refer back to another Minister's Statement that I gave earlier this session, and that is the work that we are doing with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. We have seen some great success. Also, in partnership with the federal government, we have been able to build some new housing stocks in all of the communities in the Nunakput region. We are going to continue that partnership moving forward.

One thing that I have also mentioned, which is a great initiative under the NWT Housing Corporation, is that we are going to start developing these community housing plans that are going to identify what are the priorities, what are the core needs of each of the communities across the Northwest Territories, whether it is seniors, whether it is homelessness, singles, multi-unit units, and we will work with the community leaders and the stakeholders to address them.

There are a few things that we are doing. One other program that we have been working on is a new home ownership program, and we are going to be rolling that out, hopefully, over the next year, and identifying getting some new homes in each of the five districts that we have across the Northwest Territories.

As I mentioned before, I do pride myself on partnerships, and I am looking to work with the local governments, Indigenous governments, and I think one of our strongest partnerships that we have right now in the Northwest Territories is with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and I continue to look forward to strengthening that partnership and helping them address the housing needs in their communities.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4487

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

I appreciate the response. There is such a need for housing in every aspect, not just here in Yellowknife, but across the territory. We don't see it. We don't travel often enough to the regions to see the suffering, sometimes, of some people. I think, Mr. Speaker, we need to make a point of getting out more and maybe having sessions outside of Yellowknife. I know this is the legislature, but there are times when we need to go to different regions to see what it is really like over there.

Mr. Speaker, my next question to the Minister is: what other corporation initiatives are planned to address the need for additional transitional housing across the territory?

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4487

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

One of the things that we are doing within the NWT Housing Corporation is going through a strategic renewal to identify some of our priorities, look at our policies, and what needs to be changed to make it easier and better for people to either own a home or get into public housing.

As I mentioned, the community housing plans are going to help us identify those, because we will be working with leaders and the people in the communities for them to tell us what they need, and I think that is a big step.

For transitional housing, I know that is an issue right across the NWT, and we want to address that. We want to work with our stakeholders, our NGO groups.

We also have a program, the Community Housing Support Initiative, where we do work with community governments to help identify some of those needs and how we can work together to build, whether it's a transitional unit or just, kind of, housing stocks in their communities and promote our programs that we have.

There is a lot going on. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, they have a good understanding of our programs. We meet with them on a regular basis, and we are hoping that information does filter down to the communities in the Nunakput region.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput .

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response. There is a real need for collaboration across departments and, as well, with the government to Indigenous organizations and Indigenous governments in the territory. Mr. Speaker, there is a real need.

Mr. Speaker, to date, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation was given $24 million directly from the federal government to build homes in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Mr. Speaker, with $24 million, one would think that $24 million would result in more homes as injections like this are key to the government. Over this session, I have listened to Ministers --

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Member for Nunakput , what is your line of questioning?

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

Herbert Nakimayak

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with $24 million given to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, one would think that that would inject more homes in the region, mind you, in the territory. Mr. Speaker, what is the Minister doing to ensure that the number of homes increase with the population in Nunakput and then across the territory? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

Alfred Moses

Inuvik Boot Lake

I have named off a bunch of programs that we are doing. One thing that we also are doing and actually have a good partnership with the IRC is unit disposal plans. If we can get rid of some of these, whether they are derelict units or units that have reached their life cycle, then we open up land to build new housing units. We are continuing work with the IRC to address some of these housing concerns.

We will continue to support them, work collaboratively with them, and continue to lobby and work with the federal government to see how we can get some of the Indigenous housing funding through their National Housing Strategy here to the Northwest Territories so other Indigenous governments can have the same success that the IRC is showing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 461-18(3): Expanding the Northern Pathways to Housing Program

Oral Questions

Page 4488

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

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

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Question 462-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4488

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Housing . Mr. Speaker, there were some questions on the power rates that were eventually increased to where, I believe, that the tenants in public housing are paying their own power. At one point, it used to be a payment of a small amount per kilowatt hour, and then it continued to grow until they are paying everything. One of our mandates is to lower the cost of living. I would like to ask the Minister: the benches that are set for rent, it depends on your income; you pay a certain bench.

If the power that the tenants are paying is over and above that bench or if that bench is adjusted to accommodate for the fact that they are paying their own power? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Question 462-18(3): Public Housing Power Rates

Oral Questions

Page 4488

The Speaker

Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of NWT Housing Corporation.

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