This is page numbers 25 - 51 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 7th 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 communities.

Opening Of Royal Bank In Cambridge Bay
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 28

Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, recently there has been controversy raised by the president of the Arctic Cooperatives Limited on the Royal Bank of Canada's announced intentions of opening a full-service branch in Cambridge Bay.

In a Member's statement on February 10th, I stated that the establishment of a debit card system is not of great benefit to residents of our communities, although it may be a new convenience for some with bank accounts.

Madam Speaker, we all recognize the importance of having a financial institution located in our regions. The availability of money depositing lending institutions with personnel familiar with the people, the communities and the region will benefit all involved. Individuals and businesses will have the benefit of financial services with locally or regionally-based decision-making authority which will eventually be familiar with the operating environment. Financial institutions will have established a new base from which to build upon in an ever-developing region.

The residents in Cambridge Bay and Kitikmeot have never had a full-service, full-time financial institution based in the region. Regardless of if it is a credit union or a full-service bank, I believe the residents of Cambridge Bay will support any financial institution which is established in the Kitikmeot, as our region is currently the only one in the NWT without these services.

Madam Speaker, senior representatives from the Royal Bank of Canada will be in Cambridge Bay on November 23rd to discuss the matter further.

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Opening Of Royal Bank In Cambridge Bay
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? Proceed, Mr. Ng.

Opening Of Royal Bank In Cambridge Bay
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Madam Speaker and honourable colleagues. At this time, I wish the Royal Bank all the success towards establishing a branch in Cambridge Bay to provide services to the entire Kitikmeot. I will assist them as much as possible in establishing their branch, as I believe it is long overdue that the financial service needs of Kitikmeot residents are addressed in a satisfactory manner. Thank you.

---Applause

Opening Of Royal Bank In Cambridge Bay
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Nwthc Contract Awarded To Nova Construction
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On Thursday of last week I made a strong statement in this Assembly about companies evading the spirit and intent of the business incentive policy. I specifically focused on an NWT Housing Corporation contract awarded to Nova Construction in Iqaluit. I suggested that the owner of the company is not a resident of the NWT, as required under the BIP, and I also expressed concern that framing work on the job is being done by a southern company, further that materials for that job may not have come up on the Coast Guard sealift as required by the contract, but instead on a private barge.

Madam Speaker, I have since been approached by the local subcontractor, Belleau Webster, and told that my facts were wrong: that the framing job done by Cedarcrest Homes of Winnipeg is only a small portion of the project, most of which was done by northern suppliers and labour; that all the materials for the job were brought up on operation sealift, not on a private barge; and, further, Mr. Mrdjenovich, the owner of Nova, has offered to prove to me that the majority of his time in the past year has been spent in the Northwest Territories, and presumably that he therefore does meet the residence requirements of the BIP.

I will be asking the Minister to present the results of this investigation to this House. To Mr. Mrdjenovich and the principles of Webster Belleau Limited, who are corporate constituents, I pledge that if the results show that any of the concerns I expressed last week were not founded in fact, I will acknowledge that and correct the public record. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause.

Nwthc Contract Awarded To Nova Construction
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Rights Of Victims Of Crime
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 29

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I want to talk about victims' rights. I have said many times in this House that society has had an imbalance in

our justice system with the rights of the accused in that the rights of the convicted override that of the victims.

In seems to me now, Madam Speaker, that across the country victims are no longer on the mainstream political agenda. There is very little mention of victims in the Liberal red book. It doesn't say very much about victims and federal initiatives. We hear a lot more about the Charter of Rights and a lot more why the federal government cannot proceed in certain areas of victims' rights.

It was also interesting, Madam Speaker, that back in the 1980s, judges often bore the brunt of frustrations that people had with the lack of support for victims. Here in the Northwest Territories, over the past number of years, judges have attended many judicial education conferences and have had many sensitivity sessions. I think Judge Halifax deserves a lot of credit. He was in the forefront of judicial education. There were a series of conferences held in western Canada, and one of those held here in Yellowknife. I think now that the judges in the Northwest Territories are very aware of the harm caused by sexual and violent offenders. Their judgments and their sentences are generally reflecting that awareness.

Madam Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Rights Of Victims Of Crime
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 30

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Ballantyne.

Rights Of Victims Of Crime
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 30

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Crown is doing its best with limited resources to assess victims, and the federal government, presently, is contributing some $200,000 towards victims' programs. I had a commitment from our Minister that he will strongly recommend to Mr. Rock that that funding is continued.

As I said earlier, we managed to get a pot of money outside of government expenditures with the victims' of crimes surcharge. Now, the GNWT and the Minister have made a strong commitment to provide support to community-based victims' programs. Our Minister has led a nationally-publicized and highly praised government initiative for zero tolerance of violence.

Everyone in this House praised the Minister for that and strongly supports the Minister in that initiative. What we're trying to do is give the Minister some ideas and encouragement so he can live up to the expectations that have been raised throughout the territories. The Standing Committee on Finance made it very clear that expectations are high. The Minister is aware of that and the Minister, as I recall, said he was taking a risk when he came forward with this policy and he's prepared to live up to the spirit of his commitment.

As my colleague, Mr. Dent, has said, presently, we give around $200,000 in direct support to four programs in Yellowknife, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Fort Smith. What's amazing about these programs, for a very small cost, is the amount of volunteer participation. As Mr. Dent has said, the funding for all these programs ends at the end of this month. So, I have a suggestion for the Minister. I recognize the Minister of Finance has budgetary constraints and I recognize the pressures on the government, but on the other hand, we've just got about $70 million in a supplementary appropriation which allowed some 30 new PYs.

Money in this area is not a lot of money. An extra $200,000 for victims services will have a tremendous impact. The sort of idea I'm suggesting to the Minister -- and I think the Minister has already committed to this -- is that the funding to the end of the year be guaranteed, that we have increased funding in the O and M budget next year, and what these programs really need is a three year commitment for funding. So, with a very small cost to this government in a $1.1 billion budget, the government and the Minister of Justice will be able to do a lot to live up to the spirit and the intent of the zero tolerance for violence policy. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Rights Of Victims Of Crime
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 30

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Sobriety And Stress Management
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 30

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I wanted to make a statement in recognition of national alcohol and drug awareness week. In 1986 I made a decision to go and seek some help to quit drinking and it has now been eight and a half years since I made the decision and the commitment. It has been one of the best decisions of my life, on a personal level. I can see, from a health point of view, that it has been a positive decision. I see from a mental and family perspective that it has been good for myself, my children and my wife. It has been a good decision for my work and my capacity for work. My capacity to deal with my constituents and the general public has been enhanced in many, many ways.

I want to share that with Members because we see many things that are committed by government and groups, as a collective, but in the end, it is the personal commitment that makes the difference. Having said that, after eight and a half years, with seven years of that as an MLA serving the public, I find I have recently decided that what I also need now is help to deal with stress and anger management. That is something that is taxing me to my ultimate limit. I am hoping to find something to help me deal with the kind of stress I deal with on a daily basis, and to deal with the way that anger surrounds me, and surrounds all of us in our work and at the community level.

I find that it is not so easy and I may need this program a lot more as a result of trying to find it, trying to design and find something that will accommodate me, than I originally did. I say that because today I am feeling particularly frustrated with the lack of progress to find something I can do. But, I will not give up on it. I think I have to find something like that before I really do something. Thank you.

---Applause

Sobriety And Stress Management
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 31

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Health Services In Nahendeh Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 31

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Today, I wanted to applaud the government for following through with commitments that were made to my constituency. Studies are presently under way looking into the health delivery system for communities in my constituency. There are a couple of studies going on today. There is one being done by the band in Fort Simpson. This, I believe, was a commitment made a long time ago, at the beginning of the life of this government, when our honourable colleague from Iqaluit, Mr. Dennis Patterson, was the Minister of Health. He made that commitment to my constituents at that time, and it was carried through by all the other Ministers who followed him until the Premier, who is the Minister of Health and Social Services today.

This study is to look at culturally-relevant health services in the community. At the same time, the Deh Cho First Nations are also doing a study into health services in the region and outlying communities on how health services have been provided up to this time and what the future holds for our communities. I just wanted to say that health services for my constituency is one of my main concerns today and has always been, particularly the hospital in Fort Simpson. There is a long history related to that, going back many, many years.

The majority of people in my area are treaty people and they see that the provision of health services in that area was part of a treaty agreement reached in 1921. We would like to keep it that way. I must say that the professionals working in this field in my constituency are doing a really good job. I would like to applaud them for that. The types of services that should be delivered is a concern I have. More services could be provided to the communities, perhaps even better equipment could be placed in facilities so that more and better services could be provided there.

Hopefully, once this study is done, the government will take whatever recommendations that may come from this study very seriously. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Health Services In Nahendeh Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 31

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Madam Premier.

Return To Question 4-12(7): Charges Against Elder For Hunting Caribou Illegally
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

Page 31

Nellie Cournoyea Nunakput

Madam Speaker, I have a reply to an oral question that was asked by Mr. Ballantyne on November 14th. It was asked of the Minister responsible for Renewable Resources about charges against an elder for hunting caribou illegally. Madam Speaker, for the last six or seven winters, caribou have been crossing the Ingraham Trail. Hunting along the road caused great concern for the safety of the public using the road and living along the road. The government's intent was to find a way to make the area safe for public use.

Initially, a seasonal no hunting corridor was established under the Wildlife Act. However, this was not adequate and was replaced in 1993, with a no shooting corridor along two segments of the Ingraham Trail. This corridor was established under the Area Development Act for the purpose of public safety and is in effect all year.

Signs marking the beginning and end of the two segments are posted along the highway in English, French and Dogrib. The Department of Renewable Resources monitors caribou movements around the Ingraham Trail and Highway 3. When caribou are in these areas, the public is alerted through media announcements and reminded of the no shooting corridor along the Ingraham Trail.

On November 11th, a treaty elder from Dettah was charged under the Area Development Act with discharging a firearm in the no shooting corridor along the Ingraham Trail and under the Wildlife Act for hunting without regard for the safety of other persons and property. A companion with the elder translated the discussions with the Renewable Resources officer. The caribou that was shot was not seized. Two summary offence tickets were issued for a total minimum fine of $295.

One other person was charged for similar offences over the long weekend and two persons are under investigation. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Return To Question 4-12(7): Charges Against Elder For Hunting Caribou Illegally
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

Page 31

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 31

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize some visitors in the gallery who have worked with the victims' services programs in the NWT. From Fort Smith, the coordinator, Valerie McKay, is in the audience.

---Applause

It actually looks like Valerie has stepped out. Kate Simpson is the coordinator from Rankin Inlet.

---Applause

Madeline Qumautuq is the coordinator from Iqaluit.

---Applause

Sandra Bell is the coordinator for the program in Yellowknife.

---Applause

With them, is Kelly Dowdall who is a program support worker in Yellowknife.

---Applause

Thank you.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Keewatin Central, Mr. Todd.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

John Todd Keewatin Central

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to recognize today Mr. Moses Aliyak. Moses Aliyak received the Commissioner's Award for Bravery at the Highest Level...

---Applause

...from the Deputy Commissioner Helen Maksagak yesterday for saving his family when they were attacked by a polar bear this summer. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to recognize Mike Mrdjenovich, senior partner in Nova Construction and a constituent.

---Applause

---Laughter

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize Mr. Mike Mrdjenovich of Nova Construction.

---Laughter

---Applause

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 32

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Question 15-12(7): Status Of Meetings Re Community Wellness Strategy
Item 6: Oral Questions

November 14th, 1994

Page 32

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Justice. The Minister, in the status report on zero tolerance for violence, indicated that community, regional and territorial organizations are currently cooperating with government in the development of a common approach to wellness. This group met in June. There was also a meeting in July. Have further meetings or discussions taken place since that time? Mahsi.