This is page numbers 241 - 272 of the Hansard for the 13th 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 chairman.

Members Present

Honourable Jim Antoine, Honourable Charles Dent, Mr. Erasmus, Honourable Sam Gargan, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Henry, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Honourable Michael Miltenberger, Mr. Morin, Mr. Ootes, Mr. Rabesca, Honourable Floyd Roland, Honourable Vince Steen.

Oh, God, may your spirit and guidance be in us as we work for the benefit of all our people, for peace and justice in our land and for the constant recognition of the dignity and aspirations of those whom we serve. Amen.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 241

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the proposed continuation of two very important programs that were mentioned in the Budget Address on Monday. Both of these programs help northerners gain the skills and work experience they need to be successful in the workforce.

One million dollars of the proposed funds will be used to extend the very successful Working Together program. This program is aimed at the more than 1,000 NWT students in post-secondary education and young people who are unemployed. Working Together dollars subsidize wages paid by employers in both the private and non-profit sectors. Over the past two years, more than 900 young people in the Western NWT have found employment in positions subsidized by the program.

Working Together has been a good partnership between government and the private sector. The jobs created under this program allow young people to get relevant experience that will help them when they are ready to look for permanent work. Mr. Speaker, it is proposed that the one-year community-based Skills for Work program will also receive $1 million. This program is based on the Investing in People program that ended on March 31 this year.

The Skills for Work program is intended to help northerners gain the skills to take advantage of the many job opportunities that we have. The proposed money will be used for pre-employment programs and will be managed through the department's regional offices. As well, support will be given to adult basic education, skills development and community job training that will be managed by Aurora College. The programs offered will be based on identified community education and training needs.

One component of the Skills for Work program worth special mention is the enhancement of training opportunities for special needs assistants. The need for more of this type of training was identified by the ministerial forum and during other work on the department's strategic plan. I am pleased that we may have some additional funding to put into this area of need.

The infrastructure to support these programs is already in place, so we hope to implement them very quickly. If the House approves the funding, the Working Together program will be available to employers by the end of the month. The Skills for Work program will be up and running in the near future as well.

Both of these programs are investments in our future and in our youth, Mr. Speaker. They are both important parts of our commitment as a government to ensure that northerners are ready and able to take advantage of the employment opportunities around them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 37-13(7): Preparing Northerners For Work
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

April 20th, 1999

Page 241

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update the Members of this House on the GNWT's ongoing efforts to recruit and retain health and social service professionals in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, we are all aware of the challenges we face with respect to the recruitment and retention of health and social service professionals in the north. This problem is particularly true with respect to nurses, who make up almost 85 percent of the health care workers in our health and social services system.

The NWT has unique needs when it comes to nursing professionals. Nurses are the first point of contact with the health and social services system for many northerners. Northern nurses must have specialized training and skills to provide the wider range of services expected of them. Nurses with the kind of training and experience we need are also being actively recruited by other Canadian jurisdictions. In other words Mr. Speaker, we are competing for a specialized pool of nurses who are in more demand than ever before.

Mr. Speaker, turnover and vacancy rates for nurses in the NWT are increasing, particularly in smaller communities. In the long term, high turnover and vacancy rates may result in decreased quality of care, increased workload for remaining staff and increased medical travel costs. We need a stable workforce to ensure that the quality of health care in the NWT is maintained. Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes that it must take action to protect the high quality of health care now provided to residents of the NWT. In Monday's budget speech, the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Charles Dent, announced it is proposed over the next two years, that an additional $3 million will be allocated to the recruitment and retention of nurses in the NWT. Incentives created with this funding will help us attract and retain nurses in the NWT. We will also use this funding to encourage more northerners to enter the nursing profession.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Ministers' statements. Mr. Steen.

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the people of Tuktoyaktuk, the hamlet council and the recreation committee for inviting me to take part in the opening of the 1999 Beluga Jamboree on Friday April 9, 1999. It was an honour for me to take part in this event which was well attended by people from Inuvik and Alkavik as well. As Minister, I also had occasion to meet with the Mayor and Hamlet Council on a serious issue pertaining to the hamlets' main fresh water source.

I wish to assure the people and hamlet council that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs officials will be working closely with them to resolve this concern to the satisfaction of the council and the department as quickly as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statement. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today is regarding the support of this government, especially in the Inuvik region and small communities and entrepreneurs in the communities who have made an investment to establish their businesses and also operate those businesses in those communities. Mr. Speaker, there is a high cost associated with running any business especially in a small community where you do not have a guaranteed economic base.

Mr. Speaker, I will use as an example, Storr & Sons of Aklavik, which is a family-owned business and was owned and operated by the late Buck Storr and now run by his son, Richard Storr. They have been in business for a number of years. They have served the community by small gravel hauls from Willow River in the Richardson Mountains, and have had the contract to maintain snow removal in regard to the winter road between Inuvik and Aklavik. Yet, Mr. Speaker, they find it harder and harder to get jobs and some opportunities for assurance that they can continue to operate and maintain their businesses in Aklavik, which they have to pay for the equipment that they purchase to ensure that they have equipment located in Aklavik, they have to have a building to house the equipment in Aklavik and they also have to be able to have some assurances for their employees that they will have work, to have a steady workforce in Aklavik. Yet, Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult for them to continue to maintain and operate this family business because of the question about competition from the larger centres, especially in Inuvik and also from outside the region.

Mr. Speaker, we have policies in place which are suppose to protect groups such as these small communities, but interpreting these policies they are more structured to regional projects than to community specific projects. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we have to relook at the bid process and the contracting process we have in place. I have had a lot of concerns and complaints from other communities, especially in the areas of the aviation sector, who also are having problems to continue to operate their businesses because of not having some assurances that they should maintain their aircraft in small communities and keep them in small communities to supply these services I am talking about versus aviation which has been in place for a number of years in Fort Norman. These are some examples of how the Inuvik region has, we have to ensure that these policies that are in place are working to ensure that we do supply opportunities to our communities and to the individuals who have made a long-term commitment to our communities in regard to ensuring that the equipment is available, and also that jobs are available to our communities. At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development on this particular matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I feel, Mr. Speaker, that it is important for us to speak about reports that are issued by this government and especially when we do extensive community consultations. I feel that it is important for us as MLAs to address them and the questions in the House so that

there is public clarification on this. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I dealt with pupil/teacher ratios and resources to deliver new programs in relationship to the report on the Minister's Forum of Education.

Today I want to speak on teacher recruitment and retention. The Budget Address, which Mr. Dent announced the other day, provided for $3 million for a strategy to retain and attract health care workers. As in the health care area, we face a potential similar problem in the education field. Health has become a focal point and it is certainly needed, there is no question about that, but we must also address the education issues. Mr. Speaker, the 1990s have not been kind and good to teachers because there have been rollbacks of salaries and benefits and there are pressures to deliver more programs with fewer dollars. Like nurses, we face a similar potential shortage in teachers.

The Canadian Teachers Federation sees teacher shortages as the biggest issue facing the profession. It is not restricted to Canada. Great Britain has set up offices in various countries to recruit teachers including one in Canada. Nova Scotia graduates are being attracted to the United States, Great Britain, Asia and the Middle East. The forecasts indicate that there is going to be a very serious teacher shortage in Ontario. There is a supply and demand gap coming. Teachers are retiring, the forecast indicates 25 percent in four years and 50 percent in the next eight years. These are very serious implications for us here in the north, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to later, during question period, address some questions to the Minister about teacher retention and attraction. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ootes has spoken in his Member's statement today about the serious issue of turnover rates in the ranks of northern educators. With increased pressures and diminishing resources for teachers to cope with, it may become rare in the future to see the kind of recognition which took place in Hay River last week.

A number of teachers and public servants were honoured at the 1998 Long Service Awards. I would like to make special mention of some of the teachers. A number received awards for five, ten and 15 years of service. Of course, this is an accomplishment and we appreciate all of our teachers in Hay River and the fact that solid, stable role models are still choosing education as a career. Mr. Speaker, I want to name the 20-year recipients: Robert White, Jennifer Turvey, Linda Hobson, Gladys Norwegian, Marilyn Carroll, Carol Grimm.

Support staff also play an integral role in the life of our schools so, it is important that we take note of the 20-year service awards that were presented to: Linda Atwell, Jun Lau-a, and also especially, Mabel Wright for 30 years of service. Mr. Speaker, if you think that eight staff members with 20 years service in a small community like Hay River is remarkable, let me tell you about Patricia Burnstad and Janet Fahl both receiving 25-year service awards.

Now we come to two of the institutions of education in Hay River; Mr. Peter Osted, and Mr. Romeo Gonzales, who were recognized for 30 years of service.

I have stated in this House before that Hay River has been extremely fortunate and when you add the combined years of teaching, the average number of years must be as high, if not higher, than most communities anywhere in Canada, let alone the Northwest Territories.

When we look at statistics in turnover rates in other communities, the national shortage rates, the increasing rate of burnout, combined with the recruitment efforts of the United States and the United Kingdom, we had better indeed take a very sober look at the resource we have in staff in northern communities like Hay River. If the pressures in the system in the north become too great, in years to come we will not be afforded the luxury of celebrating long service records such as we had last week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the Territorial Youth Legislative Assembly that will be occurring here in May. Mr. Speaker, I suppose it is appropriate that we have put in place a training program for young legislators as we are trying to train people in other areas. The way this is happening, Mr. Speaker, is that all the schools that have grades nine and ten have been asked to submit two names of youth and the youth will be coming here to represent our MLAs and sit in our chairs, ask questions, be Ministers, the whole works.

Yesterday and today the Mildred Hall School in Yellowknife here did a trial run with our staff. The staff had gone to the schools, explained the process and worked with the students and they would like to thank the teacher that they worked mainly with was Yasemin Heyck.

Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity today to watch the grade seven and eight students in the House here and they made Ministers' statements and Members' statements, there were oral questions, there was a Speaker. It was very well done and I was quite impressed with some of the statements that were made on how to improve education in Mildred Hall, more field trips in education, the name of the Northwest Territories, they did not think too much of Bob either. Also, they thought it would be a good idea to have a better place to skateboard in Yellowknife. Under oral questions there were questions on a central hiring agency, royalties from diamond mines and those types of things. I am told that the youth had their own questions, although the staff did help some of them in formulating the questions. I was quite impressed with the young fellow, Michael Lane, who sat in my seat. He did a much better job than I. He asked a similar question to what I had asked a month ago about student jobs in the summer. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do I have any nays? Mr. Erasmus, you have unanimous consent to conclude your statement.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I was saying, Michael Lane was sitting in my chair and he did a very good job asking questions about the student summer jobs and having a central agency for that. It was very ironic because about a month or so ago, the last time we were here, I had asked a very similar question to the Minister. Anyway, some of the students that I recognized from Yellowknife North were Dahti Scott, Aaron Norwegian, Alex Wah-shee and Carmen Braden, who acted as the Premier, and I would like to congratulate all the students on a job well done and we look forward to seeing the other students from the rest of the territories in May. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk a bit about Fort Resolution, the oldest community in the western Arctic. As some Members know, Fort Resolution used to be the oldest trading centre and the most active one at the turn of the century. Fort Resolution was founded as a trading post, a Northwest Trading Company as well as the Hudson Bay Trading Company, and it grew also into one of the biggest hospital centres in the western Arctic. It had a major hospital there run by the Catholic church, as well as it had a major educational centre called residential schooling. As Fort Resolution grew, also the Northwest Territories grew, but its shift started to change from a fur type, renewable resource economy to a non-renewable resource economy.

For example, the gold mines in Yellowknife. When the gold mines in Yellowknife started up, the closest resources for timber were in the Slave River lowlands and in the Slave River Valley. Back in the 1930s they started logging and sawing in the Slave River lowlands, just outside of Fort Resolution, and the majority of the people working in those sawmills came from my community, Fort Resolution. In those days, Mr. Speaker, they had about five or six sawmills along the Slave River and Jean Marie River and they used to saw logs by hand with a crosscut saw and saw them up in the sawmills, load the barges by hand and bring it to Yellowknife for timbers for the gold mines here. They also supplied much of the lumber that built Yellowknife and that is in some of the older buildings in this community.

Consequently, Mr. Speaker, you do have the enjoyment of visiting elders in our community and every time you visit an elder they all talk about working in the sawmill. They all talk about doing that type of work to support their family, so you do have grandfathers that have worked in sawmills, you do have fathers that have worked in sawmills and now you have the sons that are working in the present sawmill in Fort Resolution. This is part of the culture of Fort Resolution, it is part of our history and we will continue to do that. The people of Fort Resolution are proud people and we all want to work for our dollars, none of us want to get welfare. So, in the end, Mr. Speaker, I came from Fort Resolution yesterday, I saw a yard full of logs and everybody was looking at hearing that headsaw fire up. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

James Rabesca North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I raise to recognize two very important residents of my region. Both Doreen Nitsiza of Wha Ti and Eddie Weyallon of Rae-Edzo are volunteer workers in their communities. Over the years both have worked very hard helping their communities to become a better place to live and raise a family. Over the years Doreen has volunteered her time and energy coaching and raising money for the volleyball team and has served with the Wha Ti Sport and Culture Association for many years. Eddie Weyallon has committed his time volunteering for the past 30 years, and has served under seven different chiefs as the Rae Band's head boss for organizing events and a role model for the younger generations.

Voluntarism is a very important part of all communities. If it were not for volunteers, most if not all carnivals, dances, bingos, community radio channels, community feasts and the list continues, would never take place. We need these generous people and I thought today I would recognize two of these very important members of our community and thank them for their hard work and dedication. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Erasmus on March 29, 1999. The government has spent approximately $200,000 to train northern people at Sirius Diamonds diamond processing plant. Sirius Diamonds is currently in the process of setting up its new facility in the City of Yellowknife and will be making permanent job offers to seven of the candidates who started the initial training program. As well, we have been advised by Sirius Diamonds that ten additional job offers will be made to participants in the current Aurora College diamond pre-employment program. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.