This is page numbers 661 - 692 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 yellowknife.

Topics

Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue and the proposal that the Member talks about is once again being reviewed and some adjustments being made to it and will be brought back to Cabinet, hopefully by the August Cabinet meeting. It is fundamentally the same master plan that the former Minister of Education, Culture and Employment referred to. It is my hope that at that time, upon Cabinet review in August, we will be able to come to a consensus or an agreement on how to move forward. Thank you.

Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could not quite hear what the Minister said. There was a side conversation here. But I think he said he hopes they come to their senses and approve the plan. Does that mean that legislation will be introduced in the next session if we have one in September? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the issue of census was brought up for accurate numbers with Bill 15, looking at the number of seats. However, in regard to Cabinet and our senses, we tend, I have discovered, to have our wits about us just about all the time. The hope is that I will be able to report back to this House in September should we have a session, as the Member indicated, with a clear plan of action finally as to what the steps are going to be in regard to student financial assistance. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further along in the Minister's statement he indicates that they are going to establish a Web site to improve details on student financial assistance that students need along with a chat page so students can contact each other. Mr. Speaker, when I was a student, we had a very difficult time getting information on other students from the department. We formed a students union, and we could not even get the names of other students in the same city because of privacy regulations and so forth. I understand the Premier had the same problem this year when he went to visit some students. What I am wondering is, if this problem still exists, can the Minister move to put some sort of a line on the forms that the students fill out consenting that their names and addresses can be provided for certain instances like when people are forming students unions and that type of thing? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 673

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend my colleague for his continued keen interest in education in all its aspects and his attention to the detail. The suggestion he made is a good one that seems to me to have merit. As he is aware, as we speak, people are listening to every word in this House in regard to the debate, the questions and answers and commitments given. I will commit

to taking a serious look at that. We have met with the students that the Member referred to in his letter when he made his Member's statement today, and we plan to have a formal response out of that in the next couple of weeks. That will be one issue that I think we hope we can address. I will commit to look at the Member's suggestion. It is a good one. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Erasmus.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Another area that the Minister had spoken about was timely access to student information and increased information and communications. One way of doing these types of things, Mr. Speaker, is to have an overall student body of NWT students that could help to disseminate information and provide concerns, that type of thing, to the department. Would the Minister also commit to assisting the students to form an overall NWT students association? This would probably mean monetary as well because students come and go. When they graduate, there is nobody left to carry the ball. Would the Minister also look at this? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again this is an issue that has come up as a result of discussion with the students. While we are interested in working with the students on a lot of these issues, on this one in particular there are certain things we can do in regard to allowing and tying the students into our government-wide and community-wide information systems with the Web page and chat pages that I referenced in my statement.

As well, the broader issue that the Member raised about sort of a pan-territorial students union or association is an issue, once again, that I will commit to look at. I will also see if the students themselves have any idea and any sense of how that could possibly work and to see what is possible under the systems that we do have and if we can in fact resource it within existing budgets. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Question 247-13(7): Support For Post-secondary Students
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Mr. Henry.

Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi, regarding the new facility that is going to be built in Yellowknife. The Minister informed us that the present Yellowknife centre is overcrowded. He also mentioned that we have a contract with Nunavut to provide services to inmates from Nunavut. Also, he talked about repatriation of some of the inmates from federal penitentiaries back to the North. I understand these are lucrative contracts. Could the Minister advise me if the contract with Nunavut is called a service agreement, or is it called another type of agreement? The reason I ask this question, Mr. Speaker, is I have a copy - I believe it is complete - of all the service agreements between the Government of Nunavut and the Government of the Northwest Territories, and it is laid out by department. I do not see a contract to provide inmate housing services to the Government of Nunavut, so could the Minister tell me if the agreement with Nunavut is registered under a different name other than a service agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Kakfwi.

Return To Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Item 6: Oral Questions

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Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot tell you what it is called, but I will provide a copy to the Member so that we will both know not only what it is called but in great detail what is in it. Thank you.

Return To Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Henry.

Supplementary To Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 674

Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was taking my time. I was not prepared for such a concise answer, but I thank the Minister for that. The present facility, Mr. Speaker, is called the Yellowknife Correctional Centre. I was wondering if the Minister, now that the new facility is going to be built here, would consider changing the name of the new facility to reflect a more territorial institution? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Question 248-13(7): Correctional Agreement With Nunavut
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

I am sorry, but I will rule the question out of order. It is a new question. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. It is in regards to what I feel is happening here where we have all these initiatives in place to try to assist the regions, the communities to take on more responsibility and authorities for their programs and services and also for the people and residents in those communities. Regarding community justice, we have programs there so that they can get more involved in the justice system, a community wellness program to try get people off alcohol and drugs, making them more independent and have a more positive outlook in regards to life and going ahead with being educated, getting jobs and being productive to society. Also, we have the self-government negotiation process which is looking at all aspects including justice, which includes the question about policing and other aspects that they are looking at through the self government negotiation process.

It is important that we realize that one of the most important aspects of any culture is its youth, we have to develop those programs and services around how to benefit our communities. In my region, the Tl'oondih Healing Society was established by the Gwich'in, which invested almost $2 million to build this facility. At the present time, it has been shut down because of lack of funding and resources for programs and services. The same thing applies to the Delta House. All these initiatives were put there on the basis of stimulating communities and regions to take on more responsibilities for programs and services. One of the biggest problems we have in our communities and the regions are the alcohol and drug problems that we see with the youth. What I see here is there is no ambition by this government to basically ensure that there will be adequate resources in place to have those communities become more sustaining and able to deal with their problems but having the resources to do so. The concern I have is we are taking $30 million, building a capital project. What effect will that have on programs and services that we are committed to in the communities and region?

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Premier, Mr. Antoine.

Return To Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 675

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in return to oral questions to Mrs. Groenewegen today, that the $30 million is the way this is going to get funded from the services we provide to Nunavut over the next four years, plus we will look at the existing capital that we have within our system, perhaps look at some borrowing initiative. In our Main Estimates this spring, we also allocated for the Yellowknife Correctional Centre the total of $4 million this year to do design only with anticipated future costs of an additional $24 million for a total cost of $28.33 million that we have allocated in the five year capital project for the Yellowknife Correctional Institute. We have also passed, in this Legislative Assembly, during the Main Estimates, the male young offenders facility for Yellowknife for January, 2001, for $6.332 million. So we have a total of $34.662 million that this Legislative Assembly has allocated to these two initiatives. We have already, through this House, agreed to spend that amount. This is not going to have any impact on the concerns the honourable Member has in regards to impacts on other programs and services. Thank you.

Return To Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Item 6: Oral Questions

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Question period is over. We will take a 15 minute break. I believe there is a signing ceremony happening in the Great Hall.

--Break

Return To Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Question 249-13(7): Impact Of Correctional Capital Spending
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 675

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

I will call the House back to order. Item 7, written questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.