This is page numbers 41 - 72 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 8th 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 information.

Topics

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 41

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, many Northerners remember the exciting days of the 1970s, and the oil and gas exploration boom in the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea. We witnessed the discovery of some of the largest reserves of hydrocarbon resources in the world.

Today, along with my colleague, the Honourable Floyd Roland, MLA for Inuvik, I take pleasure in saying that the NWT Power Corporation is one of the first commercial users of these resources. Tomorrow, the NWT Power Corporation will join with the Town of Inuvik and the Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation and their partners, Alta Gas Services Incorporated, and Enbridge Incorporated, in ceremonies to mark the arrival of the first commercial gas deliveries from the Ikhil field. The ceremony will include the start up of two new natural gas driven generators.

Of special significance is the Power Corporation's role as the anchor customer for the system. The corporation's conversion from diesel fuel was the economic key to the project, and brings many benefits to Inuvik power customers.

Over the minimum 15 year life of the project, the new gas supply will replace some 70 barge loads of southern diesel fuel imports to Inuvik. This will save Inuvik power customers an estimated $20 to $25 million by, in part, decreasing the future need for infrastructure to generate electricity.

Greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by some 100,000 tonnes, or 32 percent by new gas driven engines that run cleaner, quieter and more efficiently than diesels. This improvement will help the Corporation, and the NWT, play our part in achieving Canada's commitment to reduce pollution as part of the 1996 Kyoto clean air accord.

As Inuvik Gas Limited develops the town's gas distribution system, businesses and homeowners will be also able to convert to the new energy source for heating and other uses.

This development holds great promise for similar projects in other NWT communities located near natural gas discoveries or pipelines.

Along with Mr. Roland, I invite this Assembly to join me in congratulating the Town of Inuvik, the Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation and the NWT Power Corporation on their achievement and this exciting new era in northern energy development. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Ministers' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Minister's Statement 6-13(8): Sharing Best Ideas
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the summer, I tabled a response to the recommendations of the Forum on Education. One of the areas that were highlighted in the response was the need to share the best ideas of educators across the Northwest Territories. In individual classrooms, teachers or other school staff are using innovative and interesting approaches for teaching different subjects and concepts. These approaches might work for other students in other classrooms but there has not been a good way to share them.

Efforts are underway to find ways to share information between schools and teachers. One excellent example of collaboration and sharing of best practices is a binder of material entitled "Promising Practices, Ideas That Work in Northern Secondary Classrooms" which has just been produced by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. This document contains the ideas, techniques and strategies that have worked for teachers in northern classrooms.

The binder includes a broad range of topics including general teaching and learning strategies; strategies specific to certain subjects; strategies for program and student support; administration; school spirit and school wide events; and encouraging school/community interaction.

There are more than 104 different ideas in this resource binder. For each strategy, there is information on what the benefits are to the student, what material are needed, detailed how to instructions and a section called "Keep in Mind" which gives practical tips for making the strategy work for students. Each strategy also identifies the teacher who submitted the strategy and at which school they were teaching.

The binder will be distributed to all schools in the NWT and will also be available electronically. the hope is that this is only the beginning and teachers will continue to contribute their most successful ideas, adding to this initial collection.

Mr. Speaker, this excellent practical support material can only exist with the contributions of those who are working with our students on a daily basis. We appreciate the efforts of the many teachers who contributed to this resource binder and will try to encourage all educators to expand the sharing of ideas and resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 6-13(8): Sharing Best Ideas
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Steen.

Minister's Statement 7-13(8): NWT Highway Strategy
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 42

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation has been working, since May of 1998, to complete background planning work on four major road projects as part of a strategy for highway development in the NWT. Today I would like to provide you with a status report on this important initiative.

The four projects included in the Highway Strategy are the Slave Geological Province Transportation Corridor, extension of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, a road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk and finally, acceleration of Highway 3 reconstruction from Rae to Yellowknife.

The funding allocated to this initiative has been used to undertake economic, environmental, financing and pre-engineering studies for each of the four road projects. The majority of these studies are now complete.

Extensive consultations with all stakeholders were a key element of each of the studies undertaken. These included stakeholder workshops in Yellowknife and other regional centres, public meetings and interviews in each affected community and, one on one interviews with key stakeholders. Stakeholder Advisory Committees were organized to assist the department in establishing the scope for the study areas and reviewing the results.

The Highway Strategy initiative has been successful both in establishing a comprehensive database of information on new road construction in the Northwest Territories, and by involving all stakeholders in this process.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of future activities, the department intends to complete all studies that are currently underway and will undertake additional analysis as needs or opportunities arise. Department officials are currently preparing two reports that will present the results of the work completed to date. The first report will present a concise summary of the result for each of the studies undertaken. This report will be made available to stakeholders and the general public shortly. The second report will outline the departments's vision of the future NWT highway system and a plan of action to achieve that vision.

In closing Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that plans are now being made to present the study results and the vision for new roads to Minister Kakfwi's Economic Strategy Panel. I fully expect the panel will include the results of the Highway Strategy initiative among its recommendations for inclusion in this government's Economic Strategy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 7-13(8): NWT Highway Strategy
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 42

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Roland.

Minister's Statement 8-13(8): Mdapp Evaluation
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 42

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to provide the House with a summary of the success of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's Minimum Down Payment Assistance Pilot Program or as it is more commonly known MDAPP.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, this pilot program gave people grants towards the down payment of a home. Grants of $10,000 were provided to those living below the treeline and $15,000 grants were provided above the treeline.

As this was a pilot program Cabinet directed that an evaluation be conducted once MDAPP was completed. This was done because MDAPP was the first time a program aimed at stimulating the NWT's economy through housing sales was attempted. According to this review, the following results were achieved:

- almost 75 percent of the families surveyed indicated that they would not have been able to buy their home without the MDAPP grant

- 555 families, in 16 NWT communities became homeowners through MDAPP

- close to $5.6 million was spent under MDAPP which stimulated almost $70 million in real estate transactions

- families who received MDAPP report they expect to spend over $3 million for renovations and improvements to their new homes in the next year

- 22 percent or 118 families assisted through MDAPP moved to the NWT in the last two years

- a further 59 families assisted by MDAPP moved from either another community in the NWT or a Nunavut community in the last two years, many of those surveyed said they had moved because of jobs

- during the pilot program there was no increase in the number of rental units available on the market. It is believed that this was due to a large number of families who sold their homes moved into rental accommodation.

Mr. Speaker, this evaluation shows that the pilot program was successful in meeting its stated objectives, which were:

- stimulate the sales of existing homes on the market which were having a detrimental effect on the demand for new home construction;

- encourage workers and their families from the south to become permanent residents of the NWT;

- encourage workers to move between communities to take advantage of job opportunities, and

- to encourage economic spin-offs through renovations, improvements and home purchases.

Mr. Speaker, while the evaluation met its stated objectives, it is apparent that continuing it may have negative affects on the private rental market and yield diminishing results as the housing market absorbs the assistance through price increases. For this reason there are no plans by the Housing Corporation to reintroduce this program.

Copies of the entire MDAPP evaluation will be presented to Cabinet and will be placed on the Housing Corporations's web page in the near future for public access. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 8-13(8): Mdapp Evaluation
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 43

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. Mr. Steen.

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, this year the Department of Transportation will spend over $17 million to complete a large number of needed improvements to our highways. The department tries to find the proper balance between improving safety and level of service and extending the life of the system. At the same time, creating business, employment training and job opportunities for Northerners is a priority.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a brief summary of the larger jobs the department has undertaken. In the South Slave area, construction on the replacement of the West Channel bridge in Hay River will begin later this fall. The project is scheduled for completion in the new fiscal year. The department has completed 33 kilometres of chipseal overlay on the Mackenzie Highway north of the Alberta-NWT Border and a 10 kilometre chipseal overlay on Highway 5 near Buffalo Junction.

In the North Slave area, reconstruction and paving of Highway 3 between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife began this year. Two projects will result in very noticeable improvements to 17 of the last 90 kilometres of this highway. At the Rae-Edzo end, safety will be enhanced by improving the grade and reducing the number of curves in a 12.5 kilometre section of the highway from 24 to six. This section of the road will be open to traffic by the end of this year's construction season. Application of a chipseal surface will complete this project next summer. At the Yellowknife end of Highway 3, a project to rebuild and pave 4.5 kilometres near the airport will be finished in the next few weeks. Finally, a major safety improvement to a short section of the Ingraham Trail with one of the highest accident occurrence rates on the highway system is underway. The project will be complete this year and will reduce the steepness of the grade and replace the three existing curves on the 2.5 kilometre section with a single, less severe, curve.

In the Sahtu, area, winter road improvements will continue this year. Permanent bridges will be complete at Canyon and Vermillion Creeks and a new bridge started at the Ochre River. A number of grade improvements will also be completed this winter in continuing efforts to extend the operating window of this important transportation connection to Sahtu communities.

In the Mackenzie Delta, the Dempster Highway celebrated its 20th Anniversary on August 18. A new gravel surface was applied to 34 kilometres of the highway between the Yukon boarder and the Peal River, and, 35 kilometres of the highway between Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic were reconstructed and widened. The amount of dust free surface on the Dempster Highway increased from 30 to 106 kilometres. Mr. Speaker, I drove this highway from Inuvik to Eagle Plains last weekend and I am proud to say that the condition of the Dempster Highway in the NWT is now considerably better than that in the Yukon.

--Applause

Mr. Speaker, our job is not done. In fact, we have a long ways to go. Our transportation goals can only be achieved if new money is found to invest in transportation infrastructure. It is with that in mind, Mr. Speaker, that I look forward to attending a meeting of all of Canada's Transportation Minister's at the end of September. While there, I will continue to lobby hard for the federal government to commit, in its next budget, long term funding for a national highway system. I will also call for an equitable method of allocating federal funding to smaller jurisdictions such as the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the Members today that the Department of Transportation takes its responsibility for the safety of the highway system very seriously. While the department may not have the resources to do all of the work that we would like it to do, or to do the work as quickly as the travelling public might wish, we are making significant progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Steen.

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to speak to you about the Trans-Canada Trail, one of Canada's millennium projects. This project will establish 16,000 kilometres of trail from coast to coast to coast. The NWT Recreation and Parks Association is working with local communities, government departments and the Trans-Canada Trail Foundation to develop the trail in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I was asked to lend my support, on behalf of this government, to the designation of the Northwest Territories sections of the Trans-Canada Trail. These sections reflect the traditional and modern aspects of our transportation heritage in the Northwest Territories. The first section of the trail follows the Mackenzie River from Fort Providence at Great Slave Lake to Tuktoyaktuk on the Beaufort Sea. This is the territory's natural and historic transportation route. The other section is the Dempster Highway from the Yukon Border to Inuvik representing our modern transportation system.

The NWT Recreation and Parks Association is also planning the grand opening of the Trans-Canada Trail with an event called Relay 2000. The trailhead in Tuktoyaktuk will be the official start point of the relay. Water will be taken from the Arctic Ocean on February 19, 2000 and will be relayed along the Mackenzie River. Water will also be drawn in a similar fashion from the two other trailheads on the west and east coasts of Canada. A ceremony was held will be held in Hull, Quebec on September 9, 2000 to commemorate the end of Relay 2000 and the official opening of the Trans-Canada Trail.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 34(6) so that all Ministers' statements filed with the Clerk can be delivered today. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. You still have a minute and a half. The Member for Nunakput is seeking unanimous consent to wave his rules 34(6). Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Steen, you have unanimous consent.

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an official announcement of the designation of the NWT routes was made at a regional press conference at Yellowknife City Hall today at 11:00 am. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Steen.

Vince Steen

Vince Steen Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I recognized Mr. Curtis Mercredi in the visitor's gallery to call attention to the award of National Grand Champion he won in the National Airfield Maintenance Roadeo this August at the Vancouver International Airport. Today, I would like to tell the Assembly a little bit more about Mr. Mercredi and his award.

Curtis is an employee of the Department of Transportation who has worked at the Yellowknife airport since 1987; first as a trainee and then as a permanent employee in 1988. A father of two children, he was born and raised in the Northwest Territories and is a long term resident of Yellowknife.

To qualify for the national competition, Curtis came first at the Territorial Roadeo held at the Fort Smith Airport in June. Last year at the Winnipeg Airport, he placed second in the National Airfield Maintenance Roadeo. This year at Vancouver, he took first place.

The roadeo requires competitors from airports across Canada to run three pieces of airfield maintenance equipment through obstacle courses designed to resemble situations they regularly encounter in winter operations. The technician with the highest combined points is the over-all winner. At Vancouver, competing against the very best in the industry, Curtis placed first on two pieces of equipment and second on the third.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation is proud to have employees like Mr. Mercredi on its staff. As passengers, we fly in and out of our airports all the time without a second thought for our safety or security. It is thanks to our maintenance crews and workers like Curtis Mercredi, that we can travel so casually, at ease and in confidence.

I know the Assembly will join me in congratulating our National Grand Champion on his award and for a job well done in representing the Department of Transportation and the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Item 3, Member's statement. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to raise an issue I have raised in this House several times, and it still continues to burden the people that we are supposed to serve and make things simpler so they can understand and be able to access programs and services for this government. Mr. Speaker, I am talking about our seniors. Regarding the seniors' property tax collection notice, there is an opportunity for our seniors to be exempt from property taxes. Mr. Speaker, year after year, our seniors have the difficulty of being given notices and then having to fill out applications to be re-established on the tax exemption list. The same thing applies, Mr. Speaker, in the seniors' fuel subsidy. Year after year, our seniors are put into the situation of having to continue to fill out applications. Mr. Speaker, I have raised this issue in this House and so have several other Members. I, for one, believe there is a simpler solution and that this government should seriously consider looking at the possibility of streamlining these programs by simply allowing an elder to consent that information relevant to different programs be accessed by those particular departments.

You hear concerns from the department saying well, there is a question about conflict in regards to access to information and their pensions. I believe there is a process that we can use, which is a consent of the senior and the person who applies to these programs, once they apply they consent through a form and the department automatically puts their name into the system and every year it rolls itself off where these people do not have to continue with the burden of filling out these applications year after year and be able to access these programs and services without having to worry about another concern and which they should be enjoying their retirement and enjoying the time that they have with us so that they can continue on with life knowing that they have put their time in, they paid their taxes and now let us help them out to have the rest that they earned without having to bear the burden of filling out applications year after year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about an innovative idea that has been put into place at the University of Alberta, namely the Northern House that has been sponsored by the Native Student Services Department. I might add that it is also being supported and promoted by

various other departments within the University of Alberta.

Mr. Speaker, the Northern House is a project that is actually a residence for aboriginal students from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and currently has a support person and three students were enrolled in the first year of programs. The purpose, of course, is to provide support to these students who are away from their aboriginal cultures for long, long periods of time. The purpose is that they provide support to each other, as well as support from other staff persons. Mr. Speaker, this facility is just being started this year, and they do need a little bit of help for furniture, basic kitchen utensils, essentials, and a computer. They need a one-time small infusion of cash. I believe that this would be a very, very worthwhile project with this government as I know what it is like to be going to school. Fortunately, I had my family with me when I went to school, but this establishment is for single students, particularly for young students who, as you can see, are all in their first year of programs. So at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Education some questions on this particular project for support. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Member's statement. Mr. Ootes.

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak today about an economic issue which we know very little about but that has tremendous potential for a number of our people and our communities, but it is fraught with some real challenges. This past summer, we saw the first organized wild moral mushroom harvest here in the North Slave region. Last year's forest fire burn around the Tibbit Lake region, I am told, had the potential to harvest moral mushroom worth in the millions of dollars. That can be picked in a four to six week period. But this is a whole new venture for Northerners, and so only a small group went out to pick. One group of seven entrepreneurs harvested over $50,000 worth, and I am told it is much more than that, but that is the official reported, of morals early in the summer. Unfortunately, inexperience with international buyers resulted in the group losing much of their profit to individuals purportedly connected with organized crime. People were also physically assaulted, I am told, though charges have yet to be laid. The forest fire season this summer meant numerous new mushroom fields may be available next summer.

Morals are only one of several lucrative mushroom species for which there is a huge demand on world markets. The NWT may well be the most sought-after pine mushroom harvesting area next fall. Pine mushrooms sell anywhere from $15 a pound to $300 a pound, depending on the supply and demand at the time. While there is a huge potential for harvesting and income, it is also a sure thing that possibly violence and possible crime can follow. Next spring, it is possible that hundreds of pickers will come to the NWT for mushroom harvesting. The NWT needs to react quickly to this possible lucrative market, and we need to monitor and manage this resource for our own people. We need to be proactive on this. A first step could be to add mushrooms to the list of plants and animals protected under the Wildlife Act. This would give protection against exploitation of Northerners and their resources. Tomorrow I hope to be able to follow up with some questions on this, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Member's statement. Mr. Rabesca.