This is page numbers 929 - 964 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th 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.

Topics

Further Return To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I will try to keep my answers short. Mr. Speaker, the government has been in discussions with DIAND. We feel that Giant Mine is a federal responsibility and we have been engaged with DIAND to try to resolve responsibilities for surface and environmental cleanup at Giant Mine. This is where we are still. The progress on resolving the issue of responsibilities remains minimal. So we are still working with them. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Your final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, if progress is minimal that is disappointing, at least until the Minister advises what steps are being taken to get a resolution to this issue. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Antoine.

Further Return To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, we both agree that we would like to try to achieve an agreement on environmental liability responsibilities through negotiations, rather than mediation or arbitration. We have come to that agreement. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Question 305-14(6): Giant Mine Remediation Project
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. It is in regard to my Member's statement on the activities and developments that are taking place in the North and ensuring that as a government we do everything we can to ensure that the maximum benefits flowing from these developments go to the people in the Northwest Territories and the residents of the small communities. I would just like to ask the Minister, what are we doing as a government to ensure that industry maximizes employment opportunities in northern communities during these development activities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Antoine.

Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, through the different forums that we participate in as a government, the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, the Premier and the Minister of Finance encourage industry who are doing the oil and gas exploration and developing a pipeline, to work with the different First Nations, the different regional organizations that are out there and the different companies in the North. We need to have a cooperative approach. Through the different organizations we are working towards that. Thank you.

Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government has been getting into agreements with the mining industry and also has talks with the oil and gas industry and we have social and economic agreements in place. But I would just like to get some assurances from the Minister that those agreements are open to all residents of the Northwest Territories, regardless of whether they are from the Mackenzie Delta or the Beaufort Sea or the South Slave or the Deh Cho. The opportunities that are open and available should be filled by northern residents first, rather than having people come from the south to fill those positions. What is the government doing to ensure that the residents of the Northwest Territories have the advantage to take on opportunities in those industries?

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Antoine.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 942

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Valley pipeline in particular is going to be a huge project, along with the existing oil and gas exploration that is already happening. It is a big challenge for all of us to respond to the growth and the impact scenarios that are presented by the oil and gas industry in the Northwest Territories. We would like to benefit as much as we can from these developments and there are a number of different initiatives that we are taking, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that there is continuing work being done to identify areas where people can be trained or hired. Business opportunities are going to be there for the businesses of the North. There are going to be possibilities that equity is going to be there. We are working on all those different scenarios. It is a multi-faceted type of approach that we are taking. The producers that we are working with and the explorer groups are very cooperative, and I think we are developing some very good working relationships with them to make sure we maximize the benefits of the project, particularly the pipeline, if it is going to be built. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest challenges we are going to face with a pipeline is to have people with the skills and the qualifications to operate the equipment and take advantage of those jobs. Right now, we have one sector of our economy which is going full bore, the diamond industry. I would like to ask the Minister, what are we doing to ensure all people have an opportunity to get these skills in these diamond mines, so that when a pipeline is built, we will have skilled labour and we cannot use the excuse that we are not ready, we do not have qualified people? What are we doing as a government to ensure that nobody uses that excuse on us again?

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Antoine.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is a challenge. We have two diamond mines operating and a third one is going to get fired up in a number of years. Already there is a very high demand for skilled labourers at both the mines and there is going to be additional demand on people once the pipeline is built. In the future if the pipeline is built there is going to be a really high demand for skilled labour to work in construction of the pipeline. Through the department's cooperation, we are monitoring what will be required in terms of training and education, and there is a working group in place to look at that. We are aware of the areas. The mining companies are training their own people. I don't know if it is going to switch over to the pipeline, but the pipeline companies themselves are only now beginning to look at how we can work together to get the different skilled people in place once this pipeline is going to be constructed. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister exactly what is he doing to relay this message to communities that are not part of, say, the North Slave region, but may have people looking for employment, especially in the outlying regions such as the Mackenzie Delta or the Beaufort Sea or the Deh Cho, who may need to have people trained in these particular areas? What are we doing to attract those people from those other regions to where the activity is in the diamond industry?

Supplementary To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Minister Antoine.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, the diamond mining companies have their own hiring policies and procedures in the different training programs they have. They have socio-economic agreements, impact benefit agreements with the surrounding First Nations. However, they also have been approached and have people working at the mines from other than the immediate surrounding areas, like Hay River and Fort Smith. I think that, if they were approached, they would also look at other places in the North. As the Minister, in our department we asked these questions and I think they might be open for it, but they were approached by Fort Smith and Hay River to see if they could have people from these communities work at the mines and they made arrangements for that to happen. So I do not see why other communities in other regions could not take the lead as well and open communications with the mining companies to see if, for example, the Mackenzie Delta people that you represent, honourable Member, if they want to work there perhaps they might be open to that. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Question 306-14(6): Resource Development Employment Opportunities
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Minister Antoine. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of publicity lately over people in downtown Yellowknife who are drunk in public. The press has been comparing the resources of Yellowknife to those found in Anchorage, and one of the big successes in Anchorage has been a community intervention that provides shelter and counselling to those on the margin. I note, Mr. Speaker, that this service is not dissimilar to what is provided by the Salvation Army here. In Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, the police have been forced to deal with the issue more and more because the shelters are always full, so people have nowhere to go. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister advise us, how many beds for men and women does the Government of the Northwest Territories pay for, for emergency shelter in Yellowknife each night?

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Return To Question 307-14(6): Emergency Shelter Capacity In Yellowknife
Question 307-14(6): Emergency Shelter Capacity In Yellowknife
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 943

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

The number of beds that our department supports in Yellowknife itself is 48 beds per evening, Mr. Speaker.