This is page numbers 701 - 744 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 4th 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

Supplementary To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The Nwt Budget
Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just to be clear, then, can we speak with the same certainty about the housing money, $4 million under the Northern Strategy and $100 million over the next three years now that the legislation has been passed? Is it okay for us to expect that the new federal government would honour that legislation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The Nwt Budget
Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The Nwt Budget
Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The particulars that we are working on, the gas tax situation, that is certain. The $4 million that comes from the Northern Strategy trust is certain. The $100 million amount that we were talking about over the next couple of years from federal Housing, Bill C-48, has been through Parliament but it did not make it through Treasury Board. So that is the one that we have highlighted as an issue that we need to get the federal government to make a serious commitment on and see where they are going to go with that. The $100 million is over three years. It's tied to the $1.6 billion for housing across Canada, so that piece of legislation has been dealt with, it's just the Treasury Board section that deals with us. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The Nwt Budget
Question 331-15(4): Federal Funding And The NWT Budget
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that Sahtu health is underway with the new health board. I want to ask the Minister responsible for Health what plans are in place for the new health board to have all the health centres brought up to standard in terms of the medical equipment for emergencies such as stroke, heart attacks and such other things that the other regional health centres have had. Thank you.

Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the health authority in the Sahtu and their staff will carry on with administrative processes in place to deal with O and M requirements for minor capital and larger capital items will go into the capital planning process. As well, we have assessments of the health centres, the condition of the health centres and where they may be in terms of their life expectancy and potential required upgrades. Thank you.

Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the assessments. My understanding of some of the centres in the Sahtu is you dare not have a heart attack in the Sahtu because we don't have emergency medical equipment such as the defibrillators or the cardiac monitors or IV pumps. So we wanted to deem this as an emergency and not wait until the assessment. Other things can be forthcoming; however, we really need some equipment there. How soon can the Minister put these types of emergency equipment into the health centres in the Sahtu? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that work is underway across the Territories. We look at the resources we have and the needs that are there for the various facilities and communities and types of equipment. I would be happy to get for the Member the capital requirements for the Sahtu, both large capital and small capital and equipment, then we could have the discussion on a more informed basis. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the invitation from the Minister. However, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask again, in terms of the types of services that are being performed, our nurses are working hard in our centres but need these types of services. I am hoping to have something from the Minister today in terms of saying to the people in the Sahtu we will get you this emergency equipment, such as defibrillators, cardiac monitors and IV pumps, that are standard in each hospital across the North. Also, to other centres that need them. I am looking for a commitment. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 710

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are committed to making sure that every community and every health centre is adequately resourced and equipped. That is the basis that we look at allocating the resources. As we go through the detailed budget review, and we have the staff here and we will have the documentation, I would be happy, at that point, plus separately with the Member, to go over what is on the books for the Sahtu that we can see firsthand. I can tell the Member that there are dollars

allocated and identified that we are going to be spending in the Sahtu in a whole range of areas. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister if there is anything in the policies in the current system right now, because of the time that we take to have our meetings and get the funding approved, to have certain medical equipment in our region between now and that time. Is there anything in the policy that would be of assistance to the Sahtu in terms of assisting people who have strokes or heart attacks that would satisfy on an interim basis? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will make a commitment to check with the deputy, so we can ask the Sahtu staff and the board to confirm what is available and if there are gaps in the areas that the Member has mentioned. At that point, I would be able to talk with the Member further. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For Nwt Health Centres
Question 332-15(4): Minimum Standards For NWT Health Centres
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I indicated that the government is receptive to the 22-kilometre access road from Tuk to source 177. I appreciate the receptiveness, Mr. Speaker, however, we need to continue the momentum by pursuing the implementation of the document, Corridors for Canada II. The question I have for the Minister of Transportation is, with the release of the document Corridors for Canada II, can the Minister of Transportation provide me with the next step and when the government will be able to implement the funding identified in Corridors for Canada II? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of gravel in the community of Tuktoyaktuk and the source of gravel has been a long-standing one that the community has raised on a number of occasions and the department has been looking at for a long time now. In the 1990s, they were able to construct a kilometre road and there is still another 22 kilometres that have to be constructed. We did have several meetings with the community and members of the community over the last while to discuss this issue. We looked at different ways that we could try to fast track some of this with the federal government. We have, as a government, included it in our Corridors for Canada II, as the Member has mentioned. We've also included the whole portion of the road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk in other document called Connecting Canada. We've also shared this information with other organizations, such as the Business Coalition, and have been talking about how and what our next steps are going to be. We are waiting to see who will be the Minister, and we are in the process of drafting a plan to approach the federal government to present this to them.

However, having said that, at our meetings with the community, we've talked about our other options of what we can do in the interim. The communities indicated to us that they would like to start an engineering assessment of this stretch of road from Tuktoyaktuk to source 177. The federal government sat in on a meeting. We both agreed, as the territorial government and as the federal government, to provide some dollars to the community. An amount of $50,000 was requested and we have provided our share of $25,000 and sent it over to the community.

The other thing that we are looking at as an option is the possibility of doing a P3 project. Our departments have been working together to do an assessment of what the needs are in the community of Tuktoyaktuk over the next 20 years. We have been able to identify that there is a need of 200,000 cubic metres of gravel in the community. That doesn't include other needs such as the actual gravel needs for construction of a road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Question 333-15(4): Implementation Of Corridors For Canada Ii Document
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 711

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister. We did sit down and get some money from the GNWT and the federal government, up to $50,000. I am well aware of that. The Minister mentioned a P3 project. Where is that process now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.