This is page numbers 1063 - 1110 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 5th 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.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Brendan Bell, Mr. Braden, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Honourable David Krutko, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Hon. Kevin Menicoche, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Pokiak, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve, Mr. Yakeleya

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Minister's Statement 75-15(5): Tlicho Road Studies
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to report on a number of studies the Department of Transportation has or will be completing under a new agreement that will help move forward the planning to improve road access into the Tlicho.

As we all know, the only year-round access to the three Tlicho communities of Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti is by air. Access is augmented for approximately two months during the winter road season. The provision and reliability of this seasonal access is being increasingly challenged by climate change and resulting warmer winters.

Mr. Speaker, the department last year completed a Tlicho Corridors Options Study which looked at winter road and all-weather road corridor options in the Tlicho. The department also completed an economic analysis of the benefits and costs of both realigning the Tlicho winter road to an overland route and upgrading the seasonal route to an all-weather standard. The economic analysis established that improved road access would have a number of direct benefits to Tlicho residents including:

  • • enhanced inter-community travel and access to services for residents;
  • • reduced resupply costs and improved resupply options;
  • • employment, training and contracting opportunities during winter road and all-weather road construction and maintenance; and
  • • improved opportunities for road-based tourism travel.

Improved road access could also reduce costs for resource development projects in the Tlicho and possibly other areas of the Northwest Territories.

This earlier work has set the context for two new studies, one to detail environmental impacts and the other to identify engineering issues including what alignment a road would take and at what cost.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise that these studies are not being initiated through a partnership involving the

Department of Transportation, the federal government, the Tlicho Government and private industry. The federal department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has agreed to provide $460,000 towards the estimated cost for these studies. Matching funding will be provided by the Tlicho Government, industry and the Department of Transportation. These studies are expected to be completed later this year. Once completed and assessed, they will form the basis of our next steps and approach to the federal government to improve road access to Tlicho communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Minister's Statement 75-15(5): Tlicho Road Studies
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement today is about candidate protected areas in the Sahtu: Sayou and Edacho and the Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta ramparts and the wetlands, Mr. Speaker, of Fort Good Hope.

Mr. Speaker, delegations from Deline and Fort Good Hope travelled to Ottawa last month to meet with the federal Minister of Environment, the Honourable John Baird. The delegations from Deline included Chief Charlie Neyelle, Raymond Taniton, Morris Neyelle, and Andrew John Kenny. The delegation from Fort Good Hope included Arthur Tobac, acting-chief Lucy Jackson, Henry Tobac and Harold Cook. I congratulate them on their hard work in Ottawa.

Mr. Speaker, their message to Minister Baird was clear, with the fast pace and scale of development taking place and being proposed for the NWT, communities need their most important lands protected before it's too late. Conservation priorities must advance at an equally fast pace. We urge the Minister of Environment to move forward on the permanent protection of Sayou and Edacho and interim protection for Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta ramparts and wetlands.

In 1998, the Minister of Canadian Heritage designated Sayou and Edacho as a national historic site. This designation recognizes the contribution of these areas to our collective Canadian heritage, but it does not protect the values for which the areas were designated. It does not protect the land.

Mr. Speaker, there has been important progress; however, Deline and Parks Canada have been unable to secure the budgetary support necessary. Last month, the

community of Deline urged the Minister of Environment to work closely with his colleagues in the federal Cabinet to secure the necessary long-term funding to permanently protect Sayou and Edacho.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Fort Good Hope has been working with the NWT Protected Areas Strategy to move the Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta to protection since 2001. In 2006, Environment Canada submitted an application for interim land withdrawals to Indian and Northern Affairs on behalf of Fort Good Hope. The community is waiting for approval for interim protection.

Mr. Speaker, I heard Premier Handley speaking on the radio on February 7th about the most recent trip to Ottawa. He is saying that he spoke with Prime Minister Harper about the shared belief that there must be a balanced approach to developing the Northwest Territories and some areas must be protected for environmental...

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Mr. Yakeleya, your time for Member's statement has expired.

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Yakeleya.

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, share this belief, Mr. Speaker, but belief is not enough. It is time to put some actions behind this belief. I urge all levels of government to move forward with concrete actions to implement their protected area commitments in the Northwest Territories including the Sahtu region completing interim protection for the land parts of wetlands in securing federal funding for permanent protection and cooperation of management of the Sayou and Edacho. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Candidate Protected Areas In The Sahtu Region
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Lessons Learned From Resource Developments In Nauru
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, we are struggling to better balance the issue of resource development in a strong economy with protection of the environment. This is a critical issue. Around the world, there are examples of what happens if you don't do this right. There is one island country in Oceania, a small island country by the name of Nauru. It used to be called Pleasant Island when it was first stumbled across by the western sailors. It was everybody's idea of a tropical paradise with lush forests, water, plentiful fish, wildlife, very self-sustained. The islanders had been living there for over 3,000 years.

In 1907, it found out that the island was rich with phosphates. Since that time, deals were made with industry. Australia played a very key role in this. They effectively strip mined the island. Eighty percent of it has been virtually destroyed. Twenty percent of it is under enormous pressure. At one point briefly, the islanders were given money. At one point, they were at the highest per capita income of anybody in the world. They had a bank account of about $800 million. But now, in 2007, the money is gone. The island is basically destroyed. The vegetation is gone. The water no longer exists. The wildlife is gone. The surrounding fish and ocean has been so badly polluted by the dust and the strip mining that it no longer sustains much effective life. The islanders are broke. They are becoming, with a few dollars that are left, dependent on the good will of another country, Australia, to survive. They have traded their heritage for money. The money left was spent, bad decisions were made and other costs. They lost sight of the need to protect the value of their environment, the value of the trees, the land, the water, the fish, the game, and their heritage where they lived for thousands of years is gone.

There is an important lesson for us there, Mr. Speaker. We have a big territory, but we can't take for granted that the environment will be there if we don't look after it, if we don't protect the water, the land, and balance those pressures against resource development. That is a lesson that Nauru can teach us. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Lessons Learned From Resource Developments In Nauru
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Miltenberger.

Lessons Learned From Resource Developments In Nauru
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to the wonders of modern technology, Google Earth, if you go on there, you could actually go to this island and you can look and you can cross-section across it. Take a look at what has happened. So this is not just an abstract issue. It is one that is real and you could actually go on and take a look at what people have done and what happens when bad decisions are made. It is something that we have to keep in mind as we forge ahead. Thank you.

---Applause

Lessons Learned From Resource Developments In Nauru
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Safer Communities And Neighbourhoods Legislation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice advised the House in October 2006, he would consider introducing legislation to implement the bill on Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, SCAN, in the February/March 2007 session. In late November 2006, the Minister provided a consultation paper on SCAN to the Members and public for review and comment on the discussion paper. Mr. Speaker, subsequently, the Department of Justice held public hearings on the consultation paper on SCAN in the larger centres in late November and December of 2006. It should be noted that the communities outside of larger centres were invited to send two delegates to attend the public hearings, but given the time of this to travel, the Beaufort communities could not send any delegates to participate.

Mr. Speaker, this concern was raised by the leaders of the Beaufort-Delta at the annual Beaufort-Delta Regional Council meeting in Inuvik in mid-December 2006. I also received an invitation from the Hamlet of Tuk to attend the

regular council meeting on February 7, 2007, but because session was to begin, I committed to discuss the consultation paper with them at a later date.

Mr. Speaker, at first glance, the front-line workers and non-government workers in Tuk are in support of this proposed legislation on SCAN through the consultation document. So they should be, Mr. Speaker, for it does address concerns in the communities. I understand the Department of Justice has reviewed and compiled what they heard at the public hearings and may be preparing a legislative proposal during the February/March 2007 session. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to move forward on the legislative proposal on SCAN, but would like the Minister to ensure the Standing Committee on Social Programs has ample time to take the legislation on the road for full public review. We owe it to the residents of the Northwest Territories to further comment on the proposed legislation should it come before us.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Justice at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Safer Communities And Neighbourhoods Legislation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The concept of residency is something that we consider in many different aspects of our business, law-making and our program development here, Mr. Speaker. A few come to mind, and there is quite a range of qualifications here depending on what kind of a program or what kind of criteria we are setting up. For instance, Mr. Speaker, if you live in the NWT for three months, you can become qualified for a health care card. In one year, you can become eligible to vote in territorial or municipal elections. But it takes you two years' residency, I understand, to get a resident hunting licence. One of the other aspects of residency, Mr. Speaker, is that we have tried to use it as a basis for helping grow our population and get stability in the onset of bringing new development up here. One illustration of this, Mr. Speaker, is that the Snap Lake agreement that the government has negotiated calls for people to be residents of the NWT for six months in order to be counted as a northern hire to go against the commitment that De Beers has made in their socio-economic agreement with us. But it is interesting to note, Mr. Speaker, that in this context of enabling the North to truly benefit from some aspects of big development, the socio-economic agreement that we just signed off with the Mackenzie Valley pipeline proponents sees us yet again toying with the aspect of residency. One of the criteria here, Mr. Speaker, is that there essentially has to be no proof of residency before someone can be declared a northern hire.

Mr. Speaker, here again, we have lowered our standards. We have given in to the needs and the demands of the world's biggest corporations. We have compromised the interests of northerners and our communities in the name of expediency. Why, Mr. Speaker, are we playing so fast and loose with things that are so important to our communities?

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Resource Revenue Sharing Negotiations
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand again today to speak on the subject that I have become quite passionate about. That subject, Mr. Speaker, is our lack of resource royalty sharing deal. Mr. Speaker, it is said that surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community. We are in possession of a sacred trust, and we have to administer it in our lifetime for the good of our community, which is the Northwest Territories and its future.

Mr. Speaker, last year, the Government of Canada spent $3.8 billion in foreign aid. This year, it is proposed at $4.1 billion. Where does the Northwest Territories line up to get some of this money, Mr. Speaker? We continue to have money taken out of the Northwest Territories every year. As a matter of fact, by the end of today, we will have $750,000 again leaving the Northwest Territories. We get $764 million in transfer payments. Out of that, $250 million is our own money. They are just giving us our own money back, Mr. Speaker. I think it has to be time for the leadership of the Northwest Territories to put our differences aside and realize that we are losing money every day. There is money going in foreign aid that should come to the Northwest Territories. It is not a fair deal, Mr. Speaker. I think it is time that this government, the leaders of the Northwest Territories, took out their ulus and cut the strings that are attached and being pulled by Ottawa. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Resource Revenue Sharing Negotiations
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Special Needs Of Children Born With Autism
Item 3: Members' Statements

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David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to share with my colleagues today a situation that is currently at play with a constituent and her two children. My constituent is a single mother who has two children, a daughter who is two years old and a boy who is three. Her son is autistic. Because of the needs of her son, she cannot work. His care is a 24-hour-a-day job. Obviously, without the ability to work, she and her children are in need of social housing. Social housing is not designed nor does it allow for special provisions when a child with special needs is involved. Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention some examples of what my constituent is up against each and every day in her household.

Her son bangs his head on the walls. He knows no pain, and just last week, he put his head through her patio door. His mother has asked for Plexiglas to be installed to no avail. The boy eats the paint off the wall in his room. In fact, he needs constant supervision as he will try to eat

non-food items including toys, batteries, coins and paper. Mr. Speaker, stairs are very dangerous to the boy and to his little sister who is in constant danger of aggression from her brother. The boy needs a bar or special locks on his window as he throws anything he can get out the window of his room which is on the second floor. So he is always in danger of jumping out of his window. His mother must keep a constant vigil and watch on him.

My constituent needs help from a number of different angles. Her housing situation is inadequate. No safety upgrades are available for her children and it would appear that, for children diagnosed with autism, there is little to no help between the ages of two and four. The prevalence of autism in birthrates has grown from one in 2,500 births in 1970, to one in 285 in 1999. Today, Mr. Speaker, those rates are even much higher. As a government, I feel it is important that we recognize this and begin to look at options to help families deal with the special needs of children born with autism.

The Department of Health and Social Services has to be able to work with the Housing Corporation to come up with a workable plan to address the special needs of my constituent. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of the Housing Corporation at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

---Applause

Special Needs Of Children Born With Autism
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Legal Authority To Control NWT Lands And Resources
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I listened, with interest, to the emotion that was raised in the House yesterday in response to the recently publicized socio-economic agreement from the Mackenzie gas project. Some would argue that we should use the pipeline as a lever to wrestle control of our resources in the share of royalties away from the Crown. Perhaps our frustration with the lack of response from Ottawa to our aspirations is misdirected if pointed at the private interests that would like to develop the resources in the North. I appreciate the response of industry to our requests as a government for formalized commitments to ensure northern employment, training and business opportunities, even if those agreements aren't perfect.

Here are the facts, Mr. Speaker. Here is a news flash. The resources of the North are currently owned and controlled by the Crown. The North is a huge treasure chest of natural resources and precious non-renewable commodities. Imagine a treasure chest for a minute, overflowing with gold, diamonds and riches. The process of getting to the treasure chest is fraught with challenges but it is a path that an explorer can pursue if you have the time and the money. When you get to the treasure, you can then decide if it is worth the cost of hauling it out. You will have to pay the Crown and their castle their share, but the custodian standing guard over the treasure say that some of it is rightfully theirs because they have been guarding it for hundreds of years. They have been living right beside it. The Crown was happy to leave him standing guard to retain the sovereignty of the Crown's holdings. The custodians can see that the riches might be hauled out. If they can't have a share of it, maybe they can catch a few of the crumbs if they help the explorers haul the riches back to their ivory towers and their masters in Calgary and Houston. The custodians protest. They fight amongst themselves. They can't agree on a plan to keep some of the riches and share it amongst themselves. The explorers are only looking for treasures to keep their masters happy. They don't make the rules, but want to enjoy a friendly relationship with the custodians. But alas, one day a leader emerges and organizes the custodians and articulates a plan to unify them in their efforts to get what is rightfully theirs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Legal Authority To Control NWT Lands And Resources
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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.