This is page numbers 377 - 404 of the Hansard for the 15th 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

Supplementary To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The developments in Nunavut are all part of the joint venture plans. It's something that government is outside the process. It's their initiative and if that's what they would like to plan for and proceed with, they can do that. But as for ourselves, we have been working closely with the Tlicho chiefs and we have established the steering committee to look at the Tlicho road studies and we have been to the communities to advise them and discuss this project. There is a draft consultation plan, which we have yet to go over one more time and that's the intent of our meeting at the end of this month, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question would relate to the winter road management committee. Since the Department of Transportation is responsible for transporting goods to the mining companies, I'd like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, if he's willing to sit down with the winter road management committee if they can consult with the Tlicho Government, because rightfully it's in our jurisdiction, Wekeezhii and also Monfwi Gogha De Niitlee area, if he's willing to do that? Mahsi.

Supplementary To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I'll be pleased to add that to the agenda at our upcoming meeting. Mahsi.

Further Return To Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Question 141-15(6): All-weather Road Corridor In Tlicho Region
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we all know that we passed a budget to get an RCMP presence in Sachs Harbour. Recently, over the last few months, there have been some letters going through from the Minister to myself and to the mayor of Sachs Harbour that this has been delayed probably until 2008. I'd like to ask the Minister of Justice, can he give me an update on whether "G" Division has sent out notification to the RCMP membership in Sachs Harbour at the present time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

August 16th, 2007

Page 386

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the Member. The RCMP have indicated to me that they are in the hiring process and have started the search for members who would be qualified to go to Sachs Harbour and do the job there. We have been disappointed that there is some delay in getting the infrastructure on the ground in Sachs Harbour. As the Member knows well, we've got to be able to make the barge season. We weren't able to do that this year because when we looked at the state of facilities, they required more work than we could get done in time. So there is a delay in terms of the physical infrastructure. It will be a year later than we'd originally proposed, but the plan is to have members hired and on the ground ready to go into Sachs Harbour this fall. They will have to be permanently stationed in Inuvik and come back and forth until we have accommodations for them in Sachs Harbour, but the plan is to have a vastly increased force on the ground in Sachs Harbour this fall. Thank you.

Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regard to accommodations, I did get a notification from the hamlet, from the SAO, that there's two units available that can be utilized. Has the Minister checked with the RCMP on whether that can be used at the present time? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, there are several issues. There are issues around accommodations and I've talked to the RCMP about that. I've relayed the offer of the hamlet as well. We've got issues around the detachment, though, in terms of it not meeting code. That needs to be replaced. So there are a number of infrastructure issues there, but we appreciate the offer from the community. I believe that the RCMP will be in discussion with them because, of course, although the members won't be permanently stationed there, we do need accommodation for them when they're in town. They will be overnight for weeks at a time. So that offer is very much appreciated and I know that the RCMP intend to have that discussion with the hamlet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 386

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this case right now, I guess two RCMP will be stationed outside of Inuvik. So I'm just wondering, can the Minister ensure that these people that are hired, we'll make sure that they actually travel to Sachs Harbour as needed? Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, the current situation is that we send members in when we can from Inuvik. They do roving patrols. We were targeting once every six weeks or on an emergency basis to have members come into the community. This fall, as the two positions are hired, they will be officially located, the positions will be housed in Inuvik, but their sole job is Sachs Harbour and that's where they'll spend the bulk of their time. They'll have to travel back and forth. When they are on their downtime back with their families, that won't be something that they're able to do in Sachs Harbour and this is one of the challenges of their residences too. We have to find members who don't have families with them because we don't have accommodation for families. So there are a number of challenges. But the bottom line is, Mr. Speaker, the policing situation in Sachs Harbour will be vastly improved this fall and I want to thank the Member for his support, thank the RCMP for recognizing how important this was and making it a priority. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Question 142-15(6): Sachs Harbour Rcmp Presence
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Roland. It goes back to my Member's statement from earlier where I was talking about recruitment and retention and government strategies. We've been discussing this recruitment and retention issue in the Northwest Territories for the last number of years, at least 10, 12 years now. We spend millions of dollars on consultants, on reports, on staff and, to be quite frank about it, it's not really improved any. I'd like to start off by asking the Minister how it is that our reliance on agency nurses and the money we spend on bringing nurses in from Newfoundland and Honduras, how are we going to move away from the reliance on agency nurses so that we can develop a workforce that's in the North, that's on the ground here? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and I must say the Member has been consistent during our time here in the 15th Legislative Assembly on raising issues from our Stanton Territorial Health Authority and the hospital, where other nurses around the territory have to rely on the normal process through their union processes that we negotiate. The question is a good one because it gives me an opportunity to highlight where in fact we have made significant moves and improved significantly the use of and how we've worked with nurses in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the 2006-2007 year was, indeed, one of our highest uses of agency nurses during that year. In fact, that year we had over 5,000 days of agency nurse use in the Northwest Territories, which was quite a concern, has been a concern to us throughout. We've heard it from Members; we've heard it from communities. So one of the things we did was work on a new contract and work with authorities to reduce the use of agency nurses to fill only where emergencies were in place. We have developed a relief pool. In fact, so far in 2007-08, up to June 30th, we've only used 561 days of agency nurse use. So I think we've made a significant move and we're starting to see the results of the work we're doing. In fact, I mean we have to acknowledge that the nurse issue hasn't reduced across the country, not just the Northwest Territories, but we are doing our part. Thank you.

Return To Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if the Minister and the government have ever given any consideration to a return of service for new grads from southern universities in the nursing profession that could look to coming north and raising families here and spending, you know, four or five or six years on the ground here in the Northwest Territories, and in return the government could look at paying off their student loans. Because, as we all know, tuition fees across the country are rising, the cost of getting an education is increasing, and I think we need to be looking at creative ways to try to get nurses on the ground here. The Northern Nursing Program has been successful and I think that would be a nice accompaniment to that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Question 143-15(6): Agency Nurse Usage
Item 7: Oral Questions

Page 387

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Roland.