Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the House.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. Hon. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, energy costs are a concern to all of us. Public Works and Services has had the opportunity to test out a more economically and environmentally friendly alternative energy source at the North Slave Correctional Facility.

Providing heat for buildings using wood pellet boilers has been common practice in Europe for decades. It has provided reliable heating for hotels, office buildings and recreational facilities from Austria to Siberia. These systems save money due to the use of less expensive wood by-products, specifically crushed sawdust pellets. They also significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2006 the North Slave Correctional Facility needed a boiler to provide back-up heat. Capital of $225,000 was approved for this boiler. Arctic Green Energy, a northern company in Yellowknife, proposed to provide a wood pellet burning boiler system instead of the third oil-fired boiler. It would be the primary heating unit and would be designed to meet 90 per cent of the heating requirements for the facility.

The company was responsible for the design, installation, operation and maintenance of the wood pellet system and for the provision of the pellets. It also acts as an energy service provider, billing the G.N.W.T. only for heat supplied to the facility.

The system includes a storage unit to hold adequate wood pellets for one month’s required output in winter conditions. This enables the system to continue to operate during ferry and ice-road closures.

The benefits from the wood pellet system were expected to include capital savings of $225,000 from not installing the third oil-fired boiler, an estimated $50,000 annual savings in heating costs for the facility, and an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1,450 tonnes annually.

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to report that these expectations were successfully met. The heating system has been operating reliably for a full 12 months. From January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2007, the wood pellet boilers have provided approximately 90 per cent of the heating requirements for the North Slave Correctional Facility. Savings included $57,719 because of the lower cost of wood pellets as compared to oil; $1,500 because of a reduced requirement for chemical treatment of the system; $1,200 because of reduced power consumption to run boilers, draft fans, and primary boiler pumps; and $1,000 because of reduced wear and tear on existing equipment.

The wood pellet boilers have displaced 568,903 litres of heating fuel and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 1554 tonnes in one year of operation. This is equivalent to taking 315 vehicles off the road.

Mr. Speaker, PWS is currently working with various authorities to promote the use of wood pellet boilers. In 2008-2009 PWS will be studying other buildings as possible candidates for biomass boiler installations. Potential sites for biomass boiler installations may include the Department of Transportation maintenance garage and the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre in Hay River, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchoko, River Ridge Correctional Centre and Territorial Women’s Correctional Centre in Fort Smith, and the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre. In 2007-2008 PWS will continue to assist the city of Yellowknife to install wood pellet boilers at the Yellowknife pool,

arena and curling rink and help Yellowknife Education District No. 1 to install the biomass boilers at Sir John Franklin High School.

Item 3, Members’ statements. Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, the G.N.W.T. Volunteer Support Initiative action plan speaks specifically about the support of volunteers in the N.W.T. Since 2005 this initiative has only paid us lip service. Today I will use my Member’s statement as a plea for action supporting volunteers and volunteer organizations.

We all know what volunteers mean for our community. Volunteers ensure that sports and recreation activities take place. Volunteers do fundraising, organize food banks, assist the homeless, teach, do organize community cleanup — Mr. Speaker, the list does go on.

Ask around. Getting our community events off the ground without volunteer support is like making guacamole without avocados. These are only examples of volunteer activities, but the list of good Samaritan activities could go on and on endlessly. Volunteering contributes to good citizenship and our economy, saves the public purse money and creates the healthy community that we all live in — and not to mention, volunteerism helps all Members of this House.

Our government has to start showing our commitment to its volunteers. There is an easy way for this government to show its commitment. The G.N.W.T. can introduce a program allowing its employees to take one day per year to volunteer. We are, as a government, yet again behind the times when it comes to showing our support for volunteering and volunteer days. The benefits a volunteer day would provide would outweigh any costs. This new form of civic leadership would inspire employees to contribute to their community. It would demonstrate that the government values and recognizes the engagement in simple ways in volunteer activities. It would show that the government means action in supporting volunteers.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for our Premier later today.

Mr. Speaker, environmental and natural resources is an important issue in each of our ridings, and collectively it continues to be a critical issue across the N.W.T. Exploration and development of minerals seems to be gaining unstoppable momentum, and our once-plentiful clean water now faces questions of sustainability and even scarcity. A whole new industry has been started in environmental monitoring, in environmental assessment, in environmental impact and use. Additionally, we cannot forget about the traditional cultural practices with respect to the aboriginal people and the impacts on trapping and harvesting.

In my riding, Mr. Speaker, there’s a flurry of activities that is impacting the environment and natural resources. Uranium, precious metal exploration, plans for additional hydro infrastructure, water contamination from the mammoth Alberta power plant project, the reopening of the Pine Point Mine, and renewable resource development all contribute directly and indirectly to the permanent disturbance of the natural order of ecology and wildlife patterns.

Mr. Speaker, before it gets too late, we need to review the direction we are going with respect to environment and natural resources in the Northwest Territories. We need to develop a comprehensive strategy for the Northwest Territories that will not only effectively address important environmental issues today but guide us down the road to responsible and sustainable resource development. The people of Tu Nedhe are not opposed to resource development but would like to see development that does not have an adverse impact on the environment or on their traditional pursuits.

I propose that the government commit to establish-ing a committee to facilitate and guide the process of developing a comprehensive environmental natural resource strategy.

My Member’s statement today is my letter to Sheila Fraser, the Auditor General of Canada.

“As a member of the 16th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, I wish to bring to your attention concerns regarding the process relating to the proposed bridge over the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence.

“During the 14th Legislative Assembly a piece of

legislation called the Deh Cho Bridge [Corporation]

Act was passed. The information presented to Members at the time contemplated a self-financing bridge with a capital cost of around $60 million. The bridge would be paid for over 35 years, based on a commercial tonnage toll. The extent of the G.N.W.T.’s contribution would be the current budget for a ferry and the construction and maintenance of an ice bridge at the Mackenzie River crossing at Fort Providence. The G.N.W.T. would also provide a loan guarantee for the initial cost of planning and design to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. The corporation would also have an opportunity to raise up to $5 million on that amount on which they would receive a rate of return.

“During the 15th Assembly many updates and

briefings were undertaken at numerous points. Members were assured that the amount of the loan guarantee would not be increased, but it was. At another point we were assured that the project would not proceed without a significant federal government infrastructure contribution. That contribution never materialized, yet the bridge is still proceeding.

“The bridge project is now estimated to cost $160 million. The amount of the G.N.W.T.’s input will be at least $2 million per year indexed over 35 years, plus the annual budget of the ferry and ice crossing, and the G.N.W.T. will spend at least $750,000 per year collecting the toll from the commercial traffic.

“After the initial passing of the Deh Cho Bridge [Corporation] Act, the Members of our Legislature have not had an opportunity to vote in favour of these many changes to the original program which I’ve indicated, the most substantive changes being the cost of the project and our government’s financial participation in the project. As this project has progressed, the information has been difficult to get to.

“To add to the appearance of an accountability shortfall, the very important concession agreement with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation was signed on September 28, 2007, three days before our October 1 Territorial election. This was during a transition period when it is traditionally agreed that Ministers continue to hold off but do not do things which are above and beyond routine, status quo maintenance activities in their departments — let alone signing our government up to a multi-million dollar–35 year financial commitment.”

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

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you.

“Public/Private Partnerships are a vehicle by which other jurisdictions have acquired major capital infrastructure; however, this has not been a practice of our government. Therefore no policy regulation or legislation previously existed that would have guided this process. It is very significant in that this proposed bridge will be the single most expensive piece of capital infrastructure which our government has ever undertaken.

“When information or accountability were called for, the government has retreated to a response of confidentiality because of a third-party proponent, which is the private corporation. The equity of the proponent has also been brought into question by the fact that all the work on the project to date has been covered by a loan guarantee. Even after seven years the project’s equity is very limited. And the shareholder that they have attracted to join with them is none other than the general contractor for the bridge.

To the Auditor General: I respectfully request that you examine all documents, Hansards, transcripts, briefings and other materials related to this project. As a Member of the Legislative Assembly, I have a public duty to the public interest to ensure that the business dealings of our government are transparent, accountable and lawful.”

Mr. Speaker, my question is in response to the Premier’s answers to questions asked by Mr. Hawkins in regard to the reductions that are coming forward, and also reductions in positions, programs and services. I’d like to make it clear to the Premier, as a Member who represents small aboriginal communities that are lacking basic programs and services from this government because of vacant positions that haven’t been filled for years in and years out….Yet we are again going through the cuts when these communities haven’t recovered from the cuts of the 13th Assembly.

I think it’s important as a government that we ensure that the fundamental programs and services that are required by all residents of the Northwest Territories are delivered through ways of mental health positions, alcohol and drug positions, income support positions, policing and whatnot. But yet, Mr. Speaker, these aboriginal communities that are living in poverty continue year after year to struggle with the basic programs and services we take for granted. I think, as a government, we have a responsibility to ensure that these cuts do not affect those communities that don’t even have the basic programs and services.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s crucial that we as government, and as a nation of Canada, identify the crisis that aboriginal communities are in. One of the fundamental problems they’re facing is a lack of basic programs and services in their communities because of the isolation and the conditions of trying to recruit and hire professions to provide programs and services in those communities. It’s a problem we face right across the Territories, especially in isolated communities where we don’t have staff housing — which was cut in the 13th Assembly —

where we don’t have policing to give security to the mental health worker or nurse in that community to feel safe. Knowing it is a problem, yet here we go

again by cutting programs and services and people by way of a reduction program that’s going to be implemented by this government.

Mr. Speaker, I for one feel that as government we have a fiduciary obligation to ensure that aboriginal people receive all programs and services that are basically provided to all other Canadians. So at the appropriate time, I will be asking the Premier a question on this matter.

I was copied a letter from the mayor of Sachs Harbour to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment outlining the community’s concerns about the lack of availability of housing for teachers, and how some government policies have a negative impact on newly hired employees.

It is simple, Mr. Speaker. There is a limited rental market in Sachs Harbour. Newly hired teachers have been forced to double up to share a public housing unit because there is nowhere else for them to go. In addition, when the rent was calculated on the unit last year, they ended up having to pay 50 per cent out of their take-home pay towards their rent, and pay utilities.

Mr. Speaker, this is a 100 per cent increase in rent charged for the same unit just a year ago.

There are also issues of freight allowances for new hires. One of the latest hires had to bring a bed into the community for a bad back. The other had to bring a washer and dryer for their rental accommodations. As you can imagine, this severely impacted the availability of food shipped up at the same time, meaning they were forced to pay the significantly higher costs of buying locally. This needs to be addressed, Mr. Speaker.

The children in the small communities have the right to quality education. We need to create a working and living environment for teachers so they will stay and become a part of the community. If they have to spend all of their wages on keeping a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, there is no incentive for them to stay, beyond their love of teaching and the joy they get out of seeing the children succeed.

We need to address these issues and move forward in ensuring the success of our children.

Mr. Speaker, as incredible as it may seem in this day and age, this government still does not have a specific legislative or regulative mechanism for requiring financial security for mining lessors of Commissioner’s Land. Has this cost the taxpayer and the environment? You betcha — in spades — and I suspect with more costs to come.

Mr. Speaker, in his Budget Address in February 2006, the Minister of Finance noted that the operating surplus had actually changed to a deficit, due in part to the accrual of a $23 million liability for the Giant Mine Remediation. As party to an agreement with Canada on this project, the N.W.T. is also committed to a contribution of $1 million per year to this cleanup for the foreseeable future.

And yet, Mr. Speaker, as owners and land managers, we continue to issue leases to mining companies without any financial security whatsoever. In fact, in June 2002 this government issued a land lease to Miramar Con Mine Ltd., stipulating that a security deposit would be required when the legislation requiring it came into force.

Mr. Speaker, despite the minor change required to enable this condition to be fulfilled, we still do not have the legislation requiring such financial security. Thus, our government and our people remain vulnerable at a time when we clearly cannot afford such exceptional costs.

On January 15 of this year, at a public hearing of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for Miramar Con Mine Ltd.’s A-water licence — a meeting where G.N.W.T. chose to not even appear — it became painfully clear that our government has not only insufficient financial security with mine leases, it maintains none whatsoever. This, despite the fact that concerned members of the public have repeatedly raised this issue with the Minister of Finance over a period of years.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly is supposed to be all about prevention. Well, here is an opportunity for this government to avoid additional financial burdens from downloaded mine cleanups, prevent needless tax burdens for our taxpayers, and prevent further damage to our reputation as land managers, not to mention provide an extra incentive for environmentally sound development. It’s not a large task, but it is important and it’s overdue. Let’s plug this hole and make the legislative change that will give us the ability to require financial security on leases of Commissioner’s Land.

There will be questions on this. Mahsi.

Since the dissolution of the 15th Legislative Assembly, the community of Inuvik has had a few residents pass on, and I wanted to use my Member’s statement today to mention them and to let them know that we share in their loss.

We've lost Kendra Sittichinli, a bright young 18-year-old just a few weeks away from college, taken from us a little too soon.

Martina Malagana, Ken Stair, Willie Steffanson.

We lost John Dillon and his brother Tom Dillon; Sandy Steffanson; Elias Aviugana.

Lily Lipscomb, who believed in me and was a big supporter of mine and always had words of encouragement for me whenever I ran into her.

We lost Maurice Cardinel and Shirley Coady, and just yesterday we were informed that we lost Ed Dillon.

I just wanted to use this opportunity to extend my condolences to their families, and I wanted to let them know — and I’m sure the Members of this Assembly join me —that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Today I'd like to revisit a topic I raised last fall with the former Minister of Health and Social Services, and that is of space utilization at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

After numerous requests to former Ministers, a staffing review and HR plan were going to be developed for Stanton. That work is still in progress, but the early indications would suggest that a lack of work space and delivery of services in cramped spaces is leading to stress in the workplace.

Last year the hospital turned a patient lounge on the surgery ward into office space. Washrooms and patient rooms have also been converted to office space. Just recently I have become aware of plans to turn the patient lounge on Medicine into office space, and if that's not enough, in addition to that, the hospital is also looking at the potential use of the nursery on OBS to be used for office space.

Is nothing sacred in regard to the proliferation of office and administrative staff space in our hospital? What's going to be next? The chapel?

What the department needs to do is come up with a plan to relocate administrative and office space out of the hospital, so that the required and essential

services that patients, families and health care professionals that work there and deserve to have…. They need the necessary space to operate in and can't be crammed into small spaces. This would certainly help our health care professionals who are challenged day in and day out because of the poor planning and poor decision-making by the hospital and by the Department of Health and Social Services.

Our residents deserve the dedicated, well-run health care facility that Stanton can and should be. Stanton Territorial Hospital is the flagship of our health care system, not some glorified office and administrative building that does not contribute to servicing the health care needs of our residents.

It seems that the department is always quick to study and plan without actually making any progress. It has been referred to in the past as the “Department of Perpetual Planning.” It’s time the department shed that label and took back our hospital for the residents and health care professionals who so desperately want to get our hospital back to being a hospital.

Please, do not turn any more space into offices, especially the nursery. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome my wife, Jenny, and my cousin Mrs. Stephanie Ungman, and Penni Ungman, Tristan and Angel to the House.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Mr. Beaulieu.

Today I wish to acknowledge a health care professional in my riding, Gail Beaulieu, Acting Nurse in Charge of the Deninu Ku’e Health Centre in Fort Resolution.

Gail started her nursing career at the Montreal General Hospital School of Nursing. After graduating she attended Dalhousie University and studied public health as well as an outpost nursing program that included midwifery skills, one of the highlights of her education.

She was recruited to work in Fort Resolution in 1975. After a lengthy break to raise three children,

much of which was spent on Taltson River, she returned to work in 1990.

Recently she completed the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Aurora College here in Yellowknife. Fort Resolution is fortunate to have somebody dedicated to helping others, and today I am honoured to acknowledge Gail for her nursing achievements.

Item 7, oral questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Earlier today I brought up the issue of the Volunteer Support Initiative action plan. The issue really is creating volunteers in spirit and morale within the public service.

A lot of public servants belong to many organizations and they volunteer personal time, but sometimes, as these things conflict with work time, we need a system that engenders that volunteer spirit.

What I’m going to ask the Premier is: would he consider looking at creating a volunteer day for the public service so they can help give back to their community? It would build morale and spirit within our public service.

We do value the volunteers who provide much input into a lot of our communities. In fact, that’s why we have, through agreements with the unions, a number of initiatives that provide for employees to take part in volunteer initiatives throughout the Territory.

I would have a difficult time looking at that specific issue. We need to look at the whole way we provide and support the volunteer sector, and one of the examples is the through our established civic leave process.

The federal government established a volunteer day, and it allows employees to go and do personal things and volunteer on initiatives that bring them personal satisfaction. This would help raise the morale, as I’ve said numerous times already now, within our service. Here we are buckling down very tough on them, but we want to give them something that they enjoy, something that means something special in their lives.

I’d like the Premier to reconsider his statement and see if he would look into the issue and see what work can be done to help facilitate this. Because — don’t take this the wrong way — we don’t need the union to make this type of decision. This decision could be made at the highest office. It could bring

morale and much needed support throughout our public service.

It’s not a matter of the union making a decision for us. It is the discussions we have with the union that represents people who do the work for us and what we require in getting the job done across the territories. We can, ourselves, look at a number of initiatives. We’d have to do a comparison of…. The Member used the example of the federal government — what they offer and what we’re offering as well.

I’m very proud to say I’m Rotarian. I know former Members, such as Mr. Dent, are Rotarians as well, and different people in the public service are. They give time to go to the schools like Weledeh to read to school children every week. The thing is they have to take regular annual leave. That is the type of thing I’d like to see us continue, yet find ways to work with the employees so they are not sacrificing one way to make it work. The fact is, I’d like to see that spirit continue so we can allow employees to do the good things they do in our community — and that’s only one example.

Can I get some sort of picture built here as to how confident the Premier is that we could maybe look at something like this or when we could bring something back for a discussion?