Please be seated.

I would like to say a very special thank you to Pastor Brad Dahr from the Seventh Day Adventist Church for coming in and saying our prayer for us and to Shad Turner for singing our national anthem.

Mr. Clerk, would you please ascertain whether the Commissioner, the Hon. Anthony W.J. Whitford, is prepared to enter the Chamber to open the Third Session of the 16th Legislative Assembly.

Orders of the Day. Item 3, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to update Members on an important initiative being

undertaken by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

As Members are well aware, the challenges of rising fuel costs and climate change have forced all of us to place a renewed focus on energy efficiency. One of the most important places where energy improvements can be made is in the home. As winter approaches, we encourage homeowners and tenants alike to explore the many options available to them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and mitigate the high cost of fuel.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is also making significant efforts to improve the energy efficiency of its housing stock. One of the most important efforts we are making is an assessment of existing housing designs to identify areas of enhancement that can achieve energy savings. While the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has been delivering high quality housing for decades, as the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation I have directed my officials to move to the next level in terms of energy efficiency and conservation.

Over the coming year the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation will develop design plans to ensure that building envelopes and heating and ventilating systems in future construction projects achieve, at a minimum, an EnerGuide 80 rating. As an example, an EnerGuide 80 rating would typically require an R28 insulated wall, an R50 ceiling and an R40 floor, among other improvements. The EnerGuide rating system is used by Natural Resources Canada to evaluate the energy efficiency of a building. The EnerGuide 80 standard is the benchmark for high energy efficiency.

It is important that this effort be undertaken in a manner that balances increased capital costs with the need for energy conservation. Improvement to the current designs to an EnerGuide 80 rating or better will increase initial costs by 5 to10 per cent. Over the long term, however, this will yield a greater cost savings, and we will realize a return on investment within a relatively short period given the rising cost to operate a home.

The EnerGuide 80 score standard has been adopted by other provincial and municipal jurisdictions as the minimum score for a highly efficient home. The design enhancements for the NWT Housing Corporation will be finalized by mid 2009 in time for implementation for the 2010 construction season.

Mr. Speaker, while the enhancements to our new design represent a significant component of our efforts to conserve energy, there are also important savings that can be achieved through retrofits of our existing public housing stock. While on average a 20 year old home in Canada will typically score

66 on the EnerGuide scale, I am pleased to report that the NWT Housing Corporation’s houses typically score higher than the national average. But there is room for improvement. According to the Arctic Energy Alliance, retrofitting houses from an EnerGuide 70 score to an EnerGuide 80 may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and annual energy costs by 25 to 30 per cent.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is coordinating with Arctic Energy Alliance to conduct ecoENERGY evaluations on existing public housing units to establish EnerGuide ratings over the next six months. Evaluations on 70 to 100 public housing units are scheduled to be completed by April 2009. This will help determine the greatest emission/cost reduction for future energy retrofit upgrades.

As Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation I also feel strongly that improvements to our home designs are the right thing to do. It will save our clients money and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is one of the many energy efficient initiatives being undertaken by this government through the GNWT’s Energy Plan and Greenhouse Gas Strategy and serves as an example of how small improvements can go a long way in helping to protect our environment.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, the effectiveness of the government’s programs and services is determined by the quality of the people who deliver them. In today’s highly competitive labour market we need to do more to recognize that our staff are the government’s most valuable resource.

To attract qualified staff and create an environment that encourages them to remain with the Government of the Northwest Territories, it takes more than an investment of money. It also takes planning, vision and commitment. We believe that the government is a challenging and exciting organization that can provide staff with a range of opportunities. We need to invest enough effort and resources into making our government an employer of choice.

This means doing more than providing a competitive salary and benefits package. It also requires that staff have access to mentorship and training and that they have opportunities to advance within the organization. It means ensuring we have a government that actively strives to attract a

workforce that is representative of the population it serves.

We need to find more effective ways to attract aboriginal people into the government and support them to succeed. We need to model other employers who have made it a priority to accommodate persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, in order to accomplish this, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Human Resources is proceeding with the development of a comprehensive corporate human resource strategic plan for the Northwest Territories’ public service.

The strategic plan will describe the goals of the public service, document our internal and external challenges and outline the key initiatives that will be undertaken to achieve success. The plan will be based on consultation with

stakeholders, including

Members of this Assembly, as well as best practices from other public services. It will be grounded in the realities of working within the political, cultural, social and environmental landscape of the Canadian north. We will also provide a framework for the development of individual departmental human resource plans.

Finally, the plan will include a companion three year action plan that details specific short term objectives, actions, time frames and performance results to be achieved over the life of the 16th Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the strategic plan will reflect the aspirations of multiple stakeholder groups. It will reflect the 16th Legislative Assembly’s priority to

“improve human resource management within the GNWT through training, career planning and encouraging innovation by employees.” It will be a foundation document guiding the work of thousands of public servants who will continue to provide the highest calibre of programs and services to the people of the Northwest Territories. And, finally, it will reflect the needs and aspirations of residents.

I look forward to keeping the Members of this Assembly informed as we move forward with this important initiative.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Today I would like to speak in regard to health and social services in the Mackenzie

Delta. I know I’ve raised questions in this House time and time again, yet with no results in regard to improvements in services and, more important, promoting a healthy environment and protection of our residents and protection of our youth and our seniors in our communities.

When we have a shortage of nurses or in some cases where we have health centres that we build in communities and they’re not functional because we don’t have nurses to operate them, there’s a breakdown in regard to services being provided for aboriginal communities. I think it’s that type of reality that we live in, in most communities. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we continue to see deficits run up in our large regional centres. In the case of Inuvik the government has bailed them out to the tune of $9 million over the last five years, but no services have been in place in one of our communities. Tsiigehtchic hasn’t had a nurse in that community for over five years.

In the community that I represent the core programs that really assist people in the area of mental health — frontline workers such as social workers, in regard to nurses, teachers…. Those are the individuals that really improve the quality of life in our communities. People feel that basically by having these services at their fingertips, it does improve the quality of life in our communities. But when we have a system where those aspects aren’t there, it deteriorates to a point where people are living in fear, wondering: “What’s going to happen when I get sick? Do I have to find a ride to the Inuvik hospital?” What’s going to happen in regard to an elderly person who basically has come down with cancer and has to go back to their home community, not realizing that they don’t have a health care service provider in that community?

I think that this government has to take this issue seriously. It has a direct implication to the government by way of costs. If anything, the costs escalate when you don’t have frontline workers, and more importantly, the individual medical costs and transportation, locums…. People basically have to carry those extra costs. It has a direct effect.

Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health questions on this matter later.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Mr. Speaker, the amount of money generated from lottery proceeds in the NWT was $3 million last year, a significant amount of money. Currently in the NWT proceeds of the Western Canada Lottery program are exclusively allocated

to sports organizations. The NWT is the only jurisdiction in Canada that exclusively allocates lottery proceeds to sports. Alberta and British Columbia divide their lottery proceeds between many different organizations and causes, and the Yukon divides its proceeds between arts and cultural programs and sports programs.

The arts play a significant role in a community’s economy and well-being. National statistics show that, on average, investments in the arts result in an 8 to 1 payback to the community for every dollar invested in the form of increased tourism, increased businesses for restaurants and jobs created, to name a few of the spin-off benefits. The arts contribute to a lively, healthy community and give our youth a vehicle to express themselves creatively in positive ways, typically using local materials and resources. They are also an integral part of a diversified economy. As we already rely so strongly upon our non-renewable resources, our territory is going to continue to be vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economy. A healthy arts and culture industry can help us withstand these difficult swings.

Mr. Speaker, our neighbours in the Yukon have recognized this and are benefiting from a burgeoning tourism industry, due in part to their superior level of funding arts and culture in comparison to our territory.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that I’m not suggesting that we reduce funding for sports in the NWT. I recognize that sports play an indispensable role in the lives of our youth and contribute to maintaining healthy communities. I also want to acknowledge that this Assembly has begun to recognize the importance of the arts through increased funding, and I applaud this effort. However, there is still room for additional support, and I think that some access to lottery funds is a valid place to start. There is certainly a possibility of increasing lottery revenue in the NWT. If arts organizations were involved in advertising, I have little doubt that we would start to see an increase in lottery revenues that could be split and used for the increased benefit of both sports and arts and culture — two vitally important aspects of our society.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yellowknife’s natural surroundings and safe, small town atmosphere are things that make our capital city unique. Sadly, in recent years this sense of

security is no longer the case. We’re experiencing an increase in break and enters as well as drug trafficking. The popular Frame Lake walking trail has become a scene of violent crimes.

Some proactive citizens have created the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition, a community policing organization made up of trained volunteers. Their Citizens on Patrol is a neighbourhood watch service that acts as eyes and ears only — observers who report suspicious and dangerous behaviour to the RCMP. These are things we can all do to be community minded. Thanks to contributions from municipal, territorial and federal governments the Community Wellness Coalition service patrol has leased a van to drive through Yellowknife picking people up and bringing them to safe places to stay, be it their homes or one of the shelters. This service is crucial in the winter for people’s personal safety and in the summer for collective safety downtown.

Mr. Speaker, what I’m seeing here is a vicious cycle. Needy people are taken to shelters that are already crowded and financially stretched. When these places reach capacity or can only provide a limited range of services, the same people who were brought there are forced onto the streets again. Many of them gather in places such as the bush along Frame Lake Trail, on the rocks behind Sir John Franklin High School and on Tin Can Hill. It is hard to go for a walk in Yellowknife’s green spaces without coming across someone’s campsite. These people often struggle with addictions, and their desperate condition makes them more susceptible to injury and disease and increased addiction that in turn leads to more crime.

Services like our shelters in the Yellowknife Community Wellness Coalition rely on the dedicated efforts of volunteers. To avoid burnout, they need to increase their number of personnel and provide more training, but they are unable to due to limited funding to the voluntary sector. The Department of Justice has shown a lot of support for the Wellness Coalition, but more help is needed to continue their services. They need a small amount of office space, a part time coordinator and fuel for their van.

We need to examine where we are putting our dollars. We need to break this vicious cycle. We need to fund programs that are already working and help the people that are already helping others. We need to feel secure enough to be able to give tips to the RCMP without fearing for our personal safety. Mr. Speaker, we all want a capital city that is clean and safe. We should be able to enjoy its unique character and step outdoors to see the northern lights or sunset after midnight without being afraid.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Justice Minister some questions about community wellness and policing.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi cho. [English translation not provided.]

The Fort Simpson Health Centre provides a range of health services to residents of the Deh Cho region. Unfortunately, the existing facility requires renovation to adequately provide these services.

Mr. Speaker, renovations were slated to take place in this facility, but it appears that this project has been taken off the books and funding has been deferred. The facility is scheduled for a half life renovation in 2019. That’s ten years into the future. The health centre staff and the residents of the Deh Cho can’t wait that long. Adequate work space is already at a premium, and service delivery is being impacted by this situation on a daily basis.

Mr. Speaker, quality health care services are being compromised by the lack of appropriate space to deliver these services. I urge the Minister to ensure that the renovation of the Fort Simpson Health Centre is funded in this upcoming fiscal year.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about the difficulties a constituent is encountering in dealing with Health and Social Services. My constituent has multiple sclerosis, or MS, as it is commonly referred to.

MS attacks the covering of the brain, causing inflammation and scarring. When this happens, the usual flow of nerve impulses along nerve fibres is interrupted or distorted. MS can be a very debilitating and progressive disease. Symptoms can include extreme fatigue, loss of balance, problems with coordination, stiffness of muscles, speech problems, bladder and bowel problems, short term memory loss and partial or complete paralysis.

Mr. Speaker, anyone living with MS can experience some or all of these symptoms. I was very concerned when my constituent contacted me at the beginning of this month to tell me that she had

been turned down by Extended Health Benefits for a WalkAide, which was duly prescribed by a neurologist. The WalkAide is a functional electrical stimulation device that allows a person who has MS to walk without dragging their feet. When my constituent contacted health benefits, she was told that the WalkAide was a luxury that was not covered by Extended Health Benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if the Minister of Health and Social Services also thinks that walking should be considered a luxury in our territory. I had contacted the Minister’s office with my concerns, and it took them close to three weeks to write me back, saying my constituent should phone the deputy minister. I am completely at a loss as to why it took three weeks to say we will get her a cane or a wheelchair, and she can phone the deputy minister so he can assign staff to review her file so she could be provided with financial support equivalent to what she would have been eligible for, which would be a cane or a wheelchair. This is completely unacceptable.

In Alberta these devices are helping those suffering with MS, and they are being distributed for free to help people. Why is this product not on the list in the Northwest Territories? I thought we were in the business of helping our residents, Mr. Speaker. My constituent wants to walk with dignity, not with a cane and certainly not be in a wheelchair, though she had to purchase this device herself. Why would the government not cover such a device? At $4,500 it would be a small price to pay for a person’s quality of life.

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

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People pay taxes their entire life, and when they encounter a serious health issue like MS, the government should be there for them. In this case they weren’t, and that’s a shame.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year a large amount of money gets thrown on the proverbial table of the Legislative Assembly. For our approximately 42,000 residents, $1.2 billion in round numbers goes on the table. Departments and deputies and their Ministers elected to oversee them put together business plans which form the basis of our annual budget. Our territory is diverse in so many ways, and although our resources are

great, so are the many needs of our regions, communities and residents.

It’s our job as the stewards of the public purse to spend our resources in the public interest in the fairest, most effective and most prudent way possible. That is what is expected of us, and nothing less. We have the power and, more importantly, the responsibility to put in place checks and balances that ensure transparency and accountability in the way that we disburse and distribute our financial resources.

There is no mechanism outside of this Assembly that will hold to account that process, other than the court of public opinion and the confidence that puts us here in the first place. The budget is the people’s; they merely entrust us with its management to match it to the needs of those same people to the best of our collective ability. Let’s remind ourselves often that with the power that comes with being at the table at which $1.2 billion is laid down every year comes an ominous obligation to fairness and accountability. That requires balancing the interests of many, as I said. We know this is a political environment where people are passionate about their constituencies and those needs, myself amongst them.

To that end, Mr. Speaker, and to the issue of fairness, I would like to thank my colleagues on this side of the House who on Monday voted unanimously in support of moving forward the funding required for the renovation of Diamond Jenness Secondary School in my riding. I do appreciate their support and their recognition of this being the fair and right thing to do. I want to assure Members on this side of the House and the other side that I will continue to support them in any way I can to realize the aspirations of their constituencies as I listen to their issues.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I rise once again to talk about our youth. On numerous occasions I have taken this opportunity to bring attention to our youth concerns. I have talked about the need to assist communities so they can deliver community based programming. I’ve talked about youth projects. I’ve talked about the need to put youth related facilities in smaller communities. This is very important.

Mr. Speaker, I talked about the importance of hiring qualified youth workers. Hiring is the first step, and being able to keep these individuals is a critical factor for successful youth programming. The

communities need this help. I talked about how communities are best suited to know what works for their youth. Communities need to be engaged right from the start. They are the experts. They know the families. They know the issues. I talked about the benefits of successful youth programs, including health benefits for youth, social and justice benefits for the communities, educational and economical benefits for the NWT. A successful youth program results in healthier individuals, healthier communities and in the long run a healthier NWT.

Mr. Speaker, some communities are delivering successful youth programs; however, more often than not these can be found in the larger centres. It is rare to find this level of success in small communities, but when you do, it is usually because the community is lucky enough to have one local individual who is dedicated to the community and the youth.

Having attended the successful Aboriginal Sport Circle award dinner last week, I was once again reminded of the importance of youth. At this time I would like to congratulate the Aboriginal Sport Circle on the tremendous work they are doing with the NWT youth.

Mr. Speaker, in light of some of the success stories here, I feel that our government is still not taking the youth issue seriously. Our youth budgets remain low. Communities still need to hire and retain qualified youth workers. Small communities need to build facilities for their youth. Smaller, isolated communities need help to send their youth to sporting events. An example: a team from Lutselk’e to play Super Soccer here in Yellowknife will cost $4,000.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.