This is page numbers 1921 to 1954 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 3rd 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 honourable.

Topics

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Minister of Transportation

First of all, we need to comply with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. We have also looked at what the other jurisdictions are doing. We have talked to the transport officers in our departments and also talked to those in the public sector who work in the area of safety.

We look at all the vehicles that come from other jurisdictions, including right hand vehicles now, that are required to have compliant parts. A lot of these vehicles are coming because of the ability to sell them fairly cheaply in this country. However, they don’t always have adequate safety parts on them, including proper windshields, bumpers, headlights, reflectors, so those things need to be in place. We’ve put together a policy now that incorporates a testing or compliance part to it, and it seems to be working well.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

I thank the Minister for that. I certainly do understand the aspect of public safety on this. It seems, in terms of dealing with right hand drive vehicles, the department seems to be making things up as they go along. On the Internet, on the website, there are no policies or information posted for residents who are entertaining the idea of purchasing a right hand drive vehicle. Will the Minister make sure the information gets out there for the public so that if they are looking at purchasing a right hand drive vehicle, they know what the rules are, they know what the policies are that are at play here in the Northwest Territories, and it’s not just a case by case basis and policy on the fly?

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

We certainly will commit to doing that, Mr. Speaker. We’ve nailed down the inspection requirements; we have informed all our staff.

My assumption was that it was also in public information so that people know what the process is. We’ll commit to looking at the Internet and other sources of having that information brought forward.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could direct his staff to look at the small communities where they are considered to have a high cost construction season. It’s almost over now, and some of these people are locked into the high cost of fuel from just generally high costs in small communities. Would the Minister direct his staff to quickly get materials that will make the houses more efficient — wood stoves, weather strips and whatnot — that are needed for our low income families in the small communities?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re moving forward as fast as we can on providing energy efficient homes in the Northwest Territories.

A couple of days ago we announced our new EnerGuide 80 design requirements that will have energy efficiency at the forefront. We are also embarking on doing evaluations of all our public housing units across the Territories. We have 2,300 units, and we would like to do a rating on all of them and see if we can do some upgrades so that we can save some of the heating and energy costs and provide energy efficient homes.

We are also reviewing the situation of how we can assist the people who own their own homes and have private homes that may need upgrades and energy efficient programs. There are other programs available through this government; however, the Housing Corporation is doing its own review to see how we can help.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

I’m referring to home ownership, of course, where the individuals have to pay their own operating costs. I was wondering if the Minister could have the staff concentrate on the home ownership section, especially for homes where individuals are responsible for their own heat, power and so on but are deemed to be low income, within that income window where individuals will get assistance from the Housing Corporation.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

We’re trying to focus on all the different aspects of energy efficiency, from public housing to home ownership programs, including people with low incomes. We would certainly be glad to work with the Member if there are any outstanding issues or concerns regarding people in his riding.

We have programs that most of the people can apply to currently and that may assist. But as to a specific program designed for energy efficiency for homeowners, that’s something we haven’t been able to firm up yet. We’re working on it and would be glad to share that once that’s done.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

I guess I’m more or less thinking about a specific group of people: homeowners in small communities who have low incomes. I don’t really need a specific program. I suppose the Housing Corporation has consolidated all of their programs into 14 programs, and each of those programs is supposed to be able to encompass the assistance towards all home ownership clients or all housing clients.

I’ll ask the Minister again if they could take a portion of CARE and concentrate first on home ownership clients who are paying their own operating expenses, before getting into the public housing end, where the operating cost is paid by the Housing Corporation or the government.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

We certainly can move forward on the recommendation the Member has provided.

We’re actually looking at more than just the CARE program. We’d like to see if we can bring things forward through the strategic initiative exercises that we have ongoing. We are considering that, and those things will be brought forward during the business plan. That will be packaged up, hopefully, with the CARE program and should help the homeowners across the Northwest Territories.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I was wondering if the Minister could communicate that to us in writing as soon as possible.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

We had intended to come forward through the business planning process. However, if we can have all our initiatives firmed up so that we have a good understanding and some comfort that this is what we are going to do and if we have the dollars that are required, we would be glad to share that with the Members in writing.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, over the last several months I’ve been working with some families in the Sahtu region. We develop policies at the Legislative Assembly. They are brought forward by the Cabinet, and we go through the policies and have them implemented in different programs. These policies are well written, they’re well thought out, but when they hit the community at the community level, there seems to be a disconnect there.

One of the things I want to talk about is foster care. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about when children are taken out of the communities as to the point of contact. In my community I have received several phone calls. There seems to be a disconnect with the department and the policies, and some of the different organizations are blaming each other.

I want to ask the Minister in terms of a similar program they have in Fort McPherson; I think it’s called Plan of Care. Is that something that the department is thinking about implementing in our region? Because that was supposed to happen in the Sahtu.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Plan of Care is something that has been provided for with the recent amendments to the Child and Family Services Act and is one that we would like to see implemented in every community.

The department staff have been going to the regions to work with community leadership and the communities to help them set them up. We have not had as much response as we would like. We will continue to work with the communities to support them to get this set up, because it is a good avenue for the communities to participate and have some say on the children.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

It has been over how many years that the community has been saying this in terms of Plan of Care? My community of Colville Lake, over a number of years, has been saying this. The chief has called me; people in the community have called me. They’ve said, “Why don’t we get to work and get them to talk to us? They come in here and they scoop up the children and they bring them outside.”

I guess we’re waiting for the implementation of a good program. We’ve heard some good things from Fort McPherson. When are we going to see dollars that match these good words? It’s long overdue. Again I ask the Minister of Health and Social Services — the community is ready — to get this

Plan of Care implemented into our communities ASAP.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

As the Member is aware, this is relatively new legislation. The last Standing Committee on Social Programs worked to implement that.

The second thing is that all of the tools and the legislative framework are there. We just need to work harder to get the communities to come on board. There’s not a lot of money allocated for that. It’s a situation where community leadership and interested parties could get together, and we will give administrative support in that regard.

Lastly, what I want to say is that in some situations in our regions, families agree…. In Sahtu they have agreed to the arrangements that we have had for the children, even if they had to be moved out of communities, because in some cases they are with extended family in another community in the same region. These are very private and confidential family issues that we can’t really talk about here.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I do respect the confidentiality of this issue. But when the communities, such as my community, have elders come and talk to me…. The chief has come and talked to me; the families have talked about it with me. They ask how come the community hasn’t been notified and it hasn’t been discussed.

Small, close knit communities certainly know what’s going on. The elders said to me, “Why isn’t that child being looked after by our community? We could have done it.”

Again, the SCRIPT program is in place. How come, when we have this program, it’s not supported by resources? I’ll ask the Minister: would she look carefully, in terms of the resources that should be with these programs? Because right now… [English translation not provided] …there’s no money.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

I think I have a good idea which community of the region the Member is referring to. I’ll commit to the Member that I will revisit to see where we are with that in terms of the conversation we’ve had with the community leadership. I will lend as much support as I can to make that Plan of Care Committee be established in that community.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 18, first reading of bills. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just had a couple more oral questions, if I could. Are you still on item 7, Mr. Speaker? If not, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7.

Unanimous consent granted.