Good afternoon,

colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Members, this week we have included an additional audio component as part of the Assembly’s new broadcasting system. To assist us, we have interpreters in the House all week. Yesterday and today we have interpretation in Chipewyan. Wednesday and Thursday we will have North Slavey interpretation and on Friday, Inuktitut.

We are rebroadcasting our proceedings throughout the Territories, and this week we’ll include the audio tracks in the three aboriginal languages translations to the communities currently receiving our feed. This is part of the preparation being made to offer our proceedings in all of our official languages to viewers across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Members.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the

Ministers’ Energy Coordinating Committee I would like to provide Members of this Assembly with an update on a number of the programs and initiatives that have been identified to address the energy challenges that we face in our territory.

Our efforts in this regard continue to be guided by the Energy Plan and Greenhouse Gas Strategy released in 2007, which introduced a wide range of tools and incentives to address the rising costs of energy and the growing impact of our energy use on the environment. To this end, our work has included the following key initiatives: investment and development in wind energy, highlighted this past year by the very successful Tuk Wind Conference, the creation and introduction of the

Alternative Energy Technologies and the Energy Efficiency Incentive programs, an increasing number of home energy audits and retrofits, and continued investment in the Taltson hydroelectric expansion that will enable our diamond mines to replace their use of diesel and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Speaker, the Arctic Energy Alliance plays a key role in our ongoing efforts to deliver energy programs and promote energy awareness and information. I am pleased to say that our increased support over the past year has allowed the alliance to enhance their presence and programming in our communities. As a result, NWT residents in communities are playing an ever-increasing role in the management of their energy use and participating in global efforts to address climate change.

Energy conservation and efficiency are immediate and effective responses to our energy challenges. In the long term, however, we must also identify renewable and alternative energy solutions to reduce our fundamental dependency on diesel for heating and electricity generation in our communities.

A key initiative in the coming year will be the development of the NWT Hydro Strategy to ensure a lasting legacy of clean, affordable power for future generations. We will also build on the success we have seen in the use of wood pellets by examining the potential use of biomass for both heating and electricity generation.

In the coming year we will be working with Members of this Assembly and NWT residents to advance the Review of Electricity Rates, Regulation and Subsidy Programs. This review will include an examination of the capital costs that contribute to higher power rates in our communities. We will also consider changes that might be made with the NWT Power Corporation as a result of the electricity review.

The energy initiatives being advanced by the Ministers’ Energy Coordinating Committee directly support the overall efforts of the Reducing Cost of Living Strategic Initiative Committee, and I will continue to work closely with the Hon. Sandy Lee,

the chair of that initiative committee, as we advance efforts to manage the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. I would ask all Members of this Legislature to support the actions and investments towards a sustainable energy future for all residents of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Ministers’

statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Speaker.

[English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, almost five years ago the National Museum of Scotland, the Tlicho government and the University of Dundee, in partnership with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, developed an exhibition of Dene artifacts from the collections of the National Museum of Scotland. These artifacts were collected from locations in the Northwest Territories in the mid-1800s and are regarded as one of the world’s best collections from this time period. This exhibition, titled De T’a Hoti Tseeda: We Live Securely from the Land, opened at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in 2006, with pieces selected from the exhibition touring schools in the Tlicho region.

The exhibition was also displayed at the Carleton art gallery in Ottawa for several months before being returned to Scotland, where it was revised. On May 15, 2008, it reopened at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh under the title Extremes: Life in Subarctic Canada. This project and the partnerships developed are an example of how organizations can work together to preserve and share important pieces of our heritage not only with Northerners but with a wider global audience.

Building on the success of this partnership, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is seeking opportunities to work with museums in other parts of the world to bring artifacts back to the Northwest Territories so that we can exhibit them in our museums. Projects of this nature enable us to showcase and honour the rich heritage of the North.

Mashi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Ministers’

statements. The honourable Minister Responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. Every June the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission proudly sponsors the annual Mine Rescue Competition in celebration of Mining Week, June 9 to 14. This week celebrates the rich culture of the North’s leading industry. The commission will host the 42nd Mine Rescue

Competition on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, in Yellowknife.

The Mine Rescue Competition evaluates and compares the quality and effectiveness of mine rescue training programs across the North. All NWT and Nunavut mines are invited to compete for the surface and underground commissioner’s trophies. The winners from each category then compete in the Western Regional Mine Rescue Competition, which challenges teams from all western provinces, the three territories and the northwestern United States.

Friday’s closed competition events will be held at the Giant mine site, and Saturday’s competition and the Miner’s Picnic, a community barbecue hosted by the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, will be at the Yellowknife Community Arena.

The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission will also host a continuing medical education session on Friday, June 13. All northern physicians and allied health care professionals are invited to participate in the Focus on Psychiatric and Psychological Disability course. Accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the course explores the unique opportunity presented to physicians and front-line health care workers to identify and intervene in psychiatric and psychological disabilities as it impacts a patient’s employment and employability.

In closing, I encourage everyone to attend Saturday, June 14

,

at the Mine Rescue Competition

and the Miner’s Picnic. Your attendance encourages the development of a positive safety culture in the Northwest Territories. The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission remains committed to working with northern workers, employers and health care workers to return Northerners home safe every day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 3,

Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people

of Beaufort-Delta have been waiting a long time to hear news of land sales in the Beaufort Sea. As we all heard, the record sale of $1.2 billion to British Petroleum is good news — opportunities for employment, business for the people of Beaufort-Delta. This has been a long time coming.

I had an opportunity to work in the Beaufort Sea during the ’70s and ’80s, when I worked on a drill ship, a manmade island. I had an opportunity to see the expertise that we had in the Beaufort Sea, by way of icebreaker technology, manmade islands, caissons, drill ship technology. All this expertise was developed in Canada, yet we lost that opportunity because of the downturn in the oil and gas industry in the Beaufort in the mid-’80s.

Mr. Speaker, through these opportunities came vast expertise by way of ice conditions, to environmental reviews, to wildlife monitoring — to a lot of initiatives that we have in place today by way of environmental regulations and also by how we monitor our environment, monitor the wildlife to ensure compliance with the regulatory systems we have in place. Canada was a world leader in Arctic exploration and development by way of drilling in the Arctic Ocean back in the ’70s and ’80s.

Mr. Speaker, this land sale will give Canada a footing to bring back that expertise and be able to expand that expertise not only for Canadians but for the rest of the world. In light of global warming, in light of what’s happened by way of exploration and development, we have to take hold of something that has already happened. This is nothing new to people of the Beaufort Sea. We had the opportunity of seeing it firsthand back in the ’70s and ’80s. People were able to take advantage of those developments back in the ’70s and ’80s. We are asking for nothing less than the rest of Canadians who would like to have that opportunity again.

Mr. Speaker, the final saying that I would like to leave with the rest of the Members here is that people of Beaufort-Delta have been true to the land for thousands of years. We will not jeopardize our environment for the sake of a development, but we realize that development is just as important as our environment. They do have to work hand in hand.

Mr. Speaker, I will be asking questions to the Minister of ITI on this matter later. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Members’

statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to

just mention that I enjoyed the presentation on the energy programs and initiatives. Thanks for that.

Mr. Speaker, about two-thirds of our greenhouse gas emissions are derived from transportation. I want to acknowledge the singular efforts of City of Yellowknife councillor Kevin Kennedy for his recent bus trip, for example, to Quebec. He is certainly walking the talk, or should we say riding the talk? Here’s an individual who for his holidays took three weeks hiking in Wood Buffalo Park and the next year took the same amount of time and rode by bicycle from Yellowknife to Vancouver with his 15-year-old daughter.

Instead of being congratulated for actually taking a stand on climate-related issues and doing something about it, he’s more often ridiculed in the media and blamed for wasting time — implying that reading during his travels or learning about Canada while travelling is a waste of time. Last year when he took the bus south, the newspaper article focused on the fact that he didn’t actually save money, as the other councillors managed to get seat sales.

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that people are missing the point here — perhaps deliberately, not many people want to take the bus for 80 hours — and maybe it needs to be made explicitly. You could say that we all make choices and that this is Mr.

Kennedy’s way to reduce his own

environmental footprint and to demonstrate possibilities. There are many other ways. This government should at least follow his example of doing something about it in a significant way.

On behalf of my constituents, Yellowknifers and tourists visiting our capital city, I would like to suggest that this government demonstrate its commitment by constructing a bicycle/walking path along the Ingraham

Trail to Prelude Lake and to

Dettah. Such a path would increase the quality of life of residents by encouraging healthy, active living while increasing the safety of our people. With the creation of a bicycle path and with people making healthy choices, we could expect to see traffic and road maintenance on these highways reduced with a lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. All of these benefits have been highlighted in the visions, goals and priorities of this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, let’s get a bicycle and walking path built along the Ingraham Trail and enjoy the benefits.

Finally, I note that in the Northern Connections Transportation Strategy,

just co-published by our

Department of Transportation, I saw the mention of

ALCAN RaiLink Inc. and mention of the role of railroads as a cheaper and more environmentally sound mode of transportation.

Mr. Bromley, your time for the

Member’s statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous

consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the

issue of rail, here lies some real potential for connecting communities in ways that present wins for all our concerns: economic, social and environmental sustainability. Let’s not ignore this opportunity to think progressively. Let’s show our ability to adapt and react with intelligence and foresight. Rail on! Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Members’

statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part

of our Strategic Plan we talk a lot about maximizing northern employment, encouraging northern youth to go out, get educated and come back to the Northwest Territories.

I’d like to applaud both the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Health and Social Services, who have combined to create a bursary program for nurses, doctors and allied health professionals — a Return of Service bursary program which provides students in these studies with money with the expectation that upon successful graduation and their completion, they’ll return to the North and work in their field of study.

A lot of students from the Northwest Territories have received these dollars, and it has helped them complete their studies successfully. All good. All great. The problem is not all of the students return to the Northwest Territories. Many students, once they’ve completed their studies, especially students in medicine and some of the more advanced health and allied professions, choose to remain in the south. This is after the government has given them up to $70,000 during the duration of their studies.

Unfortunately, the government hasn’t been that active in collecting those dollars back, and as a result, we have students out there who have received large sums of money who have no intention of returning to the Northwest Territories who also are keeping the money that they are provided. Now, I understand that some have

volunteered to pay it back, but others have remained silent and have left the Territories and have not been charged back.

I would like to see this government, the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Human Resources, track down these individuals who have taken this money in good faith and have not returned their service. I would like to see the government track these individuals down and encourage them to return to the North to meet the Return of Service obligation and/or collect the dollars from these individuals. We gave the money to them in good faith; I think it’s time that we turned around and collected those dollars from those individuals who have not met their obligation and have no intention of returning to the Northwest Territories. We’re talking possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in time of fiscal restraint every penny counts. I think it’s time to go get those monies.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr.

Abernethy.

Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker. I would like to add my voice to the maintenance and continuation of our Business Incentive Program. I know that the contracts that have very high costs, such buildings and big projects — there is a premium cost to those. In the communities in my riding these projects are few and far between, and when we do get them, like a new ECE building, we want the opportunity to be competitive. The Business Incentive Program allows this: the people and businesses with home bases to be able to compete with southern and/or outside contractors.

There are many success stories when we apply the rules, guidelines and procedures of our BIP to our contracts. The biggest success is the small contracts that allow the small businesses to compete for contracts and opportunities. The way that this happens is that local contractors can buy local. Sure, we will pay a premium, but we share what we have in our communities. That, right there, Mr. Speaker, is something that a southern or outside company cannot do.

Once again, I am in support of keeping our Business Incentive Program. I know that the premium cost is an issue, but not for me. If we have local jobs and local investments, then it's a cost that I am willing to support. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The

honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I

want to speak about equal shared parenting.

Statistics show that nearly 50 per cent of all marriages are ending in divorce. In some cases the consequences can be financial and emotional. However, the majority of marriage breakups involve children and the custody of those children, for which the consequences of parental alienation and the justice system can impact on the lives of those children for their entire lives.

When a marriage or relationship breaks down, the issues that led to the breakup far too often supersede what should be the primary focus of any proceeding: the welfare and the well-being of the children of the relationship. The needs of the child often get overlooked by the need to punish former partners. All too often their punishment takes the form of trying to restrict access to children. The children don't understand this. They want and need both parents in their lives.

The adversarial approach that exists under current divorce legislation can, through the awarding of sole custody to the mother, deny fathers any meaningful role in the upbringing of the child and lead to these children being brought up in what is essentially a single-parent household. Statistics show that children brought up in single-parent homes are more likely to come into contact with the law, abuse drugs and alcohol, and do poorly in school. Statistics also prove that conflicts between joint custody parents diminish over time, whereas in the case of sole custody, court battles can and do rage on for years.

This adversarial approach serves no one, except maybe the lawyers. The best interests of the children take a back seat, and this is just not fair. The only role the courts should have in determining custody should be in those cases where violence or abuse has been proven against one of the parental parties and it would be in the best interests of the child to restrict access to that parent. This would reduce the number of false accusations of abuse that are often made in the heat of battle in our current adversarial process.

Our children deserve to have both parents in their lives. Currently the Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, Mr. Maurice Vellacott, has prepared an equal shared parenting motion, M-483. Many Members of Parliament have signed on to second Mr. Vellacott's motion, and I hope that our MP, Mr. Dennis Bevington, will do the right thing

and, for the sake of our children and their future, support that motion.

Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Ramsay. The

honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It

was good to hear Minister Lafferty's recent statement in this House on homelessness initiatives in small communities. Homelessness can affect those who are hard to house for various reasons, those who require emergency shelter, and we do seem to be making some progress on that front.

But today I want to talk about what is available for those without accommodations that show up on a transient basis. It is a fact — and will probably continue to be — that some people unknown to the community will show up unannounced and expect that some sort of social net will accommodate them. These people can appear as they just wander about the country. Some may choose the North under the impression that the northern frontier may offer employment opportunities. Some may have problems with mental illness or addiction, or some may have just worn out their welcome in other jurisdictions and be looking for a fresh start.

For whatever reason, people not known to our residents or our community show up with the expectation that they won't be left on the street. The people are often referred to our local churches. This poses problems in that many churches have their own financial challenges, not to mention being ill equipped to deal with these strangers who show up at their church or even at their homes.

The transient person may have behavioural issues that could affect the safety of our clergy. So although it is a well-known Christian principle to extend a hand of hospitality to strangers, in fact this can sometimes be a real problem.

We need a well-prepared plan of response when these people arrive in our town. We need financial and logistical resources to deal with them. We can't just react on an ad hoc basis or wish them away or have them wandering around our community.

Later today I will have questions for Minister Lafferty on how the issue of transients can be dealt with, and perhaps he can help us with who we are going to call. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The

honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to

use my Member's statement today to speak of the highway infrastructure across the Northwest Territories, especially the lack of highway infrastructure in the northern part of the Northwest Territories.

I'll go back to the condition of Highway No. 8. I've spoken to it a few times. My colleague Mr. Krutko has spoken to it a few times. We continue to say the highway is dusty. It just kind of boggles us sometimes when we hear people down here complaining about their paved, chipsealed roads, and we have to drive the Dempster. Go for a ride on the Dempster and you'll appreciate whatever we have down here.

I'm glad to see that the department is budgeting for opening the icebridges a little quicker. That's going to help with the cost of food. One of the concerns we have from constituents back home is that during breakup and freeze-up, the price of food automatically goes up, and they feel like they're being gouged. So hopefully this will help alleviate some of that concern.

I was asked a question yesterday outside. Somebody asked me who I thought was the most influential Canadian politician. It took me a few minutes, but the man that I thought of was John Diefenbaker, because he had the vision to build a highway to the Arctic. It took a good 50 years for that vision to come true, but the highway is there.

We need to take that a little bit further and have a highway go from Wrigley to Tuktoyaktuk. It's been spoken to a few times in this House, and there's no need to always state the obvious about the price of food going down and opening up the communities along the way and the economic benefits that it will bring. And for Mr. Bromley's sake, we'll build a highway. We'll put a train rail on one side and a bike path on the other, and we'll all be happy.

But this is something that's quite visionary, and it's something that we have to quit talking about. People across the Northwest Territories are tired of talk of a highway. If we ever happen to get this highway through, I hope it's not after I'm gone and not able to drive it. If we ever get that highway through, then I may change my opinion on who's the most influential Canadian politician –– from John Diefenbaker to Stephen Harper.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. The

honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is not

news to anyone that the NWT residents pay very high costs for electricity compared to southern Canada. Some of the extra costs can be explained by economies of scale. However, I believe that more could be done to reduce the NWT Power Corporation's expenses and the burden they put on our ratepayers.

The NWT Power Corporation's electricity rates are approved by the Public Utilities Board and are based on the case the corporation makes to the PUB

for its revenue needs based on expenses.

I believe this approach is backwards and needs to be revisited. It does not provide enough accountability for its spending. The NWT Power Corporation should be adjusting its expenses based on revenues, not the other way around. In other words, it should have a budget set for it by this Assembly. It should have to work within that budget instead of going back to the power customers — people like you and me — for more and more money. Where is the incentive for the NWT Power Corporation to look for savings and efficiencies to keep their costs down? There are none.

For example, I've heard people question the shiny new trucks and the performance bonuses at a time when the cost of living keeps increasing. Our power bills are already too high, and the government is cutting back. So where is the Power Corporation's incentive to hustle for that buck? There isn't one.

When the customers are held hostage, there is little incentive for them to ever worry about the customers leaving, because there are no other utilities for them to go to. Where is that accountability to this Legislature? It's one customer, Mr. Speaker. So I will be interested in hearing what the Minister has to say is his approach for alternative ways to ensure that the NWT Power Corporation works as thriftily as possible so they do not pass unnecessary expenses on to their customers.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The

honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

[Translation.] Today what I’d like to

talk about is the transportation from Pine Point to

Hay River. There is some money put aside for that project. We’re still short of some funding, but I’m sure we could come up with something. Also, I’d like to mention the dust in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. There’s so much dust in that area. I’d like to mention that too. There’s a lot of work that’s going to have to be done there. But with Lutselk’e and Deninu Ku’e, I like that the leaders are there. The government had transitioned from Fort Smith to Yellowknife, so when I go to Fort Resolution and Yellowknife or to Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution, I like to talk about the housing issue.

The things that are going with the housing issue…. But now we have someone in the region, in Lutselk’e right now, from Housing. I was wondering if you could have someone from your government department seconded to come to Lutselk’e to work with them for at least five months so that they could go back to when the government first started the program here, so that they could be assisted with working with the management. Also, we have social services programs, people in the legal department, and people at social services are working with the youth. They are overwhelmed with work. It is very hard to work with the people. Also, the high cost of living in the communities…. When I have questioned the government, they are also making an effort to look into it, but when it comes to the teachers in the education department....

Another thing: the elders’ facility that was supposed to be repaired. The money that was taken back…. Even though money was put aside, it does not suffice. So we’re asking the government if we’re going to have any funding to repair the facility. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. [Translation ends.]

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Members’

statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr.

Speaker, today I

recognize the passing of two long-time Yellowknifers and Northerners.

I wish to pass on my sincere condolences to the family of the late Danny Pagotto, son of long-time Yellowknife residents Camillo and Carla Pagotto. Danny is survived by his parents, his wife, Kim, daughter, Marika, sons, Sam and Taylor, and also his brother, Steve, and his wife, Shannon, and family.

Danny grew up in Yellowknife, worked as a real estate appraiser and became a pilot with Air Tindi. Danny loved to fly and worked his way quickly up to captain and flying Twin Otters. In recognition of

Danny, Air Tindi has dedicated a plane in his name and in his honour. Danny was a big and tough defenceman who played junior hockey in Alberta before returning and playing in the local recreational hockey league. Danny was 44 years old and put up a very courageous battle. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pagotto family today.

Condolences also go out to the family of the late Gary “Juggy” Jodrell. Juggy was a member of the world fastball champions, the Richmond Hill Dynes, in the early 1970s before he was recruited to come and play fastball here in Yellowknife. Juggy worked for the city and left for a few years before returning to Yellowknife for good. Juggy was a slick second-baseman who could hit and field anything. He was also a fine hockey player who played in the Yellowknife commercial, recreational and old-timer leagues. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on June 21 in the Shorty Brown arena.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4,

returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my

statement, the Beaufort at one time played a very important role in a lot of the technology and expertise and Arctic research and development. I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI, knowing that we have another opportunity at our doorstep — which, basically, we lost a number of years ago…. It’s back, and I think the North should take advantage. We have to do whatever we can to promote that industry. I’d just like to ask the Minister of ITI: is this government involved in any way with the federal government in dealing with Arctic research and trying to promote this development on the positive side — not simply as an oil and gas opportunity but as an opportunity to take advantage of Arctic exploration, development and research?

Thank you, Mr.

Krutko. The

honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our

government has promoted investment in geoscience over the years and has been fairly successful in getting the federal government to invest in geoscience. As well, we have put together proposals to Industry Canada over the years, and

we have developed expertise so that the Government of the Northwest Territories can play an important role in oil and gas development.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s critically

important that this government does everything it can, like it has with the diamond industry, to promote and enhance that industry to make everyone aware that we have an opportunity here to really do some good work and work with industry along with government and the residents of the Northwest Territories.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly what is this government doing to promote the oil and gas development in the Beaufort Sea, similar to what we did with the diamond industry?

Mr. Speaker, I think the most

important thing to promote the development of oil and gas would be for our government to quickly negotiate resource revenue-sharing and devolution agreements so that we can control the pace of development here in the Northwest Territories. Certainly as a government we spend time and effort to make sure that Canadians and others are aware of the importance of natural gas in dealing with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Also, without the discovery of these additional resources, we won’t be able to find ways to reduce the cost of living.

It’s important to recognize that we need resources and expertise to do so, and in order to get additional investment and to promote devolution, we need to get the support of people in southern Canada. Our government has been a leader in promoting the Beaufort Sea and oil and gas in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, as we know, there have

been several research activities taking place in regard to Japex with regard to gas hydrates in the Beaufort Sea. I know they work with the Arctic institute out of Inuvik. I’d like to ask the Minister: what are we doing to expand our technical advantage by using the Arctic institute in Inuvik and expanding that institution to take on more of this work?

The Arctic institute, or the

Aurora Resource Institute, was a project leader with the Mallik Gas Hydrate Project, which involved several federal departments and also the Japanese national oil and gas company. Through the efforts of Aurora Research Institute and a significant investment by the Japanese oil and gas company, we were very successful in being able to prove to the world that, utilizing conventional oil and gas techniques and practices, we were able to flow oil from gas hydrates using a combination of heat and pressure. So the Japanese have gone back very quickly to take advantage of that technology.

Here in Canada we need more partnerships developed. We have to work much more closely with the federal government to develop a truly national program, something akin to what was used to develop the oil sands in Fort McMurray.

I believe it’s gravely important for this

government to not only take part in these research activities but that we take ownership of the materials, the research itself, and also the findings of that research that’s going on. That has value, and it also gives an ability as government to be a real player in the oil and gas industry by being able to do this research, taking advantage of a lot of this research material and taking ownership of it. I’d like to ask the Minister what exactly we’re doing as a government to not only take part in this research but to take ownership of that research.

Part of the reason — and I’ll

defer to my colleague from Education, Culture and Employment — for taking the leadership role with this project was for research purposes and to have access to the research results. Now, the next step is to work with the federal government so that we can interest commercial companies to develop the gas hydrates that are in the Beaufort Sea. The reserves are very significant. The estimates range from 9 trillion cubic feet to 3,500 trillion cubic feet. So it’s very significant.

Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. The

honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, given that the Health

and Social Services Return of Service bursaries are funded out of the Department of Health and Social Services and the policies are written by Health and Social Services and it’s administered by Human Resources, I’m choosing to ask my questions to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

In my Member’s statement I talked about the Return of Service bursaries that the department provides. To be clear, I think the bursaries are a fantastic idea, and I think they have a lot of value. My concern is mostly around the fact that there are a large number of bursaries out there for individuals who have not returned to the Northwest Territories or did not complete their studies. As such, they should be returning their money. I believe that not much, or nothing, has been done to collect these dollars back. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me what process they’re using to collect these dollars and whether or not they’ve begun to collect the majority of the dollars that are owed.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The

honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I

appreciate the Member raising this question. I am not aware of any specific situations where the beneficiaries of those bursary programs are…. I don’t have the numbers handy, and I will inquire into that. I am aware, though, that in certain circumstances, especially for physicians who take advantage of our programs, they get hired by other provinces that offer to pay the Return of Service Agreement money outright. So I’d be happy to look into how many individuals have benefited under these programs, how many have returned, what is outstanding and what steps we take to collect any outstanding receivables.

Physicians are certainly one side

of it. I believe that in the last couple of years 13 or 14 bursaries have been awarded to medical students. I think two or three of those individuals have successfully completed their studies. I also believe none of them have returned; I’m not sure whether or not the dollars have been collected. I’d be curious to know whether or not the department is actually trying to track down those dollars.

More specifically, we have a large number of nursing students. To the credit of northern students, the vast majority of the northern students have returned and have actually begun to return the service. But a large number still haven’t returned, and in the last couple years we’ve had larger numbers of these northern students actually graduate from Aurora College and head south.

Specifically what is being done to track this, and what is the status of those individuals who have left the North without returning their service, either by time or money, and will the department be collecting these dollars from those individuals?

There’s a lot of specific

information being inquired about here that I’m not in possession of. I’d be happy to get that information for the Member.

The latest information I saw on the physicians…. The time of training that they require is long. We have not really gotten to the stage where we can have the benefit of the number of the med students we are paying for. I think the first crop of grads we can see is two or three years from now.

With the students who trained at Aurora College, once they are finished, if they took advantage of SFA or any other programs, they do have mobility rights and they do go all over the place. I am aware of that. But we do keep a number of them home. Every one of them is subject to an agreement. I’m sure we have measures to keep track of them and make sure that if they choose not to come back, we

will recover the costs. I’d be happy to get the details for the Member.

I will be asking a written question

later for the details, which is what the Minister has already committed to.

A large number of individuals — the majority — clearly are returning their service and are working in the Territories. I’m concerned about those few nursing students who choose to immediately leave and go down south, and they haven’t paid back their money.

I’m wondering what recourse the Department of Health and Social Services has in order to ensure that they collect these dollars. I don’t believe it’s appropriate to be giving these people free money without meeting their Return of Service obligations. It’s also true for those individuals who either drop out or choose not to complete their studies. Their obligation is to return as the profession they’re studying. So if they don’t complete, technically they should be repaying those dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I’m aware that with

the recent crop of nursing grads from Aurora College, out of 18 grads 13 have been placed. I understand a few of the five chose to move south for family reasons and other reasons. I’m sure they would have had some kind of placement in the North. Perhaps Mr.

Abernethy has specific

examples we could follow up on. I am aware that every one of them has to sign the Return of Service Agreement. Those are binding legal contracts that we need to enforce, and I’ll just verify that with the department.

Thank you, Ms.

Lee. Final

supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, that’s good to hear;

I’m glad to hear that. The last question, in conclusion, is: do you know if they’ve ever been enforced? If individuals have left the Territories, have the repayments ever been enforced?

Mr. Speaker, I will undertake to

get that specific information. Anecdotally, I am aware of a number of situations where employees have agreed to stay, and they just stayed long enough to work through their legal requirements. So that tells me that there are some enforcement measures being followed up on.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable

Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr.

Speaker, in my Member’s

statement today I raised the issue of the NWT Power Corporation and my concern about their accountability — or one should also stress their

lack of accountability. The issue I really have is that there’s nothing bearing down on them to run the organization as efficiently as possible to make sure that the customers are getting the best service at the most reasonable price. Right now the system is that no matter what they charge in expenses, they can go back and recuperate from the ratepayers. I’d like to hear from the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. First, what is he doing to lead this initiative to make sure that this operation is working as efficiently as possible so that they don’t have to keep going back to the customers for increased rate hikes?

Thank you, Mr.

Hawkins. The

honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr.

Speaker, this

government definitely shares the concerns of the Member in terms of the cost of operating a reliable utility service, not just NTPC. We operate a very stringent operation such as the Public Utilities Board, which scrutinizes every penny the NTPC brings forward. Any type of change of the rate structure of the operation…. The public is protected through the Public Utilities Board. We usually file every three years in terms of our operation, so they do have an agency that does protect the consumers in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, as well

as that of many others, I don’t think they’re running as efficiently as possible. I can definitely tell you that this organization runs with sensitivity like the CRA. The fact is that accountability is really the issue. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve got problems like the demand charge. We have demand charges on every bill, which costs this government hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, and it’s all about building capacity for peak demand. Where is that investment going? I want to make sure we’re getting the best bang for our buck. So is that money just a cash grab for the Power Corporation to pay for those bonuses and fancy trucks, or is it going into investment to build new capacity so customers get the best rate?

Mr. Speaker, I certainly

share the Member’s concerns. I’ve also heard that from the people in my community, so I want to assure the public and the Member here. In our operations we’re always challenged by the increased costs of fuel, wages, materials, and the emphasis is on NTPC in terms of running efficient operations — reliable, making sure the power is on. I certainly appreciate the staff’s hard work in keeping this operation as efficient as possible. Again, we do go through scrutiny by the Public Utilities Board in terms of every cent we spend or every cent that we request. We’re held straight to the line of accountability, and we’ll continue looking at ways that we can improve in our operations.

Mr.

Speaker, I appreciate the

answers from the Minister. I know he realizes what the problems are, and he’s certainly well versed about having communities that have exorbitant power rates. But the fact is that they still exist, as I pointed out about the demand charge. I’m going to ask the Minister: will he be willing to provide this House all the information available as to where the demand charge goes? Is it just a cash grab for the Power Corporation, or where are they reinvesting it into the system to make sure that it is providing better rates for citizens across this North?

Mr. Speaker, I’d be very

happy to oblige the Member’s request. We have stacks and piles of our process of when we go through the Public Utilities Board. The issue of us providing information certainly…is now entertaining some very interesting discussions with the Minister of Energy and the coordinating committee in terms of the whole issue of power and the cost of living in our communities. I’m really looking forward to having this discussion with all Members and people in our communities. How do we deal with the cost of living? This government is willing and seriously looking at how we deal with the cost of living in our communities. I

certainly look forward to that

discussion with all the Members.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Final

supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I appreciate the brevity of that last answer from the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, the issue I have here as well is that it’s all the same problem. The fact is that it’s the expenses that drive the revenues. I think they’ve completely got it backwards. I think they should have laid out a process and said, “Look, this is the money you have to work for,” because there’s no demand or incentives to work harder for that buck, as I said, to hustle for that buck.

Mr. Speaker, would the Minister look into that process and commit to getting back to Members on maybe a new way of doing business? The best rates are all about getting the best power rates to customers, and I think we could do that. Would the Minister commit to looking into that process?

Mr. Speaker, yes.

Thank you, Mr.

Yakeleya. Oral

questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I want to ask my questions to Minister Yakeleya

now, because he says yes. Actually, as per my Member’s statement my questions today are for Minister Jackson Lafferty, and they have to do with homelessness.

Mr. Speaker, when non-resident transients show up in our community with little or no financial resources, whose responsibility is it to respond to their basic needs for food and shelter?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The

honourable Minister responsible for the homeless, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Speaker.

Homelessness is a diverse and challenging issue in the communities. We have certain departments that are looking after that area. There is a coordinated approach by my department, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the department of the Housing Corporation and the Department of Health and Social Services.

We do provide the funding to certain of the communities on an application basis. There are shelters in the larger communities: Side Door and also the Salvation Army, the YWCA, the Centre for Northern Families. Also, we provide some funding to some First Nations that do apply.

So there are avenues, but most of the coordinated approach falls under Ms. Lee’s department as a deputy is in charge of the program. That’s where the access is.

With all due respect to the

Minister, what he said is all true. However, we do not have a transient shelter in Hay River, so I need to know: who is the lead department? Who is the person? I am serious. Who do we call? All of those agencies that he just listed — Health and Social Services, Income Support, ECE — will send transient people who show up at their doorstep to our local churches. This is a problem. Somebody within the organization has to understand. Who is the point person for the transient who shows up with no food and no place to go?

Mr. Speaker, we do

provide different programs, as I highlighted. Also, there are income support areas as well within my department, and we do have offices in most of the communities. So that’s another avenue that transient people can certainly access.

But most of the time when people are in a transition area, are transient in the communities, there is funding available for them. If they need to go back home, there is funding in place to assist them to go back home, so we do provide that.

The point of contact is mostly through the Health and Social Services area and also in my department, the income support area, and also the shelters that we have in the communities.

In Mrs. Groenewegen’s riding it would be Hay River emergency funding. We do provide funding in the community and in other communities as well.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not making

up scenarios here. This happens in Hay River quite frequently. It’s 6 o’clock. The government offices are closed. We do not have a transients’ shelter. We have a women’s home, a shelter for women who are in need but not for a transient person who shows up.

So like I said, it’s 6 o’clock. The government offices are closed. Somebody shows up, and they say, “I have no place to go tonight. It’s 30 below outside.” Who do you call?

Mr. Speaker,

our

Department of Education, Culture and Employment and also Health and Social Services and also Housing all work closely together and find out who will be the main contacts in the community. There are people who are on call: income support, the social services in the community.

Certainly, I can provide that list of contacts for each community to the Member and also to the committee. If that’s the wish of the committee, I can certainly provide that.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Final

supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My

final supplementary to the Minister is: are there any funds available for the development of a transients’ shelter in Hay River as a permanent structure?

Mr. Speaker, I spoke

about the Small Community Homelessness Fund, which we do have available to all communities based on their application.

There is up to $40,000 for small projects to provide emergency shelters. So whether it be in Hay River, Inuvik or other small communities, they need to access this.

Also, there are homelessness support projects, up to $10,000, to address community homelessness issues.

Those are the program avenues that each community can certainly apply to, especially those small communities. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Oral

questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

[Translation.] Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. Today I have a question for the government leader. Last year in Lutselk’e we had people. We had a head office in Fort Smith, and then we had transition from Fort Smith to Yellowknife. The question is: I’d like to know the status of the transition of the government from Fort Smith to Yellowknife. [Translation ends.]

Thank you, Mr.

Beaulieu. The

Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The

commitment that was made to transfer services from the South Slave to the North Slave region has been undertaken by a number of departments. As of April 1 this year we’ve had a number of the departments now servicing Lutselk’e through the North Slave region, and that would be Public Works and Services, the Department of Transportation, Municipal and Community Affairs. We’re working with a number of other departments to fulfill that commitment of providing service through the North Slave region.

[Translation.] I have a question

again. When are we going to get the status of the transition? When are we going to get the reports? I’m talking about the reports from Lutselk’e. [Translation ends.]

Mr. Speaker, if I’ve got the

question right, with the information we’re working on, we’d gladly sit down with the Member and go through the information that we pulled together for departments on how the processes will be working and what areas we have some challenges in. We’re prepared to pull that together and then sit down with the Member and go through that in detail.

[Translation.] Mr. Speaker, this is

the first time that we had transition from Fort Smith to Lutselk’e. They are there, but now it’s very difficult for them to do any management or paperwork. So I am asking whether they could have a government employee from our department second someone to come to Yellowknife and then work with them for a certain length of time. So if we could second someone from our department to Lutselk’e to work with someone in Lutselk’e for a certain period of time. [Translation ends.]

Mr. Speaker, I’d be prepared

to sit down with the Member, and if he’s got some

representatives from the community as well, to see where we can work together. I’m not sure if we can come up with a secondment, but I know we’re prepared to sit down and work through a number of initiatives and see where we go from that point as to further work in looking at the transition

Thank you, Mr.

Roland. Final

supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

[Translation.] Thank you,

Mr. Speaker. We have a government now. They are a self-government now. They have their own policies and legislation. But I would like someone from a department to go to Lutselk’e and assist them in Lutselk’e. Maybe they could go to Behchoko and sit down with the Behchoko government, and the government could pay for the funding to have the people from Lutselk’e sit with the Behchoko government. Thank you. [Translation ends.]

Mr. Speaker, if the discussion

is around, for example, the Akaitcho discussions and the transfer over at that level and how we deal with the boards and agencies or the Tlicho Community Services Agency, I believe, and that working arrangement and how it works, we’d be prepared to sit down with the Member and representatives to go through a process.

We know the overall discussions are still happening when it comes to self-government and a comprehensive claim process. But for the community, the transfer of services delivered in this day and age: I’m prepared to sit down about that and get some clarity as to what level we’d be prepared to go at and what is required at the community level. I’m prepared to sit down with the Member and put some support there to see what we can come up with. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Roland. Oral

questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. My

questions are for the Minister of Transportation.

As I mentioned in my statement today, approximately two-thirds of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the Northwest Territories are derived from transportation. What is this department doing to ensure the adoption of modes of transportation that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions?

Thank you, Mr.

Bromley. The

honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Department of Transportation clearly hears what Mr. Bromley is speaking about today in terms of the issue of climate change.

We have done a number of studies with various departments: NRCan, Environment Canada and Transport Canada. As a matter of fact, we initiated a pilot project to demonstrate the fuel efficiency of our vehicles. We have adapted heaters in our larger vehicles. We have upgraded the ferry at Tsiigehtchic in terms of fuel consumption.

We’ve done a number of initiatives and will continue to work with the different departments and agencies to continue to adapt and mitigate against the serious issue of climate change in all our transportation modes in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you to the Minister for that.

I understand that this is a very thorny issue, a very difficult one to address. It’s going to take a whole new approach, a whole new way of doing business. But a good starter is adopting, for example, the mileage rules in the state of California, which are being adopted by more and more states. It’s fairly progressive. It’s something we could easily do in the Northwest Territories. Will the Minister commit to considering adopting the California auto emission standards for the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Speaker,

the

Member raises a good point in terms of looking at other jurisdictions, other areas of the country where we could certainly see the transportation benefits on our roads.

I would commit to the Member that we will continue looking at the different models that are out there in terms of reducing our own consumption of fuel and looking at how we can better conserve our roads. I will commit to the Member that I will keep him informed in terms of raising this issue with the other Members of this House and in terms of how best to reduce the consumption of fuel and also to help us mitigate against climate change.

Thanks to the Minister for that

commitment. I’ll take that as a yes.

Is the Minister considering other major ways of transportation in the Northwest Territories other than the conventional truck and aircraft transportation, such as rail, that will bring us real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions?

Mr. Speaker, I welcome

the suggestions from the House in terms of how

best to have efficient modes of transportation in the North.

Since the issue being discussed is on the rail link, I’d like to say to the Member that I will be contacting CN, looking at the rail link. This discussion did come up in the past, and I’ll certainly bring it forward again as it’s been an interest of this House to look at the issue of a rail link into our communities.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Final

supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi

to the Minister. Will the Minister commit to a couple of specifics; for example, considering the establishment of a bicycle and walking path on the Ingraham Trail to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in this area and to examining the Deh Cho Bridge and the potential for bringing a railroad across the bridge?

Lots of good ideas,

Mr. Speaker. We certainly looked at the different areas that the Member has raised. We are looking at the initiatives on which we can work with my colleague the Minister of MACA in terms of the bicycle trails. We have scoped out that concept, actually, with the realignment of the Ingraham Trail. We have to certainly put some numbers down in terms of that project.

We have looked, again, as I’ve mentioned, into the rail link. We certainly need to have some further discussions with the House.

We are looking at all ways of balancing resource development with the sensitive environment that we have in the North, especially our transportation system in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr.

Yakeleya. Oral

questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. My

questions today are for the Minister of Justice.

Getting back to my Member’s statement, I talked of equal shared parenting and the need for children involved in custody disputes and family breakup to have access to both parents. In our current scenario with our court system set up the way it is, it’s an adversarial approach to child custody. Obviously, this government spends millions of dollars in the area of legal aid, family law and areas like that.

I’d like to begin by asking the Minister: does the Government of the Northwest Territories have a position on equal shared parenting, and if so, what is it?

Thank you, Mr.

Ramsay. The

honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The

Member indicated the equal shared.... We do have, also, the legislation that’s before us. The protection already exists, where family law statutes are gender neutral. The federal Divorce Act

and also the

territorial Children’s Law Act presume that children benefit from maximum contact with both parents unless it is not in the best interests of the children who are before us. We do, as a department and working with the various parties — Health and Social Services will be a partner — deliver programs to these individuals.

Mr. Speaker, I’m glad to hear that.

Sometime next week I hope to bring forward a motion in this House calling on Members of this Legislative Assembly to support the initiative that’s underway in Ottawa to support equal shared parenting. By the sounds of it, the government is onside with that, so please do look forward to that.

I’d like to ask the Minister: what mediation services are currently available to individuals going through divorce?

Mr. Speaker, I think that

we as a department within the Government of the Northwest Territories need to do what’s best for the children. The children would be the priority. They would come first.

The department funds family mediation through legal aid and through a pilot project. The mediation is a cooperative approach through separation and divorce. So it can help parents who are separated or divorced talk about the best interests of their children –– where their children should be living or visitation and how they can continue to be good parents. Counselling is available to the parents as well.

Mr. Speaker, I’m aware of instances

where through legal aid it takes upwards of five years to get a settlement on a divorce case, and there are children involved. I’m wondering if the Minister can comment on whether or not that mediation service is available to everybody. If so, how is that made available to everybody?

Mr. Speaker, legal aid is a

division, and also there are board directors who decide on these applications from individuals who are going through these stages.

Certainly it is open to the public as to who should be applying. So the program is available to them. It’s just a matter of them contacting our department — the legal aid division — and applying for the funding, the counselling and the services they need to go through this process.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Final

supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, I’m wondering if the

Minister is aware of Motion M-483 that has been brought forward by Maurice Vellacott, a Member of Parliament from Saskatoon, in regard to equal shared parenting, and whether or not he’s supportive of that motion.

Mr. Speaker, I haven’t

met with my department on this specific motion that’s been presented in Ottawa, so I certainly need to get briefed on that as well. From there, I’d like to meet with my department and go further on that. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Oral

questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of

years ago I was part of International Polar Year. There was some discussion of the federal government establishing an Arctic institute in Arctic Canada somewhere. I’d like to direct my line of questions today to the Premier. I’d like to ask him if he’s aware of any decision that’s been made yet as to the location of the Arctic institute.

Thank you, Mr.

McLeod. The

Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As

far as I’m aware, there’s been no decision by the federal government. There has been no decision by our government as to location.

We know, for example, that there’s interest from all territories — Nunavut, ourselves and the Yukon — in trying to secure some form of what was committed through the IPY year and the federal government in the area of Arctic research.

So we’re working on a number of fronts with departments to try to get more information and see what we can bring forward. We’re aware there are some initiatives out there. One is by the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in together in the North, looking at trying to enhance their existing facilities there through the Arctic Research Institute, I believe.

I thank the Premier for that. Just a

note that 80 per cent of the licences issued for Arctic research are issued out of Inuvik. I know it’s a concern with the town and the Inuvialuit and Gwich’in both hoping to have this institute up there.

I’d like to ask the Premier — and I think he briefly touched on it: how much input have we had into the location of this institute, and who do we relay those concerns on to?