This is page numbers 3501 - 3522 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.

Topics

The House met at 1:33 p.m.

---Prayer

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Minister’s Statement 17-16(4): H1N1
Ministers’ Statements

Range Lake

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to report today that H1N1 clinics in the Northwest Territories have been successfully launched and that the H1N1 vaccine is now being administered to residents in the Northwest Territories.

In the short period of time since the vaccine was officially authorized by the Public Health Agency of Canada last Wednesday, over 2,500 NWT residents have already received their H1N1 shot.

Mr. Speaker, this is a testament to the success of our efforts, both to prepare for, and to communicate the important steps that we are taking to ensure that this vaccine is available to all NWT residents as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate that the GNWT has secured enough of the H1N1 vaccine for everyone in the NWT who wants to receive it.

Unlike some southern jurisdictions, we have already received our entire shipment of vaccine and there is no priority list for the delivery of our vaccinations. Everyone in the NWT -- young or old, healthy or with chronic conditions, pregnant women or young men, aboriginal or non-aboriginal -- will be vaccinated as they show up in our clinics.

Our vaccination schedule is posted and updated on the Department of Health and Social Services website. Catch-up clinics will be provided for people who miss the first dates.

Mr. Speaker, it is Health Canada that has the authority for evaluating the safety, efficacy and quality of vaccines to be used by Canadians to help protect and maintain their health. Health Canada

works in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada to protect the health and safety of all Canadians. I can assure all residents of the NWT that the pandemic vaccine developed in response to the H1N1 flu virus has been evaluated and authorized by Health Canada for distribution.

It would encourage anybody who requires additional information about the vaccine, including its ingredients, to call the flu hotline for this information. The number is 1-888-920-3026, and in Yellowknife it’s 920-3026.

Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with the pandemic that is spreading across the NWT and throughout our country. We all have a role to play in protecting ourselves, our families and each other and, in doing so, to do everything we can to prevent the spread of H1N1 in our communities. Getting immunized against H1N1 is a key part of that.

All residents should get the H1N1 vaccine. Only those with lab confirmed cases of H1N1 do not need to receive the vaccine.

Mr. Speaker, while it is an individual choice, I would like to once again encourage all residents of the NWT to be vaccinated for the H1N1 virus. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to update you on collaboration between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the three Northwest Territories diamond mines -- BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc., Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. and De Beers Canada Inc. -- under the Northern Mining Workforce Initiative Memorandum of Understanding.

The memorandum of understanding was negotiated to assist the Government of the Northwest Territories and the diamond mines to work their shared goal of increasing the number of Northwest Territories residents employed at the mines.

Collectively, we have two objectives under the memorandum of understanding. Our first goal is to

improve northern skills and experience. We will address this through more coordinated training and through improved transportation options for getting workers from Northwest Territories communities to the mine sites. Our second goal is to attract and retain Northwest Territories residents so that as many mine workers as possible can be Northwest Territories residents.

Work under the memorandum of understanding is guided by a steering committee made up of the most senior and influential executives from the three diamond mines, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and myself. Staff assigned to working groups work together to investigate options and put forward recommendations to the steering committee.

Individuals from each organization involved in the memorandum of understanding have shown dedication, openness and a strong spirit of cooperation.

Last week the steering committee met to bring new momentum to our collaborative efforts to maximize northern employment at the Northwest Territories diamond mines. The steering committee reviewed the progress of working groups on training, travel and residency. These groups have been busy over the past year, investigating practical possibilities and examining problems.

Industry, Tourism and Investment has played, and will continue to play, a large role in the residency committee. The first major task of the residency committee has been to understand the opportunities and challenges of attracting and retaining a skilled northern workforce. The mines, Industry, Tourism and Investment and the Northwest Territories Bureau of Statistics collaborated on a survey of the diamond mines’ current employees.

Options for addressing longer-term challenges will also be investigated. The memorandum of understanding parties will look for opportunities to work with a number of partners, including community governments and other agencies and actors, to implement concrete actions that address challenges identified by the survey.

Industry, Tourism and Investment will continue to work together with Education, Culture and Employment and with the three diamond mines to achieve our shared goal of maximizing NWT employment at the Northwest Territories diamond mines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to speak about the reductions in fuel prices that have taken place this year for communities served by the petroleum products division. These reductions represent significant savings for retail and government customers. During 2009, petroleum product prices charged to retail customers by PPD decreased by an average of more than 25 percent across the Northwest Territories. Gasoline prices have been reduced by no less than 16 cents per litre to as much as 33 cents per litre and heating fuel prices have been reduced by no less than 16 cents per litre and as much as 51 cents per litre.

Under the current FMB-approved pricing guidelines, the cost of purchasing, transporting and delivering fuel is recovered in the retail prices charged in the communities served by the petroleum products division. Prices are normally adjusted after each annual resupply to reflect the costs of the fuel purchased for resale.

Many of our communities are resupplied with fuel only once a year, and because of that, by December of 2008 customers in many of our communities were paying high prices while prices were falling elsewhere in Canada.

By January of 2009, fuel market prices had stabilized at a lower level, and a decision was made by this government to pass a portion of the future cost reductions to our customers well before the annual resupply adjustments took effect. With prudent fiscal management, the petroleum products division had accumulated a modest budget surplus. In January the petroleum products division used this surplus to reduce the retail prices of heating oil and gasoline by 16 cents per litre for all non-government customers and community government customers in all the communities they serve.

Mr. Speaker, communities also received further price reductions after their annual 2009 resupply. The price of heating fuel was reduced in Sahtu, Tlicho, Deh Cho and Nahendeh winter-road-supplied communities in April and in the barge-supplied communities of Fort Good Hope and Lutselk’e in August. Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk price reductions took place on October 1st . Gasoline prices in Fort Good Hope

were reduced on October 20th . With barge resupply

for Tulia now complete, the petroleum product price reductions will take place before the end of October.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to say that the use of more cost-efficient marine transportation routes, the prudent use of the Petroleum Products Stabilization Fund, combined with the general decline in world

market prices for petroleum are factors that have converged to provide a measure of price relief to those most affected by the high cost of living in our remote communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jackson Lafferty will be absent from the House for the remainder of this week to attend the federal/provincial/territorial Justice Ministers meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The most important element of building public infrastructure is gravel, from those housing lots, to public roads, to water treatment facilities, to schools. Without the access to a year-round gravel source, these simple infrastructure needs take years to complete.

Mr. Speaker, it is essential that communities have access to a gravel source so that they can meet these fundamental challenges. But, Mr. Speaker, add climate change to the mix and you have a whole different problem.

Mr. Speaker, with melting permafrost, shoreline erosion on our rivers and in the oceans, it makes it even a bigger challenge for communities just to maintain the existing public infrastructure and not have to also deal with the fundamental challenge of climate change. Every community in the Northwest Territories must realize that we’re seeing more floods, more erosion, more affects on public infrastructure and collapsing buildings, to collapsing highways and roads. Mr. Speaker, we, as a government, must ensure that we do everything that we can to protect public infrastructure in our communities and shore up the public investment that was made to put this public infrastructure in all our communities in the Northwest Territories, and ensure the well-being of the residents of those communities are being able to have access to gravel sources.

Mr. Speaker, I have been talking for years about access to a gravel source in Aklavik to ensure that they can deal with the fundamental challenge of public infrastructure. To build simple things like a

water treatment plant or public housing unit that should take one year, takes three years.

In regards to improving access to improving public infrastructure such as the roads in the community, basically it takes three or four years of planning, but yet, Mr. Speaker, we have year-round access to a gravel source, which is the Willow River source, which is around 20 kilometres from the community. We will be able to expand the community infrastructure, improve the existing roads and airports in our communities. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will have questions directed to the Minister of Transportation in regards to where we go with the access road to a gravel source in Aklavik. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The report of the Joint Review Panel on the Mackenzie Gas Project is expected within the next two months. In past years, requests for new MGP-related departmental funding has frequently been turned down because we couldn’t be sure the project would go ahead. Meanwhile, this government has trumpeted its support for the project, apparently on any terms.

The MGP would be one of the biggest events in the history of the NWT and, typically for mega projects here, the federal government stands to collect bounteous royalty revenues while the NWT faces social and environmental impact costs, not to mention the huge infrastructure, training and mitigation costs that will result from the project. The release of the JRP project will create an immediate expectation on this government for a timely reaction to its findings and recommendations.

I have been raising the point of Members’ participation in shaping the major policy positions of this government. This issue is too big and its consequences too far-reaching for the government to respond to its details without the input of Regular Members.

While expectations will be high, the time frames are sufficient to allow the required thoughtful and considered response rather than an immediate and desperate yes-at-any-cost response. We cannot continue to rely on poorly funded NGOs to lead the analysis of impacts and costs, though their input will be key once again. We must ensure that the MGP will not once again create a boom that makes it too expensive for our citizens to live in their own communities.

Independent assessments have already pointed out that there is inadequate analysis of socio-economic

impacts resulting from the project. How will the project’s doubling of NWT greenhouse gas emissions be mitigated? At a minimum, we must assess whether the JRP report has indeed addressed the shortcomings, which will require careful and detailed analysis.

Mr. Speaker, this government cannot blindly endorse a report without a firm plan for ensuring benefits and for dealing with the costs and impacts that will also flow through our citizens. I will be calling on the Ministers of ENR and ITI to outline plans for reviews and analysis and how Regular Members will be involved in analysis and development of a government response and position. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Home Heating Oil Spills
Members’ Statements

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk a little bit about a disturbing trend that has potential to be extremely damaging to the residents of the Northwest Territories. That trend is an increasing number of home heating oil spills.

Legislation in the NWT requires all homeowners who experience home heating fuel spills to report it to ENR. In 2007, there were 20 home fuel spills reported to ENR. In 2008, there were 32 home fuel spills reported to ENR. Already in 2009, there have been 43 home fuel spills reported to ENR.

These numbers may be lower than the actual as some people may choose not to report due to the fear of the potential costs of a clean-up. All homeowners are responsible under legislation to clean up their property when they have had an oil spill. Unfortunately, cleaning up oil spills on your property could be far more devastating to the pocketbook than most people might think. The reason is the standard insurance policy requires that the insurer cover the damage to existing dwelling and property; property does not include land. As a result, homeowners are on the hook for the costs of cleaning up their land. The cost for cleaning up even the smallest of leaks is generally around $10,000. Where the cost of living is already high, this can be a bill that pushes homeowners past their financial brink. I know of one Yellowknife resident who had a spill that is going to cost in excess of $60,000.

Due to the increasing number of spills, the insurance industry is expecting to tighten up this practice considerably, sooner rather than later. This suggests to me that homeowners will likely receive less coverage than they currently do. This is more bad news. I’ve talked to a number of businesses in

town, in Yellowknife, involved in installing fuel tanks. They have indicated that leaks are definitely on the rise, particularly with single-walled tanks. One brand of oil tank that is causing problems and presenting challenges is known as Tidy Tank. It’s my understanding that their single-walled tanks use lighter gauge metal than most other brands and they are springing leaks as early as one to three years after being installed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to send a message to the residents of the Northwest Territories: please keep an eye on your tanks. Go out and check them on a regular basis. Don’t let them get to the point where they leak, especially if you happen to have a Tidy Tank, they only offer a 12-month warranty.

If you are concerned with your tank, swap it for a new one, preferably a double-walled or double-bottomed tank. If you must go to a single-walled tank, please consider going to one made of a higher grade metal.

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

---Unanimous consent granted.

Home Heating Oil Spills
Members’ Statements

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

If you must go to a single-walled tank, please consider going to one made of a higher grade metal. If you have the resources, consider going to a pellet boiler and avoid the possibility of oil leaks on your property altogether.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will have some questions for the Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, where I’ll be seeking his commitment to prepare and release a public awareness campaign warning homeowners of the risks and potential ramifications of home heating fuel leaks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Home Heating Oil Spills
Members’ Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On my most recent visit to Nahanni Butte I had the opportunity to tour the new gymnasium once again. The community is quite pleased with the building as it provides students and the community with a gymnasium for physical education and all community activities.

Regretfully, we have not yet had the official opening. Unfortunately, there are serious outstanding construction deficiencies that prevent full use of the gymnasium and negatively affect the comfort of the users.

One of the major problems is the gymnasium floor. Its installation was done by rolling out and gluing down synthetic flooring. Since then, moisture has seeped in and dissolved the glue, causing the floor to lift. There are large bubbles on the surface of the

gym floor. It is not much good for indoor sports and it could easily lead to accidents.

There are a number of other deficiencies. Light diffusers need to be replaced and there is water seepage in one of the back rooms. The ventilation system in the gym is so noisy that you can’t carry on a conversation. As well, there’s an acoustic problem. The building easily echoes, Mr. Speaker.

It seems that Nahanni Butte has been plagued with delays in completion of government projects. I recently expressed my concern with the deferral of the improvements to the winter access road, and last spring spoke to delays in completion of home renovations.

In this case, the end of the warranty period of the school construction project is coming up. I urge the Minister of Public Works and Services to review this matter and ensure that deficiencies that are the responsibility of the contractor are corrected. Then the students and community can enjoy the safe and comfortable environment they deserve. Then we would be deserving of a full opening ceremony for the community’s dream: the Nahanni Butte gymnasium. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about the extension of the Ingraham Trail from Tibbett Lake to Lockhart Lake, which is located about 151 kilometres north of Tibbett Lake. This extension also has been referred to as a seasonal overland route into the Slave Geological Province.

Mr. Speaker, there are many reasons why our government should pursue this new road construction. I believe the time is right to get it started. The extension is expected to come in at just under $200 million. This, hopefully, will lead to opportunities for local businesses and contractors to do the work, and also opportunities for training and workforce development. This project also will have to have partners in order to proceed. Industry, the federal government, aboriginal governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories will all need to work together to make this road extension a reality.

It remains to be seen as to what this road would do in terms of potential revenue for the Government of the Northwest Territories, but it will certainly increase the life of the existing mines and exploration. Mr. Speaker, that is the key. Much like the Mackenzie Gas Project, it will be a basin opening project. A road into the heart of the mineral rich Slave Geological Province will open up the

area for more exploration and could very well make the difference in whether a mineral deposit becomes economically viable to mine. Mr. Speaker, the potential in the area is absolutely immense.

I have said before that the future of our economy here in the Northwest Territories will depend greatly on resource development and, obviously, the potential development in the Slave Geological Province will hopefully one day help fund future government operations.

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we also need to continue to work with aboriginal governments and the federal government to work out a resource revenue sharing arrangement that is long overdue. Mr. Speaker, given the discussions that are currently underway on the extension of this road into the Slave Geological Province, this resource revenue sharing agreement is much more important today than it ever was before. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about programs and policies of the NWT Housing Corporation. Having just returned from Fort Resolution, I find that housing is still a big problem with many residents of Tu Nedhe.

Mr. Speaker, I think part of the problem may be changes made a few years ago with the corporation’s housing programs. Unfortunately, when the corporation revised programs from 14 programs down to their current four programs this created a whole new set of problems for housing clients.

An Hon. Member

Hear! Hear!

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

According to the corporation at the time of the change, they said the change was driven by the clients. Mr. Speaker, with the amount of housing issues I’ve been working on in my riding, I find this very difficult to believe.

Mr. Speaker, the corporation is in a tough position trying to address a huge arrears collection file while, at the same time, trying to encourage and accommodate homeownership clients and doing so in a stricter context of accountability and efficiency. Mr. Speaker, I feel the corporation needs to be flexible with its approach and needs to work this flexibility into its programs and policies.

When the corporation made these changes, as stated in the press release, the four new programs provided standardized and consistent program requirements. Well, maybe standardization doesn’t work in this case. How can four programs

accommodate the needs of over 3,000 families with core needs across this vast Territory?

Mr. Speaker, needs vary from client to client and even from community to community. A program designed to serve the needs in Yellowknife and Hay River will not do the same for clients in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. The simple fact that some clients will receive huge gains by the market alone while others live in a non-market community says it all.

While I’m saying that although you can see the rationale for the consistent and standard approach for the delivery of programs when it comes to a variety of housing needs in the NWT, the NWT Housing Corporation must be more flexible. Each applicant will present their own unique factors and challenges and, therefore, I feel should be treated as such and assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation is trying to make people eligible for programs as opposed to making programs that can be delivered to the people to take them out of core need. I believe that is the objective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.