This is page numbers 4463 - 4502 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 health.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Nursing Services In Wrigley
Members’ Statements

February 23rd, 2010

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You may have heard a report on the radio this morning about how there will be no nurse in the community of Wrigley this year. I had spoken earlier saying that there would be a return of the service to Wrigley and it gave me no pleasure to correct this publicly.

The road to returning nursing service to Wrigley is a challenging one. When I was first elected I was told that there would be no nurse for Wrigley until there is policing. So I worked hard in the last term to ensure the return of policing to Wrigley. The Minister of Justice then, Cabinet, and our Assembly approved two RCMP positions in 2007 and a commitment for a detachment by 2011.

The next piece of the puzzle should have been easy: re-establish nursing to Wrigley. Yet for the past two and a half years I’ve continued to raise this issue. In November 2009 I understood from the Minister of Health and Social Services that there was a proposal to return nursing services to Wrigley. In December I did indeed advise the new chief of Wrigley, Tim Lennie, that there would be a position for Wrigley in 2010.

However, yesterday I was advised by Deh Cho Health and Social Services that there was no dedicated nursing position in their budget. Although the Government of the Northwest Territories approves funding for boards, it does not make detailed decisions on how the money is spent. I think the priority of our government should be the priority of our boards.

Myself and the community of Wrigley need the Minister of Health and Social Services and our government to pay attention to our needs. How will they provide for the needs of Wrigley and the residents of Nahendeh. I will be following up on this during question period.

Nursing Services In Wrigley
Members’ Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Time and time again you hear issues raised from this side of the House and they continue to be pushed away. As said quite clearly by my colleague Mr. Menicoche, we raise issues because they are of community interest and they are important. The relentless pursuit of these community and

constituency issues will continue regardless of the deaf ears on the Cabinet side of this House.

When we speak about health board issues, education board issues, Power Corporation board issues, Liquor Board issues, municipal issues, or even housing board issues, we’re not speaking just for our own voices. We’re speaking for the people, the community, the constituency, and sometimes even up to six communities we’re speaking for. Where are the Ministers listening on this issue? Are they standing behind the boards and using them as the defence to doing something? I don’t know.

I ask the Ministers across this House to take a good look. More than 50 percent of the voices of this Territory are sitting on this side of the House. So wake up from your still stare. We’re here speaking. May I remind Cabinet...

---Interjection

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

We know the money is chopped up at the Cabinet table but we will not stand for this. We need Cabinet to realize we have priorities that represent our communities and constituencies and they’re very important. When an MLA brings forward an issue, quite often you’ll hear from the Ministers a relentless defence of it and you’ll hear the Five-D Approaches, as I like to call it: the Minister will defend, defer, delay, and sometimes deflect and defy the issue over and over. I had to add another one because they divide the House on the issue. The Ds just keep rolling.

When do you hear from the Cabinet side of this how can we help unite the Territory on the specific issues raised by Regular Members. That’s when Cabinet’s listening. We hear that very little. I’d like to hear from Cabinet, “How can we help?”, as opposed to, “Sorry, we’re busy, maybe it’s the board’s problem.”

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, 65 years is more than any age of any of us sitting in this august Assembly. It’s decades longer than any warranty we’ll ever get. It’s the age of retirement, something to look forward to. In some parts of the world it’s the age of life expectancy, but today 65 years is a milestone that I’d like us to honour and recognize. We have with us in the gallery Mr. Al and Febula Bohnet, and today they’re celebrating a lifetime together of commitment, love and sharing going back 65 years today.

---Applause

This is an enormous accomplishment in this day and age. They’re surrounded by some of their family, children, grandchildren, who I’ll recognize later, but today I just wanted to take this time to honour them and thank them for being here and for their whole life together and what they’ve done for the North. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Bohnet, Wanda Powder, Darrell Bohnet Jr., Shirley Bohnet, Sevn Bohnet, Seth Bohnet, Kelly Kubic, and Bonita Bohnet. Not with us, of course, are some of the other folks: Darrell Bohnet, Gary Bohnet and Gordon Bohnet. Welcome to the Assembly. I’m glad you’re here.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize the new Commanding Officer, Mr. Wade Blake, who is fulfilling a new role as commanding officer. I’d like to thank Mr. Middleton for all these years of commitment and dedication and wish him all the luck in his retirement. I also recognize Bronwyn Watters, my deputy minister of the Justice department.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Al and Feb Bohnet on their 65th wedding anniversary, and all their

extended family of Bohnets who are here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to do a special recognition to Chief Superintendent Tom Middleton, and pass on my well wishes to him and his wife, Susan, who will be retiring. He’s a constituent for just a few more days. At the same time, I’d like to recognize, although I haven’t had the pleasure to meet the incoming Chief Superintendent Wade Blake, so I’d like to wish him well on his new adventures leading our RCMP of the North. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of my colleague Mr. Abernethy I’d like to recognize Mark Bogan, a resident of Great Slave.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier and the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I would hope that today, through some questions and answers here in the House, we could set the record straight. Mr. Speaker, at the outset of any sensitive negotiations of course we can’t fully predict the outcome of those negotiations, and no doubt, there will be obstacles and challenges to try to achieve the goal that we have of trying to see value added from the Rare Earth’s mining activity in the Northwest Territories. We recognize that. However, what advantage is there of the Power Corporation coming out and essentially cutting this negotiation off at the pass here. We were just embarking on this. The Premier was clear in his support for trying to find ways and means of ensuring that this extremely important economic activity was retained in the North to the largest extent possible.

Mr. Speaker, my question today to the Premier is: will those discussions and those negotiations continue on behalf of and with Avalon Rare Metals to try and find a solution that would see this value-added activity in the North? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the letter that I sent in response to a letter that we got from Avalon Rare Earth Mineral’s project and the people within that organization stands. We’re interested, as we have been with any secondary industry potential that we have in the Northwest Territories. There are many challenges that need to be looked at, so we’re still going to go ahead with those discussions. I know that Minister Bob McLeod with ITI folks have been arranging to have these ongoing discussions, and they’re still open. Of course, we’re challenged in our environment to see how we can meet some of the requests that will be on the table as well. But, of course, we are definitely interested in pursuing any

potential we have for secondary industry in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I can’t, of course, quantify what kind of damage might have been done by that very blunt and categorical dismissal of the opportunity to provide power at a rate that would be competitive enough to see this processing take place here in the Northwest Territories. But, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier if he could advise those who are in positions of leadership in these organizations, which are really the, you know, it’s really the role of the shareholder in these types of things to be the spokesperson, if it’s possible for the Minister to communicate to people the sensitivity and the importance of not coming out on these kinds of statements in the media. Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Mr. Speaker, we, of course, during initial discussions don’t want to put barriers up before we have a chance to get into any detail. I know in discussions, brief discussions with the chair of the Power Corp board there was issue there about the interview that was done. I don’t have a lot of detail on exactly what was said or stated, but at the same time, I said that communication needs to be improved between ourselves and the board as to letters and correspondence, as well, that we share. So we’ll get that message through the system. Thank you.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, it’s a small Territory, we all know who the board chair is for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, and I want to say -- and Mr. Voytillla knows this -- that I’ve always had a great deal of respect for what he has done for our government and his many years as deputy minister and how pleased I was when he became the chair of the NTPC board. Would the Premier convey to Mr. Voytilla, please, that we would appreciate his support as the chair, because he would be a very key person in these negotiations; that we would like him to participate with our government in trying to find a viable solution to affordable power for the Avalon Ventures processing plan. Thank you.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Mr. Speaker, the Avalon project is one that’s early days. There has been some exploration. There is discussion about potential establishment of the mining operation itself and then the secondary industry and, of course, we’re interested in how we might be able to work together on that. So we’ll continue down that path, as I stated earlier, and see where we can get to on that.

As I stated earlier, the communications between our boards and ourselves needs to be clear and open and have a consistent message. We’re all challenged, though, in making sure that we do provide the best return for our investment on any project that we’d be involved in. So we’ll continue

down the path and keep Members informed of where we’re going on this and, again, improve the communications process. Thank you.