This is page numbers 5431 - 5456 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th 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.

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Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories, or LGANT, held their 2010 LGANT AGM and Professional Development Conference last week here in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, the mission of LGANT is to strive for and promote excellence and professionalism in the field of local government administration through education and career development programs and to create awareness of a community officer’s role in the community.

Through their Words for Excellence Program, Susan Christie, the SAO of the Hamlet of Fort Providence, has been awarded the Outstanding Local Government Administrator of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

This award acknowledges a member of LGANT who provides an exceptional level of professionalism, leadership and innovation in their job by providing community service at a tireless level and exemplifying the ethics and responsibility desired by communities across the Northwest Territories.

Susan was nominated by Evelyn Krutko and Joyce McLeod, council members of the Hamlet of Fort Providence.

Susan was born in Fort Providence and is an executive member of the Fort Providence Metis Council. She’s received all her education in the North, and specifically her finance officer certification through the School of Community Government.

Her tenure began with the hamlet over 21 years ago. Through these years, Susan worked in finance, for many years assuming greater responsibilities as she built her knowledge and skills. She participated in several training opportunities, working her way into the position she currently holds as senior administrative officer. She’s recognized for her leadership in developing local HR capacity through training and support of community members. Her nominators state, “Susan has successfully guided the council through many changes and challenges in municipal program delivery. She is the ultimate professional, ensuring that matters are taken care of in a timely manner.”

Susan is considered a role model as an SAO within her community, by her peers and her employers. I would like to congratulate Susan Christie on being the first recipient of this prestigious award. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize an elder from the Deline First Nation in the Sahtu region and also a member that worked with me very closely in the Sahtu region. I’d also like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris from the Ndilo/Dettah First Nations

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

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

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

It gives me great pleasure to recognize my dad, Mike Krutko, along with his friend Ed Jeske in the gallery today.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

It gives me great pleasure to recognize, as well, Mr. Ed Jeske and Mr. Krutko’s father.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

I’d like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris from the Yellowknives Dene. Also my constituent Mr. Mike Krutko and Mr. Jeske, as well.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I’d like to recognize Chief Eddie Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and a constituent of Weledeh. I’d also like to recognize my elders, who are getting fewer, Mr. Ed Jeske and, of course, Mike Krutko.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Welcome to all our guests in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the exceptional achievement of one of Weledeh riding’s world-class athletes: speed skater Michael Gilday.

---Applause

Michael Gilday produced a solid performance for Canada during the first World Cup races of the season held October 22nd to 24th in Montreal,

Quebec. Michael took home the silver medal in the 1,000 metre event and the gold in the men’s 5,000 metre relay. Just this past weekend he received his first individual gold medal win in the 1,500 metre event in Korea. Michael has now medalled four times in World Cup competition.

Mr. Gilday’s sights are set on gold at the 2014 Olympics. I invite all Members to join with me in saluting his achievements and wishing him great success in future competitions.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got questions today for the Minister of Transportation and getting back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about the realignment of Highway No. 4, the Ingraham Trail, due to the remediation work ongoing at Giant Mine. It was three years ago that the department came forward with some possible options on the realignment of that road. We don’t have to look too far to see the potential that is out there, when roads are constructed, to allow for opportunities, business opportunities. If you look at the Yellowknives Dene, we could provide opportunities for the Yellowknives Dene and the City of Yellowknife by properly addressing this realignment.

I’d like to ask the Minister what has happened. The road was supposed to be constructed, the realignment was supposed to be conducted in the summer of 2008. I’m just wondering, it’s two years

later and we haven’t heard anything. Maybe an update on where that project’s at.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; the consideration for realignment was introduced, I think, in 2007 and we’ve been working towards moving that forward. Of course, we can only move as fast as the process will allow us. Our plans now are to move forward over these next couple of months to do further consultation. We still plan to have the construction of realignment commencing the fall of 2011. We’d like to see the traffic starting to flow sometime in 2012. There is still some discussion that needs to take place and the timing and opportunity has to be worked out with the Giant Mine remediation team.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

The realignment was to take place as a result of the freezing in situ of the arsenic trioxide storage vaults underground at Giant Mine. To my knowledge, that is going to happen here sooner rather than later. The switch might actually be turned on on one of those storage vaults being frozen in place. I’m just wondering if the Minister can explain what the roadblocks are in getting the realignment done. Is it DOT? Is it the federal government? Where is the snag in trying to get this addressed?

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

I don’t believe there’s a snag in the process. This is part of due course. We are working towards reducing the options to one that will be accepted by all parties. There is, right now, a variance of opinion, of course, on the three routes. The Member has stated his arguments for his preference, however, the responses that we’re getting are fairly even. We’re getting about 30 percent on every option in front of us. There are more meetings that need to be conducted and we need to start doing the engineering and work on the route that’s going to be selected and start construction in due course, which is next fall.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

If there’s varying degrees of interest in each of those three options, I’d like the Minister to explain to me how a decision is going to be arrived at, which of those corridors is chosen for the realignment and what process the department has for coming back to Members of the House with that decision. It’s been three years since consultation was conducted on that. I’m just wondering if we’re talking about a new round of consultation on the realignment or not.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

I’m sure I don’t have to explain the process to consult with the Members in this House. The Member is quite aware of that. We have been consulting and talking to stakeholders and different groups over the last number of years. We plan to continue doing that and do further

discussion. We’d like to narrow down the options to one and start engineering and environmental reviews that need to be determined in some of the outcomes. That’s going to be done in short order. I just have to ask the Member to be a little bit patient, I guess. He’s anxious to get going, but the work is moving forward and we still plan to continue that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve got lots of patience; I’ve been waiting three years for this to happen. Maybe the Minister could give us a firm timeline on when a decision is going to be reached on what that realignment is going to be so people can line up the opportunities, if there are any opportunities that come out of it. I’m talking about the City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene, for example.

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

We have been talking with the Yellowknives Dene since 2007 and I’ve indicated to the Member that the schedule is for the construction to start in 2011 and open to traffic in 2012, with the final surface completion in 2013.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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