This is page numbers 4333 - 4364 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 community.

Nahendeh Housing Concerns
Members’ Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Administration Of The Public Housing Rental Subsidy
Members’ Statements

February 17th, 2010

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the recent announcement regarding the Government of the Northwest Territories intent to transfer various administrative responsibilities back to the community housing authorities is long overdue, Mr. Speaker. For years, the community governments and Members of the Legislative Assembly have been urging the government to transfer these responsibilities to the local government.

However, during the transitional implementation period, the government must seriously review the important issues that impact how effective these transfers will be.

Firstly, the government must recognize the true cost of operations in the North, especially small and remote communities and provide necessary resources so local housing authorities can adequately provide administration. They should not view this as an opportunity to save money and to cut costs, Mr. Speaker. This government should provide equal resources at a minimum, that they would allocate to the community office of the GNWT staff. Any less would be unfair.

Secondly, this government must not transfer only problematic administrative responsibilities, they must transfer a complement of compatible administration. This would not only ensure efficiency, but would provide enough capacity and resources for local housing authorities to coordinate various responsibilities in a progressive manner.

This government says they are committed to community capacity building. This government has to start fulfilling these promises made earlier. Other Nunakput communities… Government administrative services at the community level would start making a dent in the problem. Each community must be given the money, resources and commitment needed to fulfil the roles that they have been assigned to do. Without that, we’re setting them up to fail. Mr. Speaker.

Housing is a core responsibility of this government, such as water, health, education and protective services; however, developments in government seem to contradict the principle.

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

---Unanimous consent granted.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Mr. Speaker, this government must get serious and tackle these real issues with real solutions. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation at the appropriate time. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to acknowledge the many performers that have gone down to the Olympics to showcase the Mackenzie Delta’s dancers and drummers.

Mr. Speaker, from Fort McPherson the Gwich’in Nation dancers, which consist of some 15 members from fiddlers such as Dennis Thompson and Michael Francis who are well known throughout the Northwest Territories, and also includes the Aklavik drummers and dancers who have showcased their drumming and dancing all over Canada and internationally. Part of the dance group includes some 12 youth and I think, Mr. Speaker, that shows how we’re passing on our culture and also retaining our dances in the Mackenzie Delta.

Mr. Speaker, these performers are the real ambassadors for the Northwest Territories with their performance and, more importantly, the carrying on of the culture and dances. On behalf of the people

of the Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Speaker, they are showcasing the North and the Northwest Territories to the rest of the world and they make us all proud.

Mr. Speaker, I’d just like to congratulate each and every one of them and, more importantly, wish them all the best as they do their best to represent the Northwest Territories at the Olympics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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. Mr. Speaker, I spoke last session on the opportunity for promoting our homegrown and new media industry. Since little has changed in the meantime, I will again try to convince the government to take advantage of this economic gift.

Every other national jurisdiction has acted on the evidence that a dollar spent in multimedia multiplies up to six times in local expenditures. We’ve seen Ice Road Truckers, Ice Pilots, productions that base their appeal on what no one else has: the magic of the NWT. They shoot their stuff with their crews then leave to do post-production, taking their money with them.

SEED program funding is doled out in meagre portions, ill designed for the realities of an industry that moves from project to project. We have a registry for film production businesses and that’s it.

The Canadian Media Fund recently held nationwide consultations for modeling its new $300 million Production Fund. Local producers attended. No ITI staff took time to attend. ITI turned down a request for help to attend national discussions on a specific northern fund component described by the fund president as “coming at a critical junction in the film, television and new media industry in the NWT.” A shot at a dedicated slice of the $300 million fund and we turned it down.

Let’s get serious here, Mr. Speaker. We have a precious, infinitely renewable resource: creative minds in a place like no other on earth. We know the amazing impact of film spending in local economies, the enviable success of Yukon and Nunavut territories and the approaches of every other jurisdiction. What we don’t have is meaningful and appropriate government support. In correspondence dating over years, our local producers, those who haven’t fled south, have been calling on this government to take simple steps. We need now a commitment from this government to carry out an independent assessment of the role a northern film industry could play in diversifying our economy.

The Minister has told me that an internal review is underway, whether resources are directed to the right areas and that recommendations will be made for the future. In carrying out that review I hope the Minister will see the need for more than a film commission that exists only on paper. We need expert industry minds to help us guide the development of their industry.

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

---Unanimous consent granted.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I am calling on the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment for a commitment to meet with representatives of the NWT film and new media industry to discuss the actions that he will immediately take to begin setting up an NWT multimedia and supporting programs. I will be asking the Minister questions today, if I get the opportunity, on current support to the film and new media industry and his vision for its development. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about SCAN, that’s Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act. Mr. Speaker, a couple of years ago I raised this issue as a way and a means to deal with drug dealers in our communities. Mr. Speaker, I felt very strongly at the time that it is a way that our government can help support our government officials to help push back on the drug community.

Mr. Speaker, this is legislation that’s found in other places across Canada. It’s found in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, even the Yukon, Mr. Speaker. It works in the Yukon by showing that the community can help stand up for itself. As many people know, the criminal process is quite a lengthy process that requires a lot of steps and it takes a lot of time. So when a person calls their MLA or calls the RCMP, they have to follow along in a lengthy process in order to show the drug dealers they’re not welcome there.

Mr. Speaker, the SCAN process is through a civil process and it allows steps for our officials to go in and put pressure on those drug dealers to get out of the neighbourhood. Mr. Speaker, it really is an empowerment of the community; you say that these types of people, these types of industries are not welcome in their community.

Mr. Speaker, the government showed its support by trying to move forward on this initiative, but it never made it quite all the way to the goal line and it

eventually died on the Order Paper of the last government.

Mr. Speaker, this government needs to show some vision going forward that we need to ensure that our staff, our officials and even the RCMP have the appropriate tools for the appropriate process and certainly the appropriate crime.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s unfair that we watch these types of things grow in our community without tools that we can react in a timely way, because, like I say, when a constituent calls and complains about these types of things, sometimes they take months and even years to solve through the typical criminal process, but the SCAN legislation through a civil system would move much faster. Mr. Speaker, I think this Legislature could show its support by moving forward on this imitative.

Back in November I talked about the great work that the RCMP have been doing putting their finger right down on crime and making sure they catch them, such as those drug dealers and bootleggers. Mr. Speaker, I think it’s time that we continue to fill that toolbox full of appropriate tools to do that work that they could use in the system, again, to crack down on those bootleggers and drug dealers that really poison our community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Starting this evening in Inuvik they’re having their annual IRC native hockey tournament. This is a tournament that started some 20 years ago and with a small group of teams. It has grown into a fairly big tournament today.

On Friday night they will be honouring one of the founding fathers of the IRC Cup, who unfortunately passed away on Boxing Day. They will be dedicating the arena to Roy Ipana, who was a huge supporter of hockey in Inuvik. He was one of those guys who was just larger than life and you just expected to be around forever. You don’t appreciate how much these people bring into the communities until you no longer have them around. I want to commend the Town of Inuvik for acting very quickly in renaming the arena after a well-deserving individual.

I’d like to wish all the folks up in Inuvik and Mackenzie Delta the best of luck this weekend. Be very safe when you travel and honour Roy’s memory by playing hard and playing fair.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

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

Inuvik Boot Lake

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome Ms. Weslosky to the House. Ms. Weslosky is the executive producer of CNBC weblog DealFlow that has a viewership of 88 million people. She is in the capital working on a series which will focus on the aboriginal business partnerships. She is joined by Mr. David Connelly, president of Ile Royale Inc., a management consultancy firm in Yellowknife. Welcome.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize David Connelly, a resident of Weledeh.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Colleagues, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our Pages that have been working in the Legislative Assembly for us this week and I’d like to mention two from Hay River North, Scott Burrows and Jenna Aitken and Colleen Burros has come over to chaperone for them.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Item 9, written questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I should look at you when I lift my hand so you know I’m looking at you.

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

Some Hon. Members

Whoa....

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.

1. What kilowatt hour rates has the NWT Power

Corporation charged to Northland Utilities in each of those communities where Northland Utilities provides the services within the community, from the year 2000 to present?

2. What kilowatt hour base rate has the NWT

Power Corporation charged to residential customers in each of its NWT communities from the year 2000 to present?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13,

reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Take-a-Kid Trapping Program, April 2007 to March 2009 Report.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Supplementary Appropriation (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 4, 2009-2010.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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