Good afternoon, everyone. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories Student Financial Assistance program last underwent a substantial redesign in the fall of 2000. Since then it has periodically been reviewed internally, resulting in increases to some benefits, such as tuition and book allowances, repayable loan monthly limits and the lifetime loan limit.

We have now started an independent review to determine if the basic grant, supplementary grant, remissible loan and repayable loan levels are at appropriate levels to assist students in pursuing post-secondary studies. There are approximately 1,400 students who access SFA on an annual basis.

The review will also ensure that the program contributes to this Assembly’s goals and priorities in developing a healthy, educated workforce, and developing skills and resources to meet the needs of our northern communities.

In May 2011, Members of the 16th Legislative

Assembly provided feedback on the terms of reference for the review. The contract was awarded to Development, Planning, Research & Analysis Canada, and a steering committee has been formed, comprised of representatives from the Education, Culture and Employment income security and advanced education programs, Aurora College, the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the ECE service centre in the Deh Cho region. There are five members in total on the steering committee. The working group, made up of ECE staff, has also been formed.

Consultations have involved current and past students, parents, Aboriginal organizations and other interested parties. To reach the broadest range of participants, the consultants used various methods, including telephone and face-to-face interviews, regional focus groups and on-line surveys. We will be reaching out to all NWT students for their feedback.

The information is being analyzed and compiled into a report that will be submitted to the department in the new year. I look forward to reporting the results to this House. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of MACA, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide Members with an update on the way the NWT Sport and Recreation Council has improved access to quality physical activity, sport and recreation programs for all NWT residents.

Earlier this fall I met with the NWT Sport and Recreation Council executive to discuss their 2011-2012 funding program. We agreed that while there were some challenges with the process, in general the results were positive. More people are participating, and all sport and recreation organizations received more funding than they did in previous years. And accountability and efficiency standards have been introduced. In the future we can expect services to improve even further.

We also agreed that improvements to the 2012-2013 funding program should be explained to sport and recreation organizations early so that funding can begin to flow by April 1, 2012.

To facilitate this discussion, the council will convene a meeting of these organizations early in 2012. We will talk to them about their governance role as mandated by the department. We will confirm with each organization that they are a valued member of the sector, and outline their roles and responsibilities related to the SRC. We will also outline plans for implementing the SRC’s goals and objectives and the new funding model for 2012-2013 and future years.

I will be speaking at the opening of the meeting to clearly state the department’s goals for the sport, physical activity and recreation sector in the Northwest Territories.

These goals will improve the health and well-being of residents through increased physical activity, sport and recreation participation, and healthy lifestyle opportunities for NWT youth.

The NWT Sport and Recreation Council funding program for 2012-2013 will also include requirements related to the evaluation of programs and an overall reduction in administration costs.

Investing in sport, physical activity and recreation programs contributes to the health and well-being of all residents. It is important that we continue to invest in these priority areas, and that we provide organizations working with us a clear and concise understanding of the goals that they should be achieving.

I am confident that the NWT Sport and Recreation Council will improve their work in this area and along with their sporting partners continue to make a valuable contribution to the quality of life for residents in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, of all sectors, tourism presents the greatest likelihood of creating economic opportunities in each region, and for each community, especially in the smaller communities. Today I would like to talk about a few specific initiatives to grow tourism in the Northwest Territories.

We are now in the first year of Tourism 2015: New Directions for a Spectacular Future,

the

Government of the Northwest Territories’ five-year tourism investment plan.

One of the first priorities under this plan was to establish an Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council. The council was formed this past July and has already made some progress establishing a strategy to grow Aboriginal tourism in the NWT. Planning is underway for an Aboriginal Tourism Champions Forum this spring. The forum will bring the Government of the Northwest Territories, the tourism industry and Aboriginal organizations together to explore ways to grow and develop the Aboriginal tourism sector.

The Tourism Product and Marketing Diversification Program has been highly successful over the past few years in creating and expanding world-class tourism products that attract visitors and increase their spending in the NWT.

The program helps tourism businesses to expand, diversify their product lines and market their businesses. This in turn helps them to diversify their businesses and creates new employment opportunities. Tourism businesses across the territory have benefitted greatly from this funding.

Well-trained tourism staff can deliver our products both professionally and knowledgably. The new Tourism Training Fund will assist with short-term training to provide skills for someone to get a job in the NWT tourism industry or improve the skills of those already in the industry. The training also helps to ensure tourism operators have a workforce trained to meet their needs. They will cover up to 75 percent of the training costs for businesses or individuals engaged in nearly any tourism sector in the NWT.

We are also coming out of a successful summer parks season and tourism numbers were up again this summer. This is an exciting time for NWT parks, which host around 25,000 campers per year. Over half of the campers from outside of the territory are over age 55. This segment of the Canadian population will grow by 45 percent by the year 2021. This is an age group that loves to camp. Therefore, we can expect to see strong growth in demand for campgrounds over the next decade.

Tourism is a significant contributor to the NWT economy and brought in nearly $100 million and 65,000 visitors this past year. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 17th Legislative

Assembly to continue the investment in new tourism products, marketing, support for the development of Aboriginal tourism, and maintaining our services and amenities in our parks and campgrounds.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be absent from the House today to attend a meeting with the federal Attorney General in Ottawa.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I did my constituency visits in the Sahtu at the end of November, the community that I went to was Fort

Good Hope. During my constituency meetings with the people in Fort Good Hope, a lot of speakers in my constituency spoke on the increase of cancer in that community. The people were saying that they’re very afraid. It’s very stressful for them. They’re very worried that they may be the next one diagnosed with cancer. People are being diagnosed on a monthly basis. They are very concerned with what is going on, with what is happening. There are some very healthy people who have cancer. There are some very young people who have cancer.

People are crying out for help. There has been an increase of cancer deaths in the Northwest Territories. It has increased in Fort Good Hope. Eighty-six percent of Fort Good Hope cancers diagnosed were people aged 50 and older. The top cause of cancer in Fort Good Hope was colorectal.

I had young people in the public meetings crying because they know that their father or mother is going to die. I’m going to ask the Minister what type of specific support there is or what we can do to help the people in Fort Good Hope to deal with cancer, deal with the families, the communities.

There’s a lot of sadness in Fort Good Hope because people are getting cancer at an alarming rate. They don’t know if it’s from the water, from the Mackenzie River or from the federal government buildings that are contaminated. They don’t know what the heck’s going on. They want answers. We need to provide support for the families and the young kids who are left to deal with the losses in their lives.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be speaking about the same topic as my esteemed colleague here, a very uncomfortable topic called cancer, as well.

One can only imagine the stress that one undergoes the moment one is diagnosed with this terrible condition. Most often the original diagnosis is done in faraway places like the Alberta Cross Cancer Institute and the patient is discharged with a limited supply of medication. The patient then returns to the NWT tired, confused, stressed and typically wanting nothing more than compassion and help. Many of these patients have no medical coverage or insurance, or limited coverage, and soon realize the problems that arise in covering the costs of expensive pharmaceuticals not covered by our Extended Health Benefits Program. Some patients are forced to pay for their drugs up front, sometimes amounting to several thousands of dollars, as they wait for program approval. Some

patients cannot afford to do this and those that do pay find themselves in financial crisis relatively quickly. I am also sad to say that some who cannot afford their therapy slip through the cracks of our systems, where their experiences are not monitored closely enough.

The other part of this domino effect is many patients require regular travel to get their treatments and find themselves out of pocket for those expenses not covered. Let’s all keep in mind that many patients are off work for their treatments or are too weak or too sick to continue their employ. This has a further impact with less personal income to deal with all these financial burdens.

I am painting today a true picture for what a new cancer patient may experience. My question later today for the Minister of Health will be why is the Extended Health Benefits Program so slow at times to respond to these situations. We know, from experience, our provincial counterparts have created policies to fast track the application process for cancer patients. Yet, in the NWT we have no formal process in place. There is a clear indication the NWT needs to do a better job at eliminating these stresses from the lives of our cancer patients in this 17th Assembly, and I seek the support of my

colleagues to drive home this message. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last few years we’ve heard increasingly about the mining process called hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is a process where sand, water and chemicals are blasted into rock formations, such as shale, coal beds and tight sands, to gain access to trapped natural gas deposits. This injection process creates cracks in the rock formations and allows the gas to flow up the well.

Fracking has been linked to earthquakes in the United States, caused gas infiltrations into aquifers and, thus, several communities’ water supply, created environmental contamination from the chemicals used in the process, has been banned in several Canadian jurisdictions, has been condemned by the Dene Nation, and last but not least, uses huge quantities of water.

The Council of Canadians opposes fracking because of its high carbon emissions, its high water use and the danger it poses to polluting groundwater and local drinking water. People living in communities where fracking projects are underway have reported health concerns and burning water where water from household taps

catches fire due to residual methane gas from the fracking operations.

At my recent constituency meeting, constituents expressed their concerns about fracking: the effect of fracking on permafrost – nobody’s considered that; that we have no knowledge in the NWT of our groundwater – our aquifers are not mapped; and that we have little, if any NWT research on fracking. Now this process is likely coming to the NWT. It’s already just across the southwestern border in BC and is being strongly considered for gas and oil extraction in the Sahtu.

I’m not against development. I’m not against the expansion and the growth of our economy, but I do feel we must temper any development with strong consideration of the effects it will have on our environment. So little is known about how the fracking process impacts the lands and peoples close to any development that uses it. I understand the Ministers of ITI and ENR are looking into these impacts and I’m very glad to hear that. It’s of utmost importance that NWT residents know what we’re getting ourselves into if we allow this process for oil and gas development.

The NWT may not be able to control approval of the development, but we can certainly do two things: one, take an active role in the environmental assessment process and be an intervener in any process; and, two, we can do the necessary research to understand the risks and the impacts that fracking will have on our territory.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

To quote the Council of Canadians: “We need the facts about fracks.” It’s the responsibility of a government to protect its people. This government must take the appropriate actions to do just that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge the students throughout the NWT attending school and preparing for their individual Christmas concerts. Our families enjoy gathering at the school and take pride in watching their children take part in many skits, the Christmas stories and the carolling throughout the evening.

In many of our communities it is the time to dress up in traditional clothing, new mukluks, new mitts and smaller traditional gifts from their mother,

grandmother or aunties. The highlight of the night is when Santa shows up with treats for everyone.

I would like to apologize to the staff and students at the Chief Paul Niditchie School, Chief Julius School and Moose Kerr School, all of which are preparing for their Christmas concerts on Wednesday evening. I will not be able to attend due to timing. However, I would like to extend my best wishes to all of the students. I know that they will make their families proud. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to make reference back to the Caucus priorities set forth by the 17th Legislative Assembly.

One component that I personally thought was missing was the component to honour our youth, and, actually, it is really great to see a strong contingent of youth in our gallery today. I would like to take this opportunity just to reassure the youth of the Northwest Territories, and reassure all those organizations that do great work with youth in the Northwest Territories that it is on our agenda within certain departments, as you heard today in the Minister’s statements by ECE and MACA, that we do have an invested interest in our youth and all the programs that are set forth throughout the year that I have been happy and very lucky to be a part of over the last couple of years working with MACA.

On that note, I would like to congratulate all the staff and hard workers of the Northwest Territories that work in sport, youth and volunteer programs throughout the Northwest Territories that put invested time and interest into our youth, that the GNWT is behind them and that we are going to be working with them. Such programs as, for instance here at the Ledge, we have the Page Program, which is very successful; and Northern Youth Ambassadors Program, which gives youth an opportunity to travel throughout Canada and internationally; and one of the more successful programs is the Youth Ambassadors Program, which has been very successful since its initiation into the NWT and through Municipal and Community Affairs.

I would just like to take this opportunity to let the youth know that we do stand behind them and that they are our future, and that when we invest in our youth, we are investing in our future that is going to create a new generation of healthy, educated adults as well as our future leaders of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on the Housing Minister’s statement on the Shelter Policy review and public housing rental assessment rates.

On November 3rd last year, this Assembly called on

the government to reduce the maximum rate for assessment of public housing rents from 30 to 25 percent of gross income. Yukon charges 25 percent of gross income and Nunavut has a sliding scale between 10 and 28 percent. As an example, public housing for a four-person household living on two minimum wage incomes in Detah pay $1,200 per month at 30 percent, or about 40 percent of net income, leaving them about $2,000 after taxes to meet all other monthly expenses. Even a 5 percent reduction would put $200 back in that family’s pocket as food, clothing, the ability to buy hockey gear or Christmas presents.

This Assembly has identified housing as a top priority. The Minister’s statement last week reported that rent scale adjustment is one of the issues under consideration in the Shelter Policy review. That’s good news and I’m going to be looking for downward movement on the maximum rate to at least 25 percent or even 20 percent, in line with our neighbours.

The Minister also spoke of the moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rental arrears and provided Members with information on the $8 million in outstanding rents owed by 3,500 tenants. One lesson here is that while there are some who don’t pay rent and should be made to, there are many for whom the 30 percent rate is just too high.

We have all heard the cases of people who are better off not working than taking two minimum wage jobs and seeing their rents skyrocket from $32 to more than $1,000. In communities where almost no one can own or privately rent a home, we have to recognize that access to housing is a public need no less critical than health care. We need a rent scale regime that is a sensitive mix of cost recovery, incentive to work and meeting the critical need for adequate, affordable and accessible housing.

I’ll be asking the Minister questions on his new plans for development of just such a system. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I proudly rise to thank the community of Hay River

for hosting the Honourable Governor General of Canada, Mr. David Johnston, and his wife. They were able to experience the great culture by visiting K’atlodeeche, and were able to visit with the leaders there and dance at the local community feast. They also had the opportunity to take a dogsled team ride with Mr. Danny Beck from Hay River.

The second day they were able to take a ride on the Great Slave Lake with a bombardier with one of our local fishers, Shawn Buckley, where they were able to pull a net and see the fishing industry in Hay River.

The couple then got to visit our Nordic facility in Hay River, where they were able to take themselves for a little ski as well as see the Arctic Winter Games trials for biathlon. Then the town hosted a meet and greet, where they were able to see some great performers, some youth, and receive a few gifts from the community. The Governor General also assisted with the promotion and revealing of a new sign for Brendan Green, Hay River’s own Olympian.

So I would like to thank all the organizers of the Governor General’s visit to Hay River. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I highlight the Dehcho Land Use Plan, which the Dehcho First Nations, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories have been working on for the past decade. Government and industry view the Northwest Territories with great interest because of the vast potential for natural resources. Equally, Northerners look upon the beauty of the North as a gift of which we each have responsibility to maintain the integrity of the environment.

In the Deh Cho region, the Interim Measures Agreement signed in 2001 states the following:

“The purpose of the plan is to promote the social, cultural and economic well-being of the residents and communities in the Dehcho Territory, having regard to the interests of all Canadians.”

With the completion of the interim Dehcho Land Use Plan, the parties can move beyond phase one negotiations, which will protect the land in the interim while negotiations move towards a final agreement.

In 2006 a draft land use plan was completed, but at that time governments did not support it because it set aside too much land for conservation and also it

was too complex to implement. Since then there have been efforts by all the parties to revise the Dehcho Land Use Plan by making changes to the regulatory mechanisms and zoning changes so that the Dehcho Land Use Plan could favourably be considered and reviewed by the parties.

There remain outstanding issues to move the Dehcho Land Use Plan forward. We all want to protect the land and also recognize a need for balance devolving for the Dehcho in the Northwest Territories.

I encourage all the parties to continue working and supporting the revision to the interim Dehcho Land Use Plan, and move it forward, and complete the course and help out the overall completion of the Dehcho process negotiations.

I will be raising questions in this regard later in the House today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about the cost of home heating oil, diesel for vehicles, and gasoline in the Northwest Territories. In the last government we had a fairly keen focus on the cost of living. When we talk about the cost of living, certainly heating our homes and our businesses, driving our vehicles, snow machines, quads, mobile equipment, fishing, going on the land, all of these things are very much affected by the cost of diesel or gasoline. I don’t think anyone could argue that these are very essential commodities everywhere, especially here in the North.

The Competition Bureau of Canada has commissioned studies on the relationship of crude oil prices to retail and wholesale gasoline prices. These studies have found that gasoline prices generally do track crude prices, but there can be a delay of up to two months before it decreases or increases and crude oil prices are passed along to the consumer. At the same time, some of those studies found that variations in crude oil prices are only one of the factors that influence retail prices.

I would like to suggest to you that when the price of crude goes up, there is no two-month delay in the price going up at the pump or with the truck that delivers your home heating fuel. I think that there are variables that do affect the prices from region to region. Jurisdictionally there are taxes that affect the price of fuel. There are transportation distances to get the product to market. There is the time of the purchase and the storage factor that needs to be taken into consideration; also the volume of sales. Certainly people who are retailing outlets that

sell less product with overhead will be passing on those overhead costs on a per-unit basis for what they sell.

This issue has been raised to me by my constituents who are curious. What their perception is, is that when the price of crude goes up, the price at the pump goes up; when the price of crude goes down, the price at the pump stays up. This is the perception.

I’d like to know if this government thinks that they have any role in the consumer protection function and that this government can play a part in analyzing this, studying this. We are a very captive market here. We don’t have a lot of options when it comes to buying these products.

I’ll have questions later today for the relevant Minister.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When growing up I remember such youthful optimism around me from everyone when we always talked about the future. I’m reminded of this when I see in the gallery today so many young people here. I remember hearing from people about where they wanted to go, what they wanted to see, and certainly we always heard about what they wanted to be. However, I can never recall anyone ever telling me, or anyone, for that matter, that they wanted to be homeless. That’s why today I want to recognize and certainly give great credit to the work being done by the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition.

As many of you in this House know, once built, the Betty House will roughly double the number of transition units for women and women with children here in Yellowknife. This is a significant endeavour and it will change the lives of many.

Approximately 150 women leave the Alison McAteer House every year and they need somewhere to go to help them get on their feet and move forward in a positive manner. The Betty House will create a safe and affordable housing opportunity to become a path for success to allow these women, and in some cases their children, to pursue a healthy lifestyle, get into the workforce and continue on with their life in a positive way.

The Betty House is an investment in people’s lives; make no doubt about that. It will help the health and future of women and children in this community and territory. Betty House is a true example of the community responding to a community need. With

the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition leading this, I want to give particular note and appreciation to Dayle Hernblad, who is the coordinator of this initiative.

In the future the Betty House will be owned by the YWCA, but it couldn’t be done without the support of the Government of Canada, the NWT Housing Corporation and most definitely the City of Yellowknife. I would be remiss without making mention of such notable partners as BHP Billiton and The Brick, who lent their support over the weekend.

In closing I want to say that the Betty House is not just building a building, it’s also building a future for many Northerners who need a helping hand.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

At this time I would like to welcome from Ulukhaktok – not too often we get people in from Nunakput and this many, it’s good to see. For the boys hockey is Alex Akhiatak, Elliot Malgokak, Bradley Olifie, Jarrett Kitekudlak, Jordan Kitekudlak, Brandon Okheena, and chaperone Kelly Nigiyok and chaperone Patrick Joss. For boys soccer was Troy Kataoyak and Tyson Klengenberg. Girls soccer was Carmella Klengenberg, Tamara Oloaryok, Papak Ekpakohak, Sydone Okheena, Shania Goose, Kendra Kudlak, and chaperone Mayor Janet Kanayok. Welcome to the House, everybody.

The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Patrick Joss. The committee has had many occasions to visit Ulukhaktok to do our business and on every occasion Patrick has been there to help out the committee. Thank you, Patrick.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to add my comments to Mr. Bromley’s to recognize Patrick. Whenever we get to Ulukhaktok, he has always been there. Welcome to the kids from Ulukhaktok. You have a very beautiful community.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Going on to my colleagues’ comments, it’s not very often that we do get a lot of youth of this magnitude in the House, into the gallery. I’d like to recognize all the

students from Ulukhaktok. Welcome to Yellowknife. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

I, too, want to thank Patrick Joss. He’s a very committed volunteer and community leader in his community, not only Ulukhaktok but throughout the Beaufort-Delta region. He has helped out in a lot of things. Welcome to all the students.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize our visitors from Ulukhaktok and the Nunakput riding, specifically Patrick Joss. I know some other Members have talked about Patrick. He’s a real ambassador for the community of Ulukhaktok and the riding of Nunakput and it’s great to see him here in the House today.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had an acknowledgement that I would like to address.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to go back to item 6 on the Order Paper.

---Interjection

He didn’t give notice?

---Interjection

Okay. Item 8, written questions.

---Interjection

Sorry. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently the City of Yellowknife launched a public news release to inform the public that they have now taken on the Certificate of Recognition program that they have been awarded with that accreditation. Asking for the COR program to be implemented in the Government of the Northwest Territories through the leadership of Public Works and Services here, I’ve been asking them for some time about when they will be bringing this program forward and implementing it when it comes to our contracting of services.

My question to the Minister of Public Works and Services is, quite simply, this: Does the Minister see the rolling out of the COR process, that’s the Certificate of Recognition, happening any time soon and, if anything, can he point to a particular date

when we can start seeing that program implemented?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Jackson Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This area of COR competence, the safety factor has been discussed for numerous occasions now. It has been recognized through the Northwest Territories, as well, through various companies. These are discussions that we continue to have within Public Works and Services along within the GNWT as a whole. There are various partners involved, as well, whether it be WSCC and Public Works and Services and other companies as well. The safety factor plays a key role in all company businesses, so we will continue to have the dialogue with the organization.

Many businesspeople are taking the initiative to join the Certificate of Recognition program, the COR program, from across our territory from big communities to small communities. It’s becoming a territorial initiative. To add one more, it’s actually becoming a national trend where many jurisdictions, whether it’s the provinces or even the federal government, are leaning towards this is the type of recognition that you need to have in order to apply for service contracts, construction works, et cetera. Recognizing that there’s been a commitment from many small businesses here in the Northwest Territories working towards this, does the Minister see the GNWT implementing COR as a requirement in government programming when we go to tenders?

We deal with, as I stated, various companies. One of them is of course the Northern Safety Association, which we have a GNWT representative on there as ex-officio. As PWS we work in collaboration with the Department of Transportation and NWT Housing Corporation on developing a position as encouraging contractors to utilize these services. It is a northern-wide safety factor, COR competence.

As I stated, these are ongoing discussions that we are having. We recognize through all the organizations that have been highlighted as recipients of COR. We’ll continue to work with them.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. That is the very reason why we’re doing the overall review of the Student Financial Assistance. We want to hear from the students and community members, such as Hay River North and the general public. If there are issues or concerns or ideas or suggestions that can be brought forward, and this particular area of concern that has been brought by the Member will be highlighted as part of our discussion as we review the overall SFA.

Just one other question. My other question was an issue from one of the students in my constituency, who indicated that the core of the review for residency is fairly lengthy. Would the department look to streamline that process as well?

It’s not the first time we’ve heard that from a community member. That is part of the process that we need to discuss under the review. I hope that the general public and the particular individuals who may have some concerns, that they can raise that issue during the review process and that will be taken into consideration. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. They deal with his Minister’s statement on Friday dealing with the Aboriginal Student Achievement update. He set out four priorities, and my question is dealing with the early childhood and child care priority that he has put into his priorities for the ASA achievement.

What’s currently in place that he can provide us information on for early childhood and development programs throughout the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Within Education, Culture and Employment, early childhood has always been a priority for this government and it is a priority for ASA now. This is an area that has been a prime focus when we visited all five regions plus the Yellowknife region, so six regions; discussion on our priorities. Early childhood has always been at the forefront of our discussions. Within our department we provide various funding, whether it be the daycare operations, the workers and subsidizing those individuals that are in the child care programming, the Head Start Program. We have partnerships with the federal government as well. There are numerous, various different programs relating to early childhood and the child care services within our department. Mahsi.

We do know there are programs out there and we do know that it is a priority for the government and within the Department of ECE. My question specifically was what programs are in place for communities that don’t have those programs and communities that need those facilities. What are the action steps that the Department of ECE is going to take within the next two years to make sure that those infrastructures are put in place so that people in our communities and children can succeed? Thank you.

As I stated, there are a number of programs within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Some communities may not have specific programming, but it is delivered through the regional programming officers as well. Just highlighting some of them is: Early Childhood Program administration operations and maintenance, Early Childhood Program, there are contributions in place within the communities; early childhood small communities initiatives; healthy children initiatives; Language Nest, Early Childhood Development Framework for Action. These are just some of the programs I’ve highlighted and there are a number of other programs that specifically relate to the communities and also to the regions. We will continue to increase those where it is badly needed. Mahsi.

Like I mentioned earlier, I do know there are programs out there, but in some of the communities and regional centres specifically, there is not enough infrastructure to house the number of youth that we’re getting that need those programs. Moving forth with his Minister’s statement last week, he did mention that one of his priorities were Aboriginal language and culture. However, there’s nothing stating here in his next steps about increasing our Aboriginal and northern teachers within the Northwest Territories. As you know, we do have a high transition of workers in the Northwest Territories. I wonder what is his plan to create jobs in the Northwest Territories for Aboriginal and northern people.

Mr. Speaker, producing Aboriginal language teachers is also one of our top priorities, because we’ve heard from the forums that we’ve had on ASA, language immersion is their priority as well. We need to do that with qualified Aboriginal language teachers and language speaker teachers. With that, we’ve initiated the TEP program, ALCIP program through the Tlicho Community Services Agency a couple years ago. Now we’re initiating that in the Beaufort-Delta. The next step is also on the Hay River Reserve. Those teacher education programs and Aboriginal language instructors programs are being initiated as we speak. We need to reach out to those regions and to the communities and that’s what we’re doing. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Minister, for your answer on that question. In terms of your priorities – and I do know that the ASA does provide funding to all the communities – you mentioned that there were five communities that received funding this year. How were those communities chosen to receive that funding?

Mr. Speaker, there may only be five communities at this time but we’re looking at the other communities as well. It is based on the committee that has been formed and established. There is a steering committee that consists of various groups and they make recommendations to my attention and we move forward on those initiatives. We have to keep in mind that we have to deal with all 33 communities, and the five communities I think is a good start. We need to work with other communities as well. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation. I’d like to follow up on my statement earlier today. My colleagues and I have spoken in the past about including more creative mechanisms in our collection of rents in communities. With few jobs, the lack of wage opportunities could be offset by allowing tenants to reduce their rent by, for example, supplying wood for the community or public housing, or giving their labour in maintaining and repairing houses. I’m wondering if the Minister can say if such options are being examined in the Shelter Policy review that’s currently underway. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is quite correct; there has been some input as to how we can be creative in allowing people to take care of their arrears or pay on their arrears. There have been some cases in the past where this has happened, and it’s something that I can assure the Member and all Members that it’s something that we are looking at to find ways. I mean, obviously there are going to be other issues, but we have to sort through those and try to find common ground that will work for both tenants and the local housing authorities. Thank you.

I appreciate the response from the Minister. I will look forward to the results there. It’s my understanding that under the current funding arrangements, local housing organizations who do not meet their rent recovery targets lose operating funds equivalent to the amount of uncollected rents. This is a very retrograde approach, because whether they collect rent or not, their costs of providing housing don’t go down. It only digs a pit of debt, and I realize there’s a balance here. Can the Minister say whether the options being considered in the Shelter Policy review include the possibility of disconnecting rent collection from operating funds allocation? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we ask all our LHOs to meet a specific target – usually it’s around 90 percent – and that would allow them to do the work that they have the money to do the work; the revenue could do the work that they need. As far as taking money back for rent not collected, I would have to follow up on that because I’m not sure if we really do that, but we do set a specific target and it’s an internal target that the LHOs try and reach so that they’re able to generate enough revenue to help with their repairs and that they need. But I’d have to follow up on the Member’s second point and I don’t really think that we do that. Thank you.

Again, I appreciate the Minister’s response and commitment to looking into that and getting me that information.

My next question is the Nunavut Housing Corporation has some interesting features, one of which I mentioned: a sliding scale for maximum rent from 10 to 28 percent. Another feature is that rent is re-evaluated annually on September 1st , to account

for changes in income. Income is based on the previous tax year. Many beneficial factors worth consideration must go along with that, and I’d be intrigued on what those might be. Will the Minister look at what the options are and/or, perhaps more directly, are these being considered in the current Shelter Policy review that is underway? Mahsi.

We have had internal discussions on doing the assessments on an annual basis based on last year’s tax receipt, as the Member has stated. One of the drawbacks is if they work in previous year and not work in the current year, they would be assessed on their rent or their tax or earnings from the last year so that may put them in a difficult position, but it is something that we are looking at.

We are looking at either doing an annual or a biannual basis. Feedback that I have had in some of my conversations with the LHOs, the assessment per month probably works best for the tenant and it would allow them to declare their income. It is something that we are looking at. We are looking at all different ways we can make providing housing and the assessments and that a lot easier for the LHOs and for the clients. This is all part of the Shelter Policy review. We are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with committee and go through some of the recommendations and options and get some feedback from them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I noticed the Minister focused on the one negative of the Nunavut side of things. The income may be different but, of course, one would hope that over time a family’s income rises rather than goes down, in which case it would actually be a benefit in allowing them a little adjustment time.

The Minister has heard me cite the commonly heard case of people refusing work to avoid radical increases in rents. In carrying out the Shelter Policy review, can the Minister give information on what other more flexible models are being examined? What options are available for adjustment of the rental rate regime? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I didn’t focus on the one negative; I’m just not sure how it would best apply to residents in the NWT. Obviously we know the challenges that Nunavut Housing is facing with the debt that they have. Ours is nowhere near that. It’s not even close. I’m just trying to focus on what I think would work best for the people we serve on this side of the North.

I can assure the Member that one of the things we’ve heard – and I think all of the MLA candidates heard as they were going through the campaign – was: “I don’t want to work because my rent is going to go up.” It is one of the most important reasons I think we undertook this Shelter Policy review, is to see if we can find ways to assist those people that are trying to work.

I am running out of liberty to say too much right now on the work we’ve done. I need to meet with committee, go through the recommendations and

options with committee, and then we can roll it out to the public. I am positive that this will be well received by both Members and people across the Northwest Territories because this answers a lot of concerns that they have had in the last number of years. We are looking forward to rolling it out.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I made a statement on the Dehcho Land Use Plan. My question is directed to the Premier. What is the Government of the Northwest Territories prepared to do to help move the Dehcho Land Use Plan forward so that it could be completed?

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Premier, Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We think land use planning is a good thing, and it helps with planning for development in the Northwest Territories and also to protect areas of environmental importance.

We as a government have been working since the 16th Legislative Assembly to develop a land use

framework for our government. We are continuing to work on that. I think the work that the Dehcho has been doing on the land use plan has been very good. I think the past chair will be very difficult to replace. I think that we are getting very close. As a government, we want to work with the Dehcho First Nation and the federal government to develop a real worthwhile and a forward looking land use plan that we can all work together from. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to ask the Premier: Is there any follow-up on what it is we can do in terms of helping out the process? How is this government planning to ensure that the success of the interim Dehcho Land Use Plan is completed? Mahsi.

I think there are a lot of ways that we can work together. I think that with the advent of devolution and one of the things that the Government of the Northwest Territories wants to ensure is that lands that have not been selected by the Dehcho that there is some potential economic development that can be undertaken. I think that the areas that are of importance to the Dehcho First Nation, we want to work with them and the Government of Canada to make sure that they are clearly identified. We also want to make sure that there are lands available for land selection by the communities and the Dehcho when it comes down to it, because there are lands being set aside for protected areas. There are still lands that have to be identified by communities. We will work consistent with the Dehcho Land Use Plan in terms

of reference with all of the main players to see if we can advance this fairly quickly.

My final question is to the Premier. Is there a timeline in terms of perhaps concluding the Dehcho Land Use Plan? I realize there have been a lot of discussions and pull towards concluding the Devolution Agreement. Will the Premier assure other First Nations, including the Dehcho First Nation, that their agreements would take precedence before the Devolution Agreement? Mahsi.

As a government, we are reaching out to all Aboriginal governments to establish good working relationships, and I think this is the kind of area that we think we can use to advance our working relationships with the Dehcho First Nation to work on the Dehcho Land Use Plan. I guess ideally we would like to see something happen within a year if that’s possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I talked about the effects of fracking. The consequences of fracking as a development process are becoming more and more evident within Canada and throughout North America. We are starting to become more and more aware of some of the consequences.

My questions are addressed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. I would like to ask the Minister what the GNWT is doing to educate itself, its residents and other orders of NWT governments about the effects of fracking. I have to say again that we need the facts on fracks. I would like to know whether or not we are engaging in any research. What are we doing to find out about fracking and the effects it will have on us? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. Obviously this is an issue that we are paying close attention to. Fracking is a practice that has been utilized in Canada since 1990. I think the Member referenced it being banned in some provinces and territories in this country. To my knowledge, that hasn’t happened. It is currently suspended in the province of Quebec, pending environmental review, but to my knowledge it hasn’t been banned in any other province or territory in this country.

I would agree with the Member; I think we have to separate fact from fiction when it comes to fracking and its future utilization in our territory, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

We need to separate frack from fiction, do we? Thank you to the Minister for the comment, but I would like to know what we are doing as a government. Are we engaging in any research? Are we looking into the effect that fracking will have on our northern environment because it is different from other environments? I would like to know whether there are any plans on the part of this government to do some serious research, and once that’s done, to then educate other governments and our residents about it. Thank you.

There’s certainly a lot of potential in the Northwest Territories, both in oil and gas development. In the Sahtu region, certainly across the river from Norman Wells there’s a lot of potential there for oil where fracking could be utilized to extract that oil.

We need to work with the regulators, the NEB. We need to work with AANDC, the federal government and ourselves to come up with a plan. Currently – I know my colleague Minister Miltenberger spoke of this the other day – there is a plan in place to coordinate efforts, to reach out to communities, and it will start in the Sahtu to let people know what fracking is, how it works and what the potential pros and cons of such activity are on the environment. Also, there are economic benefits too.

So I think the balance and weighing those things out will be something that communities across the Northwest Territories will have an opportunity at some point in the near future to have the opportunity to comment on. I can see that type of program reaching out to other communities across the Northwest Territories, but for the immediate future it’s going to start in the Sahtu in the new year. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear much about research. I heard we’re going to look into it; we’re starting in the Sahtu. I think it’s important that we consider that it’s not just the Sahtu; it’s undoubtedly going to end up in the southwestern corner of our territory. So I would urge the Minister, with the Minister of ENR, to go well beyond just the Sahtu.

One of the things that I mentioned in my statement is that I believe it’s a responsibility of government to protect residents, and one of the things that I think we can do as a government, if we feel that there are implications for a particular development, is to act as an intervener in an environmental assessment process. So I would like to know from the Minister whether or not this government will take that role and act as an intervener in an

assessment process, should that development come to that. Thank you.

That’s common business practice for us to act as an intervener in environmental assessment. So, going forward, that would be the case. Certainly the more information we have on fracking, the research… I know the department is following it close as are the folks at ENR. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with and we’re fully intent on finding out what fracking is and, again, weighing the pros against the cons, the economic benefits versus protecting the environment. I think at the end of the day we’ve got a regulatory process in place here in the Northwest Territories that’s going to allow us to do just that.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I was pleased to hear the Minister earlier say that there will be an opportunity for residents to provide some input, and that’s, I think, a large concern for me and also for many constituents. What avenues will there be in sort of a specific sense for residents to direct their concerns to the government so the government will know what individual residents and/or community governments feel about the process of hydraulic fracturing? Thank you.

Thank you. I would envision the type of outreach and educational program that’s going to be looked at for communities is going to be something people can understand. It’s going to be at a level where people can get a better understanding of what fracking is. As far as residents in the Northwest Territories wanting to provide input, that opportunity, if the meetings get to communities across the territory, people will have that opportunity to provide their input. Again, I think we need to get all the facts on the table and chart a course justly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two questions today for the Minister of Health. Earlier today I indicated in my Member’s statement the need to create a better fast-track policy with extended health benefits as it pertains to newly diagnosed cancer patients. Can the Minister of Health please share with this House if there is a policy in place or a draft that deals with a better system for fast tracking cancer drug coverage?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. NWT health insurance pays and approves the cost of cancer therapies provided to the clients, and the department works closely in partnership with Alberta Health Services, in particular the Cross Cancer Institute, to provide the services to residents of the NWT at this time. Thank you.

Obviously at a later time I’ll be talking to the Minister, probably in closed quarters, to get more information on that.

The second part of my question has to do with what we’ve heard earlier today by my esteemed colleague from the Sahtu regarding his people having increased incidents of colorectal cancer and their concerns, but all of our citizens are worried about the increase of cancer cases in the NWT. Current information is not readily available to the public. The last report from the Health and Social Services, called “Cancer in the Northwest Territories 1990-2000: A Descriptive Report” is over 10 years old and very out of date. We are informed the Department of Health and Social Services has a new report covering 2000-2010 but has yet to be released.

Can the Minister of Health indicate to the House when this document will be available so the residents know what’s going on with cancer? Thank you.

The department will be publishing the report which covers 2001-2009, actually. The report is scheduled to be released in 2012, the earlier part of 2012 is my hope, and the information will cover such things as cancer incidents, mortality, cancer screening and also the stages of cancer diagnosis.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke in my Member’s statement that in my meeting with the people in Fort Good Hope all of the speakers talked about the number of cancer-related diagnosed community members and the different sources that possibly cancer could be coming from. The most heartbreaking comments were from young people in the communities on the ones who are the surviving members of cancer. So I wanted to ask the Minister what type of support can be given to the people in Fort Good Hope or the family members who have to deal with the loss of their loved ones due to the number of recent cancer deaths in that community.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Health, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Grieving families of individuals who have passed away from cancer can get client counselling from the community counsellors. Also the access through how they can obtain community counsel to deal with the grieving of loved ones through cancer can be arranged through the community health nurse. Thank you.

There’s an author that’s renowned for her work with death and cancer, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and she talks about dealing with grief, and the general normal grief process takes about two years for the person to go through the whole grief cycle. Of course, with our Aboriginal people we have our own cultural grief ceremonies.

I wanted to ask the Minister, because there are so many deaths in Fort Good Hope, is there any way that his department can find a dedicated person to come to Fort Good Hope, stay in Fort Good Hope, and deal with the hundreds of people that are affected by one cancer death or two cancer deaths or three cancer deaths rather than to go and seek counselling services in the community. I want a dedicated person to deal with the cancer deaths in the community and have someone there on a full-time basis.

At this time our intention was to have the chief medical officer go to Fort Good Hope to meet with the people there. I know I have talked to the chairman of the Sahtu Health and Social Services Board and she’s interested in myself, along with some departmental staff and the MLA to go to the Sahtu and travel to all the communities, including Fort Good Hope, and maybe from that type of discussion could evolve into something that is more focused on this particular issue.

I certainly look forward to that trip with the Minister. One of the speakers in my meeting said living in Fort Good Hope is stressful and scary. You don’t know if your number’s next and you’re going to be the one told that you have cancer. It’s very tragic and painful to listen to young people sit in front of you and cry and say my mom or my dad has cancer. I know they’re not going to live long and they’re going to die.

I’m asking the Minister if he will start plans or look at plans to have somebody come into Fort Good Hope and sit with the living members of someone who has died of cancer or people who have recently been diagnosed with cancer and work with them, just like the book I quoted earlier from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and talk about death and dying and help our people. Can the Minister look at some plans to look at that type of initiative? This is what the people are telling me and I don’t think I need the Minister to hear exactly what I’m already

telling him. Can the Minister work on some earlier plans?

The cancer rates across the Northwest Territories have gone up. Between 1992 and 2009, cancer rates are 162 cases per 100,000 to an increase of 283 cases per 100,000. In Fort Good Hope it is a bit higher but it is not significantly higher than that particular NWT number. It’s 331 cases per 100,000. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to focus on the issue. As the Minister, I would be prepared to discuss some sort of strategy to address the issue of all of the people in the Northwest Territories that have loss through cancer and try to address that issue in a more across-the-board way.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people in Fort Good Hope have asked me why they have to yell so loud for help. Recognizing there are a lot of cancer deaths in the Northwest Territories, my people in Fort Good Hope in the last month have three more who have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s three more families that are affected right now. They are asking for help. Why do they have to yell so loud to this government to say bring somebody in? Let them work with the families. Let them work with the young ones. Let them understand what death and dying is all about and how hard it’s going to be for them. Can the Minister work on some early plans, look at his department and say that we can dedicate some funds to help the people in Fort Good Hope to deal with cancer, especially on death and dying?

In Fort Good Hope between 2001 and 2009 there’s been 19 cases of diagnosis with cancer and there are 980 cases of cancer diagnosis across the NWT.

I’m not saying we don’t want to do this in Fort Good Hope; all I’m saying is it would be good for the department and it would be feasible for the department to develop a strategy that addresses the issue right across the Territories and not specific to one community.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to sound uncompassionate about the issue of families who suffer and grieve with members who have cancer and eventually succumb to cancer, so that Members don’t think that I’m uncaring, I was 27 years old when my mother died of cancer. She was 57 years old. Ten years ago, when I was the

Minister of Health, our cancer rates in the Northwest Territories, believe it or not, were less than the national average. We know everybody, we come from small communities, so it seems like it’s higher sometimes. If we are going to put out new statistics on cancer rates in the Northwest Territories, surely we need to do that with a backdrop of how much we smoke, how much we drink, what our diets look like, how much we exercise, and hereditary factors are also huge in getting cancer. If we’re going to put out statistics, we have to be real as a government, as well, and include information on those statistics as a backdrop to our cancer rates. Does the Minister of Health and Social Services agree that that can be done?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.