Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide an update on the implementation of the new public housing rent scale. Implementation of the new rent scale started on July 1, 2012, and to date, response has been very positive.

You will recall that the changes to the public housing rent scale was part of the 17th Legislative

Assembly’s strategic priorities and is a central piece of Building for the Future, the NWT Housing Corporation’s strategic plan.

The new rent scale was designed to be simple, predictable and fair. The disincentive to work that was often identified as a problem with the old rent scale was also addressed.

Mr. Speaker, while it is too early for definitive results on the impact of the new rent scale, early indications have been positive. The following are a few observations:

• We have reduced the number of different rents

we charge to only 22 in July, down from the 401 different rents we were using in June the last month of the old rent scale. This reflects the simpler and more predictable rent in the new system.

• We are eliminating the wide variations in rent

charged to households with similar income in order to make the rents fairer. In June we charged anywhere from zero to $964 for households earning between $3,000 and $3,500 a month. In July, about 70 percent of these households were paying between $325 and

$365 in rent, as there were still seniors paying zero.

• We have made rent more predictable and

addressed the disincentive to work. There were 361 public housing tenants that paid rent in July that had income increase in August but didn’t have their rent increase. In the old system, increases in income would have resulted in increased rent.

• We have heard reports from communities where

they have had trouble in the past finding casual employees because of the disincentive to work caused by our rent scale. We are now seeing large numbers of people applying for casual positions.

• In reporting these overall impacts, we can’t lose

sight of the positive impact on families. For example, a tenant from Behchoko earning $51,000 a year and supporting a family of six had their rent decline from $1,126 in June to $580 in July.

Mr. Speaker, the change in the public housing rent scale was a major change in approach. While we have seen positive results, we also recognize that some people saw their rent increase. Most of the increases in rent were fairly modest, and while nobody likes having their rent increased, it is my sense that our tenants have responded positively to the changes.

Mr. Speaker, on September 1, 2012, the next step in implementing the new rent scale was started. Seniors that live without younger adults started paying rent. As Members are aware, the NWT Housing Corporation is phasing in rent for these seniors. We are charging 50 percent of the new rent for seniors that don’t live with younger adults until July 2013, when full implementation will take place.

In September, seniors living in 448 units without any younger adults started paying rent. The NWT Housing Corporation and the local housing organizations worked closely with these seniors to explain the new approach. While these are preliminary estimates, I am pleased to report that the collection rate for these households was 114 percent for September. This reflects the fact that some seniors paid rent ahead for future months and

that some seniors were paying for previously accumulated arrears.

It is certainly no surprise to me that seniors have stepped up and have accepted the new responsibility. Many seniors over the years have indicated to me that they don’t mind paying modest rent and this early result supports that. For September, rent was 3.1 percent of the total income for these seniors and 91 percent of these households paid less than $100 in rent.

Mr. Speaker, these are early overall results of the new public housing rent scale. We will need to continue to work with our tenants and pay particular attention to implementation of the new rent scale and to ensure we are doing our part to address past arrears and work with tenants to make sure they remain in good standing.

We will continue to provide updates on this initiative and I look forward to working with all Members as we advance the priorities of the 17th Legislative

Assembly. Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Colleagues, before we continue, I’d like to draw your attention to the gallery. We have the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Mr. Gerald Gerrand. I will be tabling Mr. Gerrand’s annual report later today. Welcome Mr. Gerrand into the House.

---Applause

Also, we have Mayor Mervin Gruben from my home community of Tuktoyaktuk. Welcome to the House, Mervin.

The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to being an inclusive workplace open to all Northerners. A diverse workplace improves our ability to serve the public.

Today I would like to provide Members with highlights from the recent Inclusive Public Service Survey, conducted by the NWT Bureau of Statistics on behalf of the Department of Human Resources. It was developed in consultation with the GNWT Advisory Committee on Employability. The survey was conducted in the first half of this year, and asked all GNWT employees to share their perspectives on a wide range of workplace diversity topics. The survey included questions about disabilities and their effects on job duties, communication, accommodations, and opportunities such as training and advancement. The survey also provided employees with an opportunity to anonymously identify that they have a disability so that we have more accurate baseline information on employability in our workforce.

For the survey, disability was defined as a physical, mental, medical, or social/emotional condition that restricts the performance of one or more of a person’s significant life activities for longer than six months or on a recurring or intermittent basis. This definition was developed in partnership with the Department of Justice and the Advisory Committee on Employability, and will be used by the GNWT in all instances except for priority hiring, where the definition from the Affirmative Action Policy will be used.

All GNWT employees had an opportunity to complete the survey. Of the 1,726 employees who responded to the survey, 273, or 6.4 percent of all GNWT employees, self-identified as having a disability. The most common types of disabilities identified were pain and mobility, followed by social/emotional, agility, and psychological.

Mr. Speaker, more than half the respondents with disabilities said they had discussed this disability with their manager or co-workers. Awareness and communication are key to diversity in the workplace. With the advice of our Advisory Committee on Employability, the Department of Human Resources launched a disability awareness campaign earlier this year in all GNWT workspaces. Posters create awareness about unseen disabilities in the workplace and provide information on the work of the committee.

We held disability awareness training sessions in Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, Inuvik and Yellowknife this spring. The training explored attitudes and awareness about disabilities and employment of persons with disabilities. Ninety participants attended the training. We are planning additional sessions in all regions this winter. We expect that future sessions and training materials will also be available on-line.

Mr. Speaker, just under 40 percent of respondents with disabilities reported that they require accommodations. The GNWT implemented a Duty to Accommodate Injury and Disability Policy in 2011. The Department of Human Resources created diversity officer and duty to accommodate advisor positions. These staff work with managers and employees to ensure we accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities. Duty to accommodate training is offered to managers in all departments, and to date, 205 managers/supervisors from 11 departments have taken the training.

The accommodation process involves cooperation between the GNWT, unions and employees to identify safe, timely and reasonable measures to accommodate employees’ disabilities or injuries. The goal is to have employees remain in the workforce or be integrated back into the workplace as soon as is reasonably and safely possible.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, almost 60 percent of respondents with disabilities did not perceive having a disability as a barrier to training, advancement or new positions. Our staffing processes identify that the GNWT is an inclusive workplace and seeks to accommodate persons with disabilities. If an individual requires support, they are encouraged to identify their needs so that they may be accommodated.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is a workplace that is inclusive and open to all and we are committed to eliminating barriers to employment for all Northerners. We will continue to focus on enhancing and developing initiatives to support reasonable accommodation based on the needs of the employee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Colleagues, before we go on, I`d like to welcome former MLA for Deh Cho and former Speaker, Mr. Sam Gargan. Welcome back to the House, Sam.

We have our former Premier and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Inuvik Boot Lake, now the newly elected mayor for Inuvik, Mr. Floyd Roland.

Also, mayor until the 29th of this month, Mr. Denny

Rodgers. Thank you, Denny, for coming.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Investment in the Northwest Territories tourism industry is vital to our goal of a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices.

Like our resource industry, the tourism industry has many spin-off benefits and is on the brink of tremendous growth. The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to work to improve the visitor experience and encourage tourism.

Investment in our territory’s world-class network of parks and campgrounds further enhances our tourism product. Improvements this past year included new playgrounds, new and expanded washroom or shower facilities, parking lot expansions and on-site cultural interpretation sites.

These have been key to improving the visitor experience and we are recognizing return on our investment. This past summer, camping was extremely popular in nearly every region. Over 23,000 camping nights were recorded in territorial parks based on on-line reservations. Several parks received same-day visitors, so this number is expected to increase even higher after the department receives final visitor numbers from all campgrounds in the territory. Last year 23,500

visitor nights were recorded and we are pleased to see that camper numbers are remaining consistent.

For the first time, we conducted a visitor satisfaction survey to guide planning, programming and park infrastructure development. Over 600 responses were received and preliminary results indicate that, overall, campers were very satisfied. Over 91 percent of respondents rated their visit to a territorial park as “good” or “excellent”.

Our investments are paying off. Mr. Speaker, the additional $1 million annually provided through the Tourism 2015 Strategy has helped prepare our tourism operators to take advantage of the opportunities that increased visits will bring. Research, training and product development initiatives have resulted in new partnerships and tourist package products, as well as new products aimed at both business travellers and leisure markets.

Our spectacular landscape, vibrant Aboriginal cultures, and beautiful arts and crafts are proving to be marketable attractions for visitors from around the world.

This includes visitors from China, Canada’s fastest-growing tourism market. The recent trade mission undertaken by Premier McLeod was well timed to capitalize on Chinese interest in NWT tourism, and representatives from the NWT’s tourism industry built relationships with their counterparts.

China is Canada’s fastest-growing tourism market and Chinese tourism added $1.5 million to the NWT economy in 2011. With the granting of approved destination status in 2010, the number of visitors travelling from China to Canada is growing 25 percent per year. We want to ensure many of these visitors include the NWT as part of their travels.

The GNWT has also provided significant investment over the last year to support efforts to grow the Aboriginal tourism sector. The Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council hosted a forum last spring in Detah.

The council provides strategic advice on the responsible development of Aboriginal tourism in the NWT, and is currently working on an Aboriginal Tourism Framework Strategy. The strategy will be put in place in the summer of 2013.

With increased media exposure of the NWT around the world, and an increased desire for outdoor adventure products and authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences, tourism numbers are expected to remain strong in the coming year.

A direct link to the NWT arts website has also been added to the NWT Tourism website, “spectacularnwt.com”. Now web visitors can go directly to the NWT arts page to find out more information about NWT art and artists, upcoming festivals and events, and where to buy arts and

crafts made in the NWT. I would like to thank the Members for that suggestion and am confident it will result in increased exposure for our northern artists.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the board, staff and members of NWT Tourism, who, in its role as our Destination Marketing Organization, is an important and valued partner in our efforts on behalf of the tourism sector. I would also like to express my appreciation for the ongoing cooperation and support that the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has received this past year from the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee. As a government we rely on their input to develop and advance programs and initiatives that are relevant to the tourism industry.

A strong tourism industry is a key element in achieving our Assembly’s goal of a diversified and healthy economy that provides all regions and communities with opportunities and choices. We must continue to do all we can to drive growth of tourism across the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. About a month ago the Arctic Winter Games International Committee released the list of sports for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. Their announcement caused a great deal of consternation within the northern sport community. Simply put, most ice sports, those sports integral to the first Arctic Winter Games over 40 years ago – 1970 to be exact – have been dropped for the 2016 games.

Curling, figure skating, midget hockey, dog mushing are gone, as are speed skating and gymnastics. Now, it’s not unusual for Arctic Winter Games host communities to reduce the sports during games due to a facility’s limitations. But it’s never happened before to this extent.

Previous games in the NWT, for instance, have not had downhill skiing. We just don’t have that facility to handle that kind of competition. But to remove six sports because of a lack of facilities is unprecedented and flies in the face of the International Committee’s express reason for being.

The impact on our young athletes will be huge and the greatest impact will fall on our 10 to 12 year olds. The 2016 games are when they will shine. As one Yukoner put it, "The Arctic Winter Games is the big time for them. This is their Olympics.” Without

that opportunity in their current chosen sport, our young athletes will change their sport. Speed skaters will move to hockey or volleyball, for instance, because they know that staying in their sport means they will miss out on the Arctic Winter Games experience.

A whole cohort of our athletes will lose out, and why? Because of the International Committee’s policy. The International Committee has decreed there will not be another two-site games as happened in 2002. The International Committee requires that all athletes be at both opening and closing ceremonies for the games.

The Arctic Winter Games International Committee needs to seriously reconsider the ramifications of their recent decisions and the impact of their policies. They must be less rigid, must find flexibility in their policies and their rules so that the games can be run in the best interests of the athletes. I cannot understand how the International Committee can reconcile their never again two-site games, with their recent decision to host hockey in Iqaluit with the rest of the games in Nuuk in 2016. It makes no sense to me.

I was very pleased last week to hear that several northern sports Ministers are as concerned about the situation as northern sportspeople are, and that they recently met with the International Committee to discuss solutions.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

I applaud the efforts of the northern sports Ministers and I encourage them to keep up the pressure on the International Committee. Northern governments fund the games. We must influence the International Committee to amend their decisions. The five dropped sports and midget hockey must be accommodated somewhere for the 2016 games. If not in Nuuk, then in the NWT or Yukon as has been offered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again there is only one social worker in Fort Liard. There are two positions but one is vacant. When this happens, it is very stressful for the remaining social worker and when she’s away, the community is usually without help.

The social workers provide an essential service, helping families in times of hardship, need, and great stress. Such times are often hard on children too. We all know that sinking feeling that occurs

when a whole bunch of things go wrong all at once. Unfortunately, there have been many deaths in Fort Liard this year and that is how people in the community are feeling.

For such a small community, there is a lot of crime and drinking. To me, these are signs of a community’s health and we should heed them. It is no time to be short a social worker.

Help for people struggling with mental health and addictions is a high priority of our government. I fully agree with that. What I don’t agree with is a bunch of words that are not backed up with action.

The lack of social workers in Fort Liard should be considered an emergency. If permanent staff cannot be found right away, the position should be filled on a temporary basis using resources from elsewhere. If this was done even for a month at a time, it would be a great help to that community.

I mentioned that children are feeling the effects of the recent tragedies in the community. The same can be said for mothers with very young children. Early childhood development is another priority of our government. I see that some communities have the Healthy Family Program, which has been a success.

Earlier this year, Members on this side of the House successfully persuaded our Cabinet colleagues to increase the budget for early childhood programs in Education. I was proud to help make that happen, because it was done for the good of the people across the Northwest Territories. That is supposed to include Fort Liard and all Nahendeh communities. I look forward to seeing more early childhood programs in all Nahendeh communities, especially Fort Liard.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In honour of Small Business Week, I want to salute the local enterprises that are the basis of a stable and sustainable economy. Weledeh riding, as Members know, is not only the birthplace of Yellowknife’s small businesses, it remains the most diverse and vibrant small business centre of all ridings.

How so? It’s the cradle of our local aviation industry, today including Air Tindi, Arctic Sunwest, and individual operators. East Arm Freighting continues the vital barging business while Aurora Geoscience serves the mineral exploration industry. Deton Cho provides general contracting and construction services in joint venture with a host of local partners. Guy Architects, Pin Taylor and Nadji Architects provide internationally recognized design and construction services. Our longest continuously

operating Yellowknife business, Weaver and Devore Trading Company, has served the North for more than 75 years.

Artisans and outlets abound: Down to Earth Gallery, Gallery of the Midnight Sun, Just Furs, Originals by T-Bo, the Gallery on 47th , Old Town

Glass Works, and all the home ateliers – Chilly Chicken Creations, Tessa MacIntosh, Fran Hurcomb, Robert Wilson Photography, and many others.

The rich Great Slave Lake fisheries come ashore at Abbott’s and at Buckley’s. Sucker Birch Syrup is harvesting the northern woods.

The hospitality industry offers atmosphere and accommodation at the Bayside Bed and Breakfast, the Blue Raven, Chateau Nova, the Arnica Inn and, of course, that world-class wilderness retreat, Blachford Lake Lodge.

There’s excellent northern fare at the Dancing Moose Cafe, Noodle House and the renowned Bullock’s Bistro.

Quality Furniture has met Yellowknifer’s appliance and furniture needs for years. My own family’s business began there with my grandfather and father’s hardware store, today replaced by the water base.

Myriad enterprises remain to be acknowledged, but time does not permit their mentioning here. Major resource developments will certainly continue to support our economy for many years, but dollar for dollar, it’s the small, home-grown businesses in all our ridings that provide the greatest return in local employment, training, purchasing and community investment.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Communities rely upon our resident volunteers and leaders, and local businesses are the greatest contributors to charities and community initiatives. Local businesses are what take us through boom and bust. I ask you and all my colleagues to join me in doffing our hats to all of them.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Driver distraction legislation came into effect January 1st of

this year, and after a request by committee in late spring, it was reported there were only a handful of convictions and an undisclosed number of warnings. Not that we’re out to punish, but this

number appeared to be small in nature and may reflect what many may see as an everyday occurrence on the streets of the capital city and throughout the cell-covered Northwest Territories.

The point is, why go through all the work of getting such legislation and not have the ability, the capacity or maybe the desire to enforce it?

Now, I do commend the hardworking law enforcement members out there who support this legislation, and my fellow colleagues, Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Hawkins, who were early champions and fought hard to get this Lose the Phone Campaign to the forefront. But now, only 10 months into the new law, we may have the same, if not larger, epidemic of distracted drivers out there.

To put this in perspective, not that many months ago I had the pleasure of working alongside MLA Hawkins and the hardworking teacher, Ms. Michelle Thoms, who guides our local St. Patrick High School SADD program, which is Students Against Drinking and Driving. In the spirit to promote safe driving, we were assembled to do a morning wave at passing motorists before one of our long weekends. Oddly enough, while we were holding up banners, waving our little hearts out and shouting out for safety, we lost count of how many motorists waved back while holding their phone between their ear and their shoulder.

Many of the students commented in dismay of the complete lack of respect by these motorists. One of them actually said, “These motorists might as well have been holding up a can of beer, and don’t you get this taken away if you’re caught with it?”

As a legislator and a community supporter and a father, I was without words in reply, because what can one say. These kids might be right.

What is the fundamental difference between being distracted under the influence of open alcohol or the lack of concentration while holding or texting on your phone? Oddly enough, this theory was tested by a recent social network, a question posted by our local station, indicating that in Montreal, if you’re caught using your phone while driving, you actually lose your phone and get a ticket. This prompted a variety of replies and responses, from go ahead and try, this is a tad excessive, or my favourite, you’ll never catch me.

Society is indeed fixated with their cell phones, the need to always stay in touch and having the need for constant and immediate communication at all times. In itself, this is not the issue and it is the price we pay for technology of sorts.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

As I said, in itself, this is not the issue and it is the price we pay for technology of

sort, but then again, when does this or should this fixation trump the safety of our society. Unpopular as this may sound, maybe the concept of lose the phone is just that if you are distracted while using a phone and you get caught, you lose it; something for us to think about, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been six months since changes to the wellness worker in Tsiigehtchic were made. In April the wellness worker position was contracted to the community with a large decrease of funds available compared to when the GNWT offered the position.

This government should not set the communities up for failure. As we look to decentralize many of our government positions to the communities, we should be providing adequate funding to the communities so they succeed. Thank you.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the most recent civic election here, we heard a lot about the problems of downtown. I am sure it is no surprise for the Minister of Health, and that he knows that many people will go without having a place to go home at night and many people are in the throes of addictions. Thankfully, of course, we have a downtown day shelter, which I am very grateful for. The fact remains that it is still only one component of a larger problem here that is on the ground.

Over the years I have heard lots of concerns from parents, citizens and constituents, as well as downtown businesses, about the youth wandering streets late at night, all hours of the night. Some, as we all know, without family, have nowhere to go, and in sad cases, many can’t go home.

It is time this government came up with a creative solution like trying to find innovative ways to reach out to this particular sector. It is youth as well as adults who need help and someone to talk to.

What I have in mind is a suggestion about collaboration between social workers and the RCMP. This is a model that has been heralded with some success in Vancouver, is the Vancouver Police Department uses as an intervention opportunity. We could begin with a social worker

out there as a ride-along with the police patrol on Friday and Saturday nights. A small pilot project could be a model that we could extend throughout the Territories here and to find out ways that we can reach this type of community, speak to them and provide solutions before particular problems.

All we need is a dialogue to build a better relationship with people. It would be kind of nice to be able to talk to them in advance of future problems. Perhaps that one time that you lent an ear to somebody was the time that they decided to go into another type of direction.

The reality before us here, before a proactive approach, we do nothing. It is time to solve potential future ills. Why? Because I think we still have a chance and should never give up on our young people and their potential behaviour. We can help steer them into a more positive direction, I believe, in talking to someone and maybe even listening to them, rather than waiting for the police to deal with a particular problem. Waiting for the courts to solve our social ills will never be the answer. Collaboration is the only way.

I have spoken with the RCMP about this, and they seem to think we could be onto something. The bottom line is we need to get people recognition and certainly good management by working together. There are a lot of ills out there. I would rather befriend them before we book them and into jails. Thank you.