Good morning, colleagues. Before we get started today, I’d like to start by saying the Beaufort-Delta has had a very difficult time in the past week and a half. I’d like to give condolences to our former Premier, Nellie Cournoyea; Gayle, Hershel, Lillian, Weddel and Dale Hvatum on the loss of their mother, Maggie Hvatum, who passed away.

I’d like to give condolences to Kathy Paul’s children of Aklavik, Savannah and Lance Paul.

Adam Ruben of Paulatuk, condolences to his sister Mary Ruben-Green and brothers Charlie and Alex Ruben.

Natalie Simpson of Aklavik, condolences to mother Liz Simpson and sisters Kathy Conley, Louise McLeod and Cora Simpson.

And one of my good friends growing up, the loss of a good friend, Stanford Harry of Inuvik, condolences to his partner Clara Day and to his family.

To the family of Winnie Elanik of Aklavik, condolences to Margaret and Marjorie Elanik, Sadie Whitbread, Frank, Archie, Tom and Sandy Elanik, Sally Kasook and Beverly Elanik. Sorry for the loss of your mother.

Paulousie Ittungna of Inuvik, condolences to Brenda Samson and Kyle Ittungna. Paulou had just graduated from SHSS in Inuvik and went back to upgrade to an academic level to enter university, where he wanted to play volleyball with hopes of joining Team Canada. He was the captain of the volleyball team at SHSS. The community of Inuvik, especially the youth, have shown much strength and will attend the volleyball tournament in Yellowknife this weekend in Paulou’s honour. He was kind and an exceptional athlete with great ambitions. Paulou was respected and loved by all his peers and elders alike. He will be sadly missed, not only in the community of Inuvik but here in Yellowknife as well. He has a lot of friends all over the territory.

Across the North we lose loved ones in the Beaufort-Delta and we all feel sorrow. It’s not easy, but we may find comfort and strength in each other. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who lost loved ones in the territory over the past two weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with you from the Legislative Assembly.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, later today at the appropriate time, I will table a public discussion paper, entitled A Vision for Energy in the Northwest Territories: Developing the 2013 Northwest Territories Energy Plan. This paper is the first component of a multi-step process that will lead to the development of the 2013 Energy Plan. Residents, business, municipal governments, Aboriginal organizations and community groups are all invited to read this document and submit their comments to the government. The paper lays out five key questions on which the Government of the Northwest Territories is asking the public for their input.

We have been working with the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure throughout this process and appreciate their input and advice. We look forward to your continued involvement as we move forward with the development of the Energy Plan.

As part of the feedback process, we are also asking the public to fill out a brief survey on what government should prioritize in the maintenance and future development of our energy systems. The survey is available on the Industry, Tourism and Investment website.

As a key part of our engagement and feedback process, the GNWT will host the 2012 Northwest Territories Energy Charrette on November 20, 2012, in Yellowknife. This stakeholder engagement and policy development event will include two open sessions, which will allow the public the opportunity

to interact with energy experts, energy utility representatives, public servants and other charrette delegates. MLAs Mr. Bob Bromley and Mr. Michael Nadli have been invited to this event and we are looking forward to their participation and input.

Outside of the open sessions, delegates from various levels of government, Aboriginal development corporations, energy utilities, non-government organizations, as well as energy experts will all collaborate to help the GNWT create its energy agenda for the 17th Legislative Assembly

and beyond. The delegates will share ideas, suggest investment criteria, and map out an implementation plan for the GNWT’s consideration. All of this work will be summarized in the charrette final report, which will be publicly released in mid-December 2012.

After this important stakeholder engagement process is finished, the GNWT will use the results of the energy charrette to finalize the Energy Plan, which will be released in March 2013. The Energy Plan will firmly lay out the energy vision and policies of the GNWT, as well as provide details on spending initiatives and government priorities.

Mr. Speaker, this government has invested heavily and made a great deal of progress in the past four years to increase the availability of local and renewable energy options for the residents and businesses of the Northwest Territories, while diminishing the role that imported, expensive diesel fuel plays in our energy supply mix.

I am confident that the government’s collaborative approach, which focuses on stakeholder engagement and a transparent policy development process, will reinvigorate this vital sector of the NWT’s economy, and continue to create sustainable and reliable energy systems for all of the territory’s 33 communities.

Working together, we can, and will, develop an Energy Plan aimed at stabilizing the costs of energy for our communities and reducing our carbon footprint. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, when we meet here in the Legislative Assembly, we often talk about the opportunities for our communities and residents provided through the GNWT’s infrastructure programs. However, today I would like to bring your attention to work that the Department of Public Works and Services is doing as part of the GNWT’s Environmental Remediation Program, and the opportunities that this work is creating for our smaller communities.

In support of the 17th Legislative Assembly’s goal of

ensuring that our environment will sustain present and future generations, Public Works and Services chairs the GNWT’s Interdepartmental Granular and Environmental Remediation Committee whose members include representatives from the departments of Municipal and Community Affairs, Transportation, Environment and Natural Resources and the NWT Housing Corporation.

For its part, Mr. Speaker, Public Works and Services has been busy remediating current and former fuel storage and distribution facilities, as well as contaminated sites on behalf of other departments in communities across the NWT.

To date, PWS has completed 32 environmental site assessments in 18 communities where the GNWT provided fuel storage and distribution.

Major environmental remediation projects have now been completed in Sachs Harbour, Gameti, Deline, Lutselk’e and Tulita, with work continuing in Tuktoyaktuk and planned for Trout Lake next summer.

At the community level, coordination and cooperation between departments makes it possible for multiple sites to be remediated in a single community. This creates more local and northern business and employment opportunities while improving the efficiency of delivering the Environmental Remediation Program. A win-win for communities and government.

Other benefits being achieved through these important remediation projects include:

• the restoration of land for government and

community use such as municipal infrastructure and recreation;

• new more cost-effective remediation

technologies are being piloted in the NWT to demonstrate their effectiveness and ability to reduce costs;

• job creation and training opportunities as well as economic stimulus at the community level by using local and northern contractors and consultants to carry out projects;

• developing local skills for future remediation projects in our smaller communities; and

• wherever possible, the return of remediated

granular material to communities so that it can be recycled and used for other community projects.

Concrete examples of how these benefits are being enjoyed by our communities can be seen by looking at just a few of the department’s recently completed remediation projects, including:

• the removal and treatment of 5,000 cubic

metres of contaminated soil from the old tank farm site in Tulita using local labour and

contractors. The remediated soil from this project was recycled back to the community.

• the removal of 2,500 cubic metres of

contaminated soil from the old tank farm site in Gameti using local equipment and labour to complete the work and to maintain the bio pile. The old contaminated tank farm site was located in the middle of the community and has now been backfilled and landscaped. We understand that the community is now proposing to develop a baseball field in this location.

• the removal and treatment of 6,000 cubic

metres of material from two

sites in Sachs

Harbour using a contractor from Tuktoyaktuk along with local labour. This has addressed GNWT and community concerns with regard to the contamination from these sites potentially spreading to the ocean or contaminating adjacent property.

Mr. Speaker, through the Interdepartmental Granular and Environmental Remediation Committee, Public Works and Services is helping to ensure that our communities and land are safe and sustainable. Using local and northern contractors, labour and consultants not only engages communities in restoring our environment, but helps build capacity and strengthen the partnerships which will help define our government’s environmental stewardship legacy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, in 2011 the Auditor General of Canada recommended improvements to the department’s ability to evaluate and report on performance. Specifically, the Auditor General recommended that we implement system-wide indicators, develop a program evaluation plan for the health and social services system, and regularly inform this Assembly about the performance of the system. Mr. Speaker, later today I will table the first annual report on the strategic plan.

Mr. Speaker, we take recommendations from the Auditor General very seriously. Last year we published an updated strategic plan for the health and social services system, Building on Our Foundation. It contains specific activity targets for each of the next five years, and includes a commitment to annual reporting on broader health and social services system outcomes. Reporting progress on the activities that will lead to change demonstrates movement towards our long-term

goals, while reporting on outcomes provides the baseline against which we can measure long-term meaningful change in the health and well-being of our residents.

The department is working in partnership with the health and social services authorities to develop a system-wide accountability framework. It will include indicators and an evaluation planning framework, and will be complete early next year.

Enhanced reporting on performance indicators will allow for timely informed decision-making across our system and will help to ensure efficiency and value. But most importantly, it will help us to monitor the health and well-being of our residents, to know where our programs and services are having a positive impact and where we need to do more.

Mr. Speaker, providing for the health and well-being of all NWT residents is a priority for this government. We remain committed to reporting to this Assembly and to the public about how well we are doing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to acknowledge the accomplishment of a young man from Fort Simpson, Mr. Wesley Hardisty. Wes is only 18 years old. He took up the fiddle just five years ago through the outreach work of the Kole Crook Fiddle Association. His talent was obvious. As a young teenager he moved to Salt Spring Island, BC, to develop that talent at the Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts.

He has since performed at fiddle camps and festivals all across Canada, billed as a fiddling sensation. In 2011 he played for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their northern tour, and made his first CD called 12:12, meaning life is good, appreciate it and enjoy it. He continues to return home to Fort Simpson to perform at our own Open Sky Festival. Northerners have also been treated to his music at Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in Inuvik.

Last night Wesley Hardisty received national recognition by winning the Aboriginal People’s Choice Award for Best Fiddle CD at the RBC Ohshkii Awards Night. Congratulations. For these awards, the music industry nominates the performers, but hundreds of ordinary people vote on-line for the winners.

The communities of the Deh Cho region, with their Dene and Metis heritage, have always been known for their excellent fiddlers. Now I can boast the best fiddler in the country comes from my riding.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority for going entirely smoke-free. Of course, smoking has only been allowed outside the Hay River hospital for quite a while now, but it was time to take the next step. Let’s not forget that the main goal here is to help people quit smoking altogether and greatly reduce the risk of cancer, lung disease and heart disease.

There is a lot of help and support available to anyone who wants to quit smoking or kick their tobacco addictions. For starters, telephone counselling and personal support is available through the NWT Quitline. Doctors and nurses can help you get a prescription for anti-smoking aids of various types: the nicotine patch, gum, and even two medications, Zyban and Champix. The cost is covered for these prescriptions for all NWT residents.

I highly encourage anyone who’s thinking about quitting, to take the big step. Don’t forget, it’s also a step for all the young people who look up to you. It is the most important thing you can do to prevent our youth from taking up this terrible and addictive habit.

I welcome the news that the Health department is re-launching the Don’t Be a Butthead Campaign after Christmas. I hope that all of our young people will pledge to go smoke-free each year. There is strength in numbers and I have often marvelled at the strength of our next generation.

We have a long way to go and we have to keep our efforts and awareness of tobacco addiction high. The smoking rate in the Northwest Territories is more than twice the national average, and as of three years ago, 36 percent of our entire population over the age of 15 was a smoker. We have to kick the habit. I hope the next numbers we see and the next generation will be healthier.

Since I have a few minutes left on the clock, I would also like to just mention some of my own observations about smoking.

Have you ever sat outside a department store or Canadian Tire or someplace and watched the smokers walking in there, flicking their cigarettes on the ground? It’s just something that’s curious to me. If smokers think their butts are invisible, if they think someone else is going to pick them up, if they think

they’re biodegradable, if they think it’s okay to take their ashtray and dump it on a parking lot while they’re sitting in their car waiting for somebody, so you come and you see these little mountains of cigarette butts everywhere; it’s just curious to me. It’s littering. It’s disgusting. I’ve always been puzzled by that.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By now if your son or daughter hasn’t talked about the new PowerSchool student information system, with report cards already done or coming next week, you’ll soon be seeing what this new technology is all about.

This new school technology has been used all over North America and is now making its debut in NWT school systems. In essence, this multi-faceted data management tool will allow school boards and schools to manage student data and create reports to monitor and plan for student success.

PowerSchool will do the following: attendance, emergency medical data, scheduling, timetables, grading and report cards, just to name a few of its functions. As well, the new PowerTeacher tools will be able to link assignments to grades, track students’ progress, link grades to calculations directly to report cards and monitor on-line attendance. There will also be a parent portal for PowerSchool made available as soon as the pilot is done. I am sure many parents are eagerly awaiting to find out what options will be at their disposal in real time and accessible with their mobile devices. So be careful kids, as mom and dad will now be plugged into your performance.

Training started in May of 2012 with a webinar orientation with only formal training a couple weeks ago for over 900 educators throughout the Northwest Territories. Training was either face to face with a PowerSchool trainer or, in some cases, through web-based options.

Although change is always difficult, these data management systems will ultimately provide a much needed source of information and robust reporting options in the education system, and will no doubt improve student success in academic achievement.

How did we do with getting this new technology into the hands of educators? How was this transition overall? I had the pleasure of speaking to a number of teachers and school board officials and I have to say, for the most part, the Department of ECE did not a bad job. However, there were some common

issues that arose and which I will be addressing later today with the Minister of Education.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. November is Diabetes Month, but every month is Diabetes Month for 2,000 or 3,000 of our residents. Most of us, maybe all of us, know someone who struggles to manage their diabetes. People with this disease do not properly absorb sugars and starches from their blood. They typically suffer from severe thirst and produce a lot of urine. It is really important to detect diabetes early on because it is much easier to manage with exercise and a healthy diet. If diabetes is not managed, blindness and even death can result.

Diabetes is a relatively new disease among Aboriginal peoples of the NWT. A few decades ago it was almost unheard of among us, but changes in our lifestyle and diet have led to the rise of diabetes rates. These are all reasons that we must raise awareness of diabetes and what to do about it in our small communities.

Yesterday I was glad to hear the Health Minister talk about pilot project to manage diabetes in Deline and a couple other communities. However, none are in my riding and I urge the Minister to expand the program into the Deh Cho region.

Right now diabetes patients in Fort Providence are sent to Yellowknife for support services, counselling, or to see a nutritionist even though Hay River is much closer. It would be much more convenient and probably less expensive to send diabetes patients from my home communities to Hay River. Surely the Health Department can at least give them that option.

The closer health services are to a community, the better people will understand their conditions and the more involved they will be in their own care. In the case of diabetes, it is important for the patients’ families to understand the disease and how they can help. I hope our Health department and authorities will expand services in this way.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. October was a tough month for Yellowknifers on income support. It seems that the income support division at Education, Culture and Employment in late September and early October had a staff shortage, computer problems, who knows what other

problems, and they got more than a little behind in the processing of income support payments. One of my constituents dutifully sent in all the necessary documents early in September, the usual time, expecting a bank deposit at the usual time. A week into October the bank deposit had not appeared. There was a polite but cryptic e-mail from a client service officer advising that they were “currently experiencing a staff shortage and processing times for applications were taking longer than usual.”

Income support clients have bills just like the rest of us – rent, phone and so on – and I don’t know many landlords who will wait for their rent cheques, or phone companies who will extend credit for months at a time. Income support clients also need to buy food, and generally have a very small margin of error in their monthly cash flow. A late income cheque means payments will be in arrears and the fridge and the cupboards will be empty.

How does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment expect people to survive any month without their anticipated revenue? My constituent waited patiently. This was not the first time he had encountered this problem. Yet a week later, halfway through the month, he still had not received his payment.

This is totally unacceptable. We can be sure that if GNWT staff paycheques were two weeks late, the problem would have been rapidly fixed much earlier. Why then can’t we do the same for our residents, our NWT clients? I can appreciate that departments run into staffing problems periodically, unforeseen circumstances and all that. But when the work is time sensitive, when people are relying on the end result of the work, a payment to manage their lives, surely we can find temporary workers or supervisors or managers, someone from another area to fill in and meet the deadline that looms.

I have said it before and I am sure I will have to say it again, the GNWT must develop a better customer service attitude and mentality. Our staff have internal and external clients. All clients deserve proper treatment. We are, after all, a public service. Good service from government has to become priority one across the board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to salute the work done last week at Made in the North, a three-day forum on adult learning, literacy and skills development organized by the NWT, Yukon and Nunavut literacy councils. More than 150 participants representing the three territories, Newfoundland and Labrador and other provinces,

and the Government of Canada attended. Minister Lafferty welcomed the forum members and gave much appreciated remarks on the importance of literacy and skill development.

Forum attendees shared innovations in adult learning practices, policies and programs through four moderated discussions including workforce and workplace skills development, non-formal community-based skills and development programs, literacy and essential skills in our multi-cultural and multi-lingual regions, and the challenges of formal adult education programs. General discussions and detailed break-out sessions allowed participants to pool knowledge and creativity towards partnerships and innovative suggestions for action.

Participants learned about programs in such areas as culinary skills, sewing courses and greenhouse building where educators achieved the greatest success by taking inventive literacy and overall skills development as the basis of program design. They shared the lessons of building student achievements into early parts of course delivery, making people feel successful and motivated to continue learning.

The need for flexibility in the development and delivery of programming and the need to seize local opportunities with a practical focus were major conclusions agreed upon at the event. The range of needs and opportunities considered at the forum emphasized the idea that adult learners are often the most marginalized clients of education programming. Well educated people are already well able to learn, but it is the people who need basic learning to unlock their potential that often represent the greatest challenges to the formal systems we currently use to deliver education.

Adult learners’ ineligibility under the Student Financial Assistance Program is a problem that must be addressed. I will be looking for innovative solutions such as those developed by Yukon College as part of our Student Financial Assistance review.

Congratulations to our NWT Literacy Council for hosting this success story and to all organizing partners for the quality and success of this ground-breaking event. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to acknowledge the hardworking trappers that are in the Northwest Territories. I was in Fort Good Hope and the people there are happy that winter is finally coming. They were quite concerned because of the late snowfall and the warm weather they

have been having around the Sahtu region. Now that they are out there trapping, they noticed that the fuel prices have increased almost to $40 per gallon of gasoline. The trappers are saying that the way of life is very hard. They need close to $1,000 now to check their traplines. Some of them have 700 traps out there, 200 to 400 miles that they run their lines every trapping season. Even skidoos now, the trappers are saying about $10,000. People are having a hard time.

We also know from the Minister of ITI in his reports, that international countries such as China and Russia look to the Northwest Territories for the fine quality of furs that they can get, and they go at a very high premium price to get these furs from the Northwest Territories.

I want to ask the Minister what other types of support – I have a binder full of information – provides support for the trappers, as there’s nothing that supports for the fuel subsidy for the trappers that they can go out and make their way of life and train their children and do their business.

The trappers need our help. This is a dying art, it’s a fine art and it’s a lot of hard work and they teach their youngsters. There’s actually one young man in Colville Lake and we asked him a couple of years ago what he wanted to be when he grew up, and his eyes were smiling and his face was pumped up and he said, I want to be a trapper. So we need to support kids who want to be trappers.

I’ll have questions for the Minister of ITI later on. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, in the North we have a lot of respect for our seniors and elders, but in Hay River I often get the opportunity to visit with a lot of seniors and many of them live in their own homes. They are proud that they live in their own homes; however, the increasing cost of living in those homes is making it more and more difficult to stay there. Some are considering moving south, which I think is shameful. I think we need to keep all Northerners in the North. Some are looking to sell their homes and apply for seniors housing and to use seniors facilities.

I have many seniors that are fighting to keep their homes as long as they possibly can, for financial reasons or for health reasons. They want to stay there as long as they can. I believe that we need to help those people stay in their homes. I would like to see the government assist with increased costs of living for seniors in their own homes.

Our population is getting older, our demand on senior facilities is naturally increasing and we need to find more ways to help those seniors. The issues of seniors span across many government departments. Health is an obvious one, but Health is also involved in continual care at their homes. Education, Culture and Employment monitors the Fuel Subsidy Program. Housing obviously controls housing issues. MACA controls tax breaks for those seniors that are in their own homes.

I believe that this government needs to increase their support to seniors that are in their own homes.

I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Seniors to see where they are choreographing all of the GNWT departments in this area. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Mackenzie Delta we have 300 kilometres of highways with only one ambulance service in Inuvik. Many times we have had major accidents on the highway, at which time members of the public have had to act to save lives.

In this day and age, we should have trained personnel in our communities. For example, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic could provide ambulance services. This would help keep our communities and our highway system safe and also provide many jobs in our communities.

I’ll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services later today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize and congratulate the Fort Resolution Road Runners Boys 12 and Under Soccer Team who won a gold medal in Grande Prairie, Alberta, back in May of 2012. Although belated, I would like to acknowledge this team since I am proud of the team’s achievements.

The Fort Resolution Road Runners Boys 12 and Under Soccer Team also included a couple of girls 12 and under since there were not enough boys to complete the team. The team travelled to Grande Prairie, Alberta, for an annual children’s soccer tournament from May 27th to June 1, 2012. The

team travelled under the supervision of their coach and chaperone, Wilfred Simon, also known as Rabbit.

The Fort Resolution Road Runners boys under 12 soccer team are no strangers to the children’s soccer tournament in Grande Prairie. The first year they travelled to Grande Prairie, Alberta, the Fort Res Road Runners won a bronze medal. The second year they won a silver medal. This year they won the gold medal.

I would like to individually acknowledge and congratulate the team members. They are: Isaac Simon, Darryl Balsillie, Ethan McKay, Johnny Bailey, Brendan Bourke, Jlyn Boucher, Samantha King, Chaslyn McKay, Kayliegh Hunter, and Bailey Chaplin.

I believe since the community of Fort Resolution gained a recreation centre, the children and community members alike have been very involved and active in sports. The recreation centre and the above is just an example of many more future achievements to be recognized.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Statement delivered in an Aboriginal language and then in English.]

I’d just like to, first of all, congratulate Ms. Rosa Mantla of Behchoko for receiving one of the prestigious awards, I would call it Cultural Award, last night at the Aboriginal Sports Circle event. I’d just like to say 30-plus years of experience, contribution, commitment and dedication goes a long way. She continues her commitment towards these important matters for the Tlicho region. My congratulations to her for her continued interest and commitment, and for making us proud.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize some of the visitors in the gallery here. I would like to recognize, first of all, Mr. David Mitchell, the president and CEO of the Public Policy Forum. With him is Vice-President Jill Baker, and also project coordinator Ryan Conway. Our visitors are from Ottawa. Accompanying them is David Brock, Chief Electoral Officer.

I would also just like to recognize the students that are here with us, along with Arthur Osborne, an instructor with Aurora College, as part of the

Business Administration Program. He has brought his Introduction to Government class to view today’s session. I would like to welcome him.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a great honour to recognize my wife of 33 years, Judy, who is with us in the gallery today. It’s nice to have you here.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure and honour to introduce to the House the newest and hardest working person to join me in the office of Range Lake, the lovely Ms. Norma Giovanetto.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome David Brock, a resident of Weledeh, to the House today.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’d like to welcome all visitors in the public gallery here today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As discussed in my Member’s statement earlier today, the new PowerSchool student information system was recently launched across NWT school systems. After talking to a number of teachers and board officials, there was a common theme of questions that I wish to share today with the Minister of Education. Arguably, the most common issue discussed was the frustration of the importing of data into the new system. Transfer of data in most cases failed, resulting in administration having to commit excess human resources to make this work. This added undue stress to all staff.

Could the Minister of Education offer an explanation as to why this transfer of data was not better tested earlier to avoid such massive stress across the entire NWT in this conversion?

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With any new changes and new system, it will take some time. It’s a learning curve during the transition period.

The data transfer occurred during the summer months when the school board and staff were unavailable. We had no choice but to replace the former electronic student information system that’s been placed upon us as a department. The work of transferring data fell to the staff of my department at that time, and they worked long hours to ensure its integrity.

We are confident, as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, that the PowerSchool is an excellent resource for teachers, parents, schools and school boards, and my department, to make it a true success, but it will take some time and we are going through some hurdles. We will find solutions to that.

The training for educators did occur according to the required access to the different levels of the system, while a reasonable amount of support was provided from ECE but it happened too late in the school year, thus not allowing users the time to learn and prepare for the report card turnaround. Many teachers were found holding the bag and scrambling to use the system while trying to maintain their teaching agenda.

Could the Minister explain why this system training did not occur at the beginning of the school year and why it occurred only seven to 10 days out before report cards?

The training for PowerSchool attendance and grade book occurred at the beginning of the school year. My department worked with the school boards, as we do on any new system, to coordinate a half-day training for every teacher in the Northwest Territories. This is an area that we’ve embarked on. It’s a new system. There’s also a request for a second tier of training. We are in the process of training that’s been rolled out to the school prior to report card writing so that teachers would have additional training. So there is additional training that’s been requested and we have provided that.

Having support during such a changeover requires the ability to have the proper access for help. Allegedly, schools were supposed to have a school support person assigned at each school, and ECE did promise to make sure teachers had access to what is referred to as PowerSource. It was a technical Internet website where teachers could get such help or support. However, many teachers were unaware of such access and were somewhat upset that they could have definitely used such a service.

Could the Minister explain why this PowerSource support offering was not better communicated with all educators?

I totally agree that we need to have a better communication plan and dialogue with the teachers and school boards. That’s what we’re doing as we speak. The PowerSchool implementation team is comprised of staff from my department and also the board from each of the eight regions. It is a coordinated effort, and also the team works together to roll out the PowerSchool tools and information to all teachers across the Northwest Territories. Also, the boards are encouraged to provide PowerSource access to every teacher at the beginning of the school year. That is a coordinated effort by the school boards along with the teachers and my department. We will continue to make that a true success.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, the report card part of PowerSchool is being implemented at the same time that teachers are working on report cards. This is not an ideal situation. ECE is not communicating with parents, and school districts are left taking the initiative to inform and work with parents during a very stressful transition into this new system.

Could the Minister commit to immediately work with his department to initiate a proper communication announcement and inform parents more about PowerSchool and what to expect with this new system?

Yes, again, I do agree there needs to be better communication dialogue from my department with the school boards, and most especially the teachers. Those are areas that we are going to improve on. We will continue to work constantly and be in contact with Pearson, where we got the product from, and the eight boards lead to find solutions to these technical issues and challenges that we’re faced with. I’m very encouraged, in spite of all the obstacles and challenges that we’re faced with, that teachers, school boards and the department recognize that PowerSchool will be an incredible tool for our educators. We are looking forward to having this success throughout the schools in the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have talked about the trappers in the Northwest Territories. In 2008 and 2009 there were 812 trappers. Of those 812 trappers in that year, 161

were in the Sahtu. People in the Sahtu understand the high cost of living, and trapping is a business. There is a market out there with the Russians and Chinese, who all want northern furs for their own product. Trapping is a business.

I want to ask the Minister of ITI, with the recent increase of petroleum products in the Northwest Territories, especially in the Sahtu where there is gas, trappers are asking if there’s any type of initiative that would help them go out to their traplines to continue supplying the high demand for northern furs.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for raising the concern over the trappers. It is something that the department is reacting to and something we’ve heard. We’ve addressed that and have $1.1 million that we earmarked through the Community Harvesters Assistance Program. Also $610,000 on an annual basis to the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur program.

I must say, the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur program is a unique program in this country. No other jurisdiction in this country offers a program like that that encourages and supports trappers getting out on the land. Last year we had sales of just over $1.5 million in furs. The Member mentioned it in his statement that demand is high in places like China and Russia. We’re getting top dollar for our furs and we are providing supports to the trappers to get them out to harvest those furs.

Trapping is a unique skill, and to be a trapper requires a lot of hard work, a lot of smarts, a lot of heart. I want to ask the Minister of ITI, in his role as the Minister, to look at if there is a type of discussion happening within his department to support the trappers and to initiate a type of apprenticeship program for the young trappers that want to come out to be a trapper. That is an honourable position that should be supported, and I commend this government for doing all it can to help these trappers.

Is there any type of discussion happening within the Department of ITI to have a sort of conference that would look at trapping as an honourable job that any young school kid can get into?

The department fully appreciates the role that the traditional economy plays, and that of trapping. We do have a program like the Take a Kid Trapping program. I mentioned it in the House earlier during this session that we’ve had 12,000 young people across the Northwest Territories go through the Take a Kid Trapping program. It’s been very successful. That’s how

we’re going to get young people interested in trapping here in the Northwest Territories.

I mentioned the $1.5 million in fur sales. That’s money that goes directly back into the small communities and the local economies in those small communities. It’s something we support. It has a place in the economy here in the Northwest Territories, and we will continue to provide support to trappers across the Northwest Territories.

I’ve always supported the take the youth trapping. As I said, a young lad in Colville Lake, when we asked the young kids what they want to be and some were saying nurses and doctors and teachers, this young guy spoke up and said I want to be a trapper. That tells you that trapping is alive and well in the Northwest Territories, especially in our small communities. It’s an honourable position.

I want to ask the Minister, through the Take a Kid Trapping program, is that like an apprenticeship program where kids can apply for an apprenticeship to learn under the professors in the university of life on the land. Is that a program that is being looked at by this government?

Definitely, the Take a Kid Trapping program is where the seeds are sown for young trappers to learn the skills required to get into the trapping business. Last year in the Northwest Territories we had 706 active trappers that participated in the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur program. It’s an active industry here and it’s one, again, that we need to encourage young people across the Northwest Territories and those that are skilled in the trapping trade to take some kids under their wing and show them how to trap, how to get out on the land. That’s something that should happen in all the small communities.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The other part of being a trapper is to be a businessman, entrepreneur. Are there any courses that are offered to trappers, say, in the off-trapping season where they learn to be a businessman, thinking on their feet and thinking quick, in terms of how to put together a budget, what things they need and what tools they would need to be a successful business person? Is there any type of trapping business program we can offer the trappers off-season, so they can prepare for the fall season when the trapping opens up again?

We have very knowledgeable staff not only here in headquarters but in the regions. If trappers have some need for getting questions answered on how to conduct their business affairs, we’d have information available for trappers in that regard, and it’s something that we’d look to support trappers. We have courses on

trapping and I can certainly bring this up with the department and perhaps the next time we put on a session we could look at offering some course work on how to operate it as a business. That may be something that’s useful, and I thank the Member for his suggestion.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I spoke of seniors and trying to keep them as long as we can in their homes. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Seniors.

What systems does the GNWT have in place to link all those seniors’ issues? I had indicated in my Member’s statement that lots of the seniors’ issues are in different departments, so that is a question I have for the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services does work with MACA and the NWT Housing Corporation to come up with ways to try to keep seniors in their home as long as possible, and to provide services to the seniors in order to remain in their home. I think it’s just a matter of collaboration. I guess that would be the system that we’re collaborating on, trying to make sure that seniors can remain in their homes as long as possible.

That collaboration is something I would like to see go forward as much as possible. I am looking to see what the Minister and the departments are doing to deal with the increased costs associated with staying in their own homes. Have they looked at what the CPI is and are some of our funding programs tied to that type of increase? Because from my understanding, some of those increases haven’t been seen over many years.

In recognition that it is fairly costly to operate a home ownership unit, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has a seniors home heating subsidy. That has been targeted to be sufficient to heat the home during the winter months. Also, the Housing Corporation has a preventative maintenance program targeted to seniors that has gradually climbed up from the beginning of approximately $800-some-odd, and a different program has evolved into a more elaborate program, and now they can provide up to $2,000 for seniors to do preventative maintenance in their home.

I appreciate that information from the Minister. I guess my question was about the linking of those expenditures and those funding programs to some sort of index that shows that they’re going to see increases. Like I indicated, some of those have not seen increases for several years. Is there a way that the government is looking at implementing this to a CPI index to increase those amounts for seniors?

I thought I did indicate that those programs had seen increases. I recognize that if the individual needed to live in their home, to make it more barrier-free for the seniors to remain in their home longer, then that’s a larger program that’s offered by the Housing Corporation called CARE that can do that. But in as far as looking at the Consumer Price Index and how that impacts the seniors, then definitely, the Housing Corporation has made appropriate increases in the preventative maintenance program and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has made appropriate increases in the seniors home heating subsidy to account for that.

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

As I have indicated, many seniors are struggling to keep up to these increased costs, and some believe that they’re in a situation of poverty. Is the department looking at adding any new incentives for seniors to keep them off the demand of our facilities, which we know is going to be increasing over the next few years? Is there anything that the government is doing to implement new programs for seniors to stay in their homes?

I guess, in addition to the preventative maintenance program and the home heating subsidy, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs offers the homeowner a complete tax break, 100 percent tax relief on their home on an annual basis, which is a program that the senior must apply for. There are other areas, such as cost of living, for groceries and so on. This government has some programs in some communities where they would reduce the cost of their service to the seniors and to others in the communities, but targeted specifically to the seniors, I think those are the three programs the government is proposing to assist the seniors with costs. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to ask the Minister of Education some questions. I was recently, through my constituency tour, in Fort Liard. I often visit the schools. I am not too sure

about the design of the school and parking area, but residents have been stating over the past three years that there is limited parking space at the Echo-Dene School in Fort Liard. I would like to know if the Minister is aware of this situation. Thank you.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular issue has not been brought to my attention, but I definitely will check with my department on what the status is on this particular issue or challenge that we are faced with. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, due to the increased number of vehicles, it is actually becoming an unsafe issue there. I think there are 10 stalls available for staff there, but there are more than 10 vehicles. They are actually parking on the road. It is creating a hazard.

Can the Minister take a serious look at it? Like he said, he can check with the department officials. Perhaps there is already a plan in place, but perhaps the resources aren’t there. If the Minister can do that, thank you.

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the safety is always our first priority. We will be looking into this. If there has been a plan in place to deal with these 10 stalls, there are more vehicles, what kind of other arrangements are being made? That is information that I need to follow up on the latest status. I will be sharing that with the Member. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I think the importance of this is that it should be looked into as soon as possible, because we do have a budget session coming up in February/March and the time for planning is now.

This is going to be my final question. Can the Minister give it a priority item, assess the situation and come up with, hopefully, a plan to have that in this upcoming budget? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, this is news to me, as well, as the Minister responsible, but I will be looking into this further in Fort Liard, the status. What is the initial plan, if there is a plan in place? How can we resolve that issue? I will definitely follow up after session today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the interests of transparency and accountability for the

expense of major public dollars, I will ask the Deputy Premier questions on the significant cost of travel by elected officials and public servants.

Travel by Ministers alone in 2009-2010, in the first three months of 2012 totalled three-quarters of a million dollars. Quarterly reports are publicly available, which document the travel costs of Ministers, but we know that committee members also travel with Ministers. Whether these costs come from ministerial or committee budgets is all the same to the taxpayer. They are expressing concerns about travel costs.

What are the Minister’s views on widening the reporting parameters to include the cost for all elected Members travelling with Ministers, in the interest of transparency? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Member is referring to 2009-10 is the last government’s budget. At the same time, the transparency and accountability is our foremost priority for this government. We do table those documents as well for the general public to be aware of what our expenditures are as Cabinet Ministers, the Premier and also Regular Members that do tag along to let’s say various meetings that happen in other parts or jurisdictions. We do invite them. They are part of the discussion that we have at the territorial level as well. We will continue to press that issue, where transparency is a first priority and also accountability. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the data I quoted was through early parts of this fiscal year. I certainly don’t see those figures. I only see figures for the Ministers’ travel, but I stand to be corrected. I would appreciate if the Minister could confirm that, by doing a little bit of research. The travel figures are a good start, but only report the expenses incurred by the Minister.

We know Ministers seldom travel alone. They are accompanied by their executive assistants, often by one or many department officials who wouldn’t normally be travelling without the Minister. Their costs should be included.

Will the Deputy Premier take action to begin including not only the Ministers’ costs, but the travel costs of all support workers travelling with the Minister? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, this particular area that we table those documents, Ministerial travel, we do have staff travel as well, deputies or EAs that are required at these meetings. We can obviously discuss that further with the standing committee and also Caucus, because the Member is referring to MLAs’ expenditures as well. We need to discuss that with the standing committee, maybe Caucus. We are

open as a government, as the Executive, to produce any document that is required for the general public if that is the wish of the Regular Members. We are more than willing to work with that. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Deputy Premier’s remarks there. They are right on. I appreciate that commitment. I am, indeed, interested in all MLAs’ travel but, once again, many things are left out frequently. For example, when the Minister travels, there are events hosted by the Minister and also, of course, when that happens, there are consultants there to help arrange those and so on.

Will the Premier commit to also looking at including all of those costs so that when we report Ministerial travel costs, we really do have the full costs? I ask this because constituents and the public are expressing concerns about travel costs, given all of our demands on our resources these days. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, yes, definitely we are open to those ideas. We will be sharing that with the standing committee and also Caucus. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I made a statement on November being Diabetes Month. I wanted to follow up with questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

What counselling is available for the families of diabetes patients? How would a family in Fort Providence go about getting that counselling?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in response yesterday, we are starting to work in the diabetes field. As the Member indicated earlier, it is relatively new. We are still about 2 percent under the national average in the Northwest Territories. Diabetes is a chronic disease. It is becoming an issue. We are starting off setting up the diabetes programs by doing pilot projects in Norman Wells, Yellowknife and Behchoko. Also, there is a Diabetes Program in Yellowknife that is available and through YK Health and Social Services. Recognizing that Fort Providence is part of Deh Cho Health and Social Services, however, the authorities can work together and provide support for each other for individuals to go to where the programs actually exist. Thank you.

I think it’s quite clear that we do have a very serious matter in terms of diabetes affecting mostly Aboriginal communities and people. So would the Health Minister arrange for diabetes patients in Fort Providence to have a choice of receiving care either in Hay River or Yellowknife? Mahsi.

Thank you. Yes, I think that is a good way to go. As you know, we are building a new health centre and a modern health centre in Hay River. We’re hoping that that could encompass more than what they are currently providing, and to not only the community, but to surrounding communities such as Fort Providence. We think it would be much more efficient for the communities of Providence, Kakisa and the Hay River Reserve to get their services in Hay River. It’s definitely an idea that we are working towards.

I’d like to thank the Minister for agreeing to the idea of at least having diabetes patients having these care services provided from Hay River.

Just building upon that, will the Minister also perhaps commit to the idea of a pilot project to be expanded to Fort Providence?

Thank you. Yes, the intention is to roll the program out. So Fort Providence will be a good candidate. I think a medium-sized community is what we want to expand into. So, yes, I will commit to expanding the program into Fort Providence. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is being done in small communities to raise the awareness about being tested for diabetes?

Thank you. I think that the authorities basically have the information available, such as posters and so on and being aware of diabetes, what you have to do to prevent diabetes and so on. I don’t have a complete script of what each authority has to do in order to get the message out to individuals on the prevention of diabetes or what to do if you have diabetes, so I can get that information for the Member through the department. No problem. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement. I spoke about the difficulties that one of my constituents had in getting an income support cheque for the month of

October and the delay that occurred. He applied well in advance of the end of the month, and yet didn’t receive his income support cheque until the 15th of October.

I’d like to know from the Minister at the outset, delays appear periodically, I can accept that, but I’d like to know from the Minister what length of delay does the Minister or the department consider acceptable for a delay in income support payments. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Client service officers work closely with the clients and we try to avoid most delays as much as possible, but there are times where we are challenged with the clientele producing valid documents, such as bank statements or other sources of income. At times we have to wait until we receive that documentation. So part of the process is we want to expedite the process, but at the same time we require those documents, according to our policies and legislation that we have in place. Mahsi.

To the Minister, the problem in this case was not that the documentation was missing. This client is extremely particular and would have had all the documents in order. The problem in this case was a staff shortage, and that was admitted to my constituent in an e-mail, that there was a staff shortage and things were behind. So I don’t think we can lay this particular delay in payments at the feet of the constituent.

This was definitely a department problem and I didn’t hear an answer to what the Minister accepts as an acceptable delay. But since there are delays and since there are staff shortages, which was the problem in this case, I’d like to know from the Minister what procedures, what policies, what customs are in place when there is a staff shortage for the division of income support to get cheques out on time. Thank you.

Mahsi. When there is a staff shortage due to maybe illness or vacation and whatnot, we do have individuals covering those bases as well. Again, we try to avoid those delays. There are different unique circumstances that we’re faced with. I need to look into further to the clientele that the Member is referring to. If it’s not the documentation that’s due to the lateness, then we need to find out exactly what happened within the staffing area at that time and we need to avoid that. We need to be proactive and having those resources, client service officers in those communities, not only Yellowknife but other communities, dedicated to serve that clientele. That’s our priority. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that we want to provide the best service, but it’s not happening. The Minister referenced that the client service officers deal with their clients, they try to have a relationship with them and that’s all well and good, but in several instances now, I have had constituents tell me that their client service officer has changed and they have not been advised. They don’t know that that’s happened until they present their documents the next month for the next month’s payment, things get held up and somebody tells them oh, by the way, I’m not your client service officer anymore.

So to the Minister, I’d like to know if customer service officers are on top of their clients, if it is the goal of the division to provide good customer service, why then when a customer service officer is changed from a particular client, why is that client not advised in advance. Thank you.

Mahsi. I do agree that we need to have better communication dialogue with clientele, and we are improving in those areas. We will be providing training for the client service officers starting at the end of this month, early next month, having all of those client service officers across the Northwest Territories come in and provide training to them on best customer service satisfaction. That’s our priority and we’ll continue to improve in those areas. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m really glad to hear that training is going to be happening. I hope it’s ongoing. I would just suggest that the Minister consider mentoring as a training tool.

My last question to the Minister has to do with late fees. If an income support cheque is late and a client is paying late fees on, say, rent or a phone, are those late fees paid for by the department because it’s not the fault of the constituent? Thank you.

Mahsi. That particular area I need to look into with my department and I’ll definitely get back to the Members on the outcome of that. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I mentioned many times my constituents step up and take responsibility in emergency situations, many of which do not have training in first aid. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, will the Minister provide

emergency response training in Fort McPherson, Aklavik and Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In response to a recent incident in Fort McPherson, the department has committed to supporting the community, specifically that community, it’s something that can be expanded. It was also requested in Tsiigehtchic. First responder training is something that we commit to providing to the communities.

I thank the Minister for that assurance. I’d also like to ask the Minister if he will provide adequate funding to Fort McPherson, Aklavik, and Tsiigehtchic to provide ambulance services.