This is page numbers 1621 – 1660 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan will be rolled out once we are able to get our business case to the business planning process.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

We are in the business planning process right now, and I think the Minister is well aware of that. We have a business planning process every year.

I’d like to know from the Minister where respite care and the territorial respite care plan sits in the priorities for the department. Is he negotiating with Finance to have the respite care expansion start in ’13-14 or are we talking ’20-21?

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

For this planning cycle, for this current business planning process, we are not

bringing any new initiatives into the mix, but we are reviewing requests through our presentations to the Standing Committee on Social Programs. After our request on the Standing Committee on Social Programs, we review what they come back with. They write a letter back to the government indicating that these are the areas they want us to look at. We would then examine that and go through the process. But I don’t think respite care was a part of anything that came back from Social Programs. But we are moving through the process. I suspect that the next business planning process would have respite in it.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

I’m still struggling to get a year out of the Minister. If the Minister wants us to indicate to him that respite care is an important priority, then I’m certainly sure that the standing committee can do that for him. I asked where it sits in the priorities for the department, and I don’t think I really heard an answer.

Again, I would like to know from the Minister… He says that there are no new initiatives. This plan is already in progress. I don’t think it’s a new initiative to expand a plan, but I’d like to hear from the Minister, if that’s the government stance, that an expansion of any plan that’s currently in the works is a new initiative. I would like to have that confirmed.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

The expansion of a program beyond what the approved program would be, would be considered a new initiative. Even though we have midwifery currently operating in one community, should we expand the Midwifery Program and the plan to expand the Midwifery Program to a territorial midwifery program, and also some midwives in Hay River and so on, Beaufort-Delta, that would also fall under new initiatives. Yes, they would be considered new initiatives if they’re expanding upon what is approved.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. My last question, I guess, goes to… Now I’ve totally lost my question and I’ll have to go to the one that I didn’t intend to ask.

The Minister talked about home care and that respite is available through home care. I’d like to ask the Minister if families needing respite care are using home care without any further resources added to the home care services in the communities, is that not just going to overwhelm the home care staff in our communities because they’re now providing home care for adults as well as home care for disabled persons?

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

The home care services that are being provided through the authorities and the communities will make a decision on whether or not they’re available to do respite services. All

indications are that if respite services are needed in communities where we don’t actually have a respite program, that home care would be able to handle the extra workload of doing respite care, but through an approved process, that they would be able to handle respite care that was needed by individuals at the community level.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I was in Fort Good Hope, the elder Thomas Manuel asked about the conditions of our fish and our food, and he wanted me to ask the Minister of ENR if there is anything in the plans that would see a laboratory in the Sahtu region because of the recent increase of the exploration and the development and new laws coming through Ottawa. Any types of plans in place for a laboratory that would check on the fish or the animals that we’re eating since the scare of the XL Foods that has happened down south? He wanted me to ask the Minister that question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is in the works is a territory-wide, community-based water monitoring system that we are in the process of setting up with the ENR and the communities and the Aboriginal government so that, in fact, we can start addressing some of those very concerns that his constituent Mr. Manuel raised.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Some of our reports say that about close to 70 to 80 percent of our foods come from the land, and so we have a fundamental right, or we want a fundamental protection of our foods that are on our land. That’s why the elder asked if there is any type of plan where they would check on the fish and check on the animals that we eat.

I want to ask the Minister, would he also look within his federal counterparts if there are any types of plans in place that could be placed in Fort Good Hope.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

We’re working on this initiative with the communities, the territorial government. We have a lot of interest by a number of very committed NGOs, as well, that are very interested in this whole idea of community-based water monitoring to establish the baseline of information to be able to make the determination in the area that the Member, once again, has raised as a concern that have been brought to him by his constituents.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

In northern Alberta it’s been announced that there are high levels of mercury in the moose and the waterfowl tests that the people are hunting down there now. Slowly that will come up in the Northwest Territories. Because of the new laws that are coming up North here, we in the Sahtu, and especially elders like Thomas Manuel want to ensure that any type of protection that we have such as establishing a laboratory in Fort Good Hope or in the Sahtu that would give some early indication that we better pay attention to what is coming down into our air, our land and water. I ask the Minister for any types of reports recently that showed if the high levels of these types of toxins are in our animals.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

One of the most obvious areas that we want to monitor, of course, is the water, the Mackenzie, which comes through Great Slave Lake which in turn goes through the Slave into the Peace-Athabasca. There are monitoring efforts being looked at all the way from northern Alberta down right to the Arctic Ocean.

We are committed to this community-based water monitoring initiative that will give us that baseline information that will allow us to check the water, fish and sediments. It will also allow us for some of the airborne pollutants, as well, that we can hopefully measure.

If we are going to track the issues that are in the mercury, for example, the other heavy metals and all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and acetic acids and all these other exotic substances, then we need to have the ability to have that community-based water monitoring. That’s our starting point and our commitment. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 8, written questions. Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC). Please provide:

1. information on the cost of legal advice incurred

by the WSCC in the past four fiscal years;

2. information on the costs incurred by the WSCC

for legal advice on individual case files in the past four fiscal years; and

3. information on the cost incurred by WSCC in

support of its presentations before appeals tribunals in the past four fiscal years.

Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Dolynny.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Public Works and Services. Would the Minister of Public Works and Services commit to a complete formal review and audit of the recently constructed East Three Inuvik School, and would the Minister commit to addressing the following:

1. tabling of the original negotiated contract for the

“substantial” completion date, the revised negotiated contract for the “substantial” completion date and all articles of agreement;

2. a complete status report of the project,

chronology, appropriations, remediations and whole costs analysis;

3. a complete analysis of all market escalators

used within the framework of the project; and

4. a complete evaluation of the Class C estimate

structure used for the project, reported in both square metres and square feet.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Item 9, returns to written questions. Mr. Mercer.

Tim Mercer Clerk Of The House

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Moses to the honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on October 19, 2012, regarding Aboriginal student achievement funding.

1. How is the funding being distributed to the

regions?

ASA contributions are distributed to regions based on specific initiatives implemented in response to the ASA Education Plan. At this time there are three specific NWT initiatives that are receiving dedicated ASA funding: teacher cultural orientations, school community libraries, and regional literacy coordinators.

Teacher cultural orientations are funded for $450 per teacher and money is allocated to individual education authorities to use regionally or distribute to communities if appropriate.

School community libraries are funded through the NWT library services and funding is allocated through either the regional district education councils (DECs) or the community, dependent on how the community library is set up. Funding

budgeted in the department is also used to provide support to, and purchase resources for, community libraries.

Regional literacy coordinators are cost shared with district education councils (DECs) and Yellowknife district education authorities (DEAs).

2. A breakdown of funding being distributed to

each of the 33 communities.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the 2012-13 ASA Funding Distribution. ASA funding is distributed to regional DECs/Yellowknife DEAs in support of specific initiatives.

3. Funding actually allocated to the Aboriginal

Student Achievement committee initiatives.

ASA community working groups are intended to be voluntary and unique to each community, structured in such a way so as to meet the needs of that community, with approaches best suited to the local context. While standing outside the formal funding and associated reporting processes, ASA community working groups provide a place for the community to engage in conversations about student achievement and education.

4. Funding being spent by the department on their

own campaign on the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative.

The department is funding two department positions, as ASA coordinator and a literacy coordinator, at a cost of $262,000 and is continuing with an ASA public awareness campaign in the amount of $160,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tim Mercer Clerk Of The House

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Menicoche on October 23, 2012, to the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, regarding Trout Lake school replacement.

1. Where is the replacement for the Trout Lake

School identified in the capital plan?

The existing small school was built as part of a community complex in 1993. Recent upgrades were completed in 2011. The replacement of the Trout Lake School is not currently included in the 2013-14 Capital Plan.

2. Given the number of children attending the

school, what are the department’s long-term attendance estimates for Trout Lake?

Projected enrolments, based on September 2011 data, indicate that the school will not exceed its maximum capacity of 33 students before 2018-19. Projections will be updated later this year to reflect actual 2012 enrolments.

3. What are the parameters and guidelines

required to ensure a planning study for a new school in Trout Lake is undertaken?

A planning study is completed for large GNWT capital projects estimated at over $2 million. The primary criteria used to rank projects, in order of priority, are protection of people, protection of assets, protection of the environment, cost reduction or revenue generation, and program need.

Planning for school projects is completed in two stages. First, an education plan is developed, identifying program requirements. Second, a planning study is undertaken, identifying design and budget requirements. The department will identify the funds to work with the community of Trout Lake to complete an education plan in 2013.

4. Is there a portable school in our education or

government system that can be used in Trout Lake?

There are no suitable units available at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Item 10, petitions. Mr. Bromley.