This is page numbers 1163 - 1212 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 report.

Topics

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you. We’d be pleased to meet, permitting we’re able to meet with the residents that are still in Nahanni Butte, and then once back in Simpson, I think they’ve committed to meeting with the residents from Nahanni Butte that are in Simpson. So we look forward to that opportunity to have some discussion with them as to some of the plans and how we’re going to move this forward and how we’re going to help them with some of the losses that they’ve suffered. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Emergency Coordinating Committee – I commend them all and everybody involved – that their task was evacuation and safety first. Would this be the same committee that’s looking at the long-term efforts of Nahanni Butte, or will there be a task force set up on how we best manage the relief of the community and restoring the community? Thank you.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you. Again, I’m with the Member. I do commend the work that’s being done by the committee and Nahanni Butte and the residents of Fort Simpson. Obviously, this committee would need to sit down and have a discussion as to some of the ways we can mitigate any further disasters.

The one thing I can point out is the possibility of a new federal government program called the Disaster Mitigation Program. It’s for situations such as these, where communities are prone to flooding. We don’t know the exact details yet. We should have more information by the middle of summer. So once we get that information, we’ll be glad to share it with all Members of this House, and we’ll see how we’re able to access the money to prevent some of these disasters or be more ready for them if they were to happen again. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my statement, I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation a couple of questions. What progress has been made on the Inuvik-Tuk highway over the last nine months? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to pursue the completion of the environmental assessment and that is currently underway. We’ve also done a great deal of geotechnical analysis on the route and are working

with both the community leadership in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you. As many of the First Nations up there and also the Inuvialuit have land claims in place which are constitutionally protected, I’d like to ask the Minister, once a project is set to begin, will the Minister be willing to enter into negotiations for 50 percent of the work of this project.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you. Those questions on procurement remain outstanding and we do have to look at that. As soon as we get a better indication of what the road is going to cost – and we’re going to get those figures when we’re done the environmental assessment, we’re done the geotechnical analysis – we will get a better determination of what the road will cost. We still have to have some further discussions with the federal government on funding and we intend on doing that soon. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Nadli.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I made a statement in terms of summer students, students that spend the time and sacrifice going out to school and coming back for the summer and trying to work and save their money so that they can go back with a good savings account. My question is to the Minister of Human Resources. What kind of summer jobs are available for summer students for the communities that I represent? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m actually not aware of any specific jobs in the riding that the Member represents. I know that one summer student has been hired. The Premier has given the Ministers direction to hire as many students as can be afforded and as operational requirements allow. So we will be working to hire as many students as we can throughout the Northwest Territories.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you. My question now is: Why is there only one student that was hired from my constituency? Mahsi.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. I don’t know. I will talk to my ministerial colleagues. We will talk about opportunities that are out there, and the Premier has directed us to look at not just Yellowknife, but all communities in the Northwest Territories where jobs exist and to hire as many students as we can. So I’ll certainly bring your message forward to the Cabinet table. Thank you.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you. My final question is: Is there a target number that the government is aiming for in terms of hiring students? I know there was a target, but for this summer is there a target that this government is aiming for? Mahsi.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. I believe last year we got about 280, 281, 282, somewhere around there. So far this year we’ve hired 241. I’ll have an update of numbers for all Members tomorrow. It continues to move. We hope to hire as many as we can. We’d obviously like to see numbers similar to what we’ve had in the past, but as we’ve indicated, there are obviously some financial limitations and the department will be hiring as many students as they can both afford and that there’s work for.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is addressed to the Minister responsible for Homelessness. Approximately a year ago now, Nick Falvo produced a report entitled Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge. They had done a study of homelessness in Yellowknife and had come up with a number of recommendations. In December, about six months ago, I asked the Premier some questions about whether or not the government was going to be reviewing the recommendations in the report, and the Premier advised that yes, they would. During business plans when we were discussing the Housing Corporation, I asked the Minister responsible for Homelessness if they would be reviewing the Falvo recommendations from the report and he advised they would. I would like to at this point ask the Minister whether or not the Housing Corporation, who is responsible for Homelessness, whether or not they have, at this point, been able to look at the five recommendations from the Falvo report of about a year ago.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for homelessness, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have looked at the report. We have looked at many of the recommendations that have been made, as we listen to all the recommendations that are made from people in and from the Northwest Territories. We’ve had an opportunity to look at it.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

I thank the Minister for telling me that yes, they’ve had a chance to look at it. There were five recommendations in the report. Three of

them were addressed to the Minister responsible for Homelessness. One talked about accountability and the creation of a homelessness secretariat; another one talked about keeping the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition advised; the third one talked about establishing a working group to develop shelter standards. There was one addressed to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation – I think the Minister for Homelessness knows that Minister – about creating more affordable housing. I would suggest that we probably have the creation of a homelessness secretariat, at least the start, with a dedicated person within the Housing Corporation. But in terms of establishing a working group to develop shelter standards, is that something that is on the plan or the radar or is that something that the Housing Corporation is going to be looking at?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

While we have a group that looks at shelter standards called the NWT Housing Corporation, who is now responsible for the homelessness files, we use that opportunity and expertise that we have there. The Homelessness Coalition, the Member pointed out that we are going to have a dedicated person that will be coordinating the homelessness activities across the Northwest Territories. There’s progress made on that. As far as how we’re going to deal with homelessness, we think public housing is a good start. Obviously, there’s more work to do. One of the things we’re going to task our new coordinator to do, is try to gather all the information that’s out there to help us best determine how we’re going to further deal with the homelessness issue.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that there needs to be some background work done. I also appreciate the Minister’s comment that the Housing Corporation is the one that should be developing shelter standards. I look forward to some work on that from the Housing Corporation, presumably in the next year or so. One of the recommendations talked about creating more affordable housing, including more independent living support units. The Minister mentioned that he thinks public housing is part of the solution to alleviating homelessness. Can I ask the Minister in terms of independent living units, whether or not, that is something which the Housing Corporation will consider to try and alleviate homelessness.