Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back as we reconvene the Fourth Session of the 17th Assembly.

It has been an exciting and very busy summer and fall for all of you as we prepare for the implementation of our Devolution Agreement currently in place with the Government of Canada.

In addition, our committees have been considering legislation and travelling throughout our territory to hear from NWT residents and bring their thoughts and concerns back to the House.

I would also like to take note that we’re at the halfway point of the 17th Legislative Assembly, a

time for reflection and renewed commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories.

This session will also be a time for celebration as the Assembly marks the 20th anniversary of our

current home. In 1990 the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories made the decision to proceed with the construction of a permanent Legislative Assembly building. This fall is the 20th anniversary of the occupancy of the building and its official dedication by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Colleagues, we are recognized by many jurisdictions for our distinctive form of government. I think we are also recognized for our distinctive and beautiful legislative home. I look forward to celebrating this building and all it signifies with the people of the Northwest Territories.

The doors of the Legislative Assembly, including the Chamber and the Caucus room, will be open to the public on Friday, November 1st , beginning at

4:30 p.m. and I extend an invitation to everyone to join us in celebrating our special occasion. We are considered a young Assembly by many, but our history is vibrant and lives with us every day, not only as our Legislative Assembly processes but in this building.

This session will also see the unveiling of the new Legislative Assembly website. The website was designed to highlight the work that we do here, and

to improve easy access, accountability and transparency.

The site is still being finalized. Stay tuned for the announcement when it’s up and running, hopefully within the next few weeks. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our former Principal Clerk of Committees, Ms. Jennifer Knowlan, and public affairs and communications advisor, Danielle Mager, for all their hard work on this project.

On a more sombre note, it is with sincere condolences that I recognize with prayers and strength the families of the late Walter Elias for his wife, Maureen Elias, and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; Fiona Lennie for her mother and father, Margaret and Floyd Lennie, and her brothers and sisters; Mr. Robert Avik of Tuk for his common-law, Amanda Panaktolak, and their children; Lucy Kudlak for her mother and father, Martha and Frank Kudlak, and her children; Andy Carpenter Jr. for his mother and father, Kelly Stewart and Andy Carpenter Sr.; and Edward Ruben for his wife, Mabel Ruben, and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Today I’m going to read Edward’s eulogy. Edward Angusinauk Ruben was born May 1, 1917, to Angik and Sadie Sukayaluk Ruben. He was the third-oldest son and took the responsibility of caring and providing for his parents and younger brothers and sisters. Those early years were a struggle but also happy times. Times were hard, travelling great distances on foot or with dog teams, hunting and fishing, getting ready for the winter. Happy times also as he spent time with his dad, getting to know the land and happy just learning things from his dad. He enjoyed listening to his dad tell stories at this time and getting to know his dad’s relatives through his stories.

He met and married Frances Nauyak Green, the adopted daughter of Johnny and Jessie Green, where he raised six children but lost a baby boy to illness. He lost his young wife to birthing complications in 1953. With the help of his parents and Jessie Green, he was able to continue to keep his family together.

In the early years he was employed as a cook on the mission boat, Lady of Lourdes, where he would travel to Aklavik and Tuk with the missionaries. In 1954 he began working for the DEW Line in Cape

Parry as a janitor. He took pride in his job, never once complaining of his position. He never had a formal education but he would be heard telling his grandchildren to get an education. During his time on the DEW Line, he had many friends who highly respected and liked him.

During the later ‘50s he met Mabel Jacobson, a young girl from Tuk, who he married in Cape Parry in 1959. With her, they bore 10 children. In 1966 he transferred to Cambridge Bay and remained there with his family until 1973. That same year his eldest son, James, joined him. After 20 years on the DEW Line, he finally retired and moved back to Paulatuk. He was happy to be back home amongst his brothers and sisters, happy to be hunting and trapping again and travelling out on the land. He had respect for the land where he was raised, and throughout his life he would raise his concerns and voice his strong opinions about the government wanting to make changes to his people’s way of life. He was not one to remain still for long. He would keep himself busy in any way. In the 1970s he became involved with the COPE organization and traveled around to various communities with the group. Edward lived a full, rich life, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was well respected. He lived through and witnessed many changes throughout his life, yet he remained true to his upbringing, keeping close to his heart what he was taught from his parents. He was a religious man and it would please him greatly when his family would gather together to say the rosary. Family was very important to him and he would often remind his children to stay together as a family and pray together.

He was the family stronghold and tried his best to keep his children rooted. He had a gentle manner and wisdom. His dedication will be greatly missed by the many people that he touched across the North and whoever visited him. There was more to Edward than his simple words, and in the hearts of many, they will realize this.

Rest safely in the arms of the many in heaven who have waited for your coming.

To all in the Northwest Territories who have lost loved ones, to friends and colleagues in the Yukon, as well, who have lost loved ones, our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

As we turn our attention, colleagues, to the work at hand, I ask that you continue to treat each other and this institution with dignity and respect. I will continue to guide this House and its actions according to the rules that the Assembly has agreed upon and the trust you have placed in me.

I would like to advise the House that I have received the following correspondence from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories:

Dear Mr. Speaker: I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2014-2015; Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2013-2014; and Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2013-2014, during the Fourth Session of the 17th Legislative

Assembly. Yours truly, George L. Tuccaro, Commissioner.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my colleagues back to the continuation of the Fourth Session of the 17th Legislative

Assembly. It is good to be getting back to work. We have an ambitious agenda, Mr. Speaker, and a lot left to accomplish as a territory and as a government, so I hope my colleagues are feeling well-rested.

The Fourth Session began on February 6, 2013. During the winter and spring sittings of this session, Members considered and passed 13 bills contributing to the good government and administration of the Northwest Territories. This included the 2013-14 budget, which was passed after extensive review and debate this past March.

Ensuring the effective and efficient use of public funds is one of our most important tasks as legislators, Mr. Speaker, and during this session we will be considering the 2014-15 Infrastructure Plan. For several years now we have reviewed the annual capital plan in the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly to better support and prepare for the new construction season. Although we consider the capital and operations budgets at separate times, capital spending is a significant and critical part of the overall Government of the Northwest Territories budget.

Capital investments are necessary for building and maintaining the infrastructure – schools, health centres, garages, workshops and offices – where the government’s programs and services are planned and delivered to the people of the Northwest Territories. The 2014-15 Infrastructure Budget continues this government’s pursuit of a balanced agenda, with investments in the health and well-being of Northwest Territories residents, environmental management and economic development. Minister Miltenberger will have more to say about the capital budget when it is formally introduced for the consideration of the House.

More than a dozen pieces of legislation have been passed so far during the Fourth Session. There are a number of bills currently before standing committees, including a new Wildlife Act and amendments to the Education Act to address bullying. We look forward to continued debate on all these bills in Committee of the Whole after they have been reported back to the House.

While debates in this House are central to the business of government, this is not the only place that Members of the Legislative Assembly get the business of the people of the Northwest Territories done. Since our last sitting in May, I know that standing committees have been busy meeting and traveling to consider matters of importance to residents.

Ministers, too, have been busy advancing the interests of the Northwest Territories and meeting with residents around the North. Over the past few months, Cabinet Ministers and I continued our commitment to engaging with Aboriginal governments by attending summer assemblies and annual general meetings of the Tlicho, the Akaitcho and Gwich’in, as well as the Dene National Assembly. Next month Ministers will also be attending the Northwest Territories Metis Nation Annual General Meeting.

I was very pleased to attend the Sahtu Annual General Assembly in Tulita, where Mr. Yakeleya and I joined in celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the Sahtu Dene and Metis Land Claim and unveiling of the Sahtu Land Use Plan. It was a privilege to be present for the arrival of the traditional moose skin boat, the first of its kind made and paddled on the Mackenzie in many years.

Engagement with our colleagues at the federal, provincial and territorial levels is another way that the Government of the Northwest Territories can represent and advance the interests of the people of the territory. Of particular note is work that this government is doing at the national level on the social housing and Aboriginal educational achievement files. We are also part of the ongoing national work on labour market and anti-bullying issues, which were discussed by Premiers at our Council of the Federation and Western Premiers meetings over the summer.

We have also had the opportunity to showcase the Northwest Territories and the work we are doing with our colleagues from across the country, at both the annual Energy and Mining Ministers Conference the Northwest Territories hosted in August and the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Seniors Ministers meetings that were held here in Yellowknife just last week. Next year we look forward to welcoming Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women to the Northwest Territories for their annual meeting.

On the international stage our government continues to promote awareness of the Northwest Territories and its interests. Canada’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council will draw attention to Canada’s North. We support Canada’s focus on sustainable development and are engaged with the federal government to make sure our interests are represented in council proceedings. Canada’s chairmanship will also be an opportunity to showcase the Northwest Territories to the world as Arctic Council meetings are held in our territory. Already we have hosted a meeting of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group and look forward to more meetings, including the Senior Arctic Officials next March.

This summer also marked significant milestones in some major projects, including the commissioning of the Bluefish Dam, attended by Commissioner Tuccaro, Minister Miltenberger and Mr. Robert Hawkins, Member for Yellowknife Centre. The new dam is a major piece of public infrastructure that, along with the Snare Hydro system, supplies power for Behchoko, Yellowknife, Ndilo and Detah. Together the two systems are a source of renewable power for more than half the population of the territory that help to displace the use of more expensive diesel fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Bluefish project was a step towards a future energy system that makes better use of the tremendous hydro potential the Northwest Territories has to help create sustainable communities and grow and diversify our economy.

Another significant achievement was the signing of the Final Agreement on Devolution on June 25th . I

was proud to join Minister Valcourt and leaders from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Northwest Territories Metis Nation, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, Gwich’in Tribal Council and Tlicho Government, as well as several Ministers and yourself, Mr. Speaker, in Inuvik for this historic event.

Gaining northern control over public lands and resources has been a long-standing goal for the government and Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, and many previous Legislative Assemblies. This agreement will make that dream a reality effective April 1, 2014, and give the people of this territory the authority to control development, protect the environment and direct our economic future according to northern priorities and values.

Work on this critical priority has continued over the summer and fall, and recently culminated in the announcement of the new organizational structure for the Government of the Northwest Territories when devolution takes effect on April 1, 2014. That announcement was made at the beginning of October, at the same time as our government issued job offers to 118 federal employees who

currently deliver programs and services that will be transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories. We look forward to welcoming these dedicated and experienced people into the Government of the Northwest Territories, where they can continue their service to the North and help us make the transition to devolution smooth and efficient.

We also continue to work on the seven bills and over 20 regulations that must be enacted by April 1st in accordance with “mirroring” standards

required in the Devolution Final Agreement. In addition, work is underway on new legislation required to implement the Devolution Agreement, including the NWT Intergovernmental Lands and Resources Management Agreement Act, the NWT Intergovernmental Resource Revenue Sharing Act and the Devolution Measures Implementation Act.

Mr. Speaker, the Government and Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories continue to work to advance the interests of all the people of this territory. We will pass the second anniversary of our first meeting as the 17th Legislative Assembly

during this Fourth Session. We have accomplished a lot on behalf of our people in the past two years, but there is much more work ahead. With the expected conclusion of the session and the opening of the Fifth Session next month, the Commissioner will be delivering his opening address outlining the government’s achievements to date and an agenda for the remainder of our term.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to be back here in the Legislative Assembly. It seems like we were gone for a long time.

Mr. Speaker, today I wanted to just touch on a few items related to devolution. The Premier has highlighted some of these benefits in his sessional statement that he just provided. He’s talked about jobs and he’s talked about the control of land and water and resources. I think we need to keep our eye on the big picture here. The revenues from royalties and the positions that will transfer to the North are, of course, a wonderful benefit and we’d like to see more of those in the regions than may be currently contemplated. We need to focus on the fact that we will have the control over the land and the resources. We need something to happen in the South Slave, and we have looked and talked about,

for so many years, the potential for development of our hydro resources. It’s a renewable resource. We look at the Taltson Dam, for example, which would be a very, very key project for the benefit of the people in the South Slave and for the whole territory, and we have kind of danced around that topic of the expansion of the Taltson for a very long time.

I’m hoping that devolution will be a part of us being able to take a bolder stand. We wasted $17 million trying to figure out how to send the excess power and newly generated power to diamond mines that had a 25-year lifespan and we never had a real clear indication the diamond mines even wanted it, but we spent $17 million doing that.

We have in northern Alberta, obviously a very ready market for hydro, clean energy. The Prime Minister of Canada stood here in the Great Hall of this Legislative Assembly and talked about natural gas and the clean energy that could come from the Northwest Territories. The export of that hydro power could contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to a cleaner environment, not just for the North but for the whole globe.

I’m hoping that we’ll get our eye on the big picture. We have many opportunities for development. Obviously, if we were going to hang our hats on how many jobs we’re going to get in the South Slave from devolution, we would probably be sorely disappointed. I mean, we’ll see what rolls out in the future, but at this point, we’re not exactly jumping up and down for joy about that. But let’s look at the bigger picture; let’s look at the higher level.

I will have questions for the Premier later on today about how we can use this new-found authority and ability we have through devolution, to move forward and advance some of these major projects that can benefit all of the Northwest Territories, including the South Slave region, and not just continue to fight over a couple of jobs. Let’s look at the big picture. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s great to be back and it’s hard not to notice your brand-new moccasins today. Looking good, my friend, looking good.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this summer, and in stunning fashion, our Minister of Health and Social Services made a unilateral decision to cease funding to our only territorial residential addictions treatment facility.

I can assure the people of the Northwest Territories, if this was a complete surprise, you were not alone. We all know that drug and alcohol addictions are a very serious scourge in every community, large and small. Addictions are an immense personal problem in the lives of many of the people, including our students at school. Addictions also place an incredible burden on this government, particularly in health and social services, justice, housing and education. It’s hard to quantify what addictions cost the GNWT, but some have speculated it to be more than $100 million a year.

By human nature, we want to believe in the good that is achieved through research. So last year the Health Minister tabled an Action Plan on Mental Health and Addictions, then there was a long-awaited report on the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness. This forum was touted as what the people want. Like many, I was impressed, yet months later I’m questioning whether we’re using these reports as a roadmap to reducing addictions and helping the people of the Northwest Territories.

Honestly, I’ve looked through both documents in detail and neither report mentioned any need to close the Nats’ejee K’eh Treatment Centre. In fact, these reports say quite the opposite, making recommendations for better coordination with the interagency representatives and developing mandatory six-month aftercare programs, but nothing about closing, and definitely nothing about its employees or clients being at risk as the Minister has referenced in the media.

Not only is there no detox centre, there is no in-territory treatment centre either. Instead the people are left with the second empty treatment centre in 14 years with no indication of what will be done with the building.

I stand before this House, before the people of the Northwest Territories, struggling to reconcile the Minister’s action plan for mental health and addictions. We clearly do not have the services we need to deal with the many gaps of our addictions and wellness programs.

We are failing our people who need the proper medically controlled detoxification program. We are failing our youth who need specific programs designed for them. We are failing people who need specialized treatments for crack cocaine addiction, solvent abuse and prescription drug abuse, and we are failing a large percentage of our people who don’t fit in on-the-land and mobile treatment models.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

The verdict is out. The people want answers. The people deserve answers to these addiction questions. In the spirit of transparency, I will be asking the Minister of Health, the man with the plan, to please enlighten us with his vision later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This month it is our task to approve the Government of the Northwest Territories’ 2014-15 Infrastructure Acquisition Plan. By now Members have all reviewed the plan and discussed how it meets our communities’ needs. Our wishes will always exceed what fits into the budget, but our government still needs to focus on our small communities, especially in the Deh Cho.

Enterprise and Kakisa need local water treatment plants. There is no reason that in a jurisdiction with such an abundance of high-quality fresh water, that these communities must rely on trucked services from Hay River. The government can argue that it is up to the communities to fund this sort of project themselves, but while Enterprise and Kakisa might have the capacity to maintain a small-scale water treatment plant, they do not have the capacity to undertake such a project.

Mining and exploration camps provide clean drinking water, demonstrating that affordable small-scale water treatment solutions exist. I encourage the government to work with our small communities and take a more innovative approach to their water needs.

Schools in the Deh Cho and all our small communities need reliable Internet access, physical education, recreation and library facilities that can serve the whole community. They need to be well-lit, clean, safe places to work, play and learn.

Other Members as well as myself are sorry to note that the 2014-15 plan does not place enough emphasis on our school infrastructure needs. I am pleased, however, that the 2014-15 Capital Plan includes a new health centre in Fort Providence. It will make a difference not only to the people of the hamlet but throughout the Deh Cho. Our communities need quality health care. Service delivery is obviously different than in large centres, but the facilities need to be attractive to skilled professionals like doctors, nurses and teachers, and offer the amenities they need to do a good job serving the people.

The Deh Cho is one of the most accessible regions of the Northwest Territories, and one of the most breathtaking in terms of its landscape and scenery.

The 2014-15 Capital Plan includes enhancements to our territorial parks in the Deh Cho. Tourism opportunities abound in my riding, especially as we promote the Deh Cho Bridge. Efforts to maintain highways throughout the region will only make the destination more popular. Our parks will improve visitors’ experiences in the Northwest Territories and make them want to return.

Investments in territorial infrastructure are truly that: investments, investments in our public places, our people and our future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, everywhere I go I hear the same story: Freezing of the arsenic in the ground is the best temporary solution, but people are expecting something better at the Giant Mine site. Yes, they know that the best engineering of the day is being implemented, but they don’t want that as the long-term solution. There lies the problem, Mr. Speaker.

Some of the world’s greatest innovators of our time have always found a way by facing down insurmountable challenges with both genius and, certainly, perseverance. The Giant Mine problem, as we know it, has left a costly legacy of arsenic in the ground for Northerners and Canadians alike. This problem, some will say, is way too big to solve. I say this problem is way too big to ignore.

As stated by the experts, it will cost $1.9 million every year to operate this mine in perpetuity by freezing that arsenic under the ground. I say that’s unacceptable. We could all agree that almost $2 million a year definitely will add up and it could go in better areas where we need it.

It’s not too late to start asking, have we done everything we could, have we done everything we can on this particular problem. Sometimes our greatest challenges are no less our greatest opportunities. All over the world there are talented individuals out there waiting to be inspired by this problem. Just a scratch away, they could solve it. We need to get out there and find these people. To stimulate innovation, I propose a lump-sum payment such as maybe 10 or 20 million dollars to inspire that innovation. For the successful innovator who can solve the Giant Mine problem permanently, this Giant Mine enigma, the reward would create inspired thinking and ingenuity across the world that would save the world rather than ignoring this problem.

If a solution is not found, we all know it would cost nothing, but we could do so much more with this potential of trying to get people engaged in our

problem. We are not alone, so stop tackling the problem alone as it is. This could be a landmark contribution, whether it’s to the environment field or even just simply to humankind by saving our planet. People have always been motivated by the advances of science and opportunity. Here lies an opportunity. Let Churchill remind us clearly, “pessimists see the difficulty in every opportunity; optimists see the opportunity in every difficulty.” It is time to reach for that opportunity through innovation. Today is the day.

I will be asking the Premier to see if he will work towards creating a partnership with our AANDC folks to stimulate innovation on solving the Giant Mine problem. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. As the name suggests, it is celebrated every year on October 17th throughout the world.

One of the main aims of this day is to make the voice of the poor heard. It represents an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts and struggles of people living in poverty. It’s a chance for them to speak up and make their concerns heard, and it offers a moment to recognize that people living in poverty are in the forefront of the fight against poverty.

Poverty can and has been reduced in a number of Canadian jurisdictions. In 10 years, 13 vibrant communities have assisted over 202,931 people in their journey out of poverty, through new strategies that have produced substantive policy changes in areas such as transportation, housing, early learning and income supports. That’s not an empty claim. Four provinces have made investments in social assistance reform or have increased social assistance rates. Several have implemented new or increased tax credits for children and families.

Six provinces now have prescription drug, vision and dental plans for low-income residents. There have been increases to minimum wage legislation, working towards a living wage for low-income earners. Dear to MLA Bromley’s heart, five provinces have made investments in their children’s early years through daycare programs, family and literacy centres, and Ontario’s Best Start program. There is plenty of evidence to support what is working well in our provinces and territories.

Closer to home, here in the NWT, NGOs and other organizations have been working to highlight and move this issue forward for literally years now. They have been officially calling for action against poverty by the territorial government since

December of 2009. Thankfully the Assembly has accepted the challenge to fight poverty, and Members and Ministers have been working diligently on an Anti-Poverty Strategy and framework for several years.

The GNWT document titled “Building on the Strength of Northerners: A Framework for Action on Poverty” is a basis, a start in moving forward on action to eliminate poverty in our territory. There is much work yet to be done, but we are at least started.

Today, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, is a call for us to act in solidarity against poverty and social injustice. As I have said before, together we can reduce poverty. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Before we continue, colleagues, I would like to welcome in the House someone who held every position in this Assembly, Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. Welcome back to the House, Tony.

---Applause

Also Mayor Heyck, mayor of Yellowknife, welcome to the House.

The honourable Member for Inuvik, Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a good day to be back in the Assembly and welcome all my colleagues. Today I will be speaking, as well, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, specifically focussing here on the Northwest Territories.

Last week, on October 9th , I had the honour to go to

a talking circle here in Yellowknife. It was a sharing circle, so there was nobody that was really afraid to speak up. All the communities shared their concerns, what they have seen, and specifically I would like to recognize the members from Inuvik who came down and spoke from their hearts, who talked about what is happening in Inuvik right now and what they are seeing on the streets and in the hospitals, what they are seeing in the schools and the RCMP jail cells, and the fact that we don’t have a day shelter and a lot of our homeless people are out on the streets, and to the point where they get themselves in trouble and can’t go back into the homeless shelter at night, which causes a rippling effect throughout the community and the services that are provided. The services that are provided are good. We just need a final way to keep our homeless people in a shelter environment during the day.

I know it didn’t come from the participants, but on my last trip home I spoke with some of the Town of

Inuvik council who did make some moves this summer with regard to the homelessness on the streets in Inuvik. I also spoke with the RCMP on some new policies that they’ve got to develop, because a lot of our RCMP staff are dealing with people that are homeless and getting themselves into trouble with addictions and taking up the jail cells, where they’re not able to work on other big issues such as other drug-related offenses, and specifically the emergency room, which is now being used as, I guess you could say, our detox centre, which we don’t have one in the Northwest Territories.

These are all very important issues that need to be dealt with. We need treatment centres and psychiatrists. I will have questions for the Minister of Health later on today, but just before I finish off, I’d like to bring to the attention of Members of the Assembly and to the public, a video that was just released on YouTube. It’s called, “A Cold Place to Live Outside: Homelessness in the Canadian Arctic.”

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. The YouTube video speaks to the realities that we see here, not only in the Beaufort-Delta region but throughout the Northwest Territories. Today and every day is a day that we should be fighting against homelessness, addictions and mental health issues. With the video also comes an interim report that deals with those topics.

Even though a lot of the stuff I’m saying is negative, this government for the last two years has done a good job with the Anti-Poverty Strategy and the collaborative work where the departments have been working together. The only question is we have to make sure that we hold government accountable to get that work done so we can have an impact on homelessness, mental health and addictions. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleagues have recognized that today is the United Nation’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The NWT No Place for Poverty Coalition has been working hard with our government to produce an Anti-Poverty Strategy. We look forward to an action plan that will generate real changes for people in poverty.

As one of the richest regions on the planet, the NWT has constructed a social safety net that is well

funded, with a significant part of our budget dedicated to caring for our people. Sadly, though, we still have Weledeh families who are homeless.

In spite of the best intentions, our social safety net can be a tangled web of conflicting policies. Consequently, some people can get stuck in poverty traps below the safety net and be kept in poverty by the system itself.

My constituents explain it this way: If a family going on income support is in need of housing, they need to show that they have a good credit rating so they qualify with a landlord. Income support does assist people with rental costs, but without a good credit rating, people cannot secure an apartment. Diabolically, without a place to stay, people do not qualify then for income support. Also, families with little to no income and carrying housing debt are forced to survive on their own for six months before ECE will approve their application for income support. During this period the family must get on the Housing Corporation’s housing list, which requires making and honouring a monthly repayment plan, a six-month process.

There are many reasons why a family can find themselves in need of income assistance. For those in this situation, it is unlikely that they will have a positive credit rating and even more unlikely that they will independently be able to fully support their family for six months while they honour their repayment plans. Single parents with young children can have an especially difficult time and we know the critical lifelong importance of what happens to children during prenatal through age three. What will happen when these children have families of their own 20 or 30 years from now?

Let’s honour the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with a commitment to eradicate poverty right here in the Northwest Territories, and let’s start by making sure our social safety net supports people to escape poverty rather than ensnaring them.

I will have questions for the Minister who is chair of the Social Envelope Committee. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to share my condolences with you in your statement to the families who are going through their grieving process and praying for their loved ones.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do? The Sahtu is on the brink of evolving into a region that can help this government with its bank account, because the Sahtu is at the brink of becoming the

economic energy driver in Canada and the Northwest Territories.

We need to invest into our communities and into our regions, and we need to invest into the Sahtu, just like we’re investing into the fibre optic line. Pay now, receive the benefits later. It’s a good business case.

I want to talk about some of the things that we are challenged with in the Sahtu. The potential of becoming Canada’s energy driver is real. We recently took a trip down to North Dakota and southeastern Saskatchewan, and we saw what the benefits could be there for the Northwest Territories and also for the communities in the Sahtu. We also saw the amount of work that was going on, and we’re at the stage of what do we do. Our needs are high, but we’re also very cautious and worried about the environmental impacts. We can become a contributor but we can also have a heavy cost to our environment. We’re at a critical time.

The recent influx of alcohol and drugs is real. Just recently there was a seizure done by the RCMP in our small communities. Alcohol is still running rampant. We as a region are dealing with it, and as a region we’re saying enough is enough.

We have social challenges. We have a high population of single parents. In Deline 35 percent of families are headed by single parents. That is a lot of work for a single parent, to raise their children, go to school, and try to do their best. Yet, in Deline only 42 percent of people are working. What do we do? There is potential to be had there.

Mr. Yakeleya, your time for your Member’s statement has concluded.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I say to this government, through this infrastructure session here, let’s do the right thing for the people in the North, let’s do the right thing for the people in the Sahtu, and I say it’s about time we get to work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. During my fall constituency tour, residents and communities are very concerned about the potential changes to the structure of our Deh Cho Health and Social Services. Rumour has it that the Minister and the Department of Health and Social Services are contemplating major changes since the health board was not reappointed in March of

this year. The plan, we hear, is to have a new CEO appointed in Hay River, and then this individual would then run both the Hay River Health Board and the Deh Cho Health Board. This is incredible.

Communities and regions want more autonomy, not less. My leaders and constituency are asking for information and consultations on this. When Health was devolved in 1988, it was the worst of all Aboriginal communities for authority and autonomy. Hence, the creation of our health boards; and this has worked very well up to this date.

In fact, I as the MLA have never been officially briefed on this plan. Now that I have heard from my constituency, I stand here and let the Minister of Health know that I unilaterally oppose this plan.

This change makes no sense. We cannot continually strip responsibilities and authorities away from our communities and send it to a community that has no idea how small communities operate.

I know, as a seasoned MLA, how government operates. If this was allowed to go through, it won’t be much longer and they would want to centralize more responsibilities, which means my region and communities will be losing jobs.

I cannot imagine the infinite wisdom that went into this plan. A constituent of mine said there is no hope that this is the right thing for taking care of our health needs in the Deh Cho. You cannot and will not take this responsibility away from my communities.

Later today I will be asking the Minister of Health – as my colleague Mr. Dolynny said, the man with the plan – when will he put an end to this one. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure today to welcome back my colleagues to the fourth sitting of the 17th Legislative Assembly.

Also, a speedy recovery to Mr. Bouchard. I hope to see you back soon.

As MLAs we come together once again to represent our ridings and to do what we can for our people back home.

We are gathered here for the next three weeks, making decisions that will have positive impacts on the Northwest Territories, as was highlighted by the Premier earlier today.

At this time, please allow me to send my thoughts and prayers to families in the Mackenzie Delta who have lost loved ones over the past couple of

months. Many of our people are suffering with illness and we continue to offer support in various ways. Please send your prayers to those who have lost loved ones and those who are suffering with illnesses. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize and welcome the Deputy Consul-General, Mr. Zengfeng Wan; and Economic Commercial Consul, Mr. Lei Jianzhong, both from the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Calgary. We continue to welcome China’s interest in our territory and look forward to a positive and prosperous relationship for both our peoples. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Yellowknife, and best wishes to the Chinese community here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to recognize my parents, Dick and Loretta Abernethy, in the gallery. Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a couple of constituents of Frame Lake who are in the gallery today. Ms. Barb Wyness is hopefully still up there – there she is – public relations and research officer for the Union of Northern Workers. Mr. Jeff Coradetti is president of the NWT Liberal Party, a new political organization that is just emerging. I think has she just left, but I wanted to recognize Ms. Lydia Bardak, the executive director of the John Howard Society. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to use the opportunity to welcome our Chinese delegation, our deputy consul as well as his colleagues, so I would like to say to him… [English translation not provided.] Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dolynny.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce to you and through you no stranger to the House who is here on many occasions, and that’s our protocol officer, Ms. Carmen Moore, who is also a resident of Range Lake. So, Carmen, welcome to the House. I would also like to welcome our

delegates from the Chinese community. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize Tony Whitford, if he’s still here. I don’t know if Mayor Mark Heyck is still here. I’d also like to recognize – again I can’t see them – Dick and Loretta Abernethy, both residents of Weledeh. Hi up there. Finally, Sophie Clark, a resident of Weledeh and one of our Pages today. Thanks very much for all the service the Pages are providing us. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 7, acknowledgements. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to acknowledge the passing of respected elder Michel Paper of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Just two weeks away from his 100th birthday,

Michel loved sharing stories about the incredible changes he had lived through. From pre-contact times to trading with the Hudson’s Bay Company, seeing an airplane for the first time, even colour TV in Detah, his experience spanned generations.

Michel was a man of faith and generous spirit. Every time we talked, he would say how he appreciated my work and that he was praying for me. This is just the kind of person he was.

I know all Members of this House join me in sending our thoughts and sympathies to Michel’s family and the community who knew him and celebrate him today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement was a little all over the map today, I just had so much to talk about, I’m trying to get it all out there in the first day, but I’m going to try to cut back a little bit and just be a little more methodical about this now.

I’d like to ask the Premier – he’s talked about devolution, we’ve talked a lot about devolution. We’ve talked a lot about devolution in terms of jobs

and the resource revenue proceeds from the resources that leave the Northwest Territories. The bigger picture has got to come to play in the fact that we will have more control, but people need to understand what more control means.

Let’s use the Taltson Hydro Dam expansion as an example. How will devolution, after it is implemented, help us move projects like that ahead that benefit regions of the Northwest Territories like the South Slave? We’ve talked about it for so long, but how will that be a real benefit for us when devolution is in place? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are obviously very much looking forward to devolution, because as we’ve said many times, it will bring control and decision-making into our hands. Obviously, energy and our hydro development are first and foremost in our minds. We’ve been working very hard in putting together our Energy Plan, and also our NWT Power Corporation is working on a Hydro Development Strategy that we hope to be rolling out very soon.

When the Prime Minister was in Hay River I talked to him very specifically about hydro development and about the fact that even with devolution we still will be hampered or hamstrung by a borrowing limit imposed on our government. In order to be able to achieve our lofty visions of increasing our transmission lines, tying in all of our hydro energy together, we need to find a way so that the borrowing limit is not a hindrance. We’re so confident in our plans and our vision that we think we can do it using our own resources, as long as we’re not restricted.

Minister Miltenberger was in Hay River last week when he was doing a tour on how resource revenues would be spent, and he talked about it at that time. So we’re very bullish. We think hydro is a very good investment, especially developing the Taltson to its full potential. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier speaks of our borrowing limit and how that sometimes restrains us. In the past when we talked about projects like the Taltson Hydro expansion, we also talked about public funds combined with private investment, to see something like this go ahead. I was involved in those discussions. It seemed like a lot of that expansion kind of got all mixed in with transmission lines over the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and transmitting hydro to the diamond mines and so on. There was a real interest from the private sector in investing in the expansion of the Taltson Dam and I would like to know if that’s still on the radar. Thank you.

Thank you. I think our thinking is becoming very clear. We are going to

focus on expansion of transmission lines. Also, we feel we need the benefit of some of the businesspeople in the Northwest Territories, some of the people that have been around, very experienced businesspeople that we can work with and that can give us some advice on innovative ways to be able to finance and develop the hydro potential.

Also, when we talked to the Prime Minister he didn’t say no, which we thought was a very good response, but he did indicate that we needed to have a very clear business case and also that we needed to have a very well-developed plan. We will be investing so that we can do both of those things. I think that as we go forward, we expect to have a very good plan and strategy that we’ll be rolling out in the next few months. Thank you.

Again, not so many years ago we did have a business in Alberta that is very informed with respect to the development of energy and hydro, and we could never seem to advance that discussion as far as we wanted to. We had an unsolicited proposal from ATCO, out of Alberta, to partner with us to expand the Taltson. They’ve got money; they’ve got experience. One of the concerns at the time was that we didn’t have the capacity on our side of the table to negotiate something that people thought would be fair for the Northwest Territories.

Do we have that capacity now and could we still be looking at some kind of a joint venture that would bring that kind of financial resource to a project like this so that we could get it off the ground? My comment at the time always was as the Northwest Territories we can own 100 percent of nothing or we can own 50 percent of something. Thank you.

Thank you. I think the Member hit it right on the head. In the past whenever we wanted to develop our hydro resources, the companies that we were talking to always wanted us to take all of the risk and then they would take most of the power. I think that with the plan that we’re developing, we need to find a way to transport the power first. We want to bring the power to where the development will be happening so that we can promote development.

There’s a potential for nine new mines in the Northwest Territories by 2020 and invariably every one of them wants cheaper power. We’re also talking with our colleagues south of us, Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC, who are very interested in power. For example, Saskatchewan, to tie into Taltson, it’s only 119 kilometres away. So we’d only need to build a transmission line of that magnitude.

So we think that by finding a way to get the power to the people, to the companies and projects that need it, also the ability to sell the power when we have surplus power so that we can make money

while we’re doing that as well. So we’re working on a technical study and developing our business case, and we think that it’s a very significant opportunity for the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Premier for that answer. It’s a win-win for everybody. It has the potential to offset the high cost of living in the North. It has the potential to be the impetus for development in these mining operations that the Premier refers to. I hope that the Premier will really run with this and keep us apprised.

We need a development like the Taltson expansion in the South Slave. We need something. We need devolution to mean something for our people.

Will the Premier take up this particular project with his Cabinet colleagues and report back to us on significant progress in the near future? Thank you.

Thank you. Very pleased with the support, and we see this hydro development and the transmission line as probably the biggest project that we can start in the next two years, or in the remaining life of this 17th Assembly.

Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today on addictions and the closing of the Nats’ejee K’eh. This is the first opportunity I think the public has had to hear some of the rationale behind the Minister and the department as to the closing of this addictions facility, and really what is the plan of action for addiction treatment to follow in the Northwest Territories. We all know the issues. I’m not going to go into a long preamble because I do have a long list of questions, which probably will require a couple of times of going up to the table here.

So the Minister’s press release on July 11, 2013, cites, “The department decided not to renew the” Nats’ejee K’eh “contract based on strong recommendations flowing from the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness...”

Can the Minister point out the page number or paragraph in this report that supports this press release statement? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister’s forum didn’t exactly advise us to close Nats’ejee K’eh. What it says was that we need to find alternatives for treatment such as on-the-land treatment, mobile treatment, treatment targeted for youth, so we’re moving in that direction. This also pertains to what was happening in Nats’ejee K’eh. The closure of Nats’ejee K’eh was largely to do with what was happening within Nats’ejee K’eh at the time of the closure, or the elimination of the contract. Thank you.

So we just heard from the Minister that it’s quite clear that there were no recommendations flowing from the Minister’s forum clearly indicating the closure of this facility. This was another approach that the Minister and Department of Health have come to on their own, in terms of what they were going to do with this facility. So, again, I think the public needs to hear that up right and centre.

I guess to lead into another question based on my Member’s statement, what is the plan now for medical detox? This is a clinical intervention that is required during the early stages of the pyramid of treatment. So what are the plans for medical detox in the Northwest Territories and when will it be offered and where? Thank you.

Thank you. There wasn’t medical detox occurring at Nats’ejee K’eh, number one. People were on a waiting list and they had to wait for six weeks in community counselling before they get to Nats’ejee K’eh. So there was no actual medical detox occurring in Nats’ejee K’eh.

Medical detox is available at the hospitals and individuals can be given hospital beds for medical detox based upon requests. At this time if individuals need medical detoxification outside of the hospital environment, then our option is to send that individual or individuals who are requiring medical detox to the southern treatment facilities. Thank you.

Thank you. I concur there was no medical detox occurring at Nats’ejee K’eh, but the question of medical detox has been asked many times in this House. We’ve been promised here that there will be beds put aside we’ve heard in Yellowknife, we’ve also heard in Inuvik. But you go to the hospital and you ask the question, can you take me to the medical detox bed, and they’ll say we don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no sign on the door that says “medical detox bed”. There are such beds put aside in the event of capacity issues, yet are never used.

So, leading to another question here: What is available to help people addicted to prescription drugs, to crack cocaine or solvents? What are we doing with those types of individuals who require that assistance? Thank you.

What’s available are the contracts that we obtained or signed with southern institutions in Alberta and British Columbia. So if individuals are suffering from addictions, whether it be crack cocaine, prescription drugs, alcohol, marijuana, or anything else that they may be addicted to, there are options for them to go to the four southern treatment facilities that we have contracts with now. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the Minister has kind of led into my other question here where he talked about the southern four providers that are now currently under contract. Can we maybe get an indication as to how many residents have used these southern farmed-out services, and of those who started the program down there, how many of them have actually completed it?

I don’t have the number of individuals that have taken advantage of the four treatment centres that we have contracts with in the South; however, I do know that when individuals have approached Health and Social Services, whether it be through a wellness office in their community or through the department or through one of the authorities, that it’s been fairly quick. The process is very quick and the individual is able to go out for treatment in a very short time basis, and that is what we were trying to achieve. But the numbers of the people that went and the numbers that had completed the treatment facilities, I don’t have those numbers here with me today.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the House might be aware, over the course of the summer we had a situation in Hay River. My question is directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs update this House on the status of trucked water delivery in Hay River, especially to those communities that do receive trucked water delivery in Kakisa, Hay River and Enterprise? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that the communities have a contract with the water service deliveryman, and as far as I know, that contract is still in place. He, in turn, would get his water from the community

of Hay River. As far as I know, the contract, unless things have changed, is still in place.

What measures does the department have in place in the worst-case scenario that the tap of water is actually shut off for the communities receiving trucked water for Kakisa, Enterprise and the Hay River Reserve?

We would work with the community to find other sources of water, be it bringing in water from another community, but again, my understanding is they do have a contract with the deliveryman who buys his water from the community of Hay River. But we would work closely with the community, and I think there have been some preliminary discussions as to one of the communities possibly looking at acquiring their own water treatment plant.

It’s quite clear in this budget that they really amass a lot of effort in ensuring that the public, especially the communities of the North, receive vital infrastructure projects, especially in the Deh Cho where a water source is very vital and, of course, an intrinsic value that is given to the public.

My question to the Minister is: Would the Minister commit to entertaining, at least his department, supporting and facilitating a dialogue among communities to look at some immediate alternatives in terms of striking the possibility of doing a business case analysis of building their own water treatment plants?

Since the gas tax and the community infrastructure money were introduced a few years ago, a lot of the communities have built their own water treatment plant. There have been a few communities that have teamed up and did a bundled water treatment plant where, with economies of scale, they would get it a little cheaper. But we have money that’s allocated for this particular type of initiative. It’s $28 million that we divide amongst the communities across the Northwest Territories, and then they determine that a water treatment plant is a priority, and they do have the tools in place to make it happen. A lot of the communities are doing that again.

We will work closely with the Member’s communities if they wish to have our staff come in and start the dialogue as to how they best can acquire a water treatment plant using the experience we’ve had with many of the other communities that have put their own water treatment plants in.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has publicly stated that, indeed, it is up to the communities. The concern from the communities is getting caught with the… If they do build water

treatment plants in their communities, their concern is in terms of the operations and maintenance.

The Minister, at this point, has indicated yes, he is quite willing to support the idea of having his staff go into the communities to ensure that there is some dialogue amongst the communities.

Can the Minister commit to ensure that happens, that indeed his department officials will perhaps go to Kakisa and Enterprise and see if responsibilities of developing a business analysis, in terms of a cost analysis of whether it’s viable to perhaps have a water treatment plant in either one of those communities? Would the Minister commit to that? Yes or no?

I will say yes with an explanation. I will commit to having our staff go into the communities, upon invitation from the community, to start discussing some of their options and start discussing how the O and M may be affected if they do get a water treatment plant. We will, again, upon invitation, go into these communities and start the discussion with them.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, it should be no secret by now that I’m concerned about the way the Giant Mine has been left and the fact that arsenic is being left in the ground and certainly frozen there for the end of time. Whenever that may be scheduled, I don’t think we should give up on trying to find a solution. No Northerner asked for this tragedy to be left here in the ground, and I don’t know a single Northerner that thinks that that’s the best solution.

My question for the Premier today is, of course, I’d like to hear the government’s position on AANDC, which is the department that is now responsible for the freezing of the arsenic. I’d like to know what the government’s position is with AANDC’s opinion and direction to freeze the arsenic in the ground and ignore it until we find a solution that we have no idea when or where it will come from.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if Churchill was thinking of Giant Mine when he made that famous quotation. Perhaps a Yogi Berra quote of “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over” would be more appropriate.

We’ve been part of the Giant Mine process for some time. We see this as the most immediate response and step to deal with the problem. I’m not sure what the Member is suggesting, whether he’s

suggesting we should stop everything and wait until somebody comes up with an innovative idea before we do anything more. As a government, we see the best approach right now is to deal with the immediate problem.

I know the Premier was listening closely to my Member’s statement, as I know he always does, of course. He hangs on every word. I’m sure he would recognize that not at one time in my Member’s statement or in my press release the week before I talked about stopping what we’re doing today, because the engineering solution today is probably the only solution we have thus far.

But the same innovation that brought Banting to the solution for insulin, and the same spirit and drive of why people fight the good fight against cancer every single day is because they’re looking for that solution and they’re inspired.

In my Member’s statement and as well as in the recent press release, I talked about stimulating innovation. Would the Premier be willing to lead a discussion with the Minister of AANDC about opening up a possibility of creating a reward process that stimulates people from around the world to help to look for a solution to the arsenic problem at Giant Mine? Quite frankly, the temporary solution is not the right solution. Thank you.

When I was at the open house a couple of weeks ago, one of the Yellowknife Dene councillors asked if there was a way to solve this problem, and asked us to make the arsenic inert in a way that it doesn’t cause any problem. The staff said there is no way of dealing with this. Quite frankly, it is because no one is looking at it. Out of 56 recommendations, there is not one that talks about innovation. It’s almost like we need a Donald Trump here in the Northwest Territories, or a Richard Branson, saying how important this is for humanity to talk about let’s find a breakthrough.

That said, there are only 56 recommendations on the table and, as I said, not one single one of them deals with innovation. That is why I ask the Premier to once again consider the concept of a knocking on the door and writing to the Minister of AANDC to

say, why don’t we look at creating a reward process or a balloon payment to solve this. It would stimulate the type of thinking. Right now no one is working on that problem, and hence, if there is no one stimulated by opportunity, they may not be looking at this opportunity.

Hence, what the question really comes down to is: What can the Premier do about stimulating innovation to get people interested in our problem? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, obviously if we could wave a magic wand and fix the problem tomorrow, we would be very interested in doing that. I think in order to go and approach the AANDC Minister, I think you have to be very clear on what the Member is asking for. Are we talking about only new innovative methods that are not already out there? Are we talking about somebody bringing a truckload of arsenic-eating bacteria, would we give them $20 million? Is that what the Member is suggesting? I’m not very clear on what the Member is asking us to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to send the Premier my most recent press release, and of course, I would be happy to walk over a copy of my Member’s statement. I am talking about the federal government spends $1.9 million every year to maintain this site. I am suggesting that we encourage them to package some money out of that. It wouldn’t be ongoing funding; it would be a balloon payment – think of it as that way – to encourage. If anyone could come up with a solution for the Giant Mine problem, they can come get the reward or balloon payment. Call it what you will. Quite frankly, it costs the GNWT nothing but a little energy and a little motivation to say we need this once and for all.

I ask the Premier, does he see possibilities in this opportunity, or does he just see it as status quo is the best way to do business. I’m not against freezing it. I’m just saying we need to be looking towards the future. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, we always listen to suggestions from the other side, and we are able to do so again. I just need to know what it is that you are proposing. We can’t manage through press releases, so we would need something more definitive. The Member knows the process. We don’t respond to a single MLA. I think we would need a request from the committee. Obviously, if the committee requests us to seek this from the federal government and the committee supports it, we will do it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I would like to ask some questions of the Minister of a situation that occurred over the summer that caused me some concern. It was a communication issue.

Here at the Assembly we have communications protocols. We have a number of protocols, and communications is one of them. Usually they work. It gives Members from both sides of the House advance notice of things that are going to be happening.

I’m referencing the appointment of a new chief executive officer for Stanton Territorial Hospital. The fact that we hired a new CEO prior to the current CEO leaving was a really good thing and I was very pleased to see that, but I was extremely surprised that the press release announcing the hiring of Ms. Fitzgerald arrived to Regular Members at the same time that it went to the general public. In my mind, the Minister of Health and Social Services is ultimately responsible for all health authorities, for staff and so on. I have to assume that he surely knew that this announcement was coming. My mind then goes to why were MLAs not advised, if not all MLAs, at least Yellowknife MLAs, at least the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

I would like to ask the Minister what is the process for a health authority, whether it is a health authority with a board or a health authority with a public administrator, what is the process for them to communicate the hiring of their most senior employee to both the public and to the Minister? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The current process right now as it stands is that various health and social services authorities and the one agency is responsible for releasing information on hiring of the CEO for their authorities. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that clarification. I’m quite surprised at that. We provide them, through the Assembly, the Minister provides money to health authorities for their operations. All the employees are employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories. I am really surprised that we allow these authorities to have that much autonomy. They certainly don’t in many other areas.

As I said, I think the Minister is ultimately responsible for these authorities. It seems to be the

way that the legislation reads. I would like to ask the Minister when he was aware that the new CEO had been hired for Stanton Territorial Hospital. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I became aware of the name shortly before the press release had occurred. Unfortunately, during the time when the decision was being made, we were in Ulukhaktok at the Caucus meeting. From Ulukhaktok, I then went south immediately, and that press release occurred on the day that I travelled to southern Canada.

The information is not given to me until the decision is made. I knew that we were seeking a CEO. I knew that. The deputy kept me advised that they were interviewing individuals, and the process was that once the decision was made, I would be advised. At this time I was advised just prior to the press release, but I was not aware that the press release was going to be going out on that type of schedule. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I have to reiterate, I think the Minister knows the importance of health and social service authorities and the operations of our health and social services system to Regular Members and particularly for a Yellowknife facility like the hospital to Yellowknife Members. We live closest to that facility, so it is part of our community.

The Minister said that he knew the name but we were at Caucus. I think certainly there was an opportunity for him to advise the Members who were at least at Caucus that this was happening. There was an opportunity to send an e-mail to all Members to say this is going to be released soon.

I would like to know from the Minister why he basically bypassed our communications protocol. Does he really think that it should be up to health authorities to make this communication as opposed to himself? Thank you.

Yes, I do think it’s the responsibility of the board or the public administrator of the health authority to do a press release. The timing I guess is something that has to be sorted out. Obviously, it has caused some issue with the timing of the release. In the future when there are other CEOs that are being contemplated or hired in the various authorities, we can find a way added into the process to advise the MLAs, all MLAs or the Assembly. Usually that’s what we try to do. As I said, it’s just an unfortunate thing that had occurred. Thank you.

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

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I do agree that it was unfortunate, and I don’t believe that it’s a situation that should happen

again. I appreciate the Minister’s comments that maybe it shouldn’t happen again.

He’s suggesting that he’s going to set something in place. I’d like to know from the Minister when we can expect some communication from his office as to the new system that will be in place so this doesn’t happen again. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’m having a meeting with the JLC, Joint Leadership Council of all authorities, on the 13th and 14th . We’ll discuss it

at that time. It should be soon after that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m just going to follow up from my Member’s statement today regarding homelessness. Of course, homelessness, you can’t really talk about it without including some of the mental health and addictions that are occurring with people who are in homeless situations.

I just wanted to follow up, and I know the Minister is getting a lot of questions today, specifically from members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs. I just wanted to remind him that when we had our retreat, that was our number one concern, our priority, and we want to follow up on that. We’re halfway through our session and we want to make sure this gets dealt with.

I had questions of my own, but listening to the responses to Member Dolynny, one answer that really sparked my interest was the Minister mentioned that a patient, a client can walk into a health centre, a hospital, and request medical detox and they’ll get it. I want to know, when a person goes into a health centre or hospital, how long are they able to stay in that hospital for and get a bed for detox. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was referring to medical detox possibility at the hospitals. My understanding is that earlier on, during questioning on medical detoxification at the hospital, we agreed we could provide beds in the hospital; but to keep a bed vacant in hospitals all year long on standby for that would not be appropriate. So any bed in acute care can be used for an individual to detoxify.

I don’t think the health centres in the small communities would be set up for that, but they could possibly do it. With the right nursing staff in place, they could possibly do something like that if an individual was in some sort of distress over

detoxification. But my answer was more specifically to hospitals. Thank you.

I really enjoy dialogue with the Minister on services that we provide here in the Northwest Territories. Any bed in acute care that would be allocated for someone through detox, and if the Minister understands when a person goes through detox, all the implications that happen with that psychosis where they can be deathly.

Is this Minister willing to put someone going through extreme detox in the same bed as a public person who might only be in there for the flu? Can I ask the Minister, is he willing to support a bed in acute care for somebody going through extreme detox? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not a health professional. That responsibility for placing an individual in one of the acute care beds for going through medical detoxification would be made by a physician. Thank you.

I just want to state that I know we come down hard on the Minister all the time, and it’s not only his responsibility. We deal with homelessness, mental health, and you deal with justice, employment, education, homelessness. As a matter of fact, he’s responsible for the facilities here in the NWT.

The Minister also mentioned treatments, in answering a Member on this side. He said that treatment happens fairly quickly.

Can he give me a definite response on what “fairly quickly” means? I’ve been dealing with some of my constituents and I’d say it’s been over a month already, so I’d like to ask the Minister what he means by fairly quickly, if he could give me a date, please.

I’ll talk a little bit about the original process. The original process was quite a long delay, where an individual had to be clean and sober and follow up with some community counselling, and then wait for the next intake into a treatment centre to go. Now, with the contracts that we have in the South that have continuous intake, I don’t think it’s every day but I think the intake is on a weekly basis, so every week new people wanting treatment come into the facility.

Our idea is once an individual comes into the system and requests treatment, that we try to bring them into the next intake at the closest intake possible that we can get them down there is what we are trying to achieve.

I was advised that people were going out at the latest within two weeks, so I didn’t know there were individuals waiting for a month since we had discontinued Nats’ejee K’eh. Thank you.

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

I think we could solve this issue a little easier going forward here, and it all stems down to the written questions I had raised this summer during our last session, and that’s dealing with the Mental Health Act.

Can the Minister look at trying to speed that review up and looking at the Mental Health Act and how we can get that addressed so we don’t always have to be asking these same questions? Mental health actually takes care of the different legislative property. Can we see that speeded up during this Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the target for finalization of the legislative proposal for the Mental Health Act review is for the winter of 2014. I’m hoping that’s early winter and not late winter 2014. If that’s not the case, then I will report back to the Member. My understanding is it’s early winter 2014. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to follow up from my earlier Member’s statement with questions to the lead Minister for the Anti-Poverty Strategy, Mr. Abernethy.

As I mentioned in my statement today, my constituents are telling me that our social safety net contains poverty traps. Some of the rules make it very difficult for people to access the help they need.

I’d like to start by asking the Minister, first of all, what is the current status of the Anti-Poverty Strategy Action Plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister responsible for poverty, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The framework was released earlier this calendar year, and the government and Cabinet have been working on an action plan to respond to that framework. We have shared that draft with committee and we are working on the committee’s responses to it to improve that plan as we move forward.

In the meantime, we’ve funded the No Place for Poverty Coalition to have a roundtable of their own to start working on individual responses to the report so we can all come together in November. November 28th and 29th are the dates that have

been confirmed for our territorial group to come together and work on a territorial response to poverty. So it’s important that we all work together, that we’re working with the NGOs, and also working across departments, because it’s going to take

everybody to deal with poverty in the North. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate the Minister is seeking support or input from the wider community on this and that he’s committed towards moving things forward towards implementation of the action plan.

The poverty traps I mentioned have been discovered by people trying to access the system. Obviously, these constituents are not policy analysts, but their experience highlights the need to research such policy issues and propose solutions. So can the Minister say how the action plan will tackle these needs?