This is page numbers 3303 – 3322 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th 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 going.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT has entered into a Community Opportunities and Involvement Agreement with the community, paying the community $200,000 a year until the bridge is paid off, over 35 years. So that money is for the community to take a look at tourism opportunities and any opportunities that they may want to look at as far as tourism, such as a museum for transportation, marine transportation in that area and so on. Thank you.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

I’d like to thank the Minister for that answer. Can the Minister, other than the $200,000 annually that the community receives, clearly explain to the community – I’m sure they’re listening at this point – their obligations other than the funding to the community? Mahsi.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you. The Department of Transportation has tried to find positions for individuals that were working on the ferry and the ice crossing. So at this point, the individuals that normally built the ice crossing will be given opportunities to assist on the Dempster ice crossing if they wish to do so. There were 13 employees on the ferry, most of them being casual employees, but three affected full-time employees. One retired. One of those positions was maintained by the department and another one had moved to run a different ferry, at Fort Simpson, actually. Thank you.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you. It’s encouraging that the government continues to at least build upon the relationship agreement with the Community Opportunities Funds and the Community Involvement Agreement.

How could the Minister of the Department of Transportation perhaps help out the community by, maybe, discussions with the community to help enhance the strategic location of Fort Providence as a major highway and marine centre and not just simply a drop-by community? Mahsi.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you. Certainly, anything that the community, the Fort Providence Metis Council and the Deh Gah Got’ie First Nations wish to do with that opportunities money that involves transportation, whether it be highways or marines, the department would be prepared to work with that community in order to develop something so that, as the Member indicates, it’s not so much a drive-by community, because the bridge is in and the traffic does flow through more readily than it used to with the ferry. So, yes, we will be prepared to work with those two organizations to try to develop something that can attract people to stop in, in Fort Providence. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you. I’d like to once again thank the Minister for his response. It seems there’s a positive spirit to maintain the working relationship with the community. One of the opportunities that the community faces, of course, is building upon the tourism opportunities.

Would the Minister agree that the GNWT Department of Transportation would continue its obligation to maintain the winter road access of the ferry crossing? Mahsi.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you. The department is prepared to look at the cost of maintaining the stretch of highway from the ferry on the north side of the river to the old ice crossing. Right now the only program that we have available is a capital program, the Access Roads Program, and that would be something that would go to make sure that road doesn’t deteriorate and that would probably be summer work. But one of the main things where work is needed was to clear the snow. So we’re going to work with the community to, first of all, determine the cost of that because it’s not in any program, and then determine how we could maybe cost share to keep that road open from the bridge to the old ice road. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On February 7th of this year, in this House, MLA Moses was asking about detox beds. The response from the Minister of Health and Social Services of the day was he said that there would be two detox beds in the North and there would be two detox beds in the South. This was very welcome news to people in Yellowknife. However, we continue to wait. The capital plan has just passed us and yet we’ve seen no results of these commitments. The Minister made a commitment. So the question to the Minister is: When will we see a promise made is a promise delivered? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll get that information from the department and provide it to the Member in committee this week or early next week.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

The Minister’s binder would probably have a nice tab on this particular issue and I would encourage him to turn to that tab and read that page. Yellowknife continues to feel the cold shoulder of results and commitment by this government, especially on the issue of addictions. Northerners want addictions treatment.

Would the Minister read what the breaking binder page says on the tab and go to that tab and tell us what the Department of Health is doing on the detox issue?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. I’ve already said I’ll get that information for the Member and I will. I will provide it to the Member and committee in due course. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

This is an important issue; it’s not a new issue. Northerners are in pain, Northerners are suffering, Northerners need help. What is this Minister willing to do as far as his briefing binder will tell him? Turn to that page and tell Northerners what the commitment is. Would the Minister do that for us?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. These are important issues, and as I’ve already committed to the Member, I will get that information, I’ll provide it to committee and the Member in due course. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a couple of weeks we have the operations plan. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do on the addictions issue. There was no capital investment for detox. Promised, but never delivered.

Will this Minister be working towards the operation plan in a few weeks, which is in about four weeks in early December? Will he be making a commitment in this House that he’ll work to deliver those detox beds in that plan? Otherwise, there should be a clear statement that this government is not interested in this issue.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you. This government, this department will live up to the commitments made by the current Ministers and the previous Ministers. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It has been a bit of an issue for me over my time here to try to advance the issue of minimum wage. So my questions to the Minister are in regard to the latest action, I guess, on the part of the government on minimum wage.

In the spring, in March and May, we had some talk about minimum wage and how to have a considered and constant increase to minimum wage. The Minister talked about establishing a minimum wage committee. My understanding is that that was done in the spring. So I’d like to first off ask the Minister if that committee was established, and if the committee was established, did it meet? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We did appoint those members to the committee: the Federation of Labour, the NWT Chamber of Commerce, a business owner, two members of non-profit organizations and two GNWT employees. The committee has held a meeting in October 2013 and will make recommendations to me for spring 2014. So these members are currently established, they’ve met and they are going to make recommendations to me to move forward. I will keep Members informed about the progress. Mahsi.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thanks to the Minister for that update. The committee was supposed to meet in October. It’s gratifying to hear that they did meet at the time they were actually supposed to. It doesn’t happen all that often.

I’d like to know from the Minister, they met in October and they are going to bring results forward to the Minister in the new year, so when is the committee supposed to meet next. How often will they meet and consider minimum wage? Thank you.