This is page numbers 2389 – 2428 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 community.

Topics

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Page 9-28, Justice, information item, court services, active positions.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Page 9-31, Justice, activity summary, corrections, operations expenditure summary, $38.169 million. Mr. Dolynny.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. My questions have to do with the increased claims growth of WSCC claims for injured workers which, I believe, corrections is causing some quite alarming statistics, especially in the last two years. Can the Minister indicate what provisions we’re using or doing as a department to reduce the amount of claims growth in this area?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Abernethy.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Department of Justice was one of the three highest on claims history over the last couple of years. I will say, for the record, that the department is committed to workplace health and safety. In fact, over the last year we had dedicated a senior management position to do some analysis and put some plans in place within the department so that we can see a real reduction in claims in the Department of Justice. In particular, in our facilities where we’re seeing the incidents occur. Since 2010 we have seen a 36 percent reduction in the number of Justice WSCC claims as a percentage of all GNWT claims has been achieved. Reductions in WSCC late filing penalty numbers and claims in the number of claims as a percentage of all GNWT claims were realized for 2011.

In short, we are seeing some significant reductions in the Department of Justice in this area. We would like to get those even lower and we are going to continue to do the work. We’re going to continue to work with corrections officers and corrections staff to help identify areas where people are getting injured and eliminating those opportunities for injury, if you will. Significant improvement in this area.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

I’m looking forward to seeing the results and statistics to validate the significant improvement that we’re hearing from the Minister. We’ll find out at year-end whether or not that is entirely accurate. What I heard from the Minister today is that we’ve got plans in place. It sounds like they’ve hired a personnel officer to oversee some of the changes that are imminent in that department. Yet I didn’t hear about any new safety program initiatives to make the workplace safer. Can the Minister elaborate what safety programs the department is involved with to make the workplace a safer place?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

As I indicated, we have pulled off a director position to actually do some analysis and start working with corrections to identify means by which we can help the people be

more aware of workplace injury, how people can be more aware of ways to avoid workplace injury. The WSCC has a number of courses and staff within the facilities, and the government as a whole have been taking advantage of these courses. We’ve done some worksite assessments on the sites themselves to see if there’s anything about the sites themselves that are causing or leading more people to be more prone to injury, and eliminating some of those where possible. I can go to the deputy minister for a few more specifics.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Haener.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Haener

Thank you, Madam Chair. As you can appreciate, corrections is a difficult environment in which people work. There can be, at times, altercations between staff and inmates. On an ongoing basis we ensure that corrections officers and staff working in the facility have training to ensure they can function in as safe a manner as possible. That includes de-escalation techniques, it includes being able to engage with inmates in an effective manner and in a safe manner. We also have a number of newer things that we are engaged in. The Minister has mentioned some of them. We ensure that staff have appropriate orientations and understand safety procedures in the facility. We make sure that we’re up to date on items like fire drills, fire safety and those kinds of standard processes.

We have made sure that all of the occupational health and safety committees are active and that staff are aware of what’s taking place in those committees. The information is disseminated to staff. We also are making sure we are well aligned with the Safe Advantage Program. We are considering other processes that include looking at the trends we have around injuries and accidents in our workplaces, and working with WSCC to put into place further training and programs to reduce those accidents. If we’re seeing a high frequency of accidents, for example, related to falls in the workplace or sprains, then we would bring the WSCC in to help deliver training to staff on those issues. As well, we would be very focused with the particular staff who have had those injuries to work with them one on one to determine what we can do to reduce recurrence of those types of incidents.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Ms. Haener. Mr. Dolynny.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

I appreciate the deputy minister’s detail on that. One of my last questions here is, these trends that we’re seeing in injury, is this across the board in our corrections facilities or are we seeing certain corrections facilities with higher trends in injuries?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Abernethy.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

The numbers might suggest that North Slave Correctional Facility is higher, but it’s also the largest number of staff. We don’t have the detail broken out whether, trending-wise, one facility’s got higher incidents than others, but we will look and see what we can pull out to see if we can actually pull out that data. I will say that most of the injuries in our facilities are under the categories of sprain, strain and tears.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

No further questions but I would like to report progress.

---Carried

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Wendy Bisaro

I will now rise and report progress. Mr. Abernethy, thank you. Witnesses, thank you very much for your attendance. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you would please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

March 5th, 2013

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Good evening, colleagues. Can I have the report of Committee of the Whole, Ms. Bisaro.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014, and would like to report progress. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. A motion is on the floor. Do we have a seconder? The seconder is Mr. Beaulieu.

---Carried

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Item 22, third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, orders of the day.

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

Doug Schauerte Deputy Clerk Of Committees

Mr. Speaker, there will be a meeting of the Priorities and Planning committee at adjournment today.

Orders of the day for Thursday, March 7, 2013, 1:30 p.m.:

1. Prayer

2. Ministers’

Statements

3. Members’

Statements

4. Reports of Standing and Special Committees

5. Returns to Oral Questions

6. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

7. Acknowledgements

8. Oral

Questions

9. Written

Questions

10. Returns to Written Questions

11. Replies to Opening Address

12. Petitions

13. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

14. Tabling of Documents

15. Notices of Motion

16. Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

17. Motions

18. First Reading of Bills

19. Second Reading of Bills

20. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of

Bills and Other Matters

- Tabled Document 9-17(4), NWT Main

Estimates, 2013-2014

- Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act

21. Report of Committee of the Whole

22. Third Reading of Bills

23. Orders of the Day

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Thursday, March 7th , at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 6:03 p.m.