Question is being called. All those in favour? Please stand.
Recorded Vote
In the Legislative Assembly on February 24th, 2014. See this topic in context.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Moses, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Bouchard, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes.
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
All those abstaining? Seven in favour of the motion, eight opposed. The motion is defeated.
---Defeated
Page 9-23, Mr. Bromley.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to start by asking how many legal aid lawyers we currently have on staff, what the wait times currently are and how they vary across the Northwest Territories.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. Currently, the board has 15 positions for staff lawyers and the wait time is 60 days. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I assume that’s an average across the whole NWT, so that would vary region to region. I wonder if I could get a rough idea of what the variation would be like. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
I should also mention that the waiting list for family law clients is 43 days. Urgent matters are assigned to counsel right away. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I am very happy to hear that about the family law clients. Did the Minister have handy on what the variation is on the 60-day average across the NWT?
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
I don’t have that detail, but we’d be happy to provide the Member with that detail. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Much appreciated, Madam Chair. I get to Social Programs when I can but I don’t always, so perhaps that’s been supplied and will be easy to pull out.
From time to time we have heard concern from legal aid lawyers about various issues and I’m wondering if the department has a process where they collect feedback from legal aid lawyers about what issues they’re having and how the department responds and whether there are any examples. Like, when would this have been done most recently?
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Haener
Thank you, Madam Chair. In terms of information on cases and the length of time that individuals wait or the length of time a matter takes,
we would have to consult further with folks in the legal aid unit.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I was switching topics a little bit there so I may have not been clear. I’m just wondering: our legal aid lawyers are obviously a very important part of our service delivery here, and I know that they have issues from time to time, and they may very well have suggestions for how the system can improve.
What is the process that we have in place to check with that professional staff, collect up any comments they have and respond to it, and assuming there is a process in place, when did we most recently do that?
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
The staff lawyers that we do have, the 15 positions that I spoke of earlier, as they’re doing their job and interacting with the clientele, if they have issues or feel we should be looking at resourcing things in a different manner or doing things differently, they would bring that up to management. It would end up going to the Legal Services Board and we could make some decisions from there through the Legal Services Board. That’s currently how that’s handled and it’s an ongoing process, so as situations arise.
I should also mention that all of the positions that we have are currently fully staffed. We just had our eighth family law lawyer. She just started on January 20th of this year, so we’re fully staffed now
as well.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thanks for the Minister’s response there. I wonder if the Minister would consider it worthwhile taking the initiative to approach and offer these professionals the opportunity for feedback in an open way beyond the expectation that if they have issues that they will raise them. Sometimes you will get different input that way. It’s not an essential. I just think it might be a worthwhile exercise, a one-off if it doesn’t work, but if it does produce good results, that may be something to consider.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
That’s something we could take into consideration. There may be other avenues where we could get, perhaps if the Standing Committee on Social Programs wanted us to get some staff from the Department of Justice in to have a discussion about legal aid services in the Northwest Territories, that’s something that we could see happen, as well, and then Members could have that type of dialogue with our staff that are dealing with legal aid on a day-to-day basis here in the NWT.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I appreciate the Minister’s interest there.
Moving on to another subject here, I see the legal aid clinics, Yellowknife, Beaufort-Delta, community legal aid clinic and the Somba K’e. I have to get some explanation about what the community legal aid clinic is there. Maybe that deals with all other communities or something. But there are budgets for each of those, and I’m wondering if the information on what the various workloads is for each of those units is accessible, if in fact they’re… I’d like to see if the funding is related to the workload there.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
All the clinics are located in Yellowknife with the exception of the Beaufort-Delta Legal Aid Clinic.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you for that information. Just in relation to my question, what is the workload of each of those clinics? Do they share between them or are they specific to the regions? I’m just wondering: is the budget directly associated with the workload of each of those clinics.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
The workload is disbursed among those clinics, so there is no conflict and things can be divided up as appropriately as possible.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I’m going to leave it at that and I certainly will talk to committee and see if there is interest to take the Minister up on his offer to do a briefing and discussion on our legal aid work.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you very much, Mr. Bromley. I’ll take that as a comment. Page 9-23, Justice, activity summary, legal aid services, operations expenditure summary, $6.224 million. Mr. Hawkins.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Madam Chair. I can see through the position allocation and activity on the further page, I’m not speaking to that, but what I’m asking about is the garnered dollars. How many positions are vacant in this particular section? I’ll start with that first question. Better under the compensation and benefits area of $4.1 million.
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Schofield
There are currently five positions vacant within this activity.
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Schofield
I don’t have the length of time that the positions have been vacant, but I believe we had offered that in the other sections so we could provide it. They are court worker positions and one legal aid criminal lawyer.
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Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. If the offer is on the detail of how long they’ve been vacant and the money attributed to that specific position, that will be all I require.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I know we went through a review not so long ago and emphasized the importance of the court workers and their multilingual status, so I think they do play an important role.
Are there issues about filling these positions generally or is this perhaps there’s just a higher turnover in court workers?
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I don’t have any other questions, I am sure the Minister is on top of what the issues are and will be trying to address them, and if there is anything committee should be aware of, then he will let us know and we can help out too. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Page 9-23 Justice, activity summary, legal aid services, operations expenditure summary, $6.224 million. Agreed?
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you. Moving on to 9-24, Justice, information item, legal aid services, active positions. Agreed?
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Agreed. Thank you. Now on Page 9-27, Justice, activity summary, court services, operations expenditure summary, $12.415 million. Mr. Yakeleya.
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour?
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins, Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Moses, Mr. Bromley.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
All those in favour, 8; all those opposed, 7. The motion is carried. Mr. Hawkins.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Madam Chair. It is unfortunate to do this, but a Member can’t walk into a Chamber during an actual calling of a vote as it has been called, so I would say that it is my observation that there are issues with that vote. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, give me just a moment here to consult with the...
I think at this time we will take a break for supper. After supper we will come back and discuss the motion. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. Just before the break there was a motion on the floor. There was a motion that was read and about to be voted on and a Member was not in their seat at the time that that motion was read, so their vote cannot be counted. It was counted, so when we take that vote away then we have a tie.
The principle applied is this: where if no further discussion is possible, a decision should not be taken except by a majority. So that leaves it to the Chair to break the tie. According to our policies, our traditions, I will be voting against the motion. The motion is defeated.
---Defeated
Justice, activity summary, court services, operations expenditure summary, $12.415 million.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Okay. Justice, information item, court services, active positions. Mr. Bromley.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I want to mention both the integrated case management work, which I assume is in this division, and the wellness court, which I also assume is in this division. I know these are new initiatives and I’m wondering if I’m correct that the dollars that the Minister announced are listed on this page somewhere, the $807,000, I believe it was, for integrated case management, $300,000 for wellness court. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. The wellness court is on this page. The integrated case management is under community justice.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. The integrated case management is under community justice.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. I understand that the wellness court will rely quite heavily on the case management program. I wonder if the Minister will just explain that to me, if I understand that. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. For that detail, we’ll go to the deputy minister. Thank you.
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Haener
Thank you, Madam Chair. For individuals to participate in the wellness court they will require considerable support and case management. During the coming year, we have resources coming to the wellness court for two positions, and we expect that the Integrated Case Management pilot will help support the wellness court because it will put into place an intensive case management process for individuals, and that kind of a process could also support participants of the wellness court. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Madam Chair. That makes sense to me.
I assume that integrated case management is the Justice side of things, that it’s primarily Justice staff that are working on it and it relates to the legal or, in this case, perhaps quasi-legal aspects of the case. Is that correct? Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Madam Chair. The integrated case management isn’t on this page, it’s on community justice. We do have staff at community justice working on that. It’s separate from the wellness court in that the wellness court is going to be a service that’s provided through court services and that’s the separation. But the two are certainly linked, as the deputy minister had outlined for the Member.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Jane Groenewegen
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. I’m sorry; I couldn’t hear your last statement. Did you say that the deputy minister was going to explain something? Minister Ramsay.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Just to clarify, Madam Chair, no, the deputy minister had mentioned how the integrated case management was working with the wellness court to the Member previously, and I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you. I think what the Minister said was consistent with my question that it is primarily a Justice service. Obviously, I am talking about the wellness court. I’m forced into the integrated case management because of the close relationship here. But in terms of the wellness court for success, we would also obviously need a very well-integrated case management approach from the Department of Health and Social Services.
I want to know from the Minister if he feels that integrated case management approach from the Health and Social Services side will be in place to enable success with the wellness court. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Madam Chair, the Department of Health and Social Services is part of the steering committee on the wellness court, and a similar process is underway related to the Integrated Case Management Pilot Project here in Yellowknife and in Inuvik, so we’re working closely with the Department of Health and Social Services on that. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Just to follow up a little bit more here, is the Minister able to say in this forum what the time schedule is for rolling out this pilot project? Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Mr. Chairman, that’s yet to be determined. Our hope is it would be sometime this coming fiscal year. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I would hope so. I think the Minister knows that we’ve been working on this for quite a while, and I know his staff have been working on this for quite a while. I consider the $300,000 committed here to this project is a very, very modest start, and frankly, I’m disappointed. I was disappointed with the Department of Health and Social Services not to hear any specific expenditures towards this service again, because it really is our best opportunity to deal with a major part of the mental health issues that we have, as well as our legal and corrections costs.
Does the Minister have an estimate of what the cost to our system is of the mental health issues that cause a reoccurrence of people in the system? Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
That number would be certainly difficult to quantify.
However, getting back to the Member’s concern over the $305,000 that we have this year for the wellness court, next year we have earmarked for the wellness courts just shy of $1 million and we have had some of our staff at community justice working on this. We had a presentation that we provided to the Standing Committee on Social Programs today. We’re going to be moving forward and we feel that we have it resourced. We want to get it up and running, and I think once the wellness court is up and running, we’ll have a better understanding of how it operates and what resources may be required to run it. We’re going to ramp that up again next year with close to $1 million being put toward the wellness court. Again, I mentioned this this morning, if we do need further resources if it’s being well-subscribed and there’s people that are going into the wellness courts, we can look at additional resources as we go forward as needed. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you. I believe the Minister was talking about ’15-16 for the $1 million contribution, which there I feel that is significant and I’m looking forward to that.
Could I get a cost per day, an average cost per day for an inmate, say an adult male and a juvenile in corrections? Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you. We can get that detail for the Member, get him a breakdown. I think we even have it by facility as well. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I guess I would appreciate that information. What I’m looking for here, the last time I looked, if I’m right, I think it was over $1,000 per person per day, I think in the order of $1,600 or something like that. Obviously, at that rate and given the success of other jurisdictions in Canada that have joined with mental health courts, these
costs will be made up very, very quickly. Albeit capital costs won’t go away and so on, and that’s my interest there.
So I think I’ll leave it at that and I’ll look forward to that information and perhaps have the Minister consider what the potential savings are with this. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I’ll take that as a note, a comment. Next on the list I have Mr. Menicoche.
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Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just with court services, I know that I think it’s almost been over a year, maybe more, that court services to the communities increased the cycle, I think from four weeks to six weeks. It is impacting people in the courts. I know that a couple of court cases have been thrown out because justice was just taking too long. Based on those cases and based on the length of people going to trial, it really impacts them because a lot of people are on probation, et cetera, even for a year before they get to trial. So I’d just like to know if the department is reviewing it, working with the judges to try to get people’s court cases heard earlier. Well, the principle of law is, of course, if justice is denied or taking too long, then it’s not good for our justice system. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The turnaround time for court services here in the Northwest Territories is one of the best in the country. The issue the Member is raising on going from four weeks to six weeks, that’s the first that I’ve heard of that. If the Member has a specific occurrence or situation in one of his communities that he wants us to have a look at the amount of time, I mean, that’s something we can inquire as to the length of time that it’s taken and respond back to the Member. Thank you.
Recorded Vote
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
February 23rd, 2014
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
No, it’s not a specific case, it’s just that there’s such a backlog because they have extended it to every six weeks to have the Territorial Court sit in the communities and it’s creating quite a bit of backlog. I guess I can ask the Minister, if he’s not too familiar with it, maybe if he can ask for a briefing note and share that with me. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you. We will get the Member some information on that, and again, to our knowledge, there is a pretty quick turnaround and it is one of the best turnaround times in the country as far as court services go. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much. I know he takes pride in our justice system, but in the communities there are people waiting up to a year to have their trial heard it’s just not working out. In fact, the last territorial circuit in Fort Simpson the
judge actually stayed an extra day and a half just to clear the backlog of the court docket there. So it is an issue and I’m just raising it with the Minister and asking him for a briefing note, and I look forward to it.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
I thank the Member for bringing his concern forward and we will do our best to get an information package to the Member on that scenario. Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Committee, we are on page 9-27, activity summary, court services, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Hawkins.
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Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Two areas I’d like to question. I guess the first one we’ll get out of the way. I had the same questions in the previous pages and I guess we can probably save a lot of time if the Minister can provide the same information and the same detail, as requested, under each section under compensation and benefits. Would he do that?
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we could provide that information to the Member.
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Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. My second question, changing subjects, Mr. Bromley had asked the cost per inmate, per day, the individual costs of the inmate at a facility.
Can I also get a breakdown of what it would cost to send inmates out, be it adult or a juvenile, both male and female? Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Committee, on page 9-27, activity summary, court services, operations expenditure summary, $12.415 million.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Page 9-31, activity summary, corrections, operations expenditure summary, $38.928 million. Mr. Dolynny.
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Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to clarify. I just wanted to take a moment to look at the line item on grants and contributions that lists $179,000. This number is in reference to, I guess, on-the-land programs, in other words we call them wilderness camps and in this case there’s an
elders’ program as well. We know, as a committee, that wilderness camps have been on the radar for the department for some time. We know that we haven’t had many in existence probably for about two years. The last two that we had of value was the Kozo Lake adult camp and the Sahtu elders’ camp. We know those are no longer in activity.
We know that really these wilderness camps don’t represent a direct cost-savings opportunity for our NWT justice system partly because of the ratio of staff to inmates is quite a bit higher and the fact that they need more program development. We know that. We know that the cost savings in the end has more to do with the success of reducing recidivism at the end of the program, so we know there’s a high level of investment upfront and, hopefully, high rewards near the end. We know that in the operation of those two wilderness camps, safety was a definite issue. There were some issues regarding safety mechanisms for the inmates and the staff.
What has the department done to reflect on what we’ve learned from these camps to improve those areas of safety? Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree with the Member and there are other Members who have raised the issue about wilderness camps. Again, we went out to RFP late last year looking for a service provider for the operation of an on-the-land program. We didn’t receive a proposal that was deemed appropriate or available to us, so we are regrouping now. We want to get a wilderness program off the ground for all the reasons the Member has cited. It’s a good program to have here in the Northwest Territories and something we want to see and ensure happens. First and foremost, we want to assure the safety of the inmates who would participate in an on-the-land type of program. We need to, as a department, find the right fit for an operator.
Going forward, we are hopeful we can find an operator who wants to provide this service. Our belief is we will be successful in finding an operator. I know the Member for Sahtu has talked to me a number of times about an operator perhaps from Fort Good Hope. We’re optimistic that someone will step forward and help us get this program up and running. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
I appreciate the barriers in trying to find the right proponent to try to take this on. We know it will be a pretty daunting task.
Has the department established any safety protocols so that when a proponent is identified that the government is the one who has established what those barriers of safety are? Did the
government prepare the safety protocols? Thank you.
Recorded Vote
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
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Haener
For quite some time now, corrections has actually had some fairly detailed requirements around safety, which were contained in previous contracts for the delivery of camp services. They included items related to First Aid training, reporting in relation to the activities of inmates when they’re out at the camp, staff ratios, those kind of things were included in the contract documents. We’ve taken the opportunity over the past several months to review that information to strengthen it, and there was also some collaborative work undertaken amongst the social envelope departments because several of us are looking at delivering on-the-land types of programming in order to share best practices in this area and come up with some consistent baseline requirements around safety for on-the-land programming. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the deputy minister for that answer. I guess what I heard from that is they are working on it. They are working on some baseline, but it sounds still like the government hasn’t established the full parameters of a safety baseline in order for any proponent to work under our guidelines and not the guideline of the proponent. We can just park that for a second, Mr. Chair.
My next comment is there has to be some kind of guiding framework for the government to have for those on-the-land programs.
Does the department have a full framework, tried, tested and true that if a proponent comes around, that proponent is working to our guidelines. Do we have a framework for the government to go by when it comes to on-the-land programs? Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we do. That would have been part of the RFP package and something we would be able to share with Members as well. Thank you.
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Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
I appreciate the Minister’s response. Let me rephrase my question a little bit differently here. Are we expecting the proponent to come up with the guiding framework, the safety protocols and the therapeutic outcome, or is the department establishing the baseline? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
So, given that, has that work been completed or is that still in process? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
Thank you to the Minister. So when we look at the budget line we have here for $179,000, what exactly is the expected result of that investment? Again, when we’re hearing the department say we couldn’t find a proponent or no one has replied to the RFP, could it be by chance that there’s not enough money on the table that any proponent would be of interest to invest? Do we have enough money invested in this very worthwhile, organic part of our court system? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
We do have, in addition to this money which is there to help operators with small equipment purchases, about $800,000 under another line item in the main estimates to help us get an on-the-land program. This is a small component of that, but there are other components to it as well on other pages. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Daryl Dolynny Range Lake
It’s not that I don’t believe the Minister; I believe the Minister is being very upfront with that but, unfortunately, I can only go, and committee can only go, based on what’s in the activity summary for this particular line entry. With that in mind, Mr. Chair, I do have a motion here.
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Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Dolynny, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins, Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Moses, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Blake.
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Clerk Of The House (Ms. Langlois)
Mr. Menicoche, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Lafferty, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you. The motion is defeated seven to eight.
---Defeated
Thank you, committee. Committee, we’re on page 9-31, activity summary, corrections, operations expenditure summary, $38.928 million. Mr. Hawkins.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you. I guess the same questions to the Minister. We can go through it all or I think he understands funded, unfunded, which, et cetera, et cetera. I’ve asked the question repeatedly. I think he knows the question by now. To the Minister, I guess.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we can get that level of the detail for the Member.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I have a couple questions. Would the Minister know roughly how many adult inmates we have and how many juvenile inmates in the system, either now or sort of on average through the year?
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The total for adults is 188. The total for youth is five.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I’ll just note our youth facilities are costing slightly over $5 million a year, so with respect to the wellness court, it would take roughly success with one-third of a youth to make payback right away. Clearly, with these sorts of numbers and the costs that we’re talking about, a wellness court
is a no-brainer in terms of investment. I’m sure the Minister knows that, but I just think it’s clear enough that it needs to be underscored here and the Minister needs to put all efforts to expedite this wellness court which has taken us so many years to get going. That was a comment. I haven’t done the calculation on the 188 adults for $24 million, but I’m assuming it would be in that sort of zone.
My other question was with respect to people with FASD that end up in the correctional system. I know the Minister is aware that people with FASD require a very specialized approach for care and management and certainly for rehabilitation, so diagnosis is very important now. Diagnosis of adults is also problematic, although there are jurisdictions that have programs in place. I’m not aware that Health and Social Services has a support system for diagnosing adults with FASD.
How does the department deal with this situation, knowing that we must have a number of people with FASD in the correctional system and they really should be getting specialized rehabilitation work?
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
The wellness court, of course, would help in this area, as well, and I thank the Member for his support on the wellness court.
As far as FASD, at North Slave Correctional Centre we do have a specialized pod at that facility to help deal with inmates that have FASD. Also, in Fort Smith we have an educator located at the facility in Fort Smith to help with the programming for inmates that have FASD as well.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
I am aware of that facility and those services. Do we have, then, a FASD diagnostic capability within Justice?
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Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We don’t diagnose individuals with FASD when they enter correctional facilities. What we do is an initial assessment with the individual to try to determine where their strengths lie and where we may be able to provide assistance to build upon weaknesses or deficits. We felt that, in many instances, trying to obtain a diagnosis is impossible because we must have information on whether or not the mother drank and sometimes it is impossible to obtain that information, so we focus on taking our limited resources and putting them towards trying to assess the individuals’ skills and to build from there. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, I am no professional, but my understanding is that the people with FASD do take a different type of care and work in rehab, so that is why I am posing the question and considering that it might be important.
It’s my understanding that it is possible, at least under addictions, to have a diagnostic methodology for adult people with the FASD. Now, that may be too expensive and whatnot, but I would say this is potentially an issue and I would appreciate some information to show that the department has looked into it quite a bit and made some decisions here, and how the treatments that we are offering, the rehabilitation work that we are offering incorporates that sensitivity and acknowledgement that you need a different approach with people with that syndrome. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a difficult situation when you are dealing with the adult population in our correctional facilities. We are not alone in that, the prevalence of FASD across the country. Other jurisdictions are in a similar situation as us in trying to determine the prevalence of FASD. We have a diagnostic team at Stanton Territorial Hospital but they deal with youth and it is very much intensive. You require the services of a psychologist, a specialized pediatrician and also other health care providers, so it is something that is not easily arrived at, but we do have that through the Department of Health and Social Services.
As far as how other jurisdictions are dealing with this, we could inquire with Health and Social Services, perhaps, to find out a little bit more information about how other jurisdictions in the country are diagnosing, especially the adult population. I think it is going to be very difficult to arrive at that type of diagnosis in an adult population. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I will leave it at that, I know the Minister is alert to the issue. I will just mention that I did have a colleague do the calculation for adults, and the cost of adults in our system is about $130,000 per person per year, so again a wellness course that is successful for three people would more than pay back, theoretically, the costs that we are proposing to invest, a very modest cost this year. I think the potential is substantially more than that, though I don’t know what is being contemplated for the pilot project, but the opportunities are huge. Just a comment again. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I will take that as a comment. Colleagues, to page 9-13, activity summary, corrections, operations expenditure summary, $38.928 million. Agreed?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Page 9-32, activity summary, corrections, grants and contributions, contributions, $179,000. Agreed?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Page 9-35, activity summary, services to public, operations expenditure summary, $5.111 million. Mr. Bromley.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wondered: from time to time we have a coroner’s office report when there has been an incident that requires particular investigation into the cause of death. I am wondering what the role of the department is in seeing that there is an official response to the coroner’s office and if they also have a role in working towards ensuring that the government follows up on those recommendations. Thank you.
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Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. When the coroner makes a report or there is an inquest, the recommendations or findings may be directed at more than one government department or to entities, including private businesses and other organizations. The recommendations are non-binding, but we do in DOJ, if they are directed at us, as well other government departments, take those recommendations very seriously. They are carefully evaluated and whenever it is reasonably possible to implement them, they are. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wonder if the Minister would consider formalizing the process, when the recommendations are to the GNWT institution, that we formalize the record that the Department of Justice follow up on the response so that the public has some clarity on this. I know there is a lot of concern out there that some reports that have come out have just sort of wavered through the haze as they disappear and there is a lot of angst left behind. I would certainly like some clarity, and some transparency would be appreciated and might even serve the public in ways beyond simply clarity and transparency. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The office of the coroner is a separate entity. If we looked at formalizing, you know, it is the coroner’s reports and instructions to government, and to
formalize that in some different fashion would change the role of the coroner’s office and that is a pretty big discussion to be having, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
I haven’t given this any thought. What the Member is suggesting would certainly change the role and the scope of the coroner’s office. That’s something that we can take away and perhaps, you know, if there is a suggestion coming from the Member or the standing committee, that’s something we can get them a response to. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thanks to the Minister. I think that would be useful. I am sure that the Minister is aware of the issue. I don’t necessarily see how this would be adding so much to the coroner’s office. It would not be something the coroner’s office would do; the Department of Justice would do it, take the lead for the GNWT as receiving the report and making sure that whatever department was the recipient would provide some sort of response that could be reported to the public and bring transparency that way. Just to the Minister’s perspective of this would be an extension of the coroner’s office and I don’t see that.
Could he possibly see what I’m talking about here, that it could be unrelated? The coroner does their job; the report leaves the office, that’s it for the coroner’s office. Now we’re being responsible to the public in follow-up. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
From what I’m getting from the Member’s questioning, he would almost see the department as policing recommendations that fall out of a coroner’s report. The department is not in a position to police other government departments that would be excited in recommendations of the coroner’s report. That’s not something that we do and I don’t know if it’s something we would ever anticipate doing.
I do know that there’s going to be some legislative changes to the Corner’s Act coming up. I’m not sure if it’s going to end up happening in the life of this government, but certainly that will be coming forward. Perhaps at that time, if there are some legislative changes to the Coroners Act, this might be a discussion that Members want to have when that act comes before this House. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thanks to the Minister. That’s an interesting thought. Again, I don’t see this as the coroner’s office. I think, in terms of a policing role, this department is well qualified to do that, but that’s not what I was suggesting either.
What I’m suggesting is bringing clarity and transparency to the public that the coroner’s recommendations in his or her report are actually received by the institution that they’re directed to
and that there is a response. It doesn’t have to be yes, we’re going to do that; it could be we’re already doing that or whatever, or we’re not going to respond, but something that simply responds to the public and provides that transparency. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Mr. Chairman, that’s something we could look at and discuss how that… You know, if it’s publicizing responses to the report, that’s something we can discuss. There might be a way to accomplish what the Member is after. Thank you.
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Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just kind of staying on the same theme here with the coroner’s office, the Minister might know that this is something that has been of interest to me with the recommendations and reading of these reports and some of the alarming statistics that we do see with that.
I know in other jurisdictions they have these death review committees that offer recommendations to the government, and that poses another option of bringing accountability to government and making sure these recommendations get acted on.
Going through the Department of Justice website, looking if we had anything similar, which I don’t believe we do, I’m just wondering if the department has something that’s similar to a death review committee that would give assistance to the government about any legislation changes or policy changes that we need to address once an incident has occurred in the Northwest Territories. Obviously, they’d be working with the coroner’s office, but I’m not sure if the government has something like that. I just want to get confirmation and whether or not the department has looked into developing a death review committee for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We don’t currently have a death review committee. That is something that the coroner is taking up with her colleagues from around the country. I believe Manitoba has one of those types of committees. She is still in the early stages of discussing that prospect, again, with colleagues from around the country. It’s certainly something that we may hear more about as her discussions continue with other jurisdictions on how those committees are working in other jurisdictions and whether or not there’s a possibility that we could have a death review committee established here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
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Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Some of my initial research on death review committees shows that they’re very good in
terms of the recommendations that are made and giving direction to government on what needs to be changed in terms of legislation or policies, or whether or not some type of action needs to be done in a small community. Obviously, there are incidents and cases where we’ve talked about policing in small communities and some of the small communities not having police officers, so that review committee might make a recommendation to include those things.
I’m looking at the number here for the coroner’s office and it’s just over $700,000. I don’t want to get a full breakdown, but how many positions are staffed at the coroner’s office here, and are some of those dollars used for the coroners’ operations for their duties in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Mr. Chairman, we have two positions there, and the Member is correct, a lot of that funding goes to communities and work of the coroners in communities. Thank you.
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Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
In terms of this budget, I know, especially when you have to go into a small community and it takes a lot to cover the cost of going into a small community plus any other expenses that may occur, it doesn’t leave much room for one of the staff members or even the coroners in the communities to do any type of awareness prevention, education around these recommendations that we see in these reports.
Is there a budget for education awareness within this office, and if so, can I ask how much of that budget is geared towards awareness and education? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Mr. Chairman, that’s not the role or the function of the coroner’s office on the education point that the Member brings up. That’s not something they currently do. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
In terms of educating our youth about high-risk behaviours, in the Northwest Territories sometimes we see the unfortunate incidents that result from that. I was very involved with a program called the Party Program, and I know they did it here in Yellowknife and I know they did it in Inuvik; I’m not sure what other communities there were. But it was very expensive and I know that the chief coroner at the time did some very strong presentations that were really effective in teaching youth and adults about high-risk behaviour, something that we always want to put forth. It was a very effective presentation and, actually, it was very interactive.
I wonder if the Minister would look at possibly providing some type of funding or working with the Department of Health and Social Services on injury prevention to look at developing that kind of program that really relates to high-risk behaviours
that we see in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Mr. Chair, the coroner would participate, if asked, in a conference or an opportunity like that, but we do not have a budget for an educational component.
As far as Health and Social Services goes, they have programs, also DOT, on the high-risk behaviour. You know the helmet program that we had. There are problems out there through a number of different government departments that, hopefully, especially young people are paying attention to and taking part in. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Obviously, the coroners that we have across the Northwest Territories are very effective in the fact that they deal with the scene at the time, whether it’s a crime scene or it’s a scene where… They’re sometimes one of the first few people on the scene, so they can share their own personal experiences or what they’ve seen that the general public doesn’t get to see. I’ve seen those kinds of presentations on various levels of areas and I always find to be the most effective in educating our youth about…(inaudible)…behaviour. So I think it’s something that this government needs to maybe look at promoting and seeing if the coroner would be looking at wanting to do something like that and just look at it as an option. Thank you.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you. I thank the Member for his observations and his questions, and that’s something that we will consider. Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Next I have on my list Mr. Hawkins, followed by Mr. Menicoche.
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Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under compensation and benefits, at the same time I’ve asked repeatedly the detail on this and I just want to reaffirm the Minister will provide a detailed level of detail to my office. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just had a question on the maintenance enforcement. I know we changed the legislation on that a few years back. Is the Minister able to report on any trends and how we’re doing in that area? Thank you.
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Haener
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m assuming that the question deals with some of the provisions that were introduced around drivers’ licences and
that type of item that can be used in order to convince people to pay up when they owe monies for maintenance. While I don’t have with me any specific statistics or information, certainly on an anecdotal basis we hear from individuals working in maintenance enforcement as well as from clients that those additional tools that are available to maintenance enforcement are quite helpful and do work. Thank you.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks for that response from the deputy minister. I believe it was 2009 when we passed that legislation, and I guess I would appreciate an update at some point on some of those statistics, and I think it would be useful for the department to look at that and see where we’re at on that. I know it wasn’t without some kerfuffle. So just any sort of evaluation on how that’s working out would be much appreciated. That’s all I had. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we could get the Member and the committee an update on that. Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Committee, page 9-35, activity summary, services to public, operations expenditure summary, $5.111 million.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Agreed. Page 9-37, information item, services to public, active positions.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Page 9-40, information item, work performed on behalf of others. Mr. Bromley.
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Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just wondering: the framework for enhancing victims’ services, $500,000 a year from the federal government with a five-year program. It looks like we’re into the final year here; it could be running out next year. I’m just wondering if that’s the case and whether we’re seeking a renewal with that and also whether there’s been any evaluation, if we can
expect next year to get an evaluation of how the program has worked. Thank you.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’re in the third year of the five-year plan and there is an evaluation built into the program as well. Of course, we would hope that at the end of five years the funding would be able to be renewed in some way, shape or form. Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Committee, page 9-40, information item, work performed on behalf of others, continued.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Agreed. Return to page 9-7, department summary, operations expenditure summary, $124.955 million.
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Does committee agree that we’ve considered the Department of Justice and it is completed?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister, and thanks to the witnesses. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.
What is the wish of the committee? Ms. Bisaro.
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Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we could proceed with Industry, Tourism and Investment, the Minister’s comments and any opening comments from Members, if there are any. Thank you.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Is committee agreed to review the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the 2014-15 Main Estimates for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
The department’s main estimates proposes total operational expenses of approximately $67 million for the coming fiscal year. This is an increase of 34 percent from 2013-2014. This includes specific initiatives of $18 million and forced growth of $1.8 million, which is partially offset by $2 million in sunsets.
The mandate of ITI is to promote economic self-sufficiency through responsible management and development of the Northwest Territories mineral and petroleum resources and energy sources; the development of natural resource industries, including agriculture, commercial fishing and the traditional economy; and the promotion and support of tourism, trade and investment, business, and manufacturing and secondary industries to create a prosperous, diverse and sustainable economy for the benefit of all Northwest Territories residents. Through this mandate, we continue to support the commitment of our government that all residents of the Northwest Territories must have the opportunity to build a stronger future for themselves, their families and their communities.
As a result of devolution, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is receiving responsibility for mineral and petroleum resources management. To accommodate its new responsibilities following the transfer, ITI will take on new functions and has redesigned its organizational structure, which will come into effect on devolution transfer date.
The department has created a new assistant
deputy minister responsible for mineral and petroleum resources;
a new petroleum resources division – nine
people, which will be established in Inuvik;
a new financial analysis and royalty
administration division is being added to manage royalty calculation, collection and auditing; and
a new client services and community relations
unit has been created to support industry by providing guidance on regulatory requirements and working with communities.
We have already hired key senior management for incoming programs, including an assistant deputy minister, and directors of financial analysis and royalty administration, the geoscience office and the petroleum resources division.
Additionally, 42 regional federal employees in transferring programs have accepted positions within the financial analysis and royalty administration division, the mineral resources division, the NWT geoscience office and the new client services and community relations unit within the department. We are pleased to welcome all new staff to the department as their knowledge and experience will enable us to provide continuity of service. Due to the department’s new responsibilities for the management of mineral and petroleum resources as a result of devolution, the budget for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will increase by $13 million. This funding will be used to deliver regulatory responsibilities for petroleum and mineral resource
exploration and development, administration of the royalty regime, and related Aboriginal consultation and NWT regulatory system guidance. The department welcomes these new responsibilities and looks forward to our new role that will strengthen our ability to attract resource development and will provide territory-wide social and economic benefits for years to come.
In 2014-15 the department will support this government’s priority to strengthen and diversify our economy by proposing investments in a number of programs and projects. Last year this government achieved a major milestone with the completion of socially responsible and environmentally sustainable economic development and mining strategies. The Mineral Development Strategy and the Economic Opportunities Strategy are complementary strategies and are proceeding at the same time.
Industry, Tourism and Investment is proposing an investment of $1.5 million to address the recommended actions in the Mineral Development Strategy. This funding includes $655,000 to provide better and more comprehensive geoscience information and research, $400,000 for a NWT Mining Incentive Program aimed at attracting mineral exploration and $200,000 to market the NWT as an attractive place for mineral exploration and development investment. These investments will play key roles addressing the decline in exploration expenditures and firmly establish the NWT as a favourable jurisdiction for sustained mineral exploration investment.
To enhance Aboriginal engagement and community capacity building, a proposed $100,000 investment will go toward the Aboriginal Mineral Development Support Program, in support of organizations to prepare and participate in mineral developments in their area.
Our work continues to diversify our economy away from a dependence on nonrenewable resources. The department is proposing $1.2 million in new funding to initiatives supporting the Economic Opportunities Strategy. Each of the proposed initiatives provides the GNWT with the opportunity to make immediate investments in areas that directly impact NWT residents, businesses and communities. This work includes proposed investments of:
$150,000 on the development of comprehensive
Agriculture Strategy and Implementation Plan. The NWT agriculture industry has grown considerably in the past several years and there is great potential to grow this industry across the territory.
$100,000 for a Film Industry Pilot Project in
response to increased interest in the NWT as a
filming location. This project will measure the impacts of a rebate program to the film industry.
$150,000 for the development of regional
economic plans. Regionally-based plans will engage residents and guide the development of community and regional economies.
$200,000 to support the commercial fishing
industry in capitalizing on domestic commercial market demand. This includes investments to rebuild the current fish plant infrastructure in Hay River, improve the state of the current fishing vessels and improve distribution methods.
$100,000 in a Business Mentorship Program to
support small businesses to attract, recruit and hire professionals for in-demand positions.
Tourism offers some of the best opportunities for growth across the NWT, particularly in our smaller communities. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is proposing increased support to the tourism industry in several key areas which will strengthen and diversify the NWT economy.
In response to feedback from the industry, the department is proposing to invest $200,000 over the next two years in the establishment of a convention bureau. In addition, the department is also proposing an investment of $100,000 to support community tourism infrastructure projects and $75,000 to provide tourism business operators with increased support to develop skills within the tourism labour force.
To grow the tourism industry throughout the territory, we are proposing a forced-growth investment of $600,000 to increase the annual marketing budget of NWT Tourism to $3.3 million. Last year saw the first increase to NWT Tourism’s budget and this increased funding has allowed NWT Tourism to take advantage of new marketing opportunities and focus on prospects that would promote development in regions that are experiencing declining tourism activity.
This funding is in addition to nearly $1.4 million in direct support to tourism businesses through contributions to build and diversify tourism products, through our Tourism Product Diversification and Marketing Program and the Sport Hunt Outfitter Marketing Support Program. Moving forward, ITI will continue to work with NWT Tourism and tourism operators and outfitters to explore ways to grow this important sector of the economy.
Several of the department’s key initiatives centre around energy and energy projects aimed at reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, in support of the 17th Legislative
Assembly’s stated commitment in making “strategic infrastructure investments” and “hydro initiatives.”
Industry, Tourism and Investment works in partnership with the departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works and Services, Transportation and Finance on energy initiatives. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is proposing several specific energy initiatives for the 2014-15 fiscal year, as outlined in the NWT Energy Action Plan, which focuses on efficiency and alternative energy.
The department will continue to support NT Energy in its efforts to continue to contribute to the implementation of GNWT energy planning initiatives. These include:
$1.4 million for the Whati transmission line,
which will connect Whati to the Snare hydro system. Reducing our reliance on imported diesel continues to be a key priority for our government.
$150,000 for finding a solution to the natural gas
shortage in Inuvik, which is a priority for our government. The funding will be used to explore medium- to long-term options for heating in Inuvik and will further examine the possibility of liquid natural gas for Inuvik, which has been identified as the most promising solution to Inuvik’s energy situation.
$200,000 for the Great Bear River mini-hydro
project.
$50,000 contribution to the NT Energy
Corporation to continue their Water Monitoring Program. NT Energy works with the Water Survey of Canada to measure water flows in selected rivers to determine the potential for hydro development. This funding will support current monitoring in the Kakisa River. NT Energy is working with and will share the results with the community.
$700,000 in core staff funding to NT Energy
Corp.
The department is also proposing some key forced-growth investments. To keep pace with the services and amenities visitors to territorial parks have come to expect, and to remain competitive in the North American marketplace, it is crucial to ensure parks are well maintained, have expanded amenities and services and have modern infrastructure.
The department is proposing an investment of $513,000 for parks operation and maintenance. The NWT parks system has experienced a system-wide deficit year after year. This funding will be used to replace deteriorating signage that is over two decades old, keep parks across the territory clean and well maintained and address the increased costs for park operations.
GNWT departments have been working together to find ways to encourage development and minimize impacts associated with the current and planned
petroleum exploration activities in the Sahtu region. The department is proposing $123,000 for a business development administrator in the region to assist residents and businesses with the opportunities associated with development in the area.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment provides funding to the Northern Frontier Visitors Association for administration of services to the North Slave region. This funding has been unchanged since 1996, and administrative costs have risen significantly since then. The department is proposing a forced-growth investment of $50,000 in contribution funding to offset the increased administrative costs incurred by the Northern Frontier Visitors Association to provide tourism services.
Although I have outlined some new and ongoing initiatives the department is proposing, it must also be said that we will continue to support our existing programs, to grow and diversify our economy. Demand for our traditional economy and small business programs continues to grow and programs are often oversubscribed.
Funding for the Support to Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy will continue with dedicated funding for arts and fine crafts, the film industry and the Prospectors Grubstake Program. ITI is also proposing to continue our investment of over $1 million to the Community Harvester Assistance Program, $550,000 in promotion and support of commercial harvesting, processing and marketing of fish and meat, and $610,000 under the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program.
NWT furs continue to be in high demand at auction, and last year our trappers saw their highest profits in over 30 years. There is potential for even higher sales of NWT furs as world-wide demand for our prime wild fur continues to grow. The marketing of wild fur provides great opportunities for residents, particularly in our smaller communities, to gain economic benefits for their families and communities. We are also looking to continue investments in our Take a Kid Trapping and Take a Kid Harvesting programs.
The initiatives I have touched on are just some examples of how Industry, Tourism and Investment is working on behalf of this Assembly and this government to fulfill its mission and have a diversified economy that provides all regions and communities with choices and opportunities as envisioned by the 17th Legislative Assembly.
I look forward to the committee’s comments and ensuing questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Minister Ramsay, do you have witnesses to bring into the House?
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Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
The motion is defeated.
---Defeated
We will continue to debate the department. Sergeant-at-Arms, I will ask you to escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
I’ll ask the Minister to introduce his witnesses.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left I have Mr. Peter Vician, deputy minister, Industry, Tourism and Investment. To my right, Ms. Nancy Magrum, director, shared services, finance and administration.
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. I will now open the floor to general comments on the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Ms. Bisaro.
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Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much. I’m pleased to provide some general comments to ITI. I just wanted to talk a bit about our parks and, more specifically, the Sambaa Deh Park and some of the issues that they were having there. Well, there was a fire there this year and it interrupted the operations. As well, something new that the department had done with the contractors was about the user fees. This year particularly, the government kept the fees and that impacted the contractor. I just want to ask the Minister what the ongoing plan is for the park user fees as we go forward this fiscal year.
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David Ramsay Kam Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Are we departing from the way things have been going? Are we going through general comments and then I’m expected to answer all the questions at the end, or do you want me to answer questions one after the other?
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The Chair Robert Bouchard
At the end, I guess. What is the wish of committee? Committee has decided we’ll take all the general comments for the day and then the Minister can answer all of them at the end. So, Mr. Menicoche, if you could complete
all your general comments and then we’ll move on to the next person.
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Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I have concluded all my general comments.
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