This is page numbers 4327 – 4378 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th 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 health.

Topics

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

For the last 10 years, I’ve been getting tips, reports, as to the transfer of the Canol Heritage Trail, the sites and reports from the federal government. Our government has been hesitant and reluctant to take over full ownership until all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed on this issue. With regard to the park they built, there are some areas that are not contaminated. Some areas are pretty well as natural as can be since the creation of this world.

Are there things in the plan that would help the young people as to what we can do to improve the safety of the hiking trail for other hikers that do go on the trail?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Capital money for parks is scarce. We just had over $2 million for small capital projects at our parks across the Northwest Territories. Last year we had $50,000 for Doi T’oh and also this year we’re looking at a further investment of $150,000. We’re looking at a cable crossing at Twitya River. That is a treacherous river crossing, as the Member knows. So we’re looking at putting that investment into the area as well.

We need to find further investments as we move along and get that land transferred so we can continue to look at positive developments at that park. Thank you.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

The youth that we had out there, about ages 14 to 20 years old from different regions, came to the Canol and we had private sponsors. Certainly, we appreciated the sponsors from this government to take the youth. I wanted to ask the Minister, would there be an opportunity for the young people… From the report I have, some of the recommendations for them to be on the trail for

25 miles, 70 miles, 50 miles, they saw a lot out there.

Can this department sit down with the youth and ask what they’ve learned, take their recommendations and where can we put some emergency shelters, some infrastructure, so we can make the hike more enjoyable yet challenging?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

It’s in our best interest to utilize the information. I know the Member has been out there many years with the youth from the Northwest Territories walking the Canol Trial. It is very useful information that he has and the youth who have that have traversed the trail over the years. If there is an opportunity to sit down with the most recent participants on the Canol hike from last summer or this coming summer and look at areas where they believe we could put some infrastructure, we could make the park better for people who are travelling in the park, that’s certainly an area where our staff have a hard time getting out to, so any input the hikers and the Member can provide the department with is certainly in our best interest.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, on part of the hike, we have rules of conduct when hiking out on the trail. One of the things we thought would be good as part of the recommendations would be to put up some signs at mile 25 on Carcajou River or Twitya or Little Keele to let people know to respect the trail. They are entering into Sahtu Dene/Metis lands and to respect the Canol Heritage Trail. That’s part of the rules of conduct we have amongst our young hikers. Don’t throw garbage on the ground, take what you need to take out of there, be respectful of the area.

Is that something the Minister could look at?

Maybe putting up some billboard signs for hikers as a reminder when they come onto the Sahtu lands?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Signage, of course, is important. Again, it would be in the department’s best interest to talk to the Member, talk to the people who have travelled the trail to find out where the best locations are for signage. I thank the Member for his offer and I’ll ensure the staff in the region get a chance to sit down with those who hike the trail and talk about where we can put the signage. We’ve had some capital dollars last year and we have more capital dollars earmarked for the area this coming year, so we may be able to look at some signage for the park. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the beginning of session, I asked questions of the Minister of Transportation with regard to Highway No. 8. I know we don’t have funds available in this current budget to address the upgrades to the highway. I know one of the things that I was told is we’re waiting on a response from the federal government with regard to the Building Canada Fund. Since then, we’ve received confirmation, so I’d like to ask the Minister if there will be funding available to continue upgrades to the Dempster Highway, or Highway No. 8. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Transportation

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Recently, we’ve received confirmation for the Building Canada Fund. We’ve had discussions internally about the allocation between DOT and Municipal and Community Affairs and funding the communities. So we have had most of those discussions. Right now, we’ve taken the money that was promised to us through the Building Canada Fund and we are now going to be discussing that to determine how we’re going to be able to match that money with the GNWT dollars in order to leverage the full amount that’s available. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Does that mean we will have work for the highway this summer? I know a lot of people depend on that work. We employ over 40 people during the summer. Will that be in place for this current summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Transportation

The plan moving forward and the portion of the plan that we had submitted to the federal government that was approved was for the reconstruction of most of the highway infrastructure across the territory. The Dempster is in there. As soon as we’re able to match the dollars, if we’re able to find matching dollars for the Dempster in 2014-15, then we will be starting year one of the Building Canada Plan work on the Dempster and other highways this year. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

That sounds promising, so I will have further questions during the spring session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, I’ve been informed that an applicant to the Growing Forward Program had received some money, but they used it for holidays and to take people away.

I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI, when we give money to applicants in programs like this, how often are they screened and evaluated in a follow-up process to make sure this doesn’t happen on a regular basis? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not familiar with the suggestion that somebody was using program dollars for a vacation. If the Member wants to give me some details, I’m certainly more than happy to look into that. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. I’ll certainly make sure the Minister receives those particular details, but one of the problems that I’ve seen with the Growing Forward Program is that the department doesn’t do a follow-up evaluation and certainly sort of a measured context as opposed to reporting back to find out how the money was spent and how it was enabled to do more as it always promised.

What type of screening, evaluation monitoring and management of the information and certainly the investment of the money is done by ITI and how is that distributed back to the public? Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Thank you. On an annual basis we table the grants and contributions report detailing the program dollars that we do get out there. Program dollars are delivered on a regional basis and we’ve got lots of examples of how that money is being put to good use here in the Northwest Territories. We’re developing an agricultural industry here in the NWT, we signed a new agreement with the federal government last year and we’re moving forward in a very positive manner. We’re also going to be developing an agricultural strategy and a firm, solid policy base for agriculture here in the NWT. I certainly look forward to the Member and other Members’ input into the development of that strategy. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. Well, we all know where the money is going because it’s found in a report, that report is tabled, it’s available at the library or on-line. That’s all great information, but is there any follow-up compendium to know how the money was spent and what were the results achieved out of that type of money, because that would have all been part of the application to say I need X amount of dollars and this is what I plan to do with them.

Do we know if they actually did the stuff that they’ve applied for and met the spirit and intent of the application? Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Thank you. We do have professional staff across the Northwest Territories that does follow-up with folks that access dollars through those programs. If the Member has a

specific concern over a specific application, or funding that went somewhere and wasn’t followed up on, again, I’d be more than happy to sit down with the Member or hear his concerns about a specific application and we can follow that up. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Time for oral questions has expired. Oh, sorry, Mr. Hawkins, final, short supplementary.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate your generosity there. The Minister says that people follow up, I can provide examples where people don’t follow up on grants and contributions given to individuals where they’ve applied to the department. All I want to know, and I think the public deserves to know right now, is where is this all reported? It’s great we know we can go to, say, group X or business X or NGO X and they got so much money, but we want to know to make sure that they did spend the money as they said they would. So we just need to make sure that that’s the case. That’s the issue right now. We want to see where it’s publicly reported, not just because the Minister says he knows. I want to see it reported. Thank you.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment

Thank you. Again, we table, on an annual basis, the grants and contributions report. Again, if the Member has any specific concerns, please bring them to my attention and we will follow them up. Thank you.