The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Good morning, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu Minister of Transportation

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has committed to building a strong, prosperous territory and ensuring its benefits are shared in all communities and regions. Strategic investments in transportation infrastructure will help support the long-term growth of our economy and provide jobs and opportunities to our people. The Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway is one of these projects, and I am pleased to report on the success of the first winter of construction.

The highway is one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by the GNWT and is significant as the first leg of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway that will continue south to Wrigley to connect the entire NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the project is progressing according to the Department of Transportation’s estimates. Operations ran smoothly and efficiently this winter to make the most of the construction season.

Work began this winter following the procurement and delivery of new equipment. Seventy-five percent of the major equipment on site is either new or near new. This allowed work to continue without delay as breakdowns were minimized, safety was increased and the carbon footprint of operations was reduced.

Seventy-two days of construction took place on the north end of the project near Tuktoyaktuk, lasting from mid-February to the end of April. During this time, crews made progress on the construction of 16 kilometres of embankment, one bridge and six large diameter culverts. On the south end by Inuvik, there were 58 days of construction from

March 3 to the end of April, resulting in progress on the construction of 13 kilometres of embankment, two bridges and seven large diameter culverts.

Over one million cubic metres of embankment material was moved during this time.

Mr. Speaker, this success should be attributed to the effort of crew members who worked days and nights during some of the coldest and darkest part of winter. The resiliency and determination of these men and women is essential to the project’s success. At the peak of construction, 425 individuals were employed by EGT Northwind, of which approximately 10 percent were female employees who were involved in all aspects of the construction project from environmental monitoring to operating 40-tonne rock trucks.

Mr. Speaker, Northerners are already benefitting from this highway construction project. Over 18,000 person days of employment were created during winter construction, including almost 15,000 person days for NWT and Inuvik region residents. This does not include employees working for the 41 subcontractors hired by EGT Northwind to provide a range of services from wildlife monitoring to medical services. In addition, 83 percent of these subcontracts were awarded to northern companies.

The project company used simulators to train more than 70 individuals on different types of rock truck and excavator equipment during the first construction season. Training activity is expected to increase during the next construction season that is anticipated to last up to six months.

While most construction activities occur during the winter, shaping, grading and compacting activities will resume at the end of June until fall. During this time no movement of material from the borrow pits will take place. This plan is developed to protect the permafrost underneath the highway.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to encourage residents spending time in the Inuvik region this summer to learn more about thisspectacular project by attending the Inuvik Petroleum Show. The department will be featuring a booth where photos and additional information regarding the construction of the highway can be found. Residents may also find information on the project’s dedicated website located at inuviktotuk.gov.nt.ca. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay Minister of Justice

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP enjoys a long and important history in the NWT, going all the way back to its original creation as a force established to police what was then a much larger Northwest Territories. Today the RCMP continues to be valued for the policing services they provide and the contributions individual members make in our communities.

Within our government and throughout the North, we are working collaboratively to address social issues more effectively. The local policing plans we have developed in partnership with the RCMP and communities demonstrate how effective this approach can be.

This process started two years ago, when the Minister's policing priorities focused on objectives such as building public trust and confidence in RCMP services. From this came a series of conversations that were held between community members and the RCMP with the goal to develop plans setting out policing priorities for every community. As a result, each of our 33 communities has had the opportunity to work closely with the RCMP to determine what matters to them most.

In keeping with these priorities, community leadership and the Department of Justice receive a monthly report from the RCMP detailing progress on the agreed issues. This process is building trust as well as accountability and contributes to an increased satisfaction with policing services.

Communities are now better informed about the work of the RCMP, and the Department of Justice can identify common issues and priorities Northerners share. The valuable community-based information collected in reports will be used by the department and our partners to guide policies, programs and services. The ultimate result will be an increasingly effective and efficient use of limited financial and human resources.

As part of the evolution of this work, I have asked the RCMP to go further in working with the communities by developing joint policing action plans. These are intended to complement and work hand in hand with the priorities set by each community. The community and the RCMP will work together to decide how to address the priority issues within existing resources. While many of these will be coming directly from the RCMP, this process also gives communities the opportunity to contribute their own strengths and resources. These action plans will help to demonstrate progress and outline timelines for results. Again, we

are finding ways to be accountable to those we serve.

Mr. Ron Smith, the new commanding officer of the RCMP at "G" Division, is known to many of us. He is here with us today and I will be acknowledging him at the appropriate time. Prior to assuming the commanding officer position in May, Chief Superintendent Ron Smith was the officer in charge of criminal operations here in the Northwest Territories. He has served in other northern jurisdictions, including Nunavut and Labrador. We are all looking forward to working with him.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Wade Blake for his contribution to policing services as chief superintendent of “G” Division. Mr. Blake was instrumental in rolling out our new approach to the policing priorities from the beginning. It is his good work that we are now able to build upon, and we are very pleased that he will continue to work with us in his new position as director of community justice and community policing.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard the concerns of Members about the 12 communities that do not have detachments. In consultation with Chief Superintendent Smith, we will be recommending that these communities be the first to benefit from this enhanced policing plan process.

Achieving sustainable, vibrant and safe communities is one of the goals of this Assembly, and we are committed to making it a reality in partnership with communities. The RCMP and the GNWT recognize the importance of collaboration to ensure we are properly targeting and allocating resources to meet the needs and priorities of the people we serve. We believe in the people of the NWT, the history, the strength and the abilities we have to make our communities safer together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy Minister of Health and Social Services

Mr. Speaker, June 1st is National Cancer Survivors Day. This day is an annual celebration of life and loved ones. Each year it reminds us of the importance of speaking openly about cancer and supporting one another in the face of such a serious disease.

On average, 111 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the NWT every year. There is life after diagnosis. The NWT residents I know who have cancer have shown courage and strength in their individual cancer journeys.

Too often we think that the diagnosis of cancer is a reason for despair, but more people are surviving

and going on to live full lives during and after treatment. These people are survivors.

I encourage everyone to look at every cancer patient as a survivor, not a victim. NWT residents who have experienced cancer may choose to self-identify in different ways, but there is no reason to view someone living with cancer as a victim.

In March the department launched a project funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer to improve the cancer journeys of NWT residents. The Continuity of Care Project focuses on supporting cancer patients and survivors along the full continuum of care, particularly in the post-treatment phase. This project will help us to enhance after-care and services by reinforcing community-level capacity and improving coordination and communication.

We must continue to raise awareness of cancer so that people get screened earlier. I encourage everyone to join the fight against cancer. Residents can talk to the NWT Canadian Cancer Society to find out what awareness-raising events are taking place in their communities, like the Relay for Life. In past years as many as 30 NWT residents who openly identify themselves as cancer survivors have participated. This government is in full support of this event and all others which raise awareness and funding for cancer prevention, and I encourage others across the NWT to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, we understand our communities’ concerns about cancer. This demands that we talk frankly, work collaboratively and continue to support one another. On National Cancer Survivors Day, please join me in taking a moment to celebrate the resilience and strength of all NWT residents who have bravely faced this disease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 3, Members’ statements. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I read in a newspaper ad, “To be proud of your history, you must know it. Education builds roots to the past that will open pathways to the future.” I thought about this quote because I want to talk about the graduates from Aurora College 2014, students that have undergone extreme conditions of hardship, sacrifice, but with the passion and enthusiasm to get an education for themselves and for their families; students who made the sacrifice to be away from home, away from family for a year, two years, three years, four years; students who

know what it means to pack up their house, move it to a new location and having housing issues, having housing for their family; students who know that there is funding, but there is limited funding, not enough; students who take on extra jobs; students who ask the land corps, the band, the Metis organizations for funding; families who have been separated because the father or mother has to stay home and work to support their family going to school.

I know a student in Fort Smith. The father is working in Colville Lake and the mother is raising five children and taking a bachelor of education degree. Students who yet make these sacrifices, knowing that something good will come out of these sacrifices. Those are the words that the elders have taught us. You make a sacrifice into something good.

Education is our tool that will keep us alive today, just as the ones we once used on the land to survive. We are changing over time and adapting so that we can use the value of learning that remains the core of who we are.

Today I want to acknowledge our Aurora College graduates, Aurora College itself and the staff, to say how proud we are to see our students in colleges and to see the completion of their studies.

I want to name the 10 students. From the Sahtu at the North Slave campus: Cheryl Kelly from Deline, Helen Menaco from Deline, Helen Batelle from Deline, and our own Miss Lovely, Cheryl Yakeleya from Tulita. At Thebacha Campus: Violet Edgi from Fort Good Hope, Janelle Perriot from Fort Good Hope, Martha Stewart from Fort Good Hope, Sylvia Clement from Norman Wells, Robin Tagisou from Deline, and my niece Laura Krutko from Deline. These graduates have made a contribution to the people in the communities and for themselves.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge, Mr. Speaker, and I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I want to acknowledge the families, their communities and the students themselves for a job well done. Graduates are role models. We need to look at how we can continue to support them.

Lastly, I want to thank the campuses of the communities of Fort Smith, Yellowknife and Inuvik and all the Aurora College centres in the Northwest Territories that support these students. Mahsi cho from the MLA for Sahtu.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to commend our high school graduates in Nahendeh. It’s that happy time of year when the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and proud parents and families are celebrating with their offspring one of the most important milestones in the life of a child or young adult: high school graduation day.

I want to congratulate each and every graduate in the Northwest Territories for the achievement they are celebrating this year, and I also commend the parents, families, teachers and communities for the support that has helped their students succeed.

As indicated, I especially want to acknowledge the graduates of the communities of Fort Simpson and Fort Liard that I represent in Nahendeh. It can be especially hard for students from small communities to get a good education. I’m so proud that our small communities and small schools can do this for our students. I offer my thanks and greatest compliments to our teachers and the teaching support staff for their dedication to our children’s success. They all get a pat on the back from me.

To those of you who are hoping to graduate, take a look at your older brothers, sisters, cousins and friends. Just like them, you also have what it takes to succeed and you can be a graduate too one day. Just keep working hard and dreaming big.

To all our graduates, I want to give a special message: Enjoy your graduation ceremony. It is an appreciation and recognition of your hard work and achievement. You each have a great deal to be proud of. You have shown us that you’ve got what it takes to be successful. Keep working towards your dreams. With continued dedication we know you’ll be successful in your education and career goals. The doors of opportunity open to welcome you. As you step through those doors, be bold and fearless. Just keep calm and move on. The whole world is waiting for you.

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about support for grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren. I’m a grandmother and I know that if I had to go to sleep at night or for one minute had to wonder whether my grandchildren were being properly cared for, I would necessarily have to rearrange my life and make sure that I stepped in and became involved in that. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with daughters-

in-law and sons that are probably better parents than their parents were, but I understand the heart of grandparents who do step in and raise their grandchildren.

This issue has been raised to me by constituents recently and also by aunties and uncles that step in, also thinking of the couple that went to the media that are from Ndilo that were raising four of their grandchildren and without financial support from our government. When asked about this recently, the Minister of Health and Social Services confirmed that in cases where children are apprehended through the system and placed with grandparents, grandparents are eligible for remuneration at the exact same rate as regular foster parents, but when grandparents foster their grandkids informally, they don’t qualify for remuneration, and this is because it’s happening outside of the formal child and family services system. In these cases, the Minister stated that income support is an appropriate avenue for help. But what if the grandparents caring for these grandchildren aren’t eligible for income support? Then what is their recourse?

I have reviewed the department’s pamphlet on voluntary support service agreements. These agreements come into play when parents can’t take proper care of their children and when “there’s no other available help from family, friends or other community services.” What does no other help available mean? Does it mean grandparents have already stepped in with their own resources? Some grandparents are penalized because they have had the compassion and the sense of duty to step in before their grandchildren are formally apprehended by the system. Then they are expected to go to income support, and if they don’t qualify they’re expected to provide for their grandchildren from their own resources.

It seems that there may be a way to improve the system here and there may be a break in the system here. I would rather that we could come up with a way of recognizing those situations and work collaboratively with the social services to determine…

May I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement, please?

---Unanimous consent granted