Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, last year’s extreme forest fires burned an area of over three million hectares. While it was likely the worst fire season we’ve ever had, wildland fires are a natural occurrence, leading to forest and wildlife renewal.

One early sign of renewal is the appearance of morel mushrooms, and we anticipate a bumper crop this summer.

Morel mushrooms are a prized delicacy sought by national and international food service markets. They cannot be cultivated in a commercial environment, and NWT morels, in particular, are known to be of better quality, taste, texture and size than those found elsewhere.

We saw evidence of the economic potential of this resource last summer, when residents in the Deh Cho, working with southern buyers, realized an estimated $750,000 from the harvest of morel mushrooms in the Fort Simpson vicinity. Mr. Speaker, if this year’s harvest meets expectations, it could be worth as much as 10 times that amount for residents in communities around Great Slave Lake.

The harvest of NWT morels offers an opportunity to make a significant contribution to our northern economy. Mr. Speaker, our role as government is to establish an environment in which such opportunities can be identified, pursued and realized.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has been preparing for a significant harvest of morels for a number of years. As well, ENR will be pursuing amendments to the Forest

Management Act to allow for the regulation of mushrooms.

In anticipation of this year’s morel crop, ITI, along with our partners, is developing a comprehensive handbook and field guide and is preparing to deliver a number of orientation workshops to help inform, prepare and protect NWT residents interested in taking part in this year’s harvest.

We hope to be able to advise southern buyers that they will not need to bring large crews of pickers to the NWT, highlighting instead that we have a trained, knowledgeable resident workforce in our communities to support the morel harvest.

The NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy speaks of the importance of diversifying our territorial, regional and community economies by investing in northern businesses and taking advantage of resources that are readily available to residents of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, morel mushrooms are one such resource that is ripe for the picking and we look forward to a bountiful crop this summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, as we have been hearing in this Assembly recently, on-the-land healing programs are critical to achieving our goal of healthy, educated people free from poverty. That discussion echoes recommendations previously made by the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness.

The Department of Health and Social Services recognizes the importance of spiritual and cultural healing and has made on-the-land programming a key component of the continuum of care and treatment of addictions. We are working with Aboriginal governments to deliver on-the-land programs as part of Territorial addictions services. These programs are designed and developed by communities to meet their needs, whether that is after-care, youth programming, or dedicated time for families to heal together.

In the 2013-2014 fiscal year, three very different pilot projects took place in the Tlicho, Inuvialuit and Akaitcho regions. These three projects helped us work with partners to determine the most effective approaches to on-the-land healing and common factors for success.

All three Aboriginal governments have indicated that community response to these initial pilot projects was very positive, and there was great interest in knowing when the next program might be offered.

This success reinforces our commitment to continued investment and ongoing evaluation of on-the-land programs. Aboriginal governments are essential partners in this effort, and we are working collaboratively to meet the needs of all residents. Aboriginal governments are using the funding, and the additional resources and expertise available through the Department, to deliver programs unique to their regions.

I’d like to highlight some of those programs for Members today,

The Tlicho Community Services Agency held on-the-land programs for Tlicho residents in the summer of 2014 and is planning a session centred around traditional knowledge and after-care for the winter of 2015.

Building on successful pilot projects last summer, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is offering five additional wellness camps to residents of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, at Reindeer Station and the Gwich’in Campground.

The Gwich’in Tribal Council will provide a five-day on-the-land program for the four Gwich’in settlement communities: Aklavik, Inuvik, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson.

The Sahtu Dene Council will offer two 10-day camps near Deline for families from across the region.

The Akaitcho Territory Government will support community-based on-the-land addictions programs delivered by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Deninu K’ue First Nation, and the Lutselk’e Dene First Nation.

Plans for the Dehcho have not yet been finalized, but we continue to work with them to determine the best approach for their region.

Mr. Speaker, this is an exciting approach to treatment and healing and demonstrates this government’s commitment to providing residents with innovative mental health and addictions services that support them on their path to wellness.

We are off to a good start, but we know that the demand for on-the-land programs far exceeds what we can provide alone. The department is working closely with other departments, Aboriginal

governments, and our partners in the philanthropic sector, to explore the potential for a funder collaborative that will allow communities and Aboriginal governments to tap into other funding sources.

It is the hope and expectation of all partners in these initiatives that their work will lay the groundwork for expanded on-the-land healing opportunities across the Northwest Territories in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 1969, our federal partners have tried to resolve the land management of the East Arm area of the Great Slave Lake with little success. In the wake of acquiring devolution powers as of April 1, 2014, I’m surprised our government has been silent on its progress.

Understanding the sensitivity to some on this topic, my wish is to only start a spirited dialogue of reasoning and the guiding principles of equal rights, equity and fairness for all who share this land. Are there alternatives to the existing stalemate of a national park program that could be looked at for a better management plan regarding a special area, for promoting land use, for a bigger role in getting youth on the land, to strengthen language and culture and to enshrine conservation from a Dene perspective? I believe there are.

Similar to the initiative being proposed in the East Arm with the Lutselk’e Dene Nation wishing to create the Thaidene Nene National Park, so too are the recent success stories of the Dehcho First Nations with their Protected Area Strategy for the Horne Plateau, Horne River, Mills Lake and Willow Lake River.

The Dehcho First Nations has showed us a made-in-the-North strategy where local monitoring and regular management are carried out by local Ne Hotkee Deneh, watchers of the land, to make sure these areas are kept sacred, green and clean.

At the core of its success is knowing the stewardship is being done from here rather than Ottawa. I applaud the Dehcho First Nations for applying such a made-in-the-North approach using northern tools and recognizing these protected areas as considered unique and special to all the people of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, we can learn from success. Our solutions are embedded in the desire for all parties

to find a made-in-the-North solution and approach with the guiding principle of equity and fairness for all users.

I ask nothing more than a positive dialogue with Lutselk’e Dene First Nation, YKDFN, the Metis, local residents and this government to proceed with confidence, especially knowing now there’s a pause from the federal government from progressing further.

We have been given a golden opportunity to take the lead initiative as we evolve with new devolution authority. My hope that with the proper use of northern tools, an alternative to the national park for land management of the East Arm area can progress with the proper framework agreement or an agreement-in-principle with affected stakeholders prior to the end of our legislative sitting.

I will have questions today for the Minister of ENR. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last 50 years, immunization has saved more lives than any other health measure. It has been said that vaccination is the best way for you and your family to prevent very serious illnesses and diseases. When you get immunized, you are protecting yourself and others from serious diseases. Some vaccine-preventable disease could lead to disability or death and can be avoided by getting the immunizations you need on time.

The objectives of immunization programs are to prevent, control, possibly eliminate or eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases. In countries with effective immunization programs, important reductions have been achieved in the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Globally, smallpox has been eradicated and efforts are currently directed at the eradication of polio and elimination of measles. Universally recommended vaccination has been hailed as one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century and credited with

saving more lives than any other intervention. Moreover, immunization programs, particularly those with standardized immunization schedules, have proven to be highly cost effective and, in some cases, cost saving.

As the incidences of vaccine-preventable diseases are decreasing, the attention of some of the public may shift from the disease to potential adverse events following immunization. This shift in focus has resulted in some cases in individuals

questioning the need for immunization, leading to lower vaccine coverage and resurgence of some diseases. In Canada the resurgence of measles, mumps and whooping cough, in particular in 2010-2013, has highlighted the need for a continuation of immunization programs that achieve high immunization coverage.

The low incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases and their associated mortality in Canada is a result of successful vaccination programs, and in addition to achieving high rates of immunization coverage, for Canadians to receive the greatest possible benefits from immunization it is essential that vaccines and vaccination programs continue to be monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Speaker, later today I’ll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about specific information regarding the Northwest Territories on our immunization programs and uptake on vaccines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Late last week the Hay Walkers arrived in

Tuktoyaktuk

.

As you know, we weren’t there, you were there, we didn’t see you there. But, I’m talking about the NWT Recreation and Parks Association.

I know you were in Tuk, but we weren’t there.

The NWT Rec and Parks Association has a walk from Fort Providence to Tuktoyaktuk. It promotes healthy living, walking, exercising, especially in this bad time when the weather is tough. But there’s a bunch of teams out there. There are 188 teams out there throughout the Northwest Territories walking right now.

I’d like to say we were the first team to arrive, but I think there have been at least 55 teams that have arrived to Tuktoyaktuk already, and some of them are racing on the way back. I know we’re committed to walking back and hot on the heels of Happy Feet, one of our team captains, Tom Makepeace’s wife’s team, so we’re in a little bit of a race with them, trying to catch up.

Mr. Speaker, these teams come from all the way from the Far North, Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, all the way to Tsiigehtchic, Norman Wells, all the way down the valley, Nahanni Butte, Fort Liard, Fort Smith, Hay River, Yellowknife. All over the Northwest Territories there are thousands of people walking, getting their steps in, whether it’s walking their dog, or just committing to being out in the North and doing exercise. Many of these teams are school teams. Many of them are seniors’ groups. Many are friends and families getting together and

just challenging each other, get your hours in, get your time in.

We are sad to say that the Walk to Tuk didn’t win the Play Exchange Challenge, the national challenge that we voted on, but we know that’s not from the spirit that we have but just because Quebec had bigger numbers. Good luck to everybody. Keep walking. Thank you.

I just want to remind the Member, everybody wants to go to Tuk. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I called attention to an active, successful and delicious northern industry, the morel mushroom harvest. As I’ve said before, this Deh Cho crop is prized by gourmet chefs across Canada and around the world. It also thrives in burned land. One positive outcome, at least, of last summer’s extensive fire season.

As you know, these fires affected more than three million hectares of land, including significant positions of the Deh Cho region, and demanded significant human, mechanical and financial resources. But, as with the morel mushrooms, last summer’s fires have also given us the opportunity to grow. For example, we can look at our communities’ wildland fire protection plans to identify where we can grow and improve. Last July Kakisa residents saw the importance of fire smarting firsthand. Thanks to the community’s readiness and the hard work of committed firefighting crews, no structures were lost when residents were forced to evacuate.

Other communities can follow their example when preparing for the upcoming season. While communities and families have an important role to play in forest fire readiness, we must not forget that they rely on the government for support, for program funding, for the development and protection plans and for other preventative measures.

Even today, in this cold winter, there are concerns of fires smouldering beneath the muskeg. Looking forward to the coming summer, we need to be ready. We must make sure our communities are as prepared as they can be to respond to a forest fire emergency.

Later today I’ll have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources regarding emergency preparedness for summer fires. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Single Use Retail Bag Program has recently had its fifth birthday. It was originally rolled out into stores in 2010 and had its last update in February 2011.

Many of us have come to know and appreciate the fact that the single use bag is being charged at 25 cents per use. That’s on paper, plastic, biodegradable and, certainly, compostable bags.

I’m on record many times supporting responsible environmental initiatives and I certainly support the principle of this retail bag initiative, but we must always be practical in our design. There are notable exemptions. As we know, prescription bags, dry cleaning bags and paper bags from restaurants are considered exempted from this fee.

But across Canada, they have found different approaches over the years. In some communities they do outright banning of particular bags and in other places they do partnerships through organizations such as Shoppers Drug Mart, and even Indigo Books have charged fees even though they’re not required to by legislation.

The point of the single use bag was to get plastic bags out of our landfills, away from our streets and in our yards. Get them out of the environment, Mr. Speaker. I think the program, in essence, has been a success from its original design. But this has also captured what I define as biodegradable bags and compostable bags. In my view, the single use bag was really intended to get the plastic bags out of the environment system because they do not break down, certainly at least not in our lifetime.

What’s being raised by business – and they’re talking to me about this – is the question, should compostable and biodegradable bags be included into the Single Use Retail Bag Program and policy? Because they are doing exactly what the intent was, which is they wanted bags that break down and don’t harm the environment.

Across Canada, according to The Star, in 2014 it talked about the quietly changing policies across Canada where some jurisdictions are even repealing or amending their original legislation because they’re finding challenges with it.

The point I’m really raising here is technology has advanced in a way that we have better products on the market here, people are using paper bags, they’re encouraging multi-use bags such as cloth bags given out by many of the MLAs, such as myself and others, but the idea was to get plastic bags out of the environment.

Later today I’ll be asking the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources about maybe reviewing this policy, updating it so it’s practical in a way that makes sense to everyone and still

achieves the initiative we always wanted: a cleaner environment.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we know, the 2015 Canada Winter Games is currently in full swing in Prince George. In addition to the 2,400 athletes participating over the next two weeks, the Games are expected to attract as many as 20,000 visitors.

Our NWT contingent I know will be great ambassadors for the territory, and like my colleague did yesterday, I want to acknowledge the individuals from Frame Lake who are representing the NWT in Prince George. There aren’t quite as many as there were from Range Lake, but they are certainly just as worthy.

Emily Paddock and Dakota Earle are with our female hockey team, the team that successfully bested the Yukon yesterday. Way to go, girls.

With them is Dave Earle, the female hockey team’s trainer. Paul Green is supporting our biathlon team as the wax tech. Tracy East is the manager for our shooting team. Last but not least, Rebecca Canam is looking after them all as one of the NWT Team mission staff.

The Canada Games have been held every two years since 1967, alternating winter and summer games. The Canada Games is now Canada’s largest multisport competition for young athletes, athletes who are our country’s next generation of national, international and Olympic champions. The hosting of the Games moves around the country from jurisdiction to jurisdiction according to a schedule.

In 2007 the Canada Games were held in the North for the very first time, in Whitehorse, Yukon, and now the NWT has the opportunity to host the 2023 Canada Winter Games. It’s a big task but one that Yellowknife and the NWT is well able to handle. The city has proven that capability over the years by successfully hosting many Arctic Winter Games, and what a glorious opportunity hosting the Canada Games is for Yellowknife and the NWT.

I support the NWT and Yellowknife taking on this hosting job, and I anticipate the excitement, the economic boost and the exposure to the NWT that the Games will bring. But that’s to come.

This week our athletes are in Prince George doing their best. I ask this House to wish every one of our NWT Canada Games team reps all good luck. Go, NT, go!

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday at our three campuses across the Northwest Territories, students and staff kicked off the Aurora College Week with an open house. In fact, this open house right across the Northwest Territories was held simultaneously on our three campuses using videoconferencing, including a demonstration of how courses will be delivered using this new technology, examples of course presentation methods and discussion of career opportunities for graduates. It came at a perfect time in terms of all the discussion around the Mackenzie Fibre Optic Link. This week also is a great opportunity to highlight the programs and services in education and training at our three campuses, not only at those campuses but the numerous learning centres that we have in our small communities.

This week also allows for the public to meet our staff at various events as well as meet the students and how they’re enjoying the programs that they’ve been involved in and how the quality of programs is being delivered. It’s a great opportunity for the public to engage our staff and students at all of our campuses and support them by attending various events in Inuvik, Fort Smith and here in Yellowknife.

In terms of talking about support, standing committee does in fact support the staff as well as supporting the students, and this was made relevant when standing committee last year met with the students here at the Yellowknife Campus where we heard a lot of their concerns, heard a lot of issues that they had within the campus as well as with space and, in some cases, student services. Following that, committee did meet with the Board of Governors as well as the executive to look at how we can address some of these concerns for our students so that they can get the best education possible.

I, as the Member representing Inuvik Boot Lake, had the opportunity earlier last year to meet with the Board of Governors in Inuvik and bring up some issues about the Inuvik campus, lack of programming services, but also bringing up some concerns that standing committee did have, and I just want to acknowledge the Aurora College for reaching out to standing committee to allow them to have a Member present at the Board of Governors meetings.

I will be asking questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment today about those recommendations that came from standing committee.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Freedom. Such a powerful word. People fight for it, children yearn for it, companies aspire to it and governments protect it at all costs. As individuals, we cherish it. Sahtu region wants its freedom, wants its independence. We have tasted it. We have known what it is like to have departments slowly coming into the regions ourselves to make our own decisions based on the realities of the Sahtu lifestyle.

The time has come for the other regions to let go of their shackles on the Sahtu and allow it to make its own decisions.

For example, the Department of Transportation, airports decisions come from Inuvik. On the highways, decisions come from the Fort Simpson regional office. Even the Department of Public Works, the decisions come from the Inuvik region. We are not allowed, through this bureaucratic red tape process, to make our own decisions. The Sahtu is asking for that independence. Given the ability and the technology today, we want our own region. We cannot be penalized for not being big enough or not having an all-season highway or not having enough employees, for all of the excuses the government says why we shouldn’t be an independent region like any other region.

The Sahtu people today want to know why the government isn’t allowing it to be an independent region, a stand-alone region to come to the table like any other region and say we are a full partnership in this territorial government.

I’ll ask questions to the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to provide Members with an update on my recent trip with Minister McLeod to the Canada Winter Games and the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Sport meeting in Prince George, British Columbia.

It was great to see Team NWT athletes march into the opening ceremonies. They were so proud and excited to be representing their communities and the Northwest Territories at this important national sporting event. I also want to acknowledge my constituents Ms. Val Gendron, mission staff, and her daughter Madison Pilling, who are both there

with the speed skating team. I should say it was a fantastic event to watch the speed skaters as they represented not only our territory but their own territories and provinces.

Also, a City of Yellowknife delegation was in Prince George to gather information on a possible bid for the 2023 Canada Winter Games, as Ms. Bisaro alluded to earlier. If the city chooses to host the games, the benefits that come to the entire NWT will be significant. As the Minister from the Yukon said in one of his statements about the Canada Games, the Yukon is still receiving the benefits from hosting the Games in 2007. This is because there’s usually significant legacy sport infrastructure left behind. The economic and tourism benefits are incredible. There was $90 million alone in Prince George this year.

The community and volunteer development opportunities are even more significant. I also had an opportunity to see the presentations on the National Play Exchange that Mr. Bouchard referenced, the Walk to Tuk Challenge that our own NWT Recreation and Parks Association was a finalist in. It was also great to see our colleague Mr. Moses and four-time Olympic champion Sharon Firth featured on the national stage as part of this program.

Finally, I was able to be part of a larger discussion on what governments in Canada are doing to encourage Canadians to become more physically active. There are some promising programs being developed, but there are still some huge challenges to overcome if we want our residents and youth to be healthier.

While I haven’t registered for the Walk to Tuk, I have chosen to walk more every day. It’s fun when the Yellowknife weather has been 40 below.

Just in closing, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I just wanted to thank Minister McLeod and the coaches, mission staff and the sports volunteers who make the athletes’ experience at the Canada Games a success, and good luck to Team NWT for the next 10 days as they proudly represent us. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we don’t have a treatment centre here in the Northwest Territories, we have a big demand for more on-the-land treatment programs. Over the last year, I believe we only had one on-the-land program in the

Beaufort-Delta region, and the Minister’s statement earlier today confirmed that.

We need more programs offered in our territory, whether it’s every month, every two months, or quarterly. I am very encouraged the Minister is working with the Aboriginal groups to have programs that will best serve our residents, and I look forward to those programs moving forward in the future.

We need to make sure we meet the needs of our residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to introduce, through you and to you, a resident of Weledeh, Mr. Spencer Decorby. Thanks for joining us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. I’d like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a quote, and I talked about it earlier in my Member’s statement. The quote says, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” I want to ask the Minister of Transportation in regards to this type of issue I was talking about. It’s just a simple one, a small one and I’ve been asking for a number of years, especially at this time of the year that…

I want to ask the Minister, are there any types of plans within the Department, the government, to look at decentralizing the transportation office into the Sahtu?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation continuously looks at the possibility of establishing a regional office in the Sahtu, and we recognize that right now they have a full operation at airports in Norman Wells, but they don’t have a full highways operation, which usually the regional office has some marine, some highways – well, a lot of highways – and some airports.

Right now in Norman Wells it’s essentially just an airports operation and then for three months out of the year there’s a winter road operation, a registered winter road. So, we try to move staff in there, into the region, on a rotational basis during the winter road season. But we do continuously look at it, and as we move closer to a possibility of building a Mackenzie Valley Highway, then it becomes more viable. Thank you.

With Transportation we also get our regional office for the airports. It’s out of the Inuvik region. I’m saying Transportation has that office up there.

Is the Minister also looking at that section of the department?

I think we do recognize that probably if the other two components that usually consist of a regional office, like, a bit of marine and highways operation, along with what is currently in Norman Wells, it would constitute the regional presence. But right now it appears as though we have only the airport presence, and like I indicated, we’re looking into the future and we’re seeing the possibility there for sure. But probably at the time the all-season road is being constructed would be the time that we would start to ramp up for a regional office in the Sahtu. Thank you.

We have maybe seven, eight months left in the term of this government. Are there some concrete plans from this government, this department, to look at, maybe in the 18th , that

maybe Transportation will be moving or consider moving to the Sahtu so that the Sahtu can have their own superintendent and their own regional office that would be deemed as an independent office in our region?

Certainly, DOT is a very decentralized operation. Sixty-nine percent of our staff are in the regions, so we’re sort of equipped to operate out of the regions. It would be something I would certainly look at in the transition document as something that we would be looking to pass on to the next government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just have a few questions for the Minister of Health. As I mentioned earlier, we need more on-the-land treatment programs, and I am very happy that the department is moving forward.

I would like to ask the Minister, when will the department have a schedule that people can actually fill out for these programs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re not actually the ones who are delivering the programs. The programs are being delivered by the different Aboriginal governments and organizations throughout the Northwest Territories, but we are working collaboratively with them.

What I’ll commit to do here is actually talk to the individual groups that are providing these online programs and get the schedule so that we can share that information, understanding that they’ll be sharing the information as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m glad the department is working closely with the Aboriginal groups, but these on-the-land programs I believe need to be taken on by the department.

Moving forward, will the Minister ensure that they have some sort of schedule on a yearly basis that our constituents can apply to? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I do hear the Member, but that actually does contradict what we heard from the Aboriginal governments, which is they wanted to have the ownership of these programs; they wanted to be the leaders of these programs. We’re partners. We’re participants in helping ensure they have the resources they need.

We do recognize that there’s a real demand for these programs, and more so, which is why we’re working with the Aboriginal governments to pursue other funding partners so that we can hopefully expand the number of programs in the Northwest Territories. But given that these are community-led initiatives, I will again commit to getting the information from the different groups who are delivering online programs so that we have a good timeline that I can share with Members and, assuming that the different groups agree, we can make that information available to the public at large. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to ask the Minister, are we providing any specific programs here, any specialities that will be needed? I don’t believe a lot of the Aboriginal groups have the expertise, whether it’s mental health or other issues like this. Are we providing any assistance to those Aboriginal groups? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Member is right; I mean, the different Aboriginal governments and organizations have the expertise, clearly, for the on-the-land portions, but if they are looking for more of the clinical stuff, they may not have that expertise.

Every program is actually quite different and some of them may actually want some of that support,

and we’re absolutely willing and we have been partnering with those different groups, depending on how they design their programs and the goal they’re trying to accomplish for that program. They’re different in every case. But when they want us, we’re there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were a lot of recommendations that were brought up from standing committee in terms of meeting with students and staff at the Yellowknife Campus here. I guess my first question would be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

What is the status and update of making any types of renovations or work to the Yellowknife Campus to make sure there’s enough space for our students and staff to do their work in and study in and get a quality education in a safe environment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Speaker. There are 44 recommendations that have been brought to our attention, and 42 of them are either worked on or some of them are completed, and two are still outstanding that we are diligently working with the college. Since that recommendation came to our attention, we’ve been working very closely with the president of Aurora College, the Board of Governors and, more specifically, to deal with those matters that the Member is referring to, and other factors as well. Those are in the works and we will continue to keep the Members informed of our progress.

I was making references to a letter that the standing committee had made to the Minister.

In terms of the 44 recommendations, can the Minister describe what report he’s referring to in terms of the 44 recommendations?

The 44 recommendations are from the Aurora College assessment report that was completed in May 2013. Those are the recommendations that my department is working very closely with the college to make sure that all the recommendations are followed through.

I can get more into the report, but I want to just focus on a couple of the issues that some of the students not only at the Yellowknife Campus but at campuses in Smith and Inuvik also had. That’s just paying market rent during the summer. Some of our students find jobs in the

communities that they work in while they’re going to school and they want to continue working in their jobs, or their significant other has a full-time job in the community and would like to stay in that community. One of the concerns that were brought up was the terms of market rent during the summer when school isn’t in.

I’d like to ask the Minister if they’ve changed their policy or are looking at changing their policy for market rents when school is not in session for the summer.

The market rent has been brought to our attention on a couple of occasions from the students and also directly from the MLAs. It was even brought up in this House. I did inform the Board of Governors that this was a concern that was brought to my attention. The Board of Governors came back and so they are looking at these areas as well. They know the pressure they’re on with the market housing. Once we complete our question period today, I will be addressing that again, the status of where we’re at with the market housing today.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really glad to see some of the progress that is being made but also commend the Board of Governors in terms of reaching out to standing committee and allowing members of standing committee to come to their Board of Governors meetings and bring up some of the concerns that we hear as standing committee and as individual Members of this Assembly.

I’d like to ask the Minister, in terms of a concern that I have with the Inuvik campus and looking at programs being distributed equally across the three campuses, has the Minister met with the Board of Governors and the executive to see how we can distribute these quality education programs across all three campuses in the Northwest Territories?

This is a very fundamental question that has been addressed to me, but we need to address being equally distributing programming into three campuses. My staff and my department are working, again, with the college to make sure that that happens. Not only that but we have been reaching out to the general public, what their real concerns are, and there’s been a lot of feedback on various programming that should be happening in some of the small communities. Beaufort-Delta is one prime example, and also the learning campuses that we have in the communities that we have. We need to expand on that. These are just some of the recommendations that have been brought to our attention and we will be following through with them.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. I’d like to ask the Minister some questions about the Rent Supplement Program. It’s been about two years now, I think, since the program was put into place. At the time that the Minister advised committee of the program, I do believe that he said there was going to be an evaluation at some point.

So, first of all I’d like to ask the Minister, what kind of success does the Housing Corporation attribute to this program? What kind of uptake has there been from people that are renting? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The program was originally designed to help with subsidies for about 150 clients a year. Since the inception of the program, we’ve had 158 clients go through the program. We currently have 68 clients that are still in the program. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. So, if I understood the Minister correctly, that’s 68 or 70 out of a possible 150. That’s unfortunate. I would have hoped that the program would be oversubscribed.

I’d like to ask the Minister, when is the two-year anniversary date of this program and will the Housing Corporation be doing a formal review, a formal evaluation of the program at that time? Thank you.

I’m not sure of the exact date, but we are almost at our two-year anniversary now and we will do an evaluation of the program to see if the program is working as it was intended to. Thank you.

It’s no secret that many people who are renting, struggle to meet the cost of their housing and also meet their daily expenses and maintain any kind of a decent lifestyle. Some people cannot afford to rent their own apartment, their own home. They need to rent a room in a house.

I’d like to know from the Minister, as they do the evaluation of this program that’s gone over the last two years, will they consider expanding the terms of reference to the program to include people who are renting not an apartment but renting a room in a house or renting a room in somebody else’s apartment? Thank you.

That’s something I could commit to the Member that as part of the evaluation we can have a look at that. The program was originally designed to deal with affordability issues, and we’ve seen that in a lot of the market communities. I think their affordability issue was about 86 percent. So, as part of the evaluation, we could look to the issue the Member was raising. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. Yes, affordability in Yellowknife is the major issue in housing and in my community. At this point, I looked at the NWT Housing Corp website. There’s no indication that this program will end.

So I’d like to know from the Minister, it’s been two years, what are the intentions of the Housing Corp? How long will this program continue? Do they intend to continue it and for how long? Thank you.

I don’t think we had a timeline on this. It was a program to help those that are living in market communities that were dealing with an affordability issue. We had originally, I think, budgeted just over $1 million. We’re down to about $900,000 now. I don’t believe we had put a timeline on this. Again, it will be part of the whole evaluation process to see how well the program is working and we’ll take that information as we move forward. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the legislation is presently written for the Single Use Retail Bag Program, paper bags are treated exactly the same. If you go to a store, a grocery store, you have to pay 25 cents; if you go to a restaurant you have to pay 25 cents. To draw a further comparison, polyethylene bags, plastic bags, are treated the same as recyclable bags.

Can the Minister explain for the House why these bags are all being treated the same, whereas plastic bags are not so good for the environment and biodegradable or compostable bags are good for the environment? So if he can start off by explaining why they’re all being treated the same we can then move forward to the next set of questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The paper bags have their own

downside, but I listened carefully to the Member’s comments and statement and I’ve chatted with the Member about this before and I have met with the department about the need, after five years, to take a look at that particular program to look at revitalizing it and maybe fine tuning it. Thank you.

In the interim… Well, first I should say thank you to the Minister for recognizing that the program needs to be reviewed and updated, where appropriate, of course. In the interim, many good retailers are providing paper bags which are compostable and certainly biodegradable bags which are still meeting our objective, which is getting plastic bags out of the environment.

Is there anything that the Minister can do today or commit to in the near future that we can stop having these retailers have to charge the same 25 cents as if it’s a regular plastic bag that does not break down in the environment? I’m trying to get this down. What can we do today, even though we know the updates may be coming forward someday? Thank you.

I don’t have a definitive response to that question, but I will commit to have further discussions with the department to see what short-term and immediate things could be done if there is in fact a need to do that. Thank you.

Is the Minister in any position to bring to light in this House when this type of update could be considered? Because I have a lot of retailers out there that have spent extra money buying biodegradable bags and they’re paying for it, but they believe in an environment of stewardship. But they’re being penalized by meeting the objectives, which is getting plastic bags out of the environment. So they’re doing their part. They’d like to know when the government will do their part by seeing an update or revision or certainly a discussion on this particular issue. So when could we see something in the near future? Thank you.

We will look at how timely we can be. We are somewhat consumed with the budget session and such, but I will once again commit to the Member that I will be able to get back to him before the end of session with some specific timelines. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister familiar enough with the legislation to find out if it’s all in regulations? In other words, can we make changes easily through the regulations, or is it through legislative initiative we’d have to tackle some of these particular problems? For the everyday folk there’s a real big difference in timing and efforts to change these types of rules and, as such, I look to the Minister to ask, what’s the

easiest way to make these changes if appropriate and certainly where appropriate? Thank you.

Through regulation and policy would be the best way, but included in my coming back before the end of session with timelines, I’ll highlight some of the things that we think need to be looked at. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. As of the fall of 2014, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had wildfire protection plans for 28 communities in five regions.

My question is: Have these plans been revised in light of lessons learned last summer? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regards to the Member’s question, I would like to just reflect quickly back on his Member’s statement and his acknowledgement and recognition of the foresight of the people of Kakisa, and I just want to acknowledge that I concur with his assessment that what they did was, I think, pivotal in how well they survived the wildfires.

What’s been happening is we’ve been doing a debriefing. We’ve been working internally. We’re going out to the communities now to have those discussions across many of the regional centres, but to have that discussion with communities about things that need to be done in anticipation of the upcoming fire season. Thank you.

I thank the Minister for his reply. In light of preparing for this season’s forest fire season, has the department assessed the remaining communities at not requiring a wildfire protection plan? For example, Yellowknife, whether indeed a fire protection plan is necessary. Mahsi

While Yellowknife is blessed with significant natural defences when it comes to fire, every community is looking at their defences and working with ENR to see what needs to be done, what the communities can do, what individuals can do, how do we use our fire crews when they’re not fighting fires, and all those different areas. Every community in the Boreal Forest should have a refreshed type of a strategy as we look forward to the upcoming fire season. Thank you.

On October 16, 2014, the response to an oral question, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources committed to share in a critical debriefing report with committee.

What is the status of this report? Mahsi.

The work has been concluded. It’s been a very comprehensive exercise and we anticipate that by the end of March, early April we’ll be able to share that information. We’ve been looking at it as we’ve developed it, as we’ve talked internally, plus the work we’ve had with the stakeholders in communities and the feedback. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. One need only turn on their television lately and watch the news and we will hear about the resurgence of diseases, such as measles, that we had not for many years heard of because of the extensive immunization and vaccination programs that were available through public health.

I’d like to specifically now zero in on the Northwest Territories and ask the Minister if there have been any new cases or have there been any diseases or infections that have surfaced which are related to the immunization or lack thereof. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, I had a conversation with the deputy minister and the chief public health officer just recently about that exact topic, and the public health officer did confirm to me that there are no cases of things like measles in the Northwest Territories.

We actually have a very high rate of immunizations here in the Northwest Territories. Obviously, we want to continue to immunize as much as possible, so I really appreciate this opportunity to speak to the Members as well as to the residents of the Northwest Territories and just reiterate a comment that the Member made, that over the past 50 years vaccines have saved more lives worldwide than any other public health intervention. Vaccinations are incredibly important and we’re committed to working with our residents to get every resident vaccinated in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Now to the issue of whether vaccination immunization is mandatory or voluntary.

At what point does this immunization occur? Now, from having had children myself, I know that the public health nurse, in those days, was involved in this. But how do we track or follow or determine what the uptake of vaccination immunization is and who delivers the actual service? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Early childhood vaccinations are typically administered through well child programs in health centres and public health centres throughout the Northwest Territories. At this time, I can say that our average coverage rates across the Northwest Territories for the publically funded early childhood vaccinations are between 77 percent and 89 percent, and this is roughly based on just the analysis of what the authorities are doing.

It is difficult to estimate more current or more accurate coverage rates in the absence of an information management system here in the Northwest Territories, but we are moving toward EMR, electronic medical records, which will give us real-time full information so we’ll be able to give the Members the exact uptake on vaccinations here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that some of these diseases that can be prevented through immunization and vaccination are highly contagious, I would like to suggest to the Minister that it would be good if our real data that we can get our hands on would indicate a higher rate of uptake than what he has indicated here today in the House.

I’d like to ask the Minister, is he aware of any resistance to people receiving this service, or would this be more from lack of awareness or knowledge of the immunization and vaccination? Are these numbers reflective of people who would resist having those services for their children? Thank you.

As I indicated, we can report 77 percent to 89 percent and that’s based on the data that has been collected. Without real territory-wide electronic medical records, a real solid information system across the Northwest Territories, it does prove difficult to get 100 percent accurate information, which is why we’re moving in that direction so we can give the Members the exact totals.

I do believe, and I do feel, that our immunization rates are higher than this. We haven’t received, and I haven’t had any, strong pushback on vaccination. The early childhood programs are proving to be quite effective. We are also promoting the need and trying to dispel some of the myths around immunizations and vaccines during the National

Immunization Awareness Week, which is usually in April. So we try to get out as much information as we can, but we haven’t had a real strong pushback on immunizations here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister if, in his knowledge and experience, there’s more that we could be doing to promote awareness and uptake on vaccination and immunization. Is there more that we should or could be doing as the Government of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Considering that the immunization rates in the Northwest Territories are considered high compared to some of the other jurisdictions, I think that’s fantastic, but at the same time, we could always do more. I think it’s dialogue in rooms like this and other rooms, in your constituency meetings, in our health centres, every time we have an opportunity to speak about vaccines and the value and how, as the Member has indicated, they have saved more lives in the last 50 years than any other intervention program, it’s the dialogue that’s important. When you have somebody or you know somebody who is concerned about vaccinations, point them to their health practitioners, who can give them the real information they will need to make an informed decision.

If we’re going to make a bigger difference, it’s about dialogue, conversation and encouraging people to get the right information from credible, reliable sources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since 1969 there have been ongoing sensitive issues of land management of the East Arm of the Great Slave Lake. The question is not what is better – a national part or protected area strategy – the question is, with new devolution authority, do we have the right management and northern tools in place to give all users equal rights and privileges in its consideration? My question today will be for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

In trying to come up with a made-in-the-North approach, can the Minister inform the House, what role has this administration played in negotiations with Ottawa and all stakeholders with respect to the East Arm land management? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the lead-up to devolution and following April 1st post-devolution, we have been

very active on this particular file. We’ve been in contact with the Government of Canada and Cabinet has identified the issue of Thaidene Nene Park as a priority. We have passed on our concerns and interest to them that we are now the landowner, that we need time to get our thinking clear and that we want to work with the northern Aboriginal governments to get our thinking clear as part of that process and that we will be working with them, once we do that, to look at what will comprise of a federal park and a mix of other supporting complementary tools. Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister and the administration having that dialogue.

Can the Minister indicate to the House – as he indicated northern tools – what northern tools, if any, could be used to mitigate and administer this land being considered? Thank you.

I would point out, as well, that the federal government has indicated that they will step back and wait for the territorial government to conclude the work we need to do in the North, and then we will re-engage with them.

In regards to some potential options in terms of northern tools, there’s an actual territorial park, there’s conservation areas, wilderness areas, study areas, to name a number of opportunities that are there that we could possibly consider as we carry on with this process. Thank you.

Recognizing the entire area of the East Arm being unique and special to all people of the NWT, does the Minister see merit in creating a co-management board of representation of all various interests that would manage all aspects of use from industrial development to exploration, commercial, recreational leases, harvesting access and traditional use?

We agree that the East Arm and that part of the country where Thaidene Nene is focused is a jewel for that part of the country. It’s spectacularly beautiful country and we are interested in making sure we come up with a plan that keeps northern control to the greatest extent possible and that we do it in a way that recognizes some of the concerns and the aspirations of the people from Lutselk'e. We want to work with them and eventually the federal government to make sure that we get that mix right but, above all, to keep as much authority and land under northern control as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering what we’ve just heard from the Minister

that the federal government has paused further activity on this file, can the Minister conceive the possibility of a framework agreement or an MOU with all stakeholders on the land of the management of East Arm and could this be done during the life of this Assembly?

We have been paying intense attention to this file. We have compressed, in my opinion, about 18 months to two years of normal negotiation times into about six months as we’ve moved forward to try to advance this file to conclude as much of it as possible in the life of this government. We are hopeful that over the next couple of months that we will have a northern position, we will have work done on the actual footprint of the area and the mix of a potential federal park along with the combination of northern tools.

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

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On that specific issue, since our last discussion there hasn’t been a lot done. The issue of looking at that whole process, I have read some interesting literature about the value of that kind of approach that the Member has raised, but in terms of finding $10 million and putting up a prize for the best scientific solution has not been seriously looked at.

I don’t think the $10 million prize is actually the problem. I think that’s something we could engage the federal government in, because as we all know, AANDC pays that $1.9 million for care and maintenance, again, for in perpetuity, so it’s not just my lifetime, it’s everybody’s lifetime, forever.

Would the Minister be willing to take this project on with an eye of what’s best for the Northwest Territories and propose it to the federal government through AANDC and ask them that if we could maybe run the logistical administrative side of reaching out to the world on this particular problem could they help us with the financial end of the problem, because they could be on the hook forever for a lot of money. This could save the federal government a lot of money, which should be in their best interest.