This is page numbers 6699 – 6756 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 going.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize all the students here in the gallery from the schools. I want to say something to the students. Never give up on your dreams. One day you could be down here too. So keep up what you’re doing, set your goals high and work hard together. Thank you for the good work that you’re doing. I’m hoping that we can get a chapter like this in the Sahtu region, also, for the same message.

I also want to recognize my little nephew. He’s here, Carter, and I’m very surprised to see him. He’s come into his own world, a young man. He’s come a long way since he was a little baby when I first picked him up, and I want to recognize him. I’m so proud of him.

Lastly, I want to recognize your family members who are here with you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I would like to welcome my daughter Kirstin here today. It’s always good to have family and

to see everybody from across the Territories once they get a chance to come. So, welcome to the House and thank you for taking interest in our proceedings here today.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure who I should direct my question to today, but as I said in my Member’s statement, I have a constituent who took the matter of their own well-being, their own welfare, into their own hands and took the initiative to get themselves to a residential treatment program in the South, was granted the time off from work, works for the government, and the results of that treatment were highly successful, and now, though, looms the debt that was incurred.

So, Mr. Speaker, I don’t know who to direct this question to. Okay. Now, Mr. Speaker, I am asking for a discretionary approval on compassionate grounds for this young family to have these costs covered, and I want to say that the cost incurred is no greater than what it would have been had this government referred them out for treatment. So, it’s no extra cost. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m aware of the circumstances that the Member has raised and I will commit that we will make sure that we have the appropriate discussion with HR, the Minister of HR, especially if there are employee benefits that may be accessed. Thank you.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, for that commitment. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement, I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. We must find out why this student had already moved to Inuvik before the college advised him he was not eligible for the Access Program of his choice. This is one of our future leaders.

Will the department work with the college to review its administration and advising procedures? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As you know, there are upwards of 1,600 students in the Northwest Territories who are attending college and universities. This particular case file, I’m not too familiar with. We’re already seeking, and I’ll also ask some questions of the college, to provide detailed information on this particular case and how we can move forward on it. Mahsi.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

The access programs are designed to help students transition into college programs, but these won’t work if students can’t access and use these programs.

What mechanisms are in place to help students transition into and through these access programs?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

We honour a

certain process that needs to happen once the student applies for a particular program, such as the Access Program and through SFA program and other scholarships that may be available to them, then those are the processes that we’ve always encouraged our students to apply. If there are challenges or issues in the Member’s riding, the college would need to sit down with the student to find out what’s really happening and what’s missing, what piece of information is missing. Those are the discussions that we are currently having, as we speak, with the college to find out a bit more detailed information, because we want every student to succeed and this is what our goal is with this particular student. Mahsi.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

What department programs currently exist to help students, especially in our small communities, to transition into post-secondary education and skills training?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

We do have a variety of programs. We just expanded and enriched our SFA programming, and on the particular Access Program, there is a variety of funding through the college, through our department, and there’s also federal funding as well. So, again, depending on the program the individual is taking, we need to gather more information and

have the college sit down with the student before the student quits or walks out of the college. We need to resolve this issue. We are, again, dealing with upwards of 1,600 students, so we have to be mindful of when they applied. If they are late in applying, there are processes in place. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

How does the department reach out to prospective students, especially in our small communities, Mr. Speaker?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

There are processes in place where we have a Board of Governors representing the regions. We have one in the Beaufort-Delta that is accessible by students. They know by names as well. That information, if it’s not available to the particular student, the college will be fully aware of it and get as much information to this particular student and other students as well.

We are a public government. The college falls under us and this information should be publicly accessible to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the department should contact this student and apologize for the situation he’s been put through. We have to do a better job of encouraging our students to stay in school and we have to find ways to accommodate them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

That’s why we’re trying to find out what truly happened here. There’s always two sides of the story. We need to gather the facts so this student can move forward. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is with dismay and frustration that I stand before you today to say there is unfinished business with the Deh Cho Bridge. Yesterday I tabled, in the House, the Referee Claim Review, the interim and phase two reports of the Deh Cho Bridge between Rowe’s, ATCON and DOT. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation a few questions about the referee report. Most particularly, the unfinished business is Rowe’s Construction. An NWT company was the only contractor not paid when this bridge was completed. I would like to ask the Minister about that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The company had chosen to use a political process to get the money from the Government of the Northwest Territories in the work that they did for a company that initially went bankrupt and was no longer working on the bridge. The original contract, whether it be verbal or in writing, was between the company that that Member refers to and the former company that was ATCON. Once that company went bankrupt, another company came in to finish the bridge. So, legally their dealings would be with the company.

What happened was that the bankrupt company was supported by the Government of New Brunswick. We needed to prove to the Government of New Brunswick that that money that was held by them or their support for the company that went bankrupt would be money that would be used to finish the bridge and complete all the efficiencies on the bridge. That’s what we have the money for. Thank you.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Certainly, the Minister covered some of the details, but he didn’t cover all the details like when the bridge failed in 2010, the government came to this House for a further $15.9 million and once again came to this House for another $10 million. Yet, we can’t pay for unfinished business from our contractors

. Once again, I make the case that Rowe’s Construction was the only contractor not paid as a result of ATCON failing. I’d like to know why and I’d Iike to ask the Minister what the department is going to do about it.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

I don’t have the list of all of the contractors that were paid. Anybody that was paid from this $13.6 million that was given to us by the Government of New Brunswick, all of the payments that were made from that account were something that would be supported by the Government of New Brunswick. We would have to provide the appropriate documentation to indicate that that was a valid payment and there was a contract between two companies, there was a contract that was left over, that where there was documentation, and based on documentation, we made the payment. It was then approved by the Government of New Brunswick. If we made payments that the government does not agree with, then we would be coming back to this House for additional dollars to make those payments. We were hoping that we would make all the payments and we feel that there’s enough money in this fund to finish the deficiencies on the bridge at this point, and that’s what we’re endeavouring to do.