This is page numbers 5569 – 5610 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.

2015 Canada Winter Games
Members’ Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

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

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

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.

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

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?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

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.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

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?

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

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.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

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?

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

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.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

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.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

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.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

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.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

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.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

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?