Good morning, colleagues. Before we begin today, I would like to take a moment to extend the condolences of this Legislative Assembly, our Members and our staff, to the family of Mrs. Barb Bromley on her recent passing. Mrs. Bromley was a long-time Yellowknifer, nurse, volunteer, community activist and the mother of the Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bob Bromley.

Mrs. Bromley came to Yellowknife in 1948 with her fiancé, Peter. Shortly after their arrival, they were married and soon Mrs. Bromley, a recent nursing graduate, was working at the Red Cross Hospital. Over the years that followed, Mrs. Bromley made significant contributions to the local medical community including becoming the head nurse of the first public health centre in 1963, leading the drive to form an official registered nurses’ union in 1969, a “well baby” clinic to support new mothers and their babies and later dedicated her time and attention to seniors’ care.

Mrs. Bromley’s contributions to the community were second to none. From teaching Sunday school and founding Yellowknife’s local Cub Scouts chapter to her instrumental role in establishing Yellowknife’s Meals on Wheels program, Mrs. Bromley helped make the community what it is today. Her contributions were recognized in 2000 when she was inducted into the Order of Canada.

Mrs. Bromley will be remembered fondly by all who knew her, as a mother, friend and outstanding member of the community. Her legacy will be a lasting one and a shining example of what can be achieved by truly remarkable people. Colleagues, please join me in recognizing and celebrating the life and accomplishments of Mrs. Bromley. Thank you, colleagues.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, last year I spoke on the government’s Service Innovation Strategy. Today I would like to provide an update. The Service Innovation Strategy has many parts and is ultimately intended to improve government services to the public, whether online, by phone or in person. It supports our 17th Legislative Assembly goal of effective and efficient government.

Last fall the Northwest Territories hosted the annual meetings of the Public Sector Service Delivery Council and the Public Sector Chief Information Officers. The two councils, composed of members from jurisdictions across the country, work collaboratively to enhance public service to Canadians and bring together service leaders from the federal, provincial and territorial governments to share information and best practices.

These councils are an invaluable resource for the Government of the Northwest Territories as we work toward improving our services to the public and adapting many of our services to an online channel.

During the meetings we had the opportunity to showcase the work being done by the Department of Executive government service officers in our smallest communities. Both councils were most impressed, noting that the GSOs are this government’s human equivalent of a one-stop shop for government services in the regions. GSOs connect people, information and services, by providing one-on-one support to residents of the smallest communities who may need additional help getting online and other services offered by the GNWT, federal or municipal governments.

The GNWT is committed to improving service, so measuring satisfaction is key. Along with our participation in these councils, the GNWT is participating in two national surveys which track resident and business satisfaction with government services. The results will be used to identify areas for improvement and focus our resources better.

A key area we have been trying to improve is making it easier to search and find information and services online. One of the ways we are doing that is by providing a consistent user experience to anyone visiting our websites. GNWT departments are now required to use common standards when they develop or update their websites. This will help ensure people are able to find the information and services they need, regardless of which department website they are visiting. The Department of Finance is currently updating its website in accordance with these standards.

Providing easy-to-find information on government services was the first priority of the Service Innovation Strategy. The Service Directory website, which is an online, searchable website of GNWT services, was launched in December 2013. It made it easier for residents to find information on government services. Next on the horizon is a refresh of our flagship GNWT website. We are also looking to create a portal for easier access to all online services and hope to make that available in early 2016. Both of these initiatives are designed to improve our ability to connect and communicate with citizens in ways that they prefer.

Recently, we established a trusted method for departments to put services online and for residents to create secure credentials when signing up for online service, using a username and password of their choice. The Department of Transportation was the first to incorporate these new features, which now allow residents to renew or cancel their vehicle registrations online, book a driver exam, or obtain a driver abstract. Residents are able to reprint receipts online for any of the services they have used. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment will be next, as they introduce this new secure method with their online services, including a “myECE” portal with student financial assistance and apprenticeship services. Several other services are being planned to use the same approach and will be rolled out over the next two years.

Online services work best when we have sufficient bandwidth and telecommunications services in all communities. Mr. Speaker, with construction of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link now underway, we look forward to the improvements this important initiative will bring for both government service and community access. This strategic piece of infrastructure is going to play a key role in moving the NWT into the digital economy, making us a global leader in remote satellite sensing and improving services for Northerners.

We are also active participants in Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission proceedings and in federal government broadband initiatives which might impact Northerners, such as recent discussions with Industry Canada regarding the Connecting Canada funding.

All of these initiatives and more to come in order to ensure we can meet you online. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice has been a Canadian leader in the corrections field with innovative and respectful wellness programs for Aboriginal inmates, including traditional counsellors, healing rooms, counselling with elders and spiritual ceremonies.

As Members from previous Assemblies will remember, I have always been a strong, and at times vocal, proponent of the need for a transparent, effective and accountable corrections system.

As Minister, I continue to fully support open and accountable processes for the management of the corrections service and rehabilitation of inmates, the security of our staff and the safety of our communities. This mirrors a trend that is also happening throughout the various correctional services in Canada.

Our professional corrections service staff are responsive to those committed to their care. Their work is performed on a 24/7 basis in five NWT facilities and by probation staff in our communities. We take the obligations for public safety and for the security of our staff and the inmates in our care seriously and thoughtfully. We will continue the practice of making strong and measured decisions after careful consideration.

As part of this commitment, the corrections service has created a new Performance Assurance and Accountability Framework. This work began late last year and will be advanced through a phased approach until fully implemented in 2016. This framework will address how we support staff as they carry out their duties. It will address the ethics and values they bring to their work, emphasize accountability to the processes in our system and allow us to apply policies and directives efficiently and effectively using best correctional practises.

The framework will give us an enhanced and structured ability to monitor key performance areas, including areas related to legislation, correctional directives and key operational objectives.

It will also enable us to realize efficiencies by managing staff deployment levels to provide safe and efficient management of our facilities. The framework will assist in monitoring the timely provision of vital staff training for ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for all corrections staff as

they work to maintain and improve their skills and work performance.

While reviewing workloads and operations in our facilities is not new, the Performance Assurance and Accountability Framework will give the department a formalized structure to reach the efficiencies expected by this Assembly, to be effective and to maintain the safety and security of our facilities.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice will continue to review its work and evolve with best practices to provide an environment that helps inmates work towards their rehabilitation and prepares them to reintegrate as healthy contributing members of our communities.

I will keep this Assembly informed of our progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, in support of our Government’s NWT Biomass Energy and Greenhouse Gas Strategies, the promotion and use of biomass technologies remains a priority for this government in its efforts to reduce energy costs and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

With the ability to reduce the fossil fuel usage of a building by 80 to 90 percent, the Department of Public Works and Services’ early adoption of, and continued use of, renewable biomass energy technology is something I wish to highlight today.

By March 31st of this year, the Department will have

installed 22 biomass systems in seven communities that will be providing heat to 30 separate buildings and facilities throughout the Northwest Territories. These completed biomass installations displaced 1.8 million litres of fossil fuel in 2013-2014 alone and reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with the operation of our public infrastructure by 4,882 tonnes per year.

New biomass projects scheduled for completion this year include the Deninu School in Fort Resolution, the Airport Terminal Building in Yellowknife and the South Mackenzie Correction Centre in Hay River, while the projects planned for 2015-2016 include the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife, along with the schools in Fort Good Hope and Tulita.

Over the years we have adapted our policies and procedures to better support our continued commitment to this technology. Today all major capital projects are considered for biomass installations as part of our planning process. I am pleased to advise Members that biomass heating

systems are being installed for new health centres in the communities of Fort Providence, Fort Resolution, Hay River and Norman Wells.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is considered a leader in the deployment of commercial biomass technology for public infrastructure. While biomass heating is one of many programs and approaches used by the Department of Public Works and Services, it plays an important role in supporting our government’s energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our government’s goal of reducing the cost of living in our northern communities.

By the end of this fiscal year, our investments in biomass technology will have cumulatively displaced heating oil equivalent to 10 million litres, will have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 26,444 tonnes and will have saved our government approximately $2.42 million in associated costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement, I want to highlight an important event that is taking place tomorrow and that is International Open Data Day.

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, this makes it possible to have online information public in an easy format to be used. [Translation ends]

...encourages innovation and citizens’ participation that has lasting positive results for our communities. Around the world, individuals and organizations have used open data to deliver meaningful projects that the public service either hasn’t considered before or doesn’t have the resources to do themselves.

Tomorrow people will gather in cities around the world to write applications, improve access to public data and encourage the world’s local, regional and national governments to adopt open data policies. Events are planned in more than 135 cities and towns from Edmonton to Ottawa here in Canada, to Washington, DC, Paris, Nairobi and around the world.

Open Data isn’t just something that is happening elsewhere. I am proud to speak of a local community initiative called OpenNWT that was launched right here in Yellowknife by a Range Lake constituent. First launched in 2014 by Mr. David Wasylciw, who is actually joining us today in the gallery, OpenNWT aims to make government data

easy to access for use for both residents and businesses.

OpenNWT was developed, and continues to be developed on a volunteer basis, and today in celebration of International Open Data Day I understand that a number of new information tools will be launched. Visitors to the OpenNWT website will be able to browse the history of ministerial portfolios, committee memberships and government travel expenses in an easily searchable format.

Governments across the globe, big and small, have recognized the importance of open data and are making the necessary investments to give their citizens and businesses universal, easy to use access to information being collected by public organizations.

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, by taking into account the capacity of the population to keep itself informed of what we’re doing, the way we spend taxpayers’ money and the way we monitor our success and our failures, open data makes a more transparent, more responsible and democratic government. [Translation ends]

…to support the adoption of the open data approach and to visit OpenNWT website to see a homegrown example of easily accessible information in action. Mahsi. Merci beaucoup.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the colonial era, explorers often gave English or French names to northern communities. Reverting to a traditional name is a way to ensure the community’s name reflects the language and culture of local people.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is responsible for the NWT Cultural Places Program. It is responsible for archeological sites, historic places and official place names. If a community wants an official name change, it must also go through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

I’d like to provide some examples. Tuktoyaktuk, formerly known as Port Brabant and renamed in 1950, was the first place in Canada to revert to its traditional name. Deline, once known as Fort Franklin, was renamed in 1993. Tsiigehtchic, once known as Arctic Red River, changed its name in 1994. In 2006 the former hamlet of Holman became known as Ulukhaktok.

Mr. Speaker, there are required steps before an official change can take place. The community itself must start the process and work with the

Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Supporting documents also must be provided to prove that the community is behind the change. Program officials then work with Ministers and government officials to formalize the change and notify relevant authorities.

The South Slavey name for the Hay River Reserve is K’atlodeeche; Fort Providence is locally known as Zhahti Koe, and Kakisa is called Ka’a’gee Tu. These are beautiful names. I don’t mean to be presumptuous; any name changes would obviously have to come from the people. At the same time, I want to create a forum for discussion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to bring up a very important issue today. I‘d like the constituents of the Northwest Territories to know there’s a lack of coverage when you’re outside of the Northwest Territories travelling in Canada. I think most people feel when they travel to the U.S., they buy insurance, they cover health insurance. Most people are covered when they’re travelling outside of Canada, they take that precaution.

We have had constituents that have road accidents, have to get an ambulance, then maybe a medevac into Edmonton. Some of those scenarios are out there. That cost of that ambulance and that medevac becomes the responsibility of the individual. We need to get it out to the public that they need to buy insurance, travel insurance, medical travel insurance while they are in Canada. Your medical coverage will be covered from the Northwest Territories but that travel portion is not being covered.

We’ve had a couple of scenarios in Hay River, very costly for individuals. We need to get that out there, it is of grave concern.

I am going to have questions for the Minister of Health, how we are getting that information out there.

The other issue is that when you are travelling in Canada, you need to carry your NWT health care card. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT needs to attract investment and we always

must be a competitive environment because we all know the world is hungry for investment. The NWT is no different. We all know government must raise its revenue through fair and sound taxation policy and we have seen the global environment be very competitive to attract opportunities.

Industry needs help, at least partway through the taxation structure, that listens to their needs. Now, the government doesn’t have to do it all and I have to stress up front, if you don’t have something to tax, you can’t raise revenue, so I hope the taxation Minister is listening to that point.

Governments need to raise taxes to raise revenue. It encourages growth through sound taxation policy and brings investment. It oftentimes controls growth when it needs to, but occasionally, when taxation structures discourage investment, they don’t come, or they leave, even worse. What that means is that it takes investment away and kills job growth.

The NWT, like every jurisdiction, is hungry for revenue growth and we need to find ways to encourage taxation by encouraging investment, not by raising taxation prices but to find a way through sound policy that encourages growth and investment.

I have been speaking to a particular telecom communication company that was born in the Northwest Territories and wants to expand and grow, but they find that the taxation structure in the communication industry is just so burdensome that they would rather leave and do business elsewhere. Why? Because the world is a global economy. Now, the Northwest Territories wants to join in to the communication network work but yet we are not supporting our homegrown opportunities. They want to try to invest and expand in smaller communities throughout the North because they have services we need, but our structured self, in essence, is depressive. It does not provide open opportunities for people to do these things.

May I remind you again, and the House, we need investment to tax, because if we can’t tax, we can’t raise revenues, we can’t take care of our folks through social programs and the social needs that we try to strive so hard to take care.

The point being here is we have seen taxation holidays and better rates for mining industries. What about other industries such as communications infrastructure? Again, the world is a different place. We can put all our eggs in the mining basket and we can see how that is playing out. We could spread our growth, create opportunity, create jobs and create revenue at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, the last point I will say is, we have different tax structures – we see them all the time – such as fuel. We could do this on this. We could

create jobs, growth; we can help everybody in the long haul. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to give voice today to some concerns that arose yesterday after I learned of changes coming to the Ekati Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency Board.

As its name suggests, this is an independent organization, registered as a non-profit, a non-decision-making, non-management type of organization which provides advice to both the company, Ekati, and government, NWT and federal.

What caught my attention yesterday, what made me concerned, is a proposed action. Well, it is not proposed anymore, Mr. Speaker. It has been decided that three very experienced, very knowledgeable, expert in their field board members will be replaced at the end of this month.

There are no terms to the agency’s board appointments. No term is ending at the end of February, but three board members will be replaced, apparently because they do not live in the NWT and government believes that this very technical board should be populated only by Northerners. There is some validity to that argument, but not enough to remove the extremely valuable expertise, the institutional memory and the corporate knowledge that these board members represent. Not enough to remove them from the board.

Apart from the loss of knowledge and skills, what floored me was that this change is to happen in the middle of an environmental assessment for the Ekati Mine expansion project. The monitoring board is very involved in any Ekati environmental assessment, analyzing documents, reviewing submissions, making presentations to the Assessment Review Board and so on.

Three new board members will be dropped into the middle of this current assessment. They will not have had the benefit of knowing the work done to date. I have no doubt that the new board members will be competent, but they will not be up to speed where the Ekati expansion environmental assessment is concerned, nor will they have the same technical skills as the three exiting board members.

Why would the Minister not wait until this particular assessment is completed, or why not bring new members on while the old ones are still there, to provide for some overlap, a transfer of knowledge

and continuity? Board members have changed in the past, of course, but through retirement not by government edict. Why not replace board members as they retire from the board, instead of summarily dismissing them? I believe that has been past practice and I ask why the sudden change.

As a devolved and presumably evolved territory, we ought to be exercising our new authority responsibly. This action doesn’t suggest that to me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know the importance of how sport can positively affect and influence a child’s life. In most cases success in sport at a young age can also lead to success in life.

About the same time last year, I stood in this House to recognize the accomplishments of a group of younger superstars, the East Three Eagles Elementary Basketball Team, claiming their first ever banner for the new school and new gymnasium in Inuvik. Today I’d like to stand in this House and once again recognize this group of young, fine gentlemen on defending their championship last weekend here in Yellowknife with a 35 to 33 nail biter of a final game last weekend and the work that they do and the effort that these children have been doing ever since they were taking a youth basketball program in Inuvik, and I just wanted to congratulate them on their win again.

Also, I’d like to recognize and congratulate the Grade 6 Girls Basketball Team who did make it to the finals this year. They didn’t win, but to make it to the finals is a great accomplishment for them as well.

I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank the coaches and the chaperones that came down with these youth and helped them participate in the basketball tournament and also taking in some of the recreational activities here in Yellowknife.

I’d also just like to take the opportunity to thank Basketball NWT that puts this Cager Tournament on every year and does a really great job, and all the volunteers, referees and scorekeepers who put this tournament on and do a great job.

This weekend is the Senior Cager Basketball Tournament here in Yellowknife. We have a lot of teams coming from out of town, and I think it’s one of the biggest showings of out-of-town teams that come to this weekend’s tournament.

I just want to take the opportunity to wish good luck to the teams that are representing East Three Secondary School this weekend. I know last year they had some very exciting games in the senior boys division as well as the ladies. I want to wish them the best of luck and hope they do well and bring another title home to Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The plan to transfer 1.6 million housing support dollars from the ECE’s Income Assistance program to the NWT Housing Corporation is a welcome action indeed. This action will begin to address the debilitating circumstances for long-term income assistance clients who must continually wrestle with Northern Properties’ policy barriers and ECE barriers that clients must try to jump over every month to get even delayed let alone timely housing assistance.

These barriers include a record of failed property maintenance, threats or attempts to evict, difficulties associated with shared apartments when one tenant leaves, and other problems ad infinitum. Income assistance clients have been left to struggle with these issues without effective government support, something which is clearly intended but not being delivered by income assistance.

With this transfer of housing dollars and clients to the NWT Housing Corporation, issues associated with 75 housing spaces for income support individuals and families in the market communities of Inuvik, Hay River and Yellowknife will quickly begin to be dealt with. The Housing Corporation will take over maintenance of the spaces and pay rent directly to the landlord, allowing tenants to pursue the priorities that will allow them to seek a better and more self-sufficient life. This will have a real and immediate impact on the quality of life for these clients.

The recent community housing survey showed that 60 percent of all NWT housing affordability issues are in Yellowknife and that the problem has worsened by an incredible 45 percent since 2009. This, while $1 million in the corporation’s Rent Supplement Program languished unspent, clearly failing to address the declining state of housing affordability in Yellowknife.

The transfer of ECE housing dollars to the Housing Corporation is another mechanism that can help, in this case, 55 tenants in Yellowknife. Yet, in

Yellowknife we have 1,055 families with housing affordability issues.

I do not know how many of these are long-term income assistance clients who could similarly benefit from the transfer of income assistance housing dollars to the Housing Corporation, but I assume such an analysis is being done. I suspect we need more of this, much more, and I will be expecting ECE and the Housing Corporation to report on this and respond appropriately.

One last comment. Not only does this move make imminent good sense, it very probably will save the government money, allowing more time and more to be done.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I will have questions on the evaluation program that will be put in place to determine savings and effectiveness and how this transfer can be expanded. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about the importance of bringing our people back into our communities for their last days on this earth. I recall a time when I had a discussion with people in Colville Lake when they had an elderly person come to Yellowknife. In Colville Lake the people were kind of missing him. So I sat with the leadership and they were asking this older man to come back to the community. They were saying it was like they took a book of knowledge, an encyclopedia out of our community. They said this old man had this special knowledge with the animals and it’s like we don’t have the information in our community and we would like to bring him back into Colville Lake because he has this knowledge about the animals and we need to learn from him. Without it, it’s like we’re lost and we’re searching for answers.

So I was thinking about this and I’m somewhat glad to hear the Minister yesterday talk about training some of the nurses in health care to bring people and make their last couple of days comfortable in their homes, and train the nurses and make it possible that we can have some of our people come back to our communities to spend their last couple of days and to pass on their knowledge to the people, give their last words to their children. These are very important culturally for our people.

I want to continue to press the Minister on Deline’s request to look at a place where the private homes might be a little too much to look after someone

who is dying, so they could move into a special place. I wanted to ask the Minister again on what’s the progress of this study here that Deline has been asking for. I do want to say that this is an issue that has been on the Sahtu’s radar for several years, so I’ll ask the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.