Good afternoon, colleagues. I am sorry to announce the passing of Tom Butters.

Tom Butters, a long-time Northerner, was first elected to the NWT Legislature in 1970. From 1970 to 1975 he served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Western Arctic and in 1975 as MLA for Inuvik until his retirement in 1991. In 1994 Tom was made a member of the Order of Canada. Tom is the longest serving Member of the Legislative Assembly. Although Tom lived in British Columbia in his final years, he is fondly remembered by many people in the Mackenzie Delta where he and his wife, Peg, raised their family.

Tom was predeceased by his wife, Margaret “Peg” Butters, and his son Alan Butters. He leaves to mourn children Christine Cross, John; Ian Butters, Vina; and Meg Innes, Alan; and five grandchildren.

Thank you, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to advise Members of the Legislative Assembly that the Honourable George Tuccaro, Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, has been reappointed to his position for another one-year term.

---Applause

The appointment was announced by the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, last week. Commissioner Tuccaro’s second term will begin on May 11, 2015, and end on May 10, 2016.

The role and relationship of the Commissioner’s Office and the Government of the Northwest

Territories has always been a close one. Only 30 years ago the Commissioner would have been directly involved in the day-to-day running of government and would have had many of the same responsibilities the Premier now has.

As our people and territory have evolved, so has our political system. Today elected representatives serving the people of the Northwest Territories have the responsibility for the daily direction and control of the government.

At the same time, the role of the Commissioner has evolved into a more ceremonial and symbolic office similar to that of a provincial lieutenant governor. In this role, the Commissioner symbolizes and expresses the values and aspirations of all residents of the Northwest Territories. In representing the interests we all share, the Commissioner is a powerful symbol of the things that unite us as Northerners.

The Commissioner is also an important symbol of our belief in our democratic institutions of government, both in Canada and the Northwest Territories. Through his relationship with the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors and other Commissioners, the Commissioner symbolizes our participation in the Canadian federation.

The demands of being Commissioner require a person with unique characteristics. To represent and reflect their interests, the Commissioner needs to know and be in touch with people all across the Northwest Territories. A Commissioner needs dignity and tact to help foster respect for the institutions of government, despite political controversy and human error. Also, a Commissioner needs selflessness to rise above personal interest and represent the interests of all Northwest Territories residents.

I think everyone will agree that Mr. George Tuccaro has demonstrated all those characteristics in private life and in his term as Commissioner. Mr. Tuccaro is well known across the North, both as a broadcaster and through his travels. His support for Northern arts and culture is well known. He has served on the NWT Arts Council, promoted Aboriginal language programming at CBC North, served on the Legislative Assembly’s Cultural Enhancement Committee and been involved in many cultural

events throughout the years. His more recent work before becoming Commissioner, involving issues like healthy lifestyles, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and residential schools, proved that he is still in touch with the issues that affect so many Northerners today.

Mr. Speaker, it has been an honour to have worked with Mr. Tuccaro during his term as Commissioner. He is traveling in the Mackenzie Delta this week promoting the anniversary of the Canadian flag, but I would like to invite all Members to join me in congratulating him on his reappointment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services is pursuing the 17th Legislative Assembly’s goal of

healthy, educated people by investing in prevention, education awareness and early childhood development. By working in partnership with community and Aboriginal governments, non-governmental organizations, health professionals and other stakeholders we can achieve our vision of best health, best care, for a better future.

To help all partners align their efforts, we are holding a Territorial Wellness Gathering from March 3rd to 5th at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife. We

are partnering with the NWT Association of Communities to host this event, and I would like to thank the association for their assistance.

Community leaders, elders, and youth from all 33 communities will come together, along with representatives of Aboriginal governments and non-governmental organizations, staff from the health and social services authorities, the Government of the Northwest Territories and Health Canada to take part in the Gathering.

Participants will learn about how social determinants and economic factors influence people’s health and explore how we can work together to improve the overall well-being of our residents. The gathering will focus on three themes: Closing the Gap; Healthy People and Communities; and Building Stronger Families.

It will be informative and inspirational, with compelling presentations from prominent experts. It will provide opportunities for participants to actively engage on the three themes and share ideas on how they can improve residents’ quality of life. It offers individuals and organizations a venue to learn from each other, share their wisdom and

exchange knowledge on best practices that enhance the well-being of our communities.

The sessions will also be available through live webcast so that all residents have the opportunity to hear these presentations.

A number of key speakers from across Canada will be attending the gathering, along with our own local experts and residents. They will share their wisdom and stories and will be a valuable resource that participants can learn from.

I look forward to hearing from respected professors, researchers and physicians such as Dr. Janet Smylie, one of the first Metis doctors in Canada, and Dr. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, there are many factors that negatively influence the health and well-being of our residents. These include struggles with income, education, early childhood development, food insecurity and housing. Other issues include mental health, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, diabetes and even the impacts of climate change.

The gathering will offer participants an opportunity for open and honest dialogue about these issues and help foster awareness and understanding and will give participants ideas for addressing issues in their communities. It will also provide information and real life experiences from Northerners on successful efforts to improve the well-being of our residents.

Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories have an increased burden of chronic disease and the trends will continue to worsen unless we intervene. We know that better promotion of healthy lifestyles is one of the keys to improving this situation.

Because so many NWT residents are Aboriginal, especially in the smaller communities, improving the health status of the Aboriginal population is one way the Department of Health and Social Services is working to accomplish our goals.

We continue to develop effective, culturally-appropriate prevention and promotion programs and work with our health centres to create a welcoming environment where Aboriginal people feel respected and supported. The Northwest Territories has an opportunity to become a leader in culturally-sensitive approaches to care.

Improving the health of all NWT residents will require the cooperation and effort of many groups and organizations, Mr. Speaker. We need to continue to develop strong partnerships with community and Aboriginal governments, non-governmental organizations and health and social service providers to form an integrated approach in order to have a collective impact.

This is why having events like the Territorial Wellness Gathering is important. We hope that from the gathering we can collectively develop solutions that give residents greater opportunity to enjoy the benefits of healthy lifestyles.

Mr. Speaker, exchanging information and finding new, innovative ways to address the social and economic factors that negatively influence our residents’ well-being will help us achieve our goal of having sustainable, vibrant, safe communities.

This gathering also moves towards achieving our commitments in the GNWT Anti-Poverty Action Plan, Early Childhood Development Action Plan and Pathways to Wellness: An Updated Action Plan for Addictions and Mental Health.

By strengthening our partnerships and weaving together our collective wisdom, we will realize our vision of best health, best care, for a better future. I look forward to sharing the findings from the gathering with my colleagues in this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has approved five traditional Aboriginal names for the Mackenzie River under the NWT Geographical and Community Names Policy.

As the department responsible for community and geographical names in the Northwest Territories, we place a special emphasis on traditional Aboriginal geographical names as they are important to the culture, history and languages of the people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie River is the largest and longest river system in Canada and continues to serve as a transportation corridor. It provides key support to communities along its length, while serving to foster economic development. In this way, like a strand of sinew, it ties the Northwest Territories together. The Mackenzie River is one of our most important geographical features and helps to define the Northwest Territories’ place in Canada.

In 1984 the Geographical Names Board of Canada declared the Mackenzie River a geographical feature of pan-Canadian significance in recognition of its historical importance and prominent place in the Canadian landscape. With that decision, both the French and English names for the Mackenzie River became official. Previously, only the English place name was an official name.

Through the NWT’s Geographical and Community Names Policy, we have the ability to also make the traditional names for geographical features official to assure their cultural continuity. In accordance with this, the five Aboriginal names for the Mackenzie River are now approved and join the English and French versions as official names.

The Aboriginal names are: • Kuukpak, the Inuvialuktun name; • Nagwichoonjik, the Gwich’in name; • Deho, the North Slavey name; • Dehcho, the South Slavey name; and • Grande Rivière, the Michif name.

All of the Aboriginal names translate as a variation of “big” or “great” river, underscoring its importance as a geographical feature.

Mr. Speaker, now that the Aboriginal names for the Mackenzie River have been recognized, an elder from any community along its length can stand on its bank and tell his or her grandchildren that their name for the river is known by all. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that the Northwest Territories three regional land and water boards as well as the Mackenzie Valley superboard have been prominent in the news these past three days.

Just this past Friday, on February 27th , the NWT

Supreme Court granted an injunction requested by the Tlicho Government. This injunction effectively stops, for now, the elimination of the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board and the launch of the new superboard, which is supposed to take place effective April 1st .

What catches my attention is that the court’s decision doesn’t only affect the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board because the superboard would have replaced the Wek’eezhii as well as the Sahtu and Gwich’in boards. All three will now continue until the Tlicho case is decided.

Recently, the Sahtu Secretariat also filed a case to maintain the Sahtu Land and Water Board. The outcome of these cases will now have a significant impact on how land and water are managed in the Northwest Territories, particularly on how First Nations engage on decisions respecting their

traditional lands. For example, the Gwich’in First Nation currently nominates two of the four positions on the Gwich’in Land and Water Board, with all four members nominating the chair. Under the new superboard, they would nominate just one person of 10 without a guaranteed spot on proposed three-person panels to hear new applications.

Later I’ll have questions for the Premier about the status of the Gwich'in Land and Water Board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia, information about daycare inspections is posted online. Parents and the broader public in those jurisdictions can freely scrutinize whether a daycare facility is in good standing with government regulations.

CBC recently filed an access to information request for five years’ worth of child care inspection reports in the Northwest Territories. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment put a $3,000 price tag on retrieving these records. When CBC modified the request, asking for only records since 2012, the cost was lowered to $1,700. Sadly, the government decided to put a hefty price tag on information that is vital to public interest, and a bit of a back-story will demonstrate just how grievous that is.

Since 2010 the department has been under fire from the Auditor General on daycare inspections. By law, the government is required in inspect facilities annually, but the AG found long gaps between inspections. For up to half of the facilities, the government wasn’t keeping track of compliance, and in response to the AG findings, the department promised to inspect facilities annually.

In 2012 the AG followed up and once again the department was given an unsatisfactory grade. The reason was appalling. The department had managed to bring inspections nearly up to date but by only glossing over major violations. Things like blocked fire exits, electrical outlets left uncovered and chemicals within reach of small children. The Auditor General was so concerned that she ceased the audit and sent a letter directly to the deputy minister for immediate action. To this day we are still following up on many issues of this audit and are still concerned at gaps in our system.

About 70 percent of our child-bearing Canadian women are employed in the workforce. Their families’ needs for high-quality daycare facilities cannot be overstated. However, if our jurisdiction can’t even meet minimum standards, what hopes

do we have of providing our youngsters with safe, healthy and stimulating care?

I will have questions later today for the Minister involved. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Early in February of this year I spoke in this House about the new provider for the medevac contract and questioned the Minister of Health and Social Services about how this will benefit those in small and remote communities. At that time the Minister spoke about contract guarantees of two hours to get to a community and the upcoming implementation of the new Med-Response program.

Last week the Minister of Health and Social Services advised this House that the Med-Response call centre is officially open and ready for business. Just to recap, this is a system that will give all health centres in all the communities a one call direct access for emergency clinical support and to coordinate expediting of medevacs.

I am especially interested in how they will assess patients and dispatch medevac flights quickly when needed. I have had several failings in my riding over the past years because quick and critical dispatch medevacs never happened.

I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services during question period about how exactly residents in small and remote communities benefit from the new Med-Response system. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you well know, we have a new health centre going into Hay River. We’re hoping later this year that it will be open, and it looks like it might even be a bit ahead of schedule.

One of the situations with the new health centre that we’ve been hearing rumours about for the last year is maintenance staffing may change. With the current health system, we have a hospital and we have our own maintenance crew that takes care of all the maintenance in the facility, takes care of room temperatures and any medical equipment that needs to be adjusted or repaired is done by that maintenance crew. The majority of the snow removal is done by that maintenance crew several

times a day. It’s a high-demand, highly necessary service that we get at our authority.

About a year ago my colleague and I from Hay River started hearing rumours that Public Works and Services want to take over the maintenance of the new health centre. I guess we have some concerns on how that’s going to roll out. We’ve been asking both the Ministers of Health and Public Works what the plan is going forward on this maintenance. We continue not to get any answers on it. We’re continuing to not get any direction.

The maintenance people who currently work there are a hardworking group, and they need to hear what the plan is going forward. These people have lives; they have families that are dependent on their employment situation. They want to know exactly what’s going to happen in the future.

We also know that we need that high maintenance. We need that service immediately. We don’t want to have to put in a request to Public Works and Services and wait for three days to get a response, or even a day later. Some of this stuff has to deal with clinical response time and needs to be immediate. We need to have staffing in the health centre directly for maintenance.

I will have questions for both the Ministers of Health and Public Works and Services later, to ask about where we’re going for maintenance, and we need these answers sooner than later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning a youth from Tulita called and said that they are organizing themselves. The youth was talking about the challenging times they’re having in the community and that they are working on various program initiatives to get out on the land. The youth are now starting to see the benefits of going out on the land, learning about their way of life and just to get out to certain areas around Tulita.

Also, the youth in Norman Wells are also finding it difficult to meet some of today’s challenges with the issues they have to deal with. Later in life, if they don’t take care of those issues, it will show up in our health system, in our correctional system and maybe in our education system.

The youth are looking for a place where they could have a building, especially in Norman Wells, where there is a lot of interest in having the youth get together to learn training in school, learn sports and, as I talked about the other day, education. The people want to help the youth, but they need to get together and get the partnerships and see what

type of support can be given to the youth through the partnerships and through the programs.

I want to say this because the youth are asking for help, and sometimes we’re so busy in life that we forget that they are watching us as leaders and seeing what we can produce for them in the small communities by working for them. More importantly, I guess, I take it from the youth in Tulita that sometimes we need to show the youth how to organize themselves and get something that they really need.

I’ll be asking questions later on, to the appropriate Minister, on programs and skills that they can help with the youth in the Sahtu communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As you drive into the Northwest Territories along the Mackenzie Highway, near the hardworking communities of Enterprise and Hay River, you have the opportunity to stop just off the highway to appreciate some of the natural beauty of the Northwest Territories. If you drive this route often, or if you haven’t driven it in some time you may have forgotten, but looking ahead to spring and summer hiking, camping and other outdoor recreation, I need to remind you. Today I want to talk about Alexandra Falls or, as it’s known in Slavey, Xahtl’o Ndeh Naili Cho.

The falls offer fantastic views. Whitewater kayaking opportunities, hiking trails and a day-use area are all part of the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. The park also includes the Louise Falls and Escarpment Creek campgrounds. So whether you want to stop for photographs and have a picnic lunch, or a multi-day camp, the falls facilities have something to offer.

[English translation not provided.]

Today I’d like to recognize Mr. Doug Lamalice. Mr. Lamalice is a member of the K’atlodeeche First Nation. He isn’t only a father of seven and an active artist, he is also a celebrated tour guide, leading cultural and nature tours around the falls, and a former member of the Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council. One of his tours, called Walk a Mile in My Moccasins, shares stories of Dene culture while visitors walk the trails. Through his work as a guide, Mr. Lamalice has been an ambassador of the Northwest Territories and for the K’atlodeeche First Nation, teaching visitors from all over the world about his culture and the land.

In 2013 two of Mr. Lamalice’s daughters discovered a fossil near Louise Falls, preserving their find until

it could be studied by a curator from Alberta’s Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. The Lamalice family does exceptional work, and it’s not just me that thinks so; Mr. Lamalice was recently honoured with a hospitality award.

The next time you’re passing by the falls, make a point of stopping. Let’s keep supporting those on the front lines of tourism and the people on the ground and on the trails and viewing platforms that keep tourism coming in the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because of waste grain in the South, snow geese are overpopulating Banks Island and destroying wildlife habitat. Egg harvest can contribute to their control while addressing nutritional deficiencies and cost of living for NWT residents facing food insecurity.

More than two decades ago, Canada and the U.S. amended the Migratory Bird Convention to allow for the spring harvest of migratory birds to aid in management such as addressing the overpopulation of snow geese. But despite American states and some eastern Canadian provinces instituting spring sport hunts to complement traditional spring hunts, an NWT proposal at the time to institute spring bird and egg harvests was ignored. Since then the problem has become dramatically worse and long-term habitat loss of all wildlife is now measured by satellite as snow geese populations soar ever higher.

Although I can’t go into the detail on my authority on this, snow geese eggs are delicious and nutritious, and millions are laid on Banks Island each year. Meanwhile, many northern families go hungry and schools and medical facilities seek traditional foods to complement the diets of students, patients and elders, and the overpopulation of snow geese still needs to be controlled. There is such a practical, common sense opportunity for a win, win, win here that I fear government will let yet more decades go by without the simple local action required for continental benefit.

Now, two decades since the first opportunity for action, the federal government is finally permitting a spring hunt of snow geese by all residents in the NWT. But it’s too little too late. If states and provinces, electronic decoys, electronic calls and 50 per day bag limits for years haven’t done it, a dozen more Northerners popping away won’t even be noticeable.

It’s time to get serious. Hire traditional harvesters in Sachs Harbour to harvest goose eggs and

distribute them throughout NWT communities wherever there is a high cost of living and a demonstrated need for nutritious food.

A million-plus snow geese on Banks Island means about 400,000 nests each spring or about 1.5 million eggs. A modest start of 5 percent would equal 75,000 or 6,500 dozen goose eggs. A modest start of 5 percent.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

For 15 communities with demonstrated need, about 500 dozen goose eggs would go to each community, the equivalent of over 1,000 dozen chicken eggs. A significant contribution to the health and well-being of residents while helping to solve a North American wildlife population issue and provide some modest employment in Sachs Harbour.

A smaller harvest the first year could prove up the methods of harvest and distribution, followed by larger harvests in subsequent years as assessed and approved by federal and territorial government biologists. International funding would undoubtedly be available. Here we have a straightforward wildlife population issue with a straightforward win, win, win northern solution.

I will have questions. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in Committee of the Whole yesterday, the City of Yellowknife has a land issue. A quick look around the city shows that this city’s expansion is hampered by water bodies and large rock outcrops. That’s why Yellowknife is so compact and the lack of urban sprawl is something that Yellowknife has been recognized for. This is something that other cities strive for.

Right now with lands withdrawn from development by Aboriginal government and the territorial government releasing little land to the city, Yellowknife is reaching the end of available land to use for future development, whether it be for housing, recreational use, commercial or industrial use.

It’s gratifying to see my local government planning ahead, but frustrating for me that they are not getting great cooperation from the territorial Lands department. From my time on city council, I know that the acquisition and development of land takes time, years in fact. The city is on record that they wish to take over all Commissioner’s lands in the

city and have asked for it from the GNWT and have been denied that.

That the GNWT will only release small parcels at a time has hampered the city’s planning efforts. It means the city is unable to get access to or ownership of a significant quantum of land for development and it’s pretty hard to plan in a vacuum when receiving land in dribs and drabs. There’s no opportunity to plan for the big picture, to plan for future expansion in a coordinated and timely manner.

On top of the lack of a significant quantum of land, it’s my understanding that several parcels in Old Town will not be released in fee simple title. It will only be given to the city under lease arrangements. It’s hard to understand why that is, and I appreciate the Minister’s offer yesterday to look into that for me.

Things are not yet dire. The city does have some space for development of single family dwellings in some parcels which were developed in the past. Niven Lake area, Block 501 and Grace Lake still have some lots available. But as they should, council is looking to the future and planning for a potential influx of residents due to several construction projects on the horizon. The city needs a large parcel to plan for the next subdivision and they need certainty to plan properly.

I understand the need to consult with local Aboriginal governments. That’s part of the land release process. I’m not asking for that to change, but the GNWT must be more understanding of the needs of community governments where land is concerned.

Thank you. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands at the appropriate time.