This is page numbers 525-570 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd 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.

Topics

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, absolutely. The 2007 family violence survey provides really valuable information about the attitudes of people within our territories on family violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, thank you to the Minister for that answer. My next question is does the Minister agree that addressing attitudes towards family violence is the best way of preventing it?

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

That is a very difficult question in all honesty. I think that attitudes are a part of it. Speaking as a child who came from a home with very severe family violence within that and a large family, I can say from personal knowledge and also professional knowledge, being a social worker for over 20 years, that family violence is a really complex issue. It is a really complex set of solutions to address it. It is not only attitudes. It is about services. It is about women's ability to take care of themselves. There is a whole complex list of needs that we need to address to be able to actually fully address family violence.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. I agree that family violence is a complex problem, but in order to get to the fundamentals, I think that we have to address attitudes in the way, historically, attitudes have changed towards drinking and driving, towards wearing seatbelts and towards smoking. To that end, I am wondering whether the Minister will commit to updating the family violence survey by doing another one?

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Within this fiscal year, I don't see that we can do a new family violence survey due to the financial limitations that we have. Although, I will advocate and try to look into bringing it into the next fiscal budget because, as stated, if is a very valuable tool. There has been a lot of work within the Northwest Territories on family violence. Our coalition against family violence has done a really remarkable job on communities' attitudes with the "What Will it Take?" project that they have done. So we do need to evaluate that. We need to evaluate if we are on the right track or what else we need to do. Within that survey piece, I would also like to see a more comprehensive plan go forward. I am looking at bringing that in within this term of the government.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister for that commitment to advocate for a repeat family violence survey in the next fiscal year. It is my understanding that the information it will provide will be a very useful planning tool to create promotion campaigns aimed at ending family violence. Thank you.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I am really pleased to hear that one of the MLAs is really taking this to heart because it is a serious issue. I would like to challenge all of our MLAs as well, as our Ministers actually, to take the "What Will it Take?" program in because I think it is something that all of us need to take, need to be aware of, and need to address and be role models within our constituency.

Question 208-18(2): NWT Family Violence Survey
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker. Small communities sometimes are drive-by communities. We drive by, and we see a small community, and we just drive by. One particular community is Enterprise, located within my riding. It is in the Deh Cho riding, but it also has access to the jurisdiction of the South Slave district offices. However, my questions today are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Can the Minister explain how Enterprise is involved in discussions at a territorial level about initiatives and activities that have an impact on the community? Mahsi.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, because it is within the municipality of Enterprise, they would be a full participant in any discussions that take place with regards to any type of development or initiatives that might be happening in the community of Enterprise. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Maybe later on I will ask the Minister in terms of what he meant by full partnership. He said partners. As we all know, here in the NWT the traditional economy has been hunting, fishing, and trapping. What do residents of Enterprise need to do in order to access GNWT programs that are frequently offered through local Aboriginal governments and organizations such as the Community Harvester Assistance Program or Community Wellness funding.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, I will have to have that discussion with the appropriate departments as to what the community of Enterprise has to do. I could talk at length about what the community of Enterprise has to do to access a lot of the MACA programs and assistance of the MACA staff? As far as what they have to do to access the other programs, I will have to have that conversation with the appropriate departments.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

I would like to thank the Minister for his reply. Here in the NWT, we promote the day of natural resource development. If that happens, we are quite fortunate especially if you are a neighbouring community, you have access to jobs that are fairly limited, and business opportunities, to ensure that the community grows. Plus, we also have the expectation that we are trying to balance economic and social impacts. Is the Minister aware of any effort being made to help the people of Enterprise benefit from the proposed pellet mill especially in terms of jobs and other economic opportunities?

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, as far as jobs go, that is something that they would have to take up with the proponent. I do know that we have been engaged with the proponent since about 2011. We have supported both the hamlet and the proponent on their land application. We assisted the hamlet with their land acquisitions by-law, and we also worked with the hamlet to determine the fair value for land sale, and we participated in a number of meetings with the hamlet council. There are some opportunities there when the pellet mill goes into Enterprise. There will be, obviously, some revenue for that that the community can take full advantage of. There are some opportunities there. As far as the jobs go, that would be a discussion that they would have to take up with the proponents themselves.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister agree to meet with the mayor of Enterprise and visit the community the next time he is in the area on official business to explain his explanation that they are full partners in terms of any initiatives that are perhaps in their neighbouring community? Mahsi.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to meet with any community government across the Northwest Territories. We have a good working relationship with the NWT Association of Communities. They understand that anything that happens within their communities ultimately they have control over, so they are more than full partners. I will agree to meet with mayor and council next time the Member invites us to his riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 209-18(2): Profile And Voice Of The Community Of Enterprise
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 210-18(2): Role Of NWT Power Corporation In Renewable Energy Solutions
Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to put the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to work today. Earlier today I related the story of NTPCs cancellation of a request for expression of interest for a joint venture supplying wind and solar energy for the North Slave. The NTPC former board vice-chair said that the direction to abandon the renewables project came from GNWT. Can the Minister confirm whether this is true and why the GNWT would interfere with this process? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Question 210-18(2): Role Of NWT Power Corporation In Renewable Energy Solutions
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for NWT Power Corporation.

Question 210-18(2): Role Of NWT Power Corporation In Renewable Energy Solutions
Oral Questions

June 12th, 2016

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a result of two consecutive low-water years, the Power Corporation sought expressions of interest in November of 2015 with a closing date of February 5, 2016. They received 29 expressions. At that point, the Power Corporation and the government and Arctic Energy Alliance evaluated the proposals and decided not to proceed to the next step which would have been a request for a competitive procurement. So they were simply seeking expressions of interest. It was not cancelled by the government. Twenty-nine were submitted. They were found not to be economic so it didn't proceed beyond that stage. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 210-18(2): Role Of NWT Power Corporation In Renewable Energy Solutions
Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I thank the Minister for his response. The recently released North Slave resiliency study did not consider climate change and made no predictions of future water levels. Low waters have caused this government to burn through more than $60 million in diesel subsidies in recent years. That is money that could have gone into renewable energy development. What role does the Minister see the NTCP playing in building capacity for wind, solar, and biomass in the North Slave region?