Masi. Good afternoon, colleagues. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to continue implementing the Building Stronger Families action plan to transform Child and Family Services, including work around the Child and Family Services Act.

The main purpose of the Child and Family Services Act is to protect children in situations where they may have been harmed or where there is a risk of harm. The Act serves the best interest of the children by protecting them from exposure to abuse and neglect. The performance audit of the Child and Family Services, conducted by the Auditor General of Canada in 2014, revealed long-standing systemic issues and deficiencies. The Auditor General's report coupled with the recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Social Programs led to the creation of the five-year Building Stronger Families action plan which is intended to transform the nature of Child and Family Services.

The reality is we still have far too many children who come into care under our legislation either taken from their families or put into foster placement or else remaining with their families but requiring support from our system. We never want to take a child away from their family if it's not necessary, but, at the same time, we have a legal responsibility under the Child and Family Services Act to protect children and youth from harm, including abuse or neglect.

Building Stronger Families is intended, fundamentally, to make Child and Family Services more family-oriented and less adversarial than it has been in the past. To achieve that goal, I am pleased to announce that, as of April 1st, amendments to the Child and Family Services Act have been implemented. Several changes have been put in place to ensure families are supported. The Director of Child and Family Services is now required to advise children, youth, and parents of their right to be represented by legal counsel throughout the child protection process. Transition plans are now included in the act. These plans are part of a case management tool intended to identify educational, life skills, supportive relationships, and financial planning goals for youth in permanent custody of the director. Other changes include the requirement for the director to provide notice to applicable Aboriginal organizations for apprehension hearings, permanent custody applications, and youth protection applications. The Aboriginal organization is entitled to be present and can contribute and participate in the proceedings. In order to ensure that all options have been explored before children are taken into care, child protection workers must also state the alternatives that had been considered prior to the apprehension within the time limits established for temporary custody, depending upon the child's age. The removal of a child from their permanent home is always a last resort.

Voluntary support agreements and foster care services will be extended to youth 16-18 years old. There will now be provisions for the protection of youth through an application for a Youth Protection Order with temporary and permanent custody conditions. As well, Mr. Speaker, the provision is now made to extend services to the age of 23 for permanent custody youth to support independent living. Finally, there is an expanded criteria for when a child or a youth requires protection. This now includes prostitution and the removal of a child after repeated exposure to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, as well as neglect.

These amendments will address the gap in services to youth and will encourage the least-intrusive measures possible. They will further the purpose of the Act, which is to establish the legal framework to support the rights of children. Also, Mr. Speaker, the legislative review of the Child and Family Services Act will be required every five years. With these new amendments now in force, we can look towards providing a better life for most of our vulnerable young people in care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this year, the Northwest Territories Association of Communities celebrates 50 years of collaboration and partnership among community governments and with the Government of the Northwest Territories. The NWTAC has long been an important partner of The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Since the beginning, the association has acted as an advocate for NWT community governments, ensuring that MACA and GNWT policy and programs reflect the needs and circumstances of their member communities. The Association works closely with MACA and has played an integral role as MACA has developed and implemented the New Deal for NWT Community Governments, the Municipal Funding Review, and the Accountability Framework, to name a few initiatives. MACA aims to encourage the development of capable, accountable, and self-directed community governments across the NWT and actively engages with the NWTAC to advance initiatives which support this goal.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment to its mandate to develop a strategy to address the existing gap in community government funding levels. We have also committed to develop and propose amendments to the Civil Emergency Measures Act and the Fire Protection Act. MACA's relationship with the NWTAC will support the department as it works to complete these actions over the next several years.

Engagement and consultation with community governments, as represented by the NWTAC, is critical for developing new initiatives and implementing existing programs. I place great value on our relationship with the NWTAC as it ensures that the programs and services

delivered by MACA are responsive to and supportive of the needs of the NWT's 33 community governments. I would like to congratulate the NWTAC on their 50-year anniversary.

I look forward to the continuation of a strong and meaningful relationship with the organization and the NWT's community governments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Deputy Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Bob McLeod will be absent from the House today to chair the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group in Ottawa, Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many years ago just outside of Fort Resolution, actually about 40 miles down the highway or 60 kilometres down the highway or straight across the lake about 20 miles, they discovered lead-zinc. As a result of that, in the early 1960s a huge lead-zinc mine came into operation in the place that they named Pine Point. That mine operated from the early '60s until the late 1980s. At that point, I do believe it was the second-biggest lead-zinc mine in the world.

In the 1980s, the price of lead-zinc went down, and it was no longer feasible to do open pit operation in Pine Point, so the mine didn't shut down but the town shut down. All of the workers went to other places to work, and what it left behind was quite a legacy, and that legacy of huge open pits all over the area.

At one point, there was a community of 2,500 people that lived there, and almost everyone worked at Pine Point. So it was a huge operation. So they produced a lot of mineral out of there and left. Now you can't really see the damage to the land by road, but, when you fly over, you're coming back from Edmonton, you can see all the huge pits.

The people have often asked why that site was not restored or remediated, whatever term that's appropriate for cleaning up that kind of site. Today, I want to talk a little bit to the Minister and ask the Minister some questions on what the plan is moving forward for Pine Point. The people see that as a huge opportunity to clean up the land. Also, a lot of the individuals feel that a lot of the sickness in Fort Resolution could be associated with that, so it would be good to get a good, proper assessment and put people to work trying to restore that site. Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to talk today about the future of renewable energy in the North Slave Region. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation recently cancelled the request for Expressions of Interest to introduce major renewable energy sources for the North Slave Region. Yesterday, the Minister of Public Works and Services tabled the North Slave Resiliency Study in the House. That study basically recommends against investing in renewable energy.

As we all know, the low precipitation in recent years has crippled the hydro-generating capability of our Snare and Bluefish facilities. More than $60 million in subsidies have been provided by this government. Before the election, NTPC issued a call-out for joint venture proposals to provide 10 megawatts of electricity through wind and solar. In April, we learned that the process was cancelled. A number of proposals were received, and significant effort went into those submissions. The parties that submitted proposals were told about the cancellation of the process through an e-mail, and some were not very pleased.

Renewable capacity isn't needed, the utility is reported at saying, because precipitation last winter has fixed our low water problems. Apparently, the decision to cancel the process came from the GNWT. I quickly reviewed the North Slave Resiliency Study last night, and I could not find much about climate change which may be driving low water levels. The report stated, "there is a large amount of uncertainty regarding climate change impacts to extremes, for example, the probability of more extreme droughts, the potential for increased inter-annual variability."

The analysis in the study is based on years of climate and water data, 30 years of climate and water data, but there were no predictions made on future water levels as a result of climate change that I could find in the study. Although we heard yesterday that the GNWT is about to start consultations on a new energy plan for the Northwest Territories, I am concerned that our direction is already being set by the North Slave Resiliency Study and the decision to cancel the Expression of Interest for renewables in the North Slave.

I am also worried about the future of the Arctic Energy Alliance and its programs to assist in the adoption of renewable and alternative energy to homeowners and businesses. I will have questions for the Minister of Public Works and Services later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the importance of our traditional cultures in the Northwest Territories, especially on moose hide tanning. We're fortunate to be able to fund local community organizations with training opportunities such as moose hide tanning and caribou hide tanning workshops.

Mr. Speaker, in my riding, my hometown of Tsiigehtchic, they've just completed a three-week training workshop on moose and caribou hide tanning. This is the second year that this has taken place, with much interest. This project has been able to employ on a short-term basis as many as five local participants, not including the five students who participated, as many members of the community over the spring, Mr. Speaker.

As many of you may know, hide tanning is not an easy task: daily fleshing, hours of care put into what seems so simple to us that have never experienced the behind-the-scenes art of tanning. Mr. Speaker, the instructors set up camp, gathered wood, provided and cooked meals, as well as making the fleshing tools that were needed for each participant. The instructors were able to teach various skills and the importance of how to prepare the moose or caribou hides for final stages of smoking. Students from the Chief Paul Niditchie School along with the Language Program Instructor took part in this workshop, as well, working with one moose hide, removing the flesh and hair which will be stored for next fall for completion. The instructors are still working after the initial three weeks so that they can complete their last stages of the project. The students are now working together with advice from their instructors, completing their hides. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the Gwichya Gwich'in Council in Tsiigehtchic along with the Government of the Northwest Territories have partnered to put on this workshop. ITI, being the sole funding source, and our communities in-kind contributions can definitely see the Mackenzie Delta bring back many of our traditional customs. Not only do we teach ourselves and our community, but the project itself does contribute to the community's economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today is about a terrible disease that in one way or another affects most of us in this room and across our territory. I'm speaking, of course, about cancer. While cancer doesn't strike everyone, it's hard to find someone whose life hasn't been affected by the disease. Most of us know someone who has lost someone to cancer, and for many of us it's more personal than that. I, for one, lost my mother to this horrific disease back in 2003.

Mr. Speaker, last year the Canadian Cancer Society anticipated almost 200,000 new cases of cancer and almost 80,000 deaths. About two out of five Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. One in four will die of this disease, but there is good news, Mr. Speaker. The fight against cancer continues to pick up steam every year. More than 60 per cent of people struck with cancer are still living five years after their diagnosis, and many go into full remission and go on to live full and productive lives, never having a bout with cancer again. This is due in large part to the advances being made in science and technology that have in turn allowed for earlier diagnoses and higher rates of successful treatment. In the cancer circles, we call this HOPE.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in Yellowknife, volunteers, cancer survivors, friends, and loved ones will gather at the Canadian Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life up at William McDonald School. Teams or individuals walk the track, keeping the relay going all night to raise awareness and to raise money for the fight against cancer. The Relay for Life takes place in more than 300 communities across Canada and last year raised $34 million for cancer research, education, and patient support.

Mr. Speaker, I've been involved in the Yellowknife Relays for 13 years now, and it's an honour and a pleasure to be part of such a strong group of community residents, giving their time, hard work, and dedication to help fight this disease. Mr. Speaker, cancer is a terrible disease and the number one cause of death for Canadians, but we must continue to fight against it through fund-raising and research. Through those efforts, Mr. Speaker, I believe that cancer will be beaten. I ask everyone who can to please donate a small amount to support this great cause. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided].

The Protected Areas Strategy is a northern conservation tool. It was introduced to help communities identify highly valued areas and preserve them for lasting appreciation and enjoyment. Establishing a protected area under the Protected Areas Strategy involves a seven-step process. It starts with the identification of an area and obtaining widespread support for its protection and eventual designation as a protected area with the full support for partners involved. These parties generally include First Nations, governments, and NGOs.

Mr. Speaker, the strategy was put on hold for a period of time during devolution discussions. It has since made its comeback under the new title of the Conservation Area Network. Now Kakisa wants to move forward to establish their protected area. The proposed K'aagee Tu protected area covers 6,800 hectares within K'aagee Tu First Nation's traditional land use occupancy area. It extends into the Cameron Hills, toward Trout Lake, Enterprise, and towards Beaver Lake. The original proposal in 2009 was for 9,605 hectares of land that included a large portion of the Kakisa watershed. It has now since been reduced to 71 per cent of the original area to remove areas of high oil and gas potential while still preserving the most important features of the watershed. Some of this area is withdrawn under the current Dehcho Interim Management Agreement. Governments have said that the K'aagee Tu protected area is consistent with the overall 60 per cent conservation and 40 per cent development land quantum ratio proposed for the NWT.

There have been overlapping interests from Fort Providence and the Hay River Reserve regarding the candidate area and concerns about the proposed wood pellet mill and regional woodland caribou population. Chief Chicot states that the GNWT supports Kakisa's initiative and wants to move forward. He has made Kakisa's intentions known to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. The community looks forward to hearing from the Minister and moving ahead to make significant progress toward establishing the K'aagee Tu protected area in the coming year. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's often said that our cost of living is out of control. It's always the top priority for Northerners when discussing governments and public policy and action that we can take to improve their lives. Mr. Speaker, the high cost of power is a key driver in making the NWT a very expensive place to live and run a business. Taking control of the cost of power is perhaps the most important way our government can lower the cost of living and reduce government spending, which I'm sure the Finance Minister is pleased to hear. Mr. Speaker, the recent move to remove the Northwest Territories Power Corporation Board and promise for a new governance structure could perhaps represent such a move to give the government more control over how expensive power is and real solutions to invest in infrastructure that will produce cheaper, cleaner, and more affordable power.

Unfortunately, Northerners still don't know what the government's plan is for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation or affordable power in the Northwest Territories. We've heard that there are issues with renewable, developing renewable, energy in the North Slave Region, which Northerners want. Northerners want a real investment in renewable energy, and we need to look at all options. All feasibility studies aside, we need to make these solutions work today and start generating cheap and affordable power. Mr. Speaker, I encourage this government to do more than develop options and struggle to keep rates under control with costly subsidies. I ask that a real plan with clear outcomes be provided to this House and be shared with the people of the NWT so Northerners can have confidence this government is taking real action on the high cost of power. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year in the House, I highlighted some of the housing challenges facing residents of Nunakput communities. But Mr. Speaker, housing is an issue that demands more attention. In my region, availability is a major obstacle. Lack of housing makes life hard for residents, especially those seeking single-person homes for single-parent families and for women and children seeking emergency shelter. Lack of housing also makes it hard to attract and keep the expert staff that our communities need. Added affordability problems don't make life any easier. In the past, communities like Sachs Harbour have had trouble keeping teachers, first, because they can't find housing and because, when they do, it's too expensive.

Mr. Speaker, let's use Sachs Harbour for an example. The community's 40 households include 21 public housing units, and, between 2004 and 2009, there was a big drop in the number of homes in core need in this community. But then that rate began to climb again. In 2014, 29.6 per cent of homes were in core need. That may not sound like a lot, but in our smallest communities, small changes have big impacts, Mr. Speaker. That's what makes it so frustrating when work falls behind schedule. In Sachs Harbour, a prefab duplex has been left uninstalled, waiting for a building pad. We know there is need. We know it is urgent. We know we must take action. When the federal budget was tabled earlier this year, it included $12 million for affordable housing in the Northwest Territories and another $15 million for housing in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, or the ISR, over the next two years. As we get into the nitty-gritty of our own territorial budget this week and in the weeks to come, I will be closely watching the government's response to the NWT's critical housing needs. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the money raised in the NWT through the Western Canada Lotteries Program, like Lotto 649, Lotto Max, and all the scratch tickets, is administered by the NWT Sports and Recreation Council. About $4 million a year has been disbursed to the territorial sporting groups and events for each of the last four years. These lottery profits go only to sports organizations here, in the NWT. In all other jurisdictions except Nunavut, lottery money is also dispersed to arts organizations and community service groups.

The question of whether sporting organizations should continue to be the sole beneficiaries of lottery funds has been debated as far back as 2008, when questions were raised in this Assembly about the diversification of funding to other participants. In response to questions of that day, the Minister of MACA, who is the same Minister today, by the way, said that: "MACA is working with the NWT Council of Sports and Recreation partners to review the overall management of lotteries in the Northwest Territories." Well, that was hardly a review that would result in one of the reviewers opening its own cash box for other organizations. So the money continues to be sports-only.

This year, a Request for Proposals was issued for another review of lotteries in response to specific legal matters raised by the Canada Revenue Agency; again, though, no mention of a broader division of proceeds. The arts are equally worthy of funding, not only for personal growth, but as a promising segment of economic growth. National statistics show that, on average, investments in the arts result in an 8 to 1 payback for every dollar invested. They provide attractions for tourism, increased business for hotels and restaurants, products for craft and fine art sellers, and jobs, to name a few of the spin-offs. As this Government worries about its bottom line, seeding our limited funds to areas that will provide economic diversification makes good sense. We have only to look at our neighbours in the Yukon to see what benefits a serious investment in the arts community brings in terms of tourism product and employment. I will have questions for the Minister on taking a new look at the allocation of lottery funds. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to special guests we have here this afternoon. We have Anthony W.J. Whitford here with us. He is a former MLA, former Minister, former Speaker, former Sergeant-at-Arms, former Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. He's currently Honorary Captain for the Royal Canadian Navy, Honorary Clerk of the House, and he's also celebrating his 75thyear in the next two days, so that's going to be a big day for him.

I'd like to welcome Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford, and also he's accompanied by naval colleagues and family, as well, here in the gallery. Naval colleagues, Captain Davenport and Lieutenant Peats are here with us. Welcome.

I would also like to recognize in the gallery Mr. Anthony Whitford's family members. We have his son here, Warren. Warren is my classmate of Sir John Franklin back in 1988, so, welcome. His wife, Bev, and his son David that's here with us. Also accompanying Mr. Anthony Whitford is Jeanne Gagnon. So thank you for being with us. Those we may have missed, thanks for being here with us.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize the interpreters we have in the House from my riding. We have Tom Unka. Tom Unka is from Fort Resolution, and he interprets for us in Denesuline. Mary Rose Sundberg who is from Detah, and she interprets for us in Tlicho. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome Mr. Les Carpenter, who is the CEO of the Native Communication Society and, also, he was board member of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and Inuit Circumpolar Council. Les has done a lot of advocacy work for Inuit, not just in Canada but internationally, as well, around the Inuit circumpolar world, so welcome, Les, and thank you for contributing.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like yourself, I want to take this opportunity to recognize our esteemed guest and Yellowknife North resident, Mr. Anthony Whitford. I also want to recognize the special guests in the gallery, and, in particular, I want to say hello to Woody Whitford, as we called him, knew him, in high school, and his family. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two of our pages here today from the Inuvik Boot Lake riding, Ms. Katelynn Crocker as well as Ms. Nicole Verbonac. I appreciate all the hard work that you did over this past week, and I hope you enjoyed your experience paging for Members of the 18thLegislative Assembly. As always, it's a pleasure to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford. Every time you come to the House, it's great to see you and your family. Everyone else in the gallery, welcome. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Again, if we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Assembly, the Chamber. I hope you are enjoying our proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience in the gallery. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I'd like to acknowledge my constituent, Jeannette Savoie. On Tuesday the Canadian Bar Association recognized her as a recipient of the Legal Aid Leader Award. This national award recognizes legal aid lawyers who have made a significant contribution to providing access to justice for people in need. A legal aid lawyer in Yellowknife, Ms. Savoie engages in improving legal aid services and works with mobile legal aid clinics, providing justice services to isolated communities. Colleagues, please join me in acknowledging Ms. Savoie for her achievement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I spoke about housing in Sachs Harbour in Nunakput. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Housing. My first question is: what's the status of the installation of the duplex in Sachs Harbour? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, the contractor was unable to complete the gravel pad last year. I'm happy to advise the Members, though, that all of the materials to complete the installation of the duplex are in the community at this point. We're anticipating that the duplex will be fully operational prior to August and allocated shortly after. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, my next questions are: what are the Housing Corporation's infrastructure priorities for the Nunakput region in the coming year?

The Housing Corporation has identified needs within the communities from our previous needs assessment, and so we've identified that we need to replace older public housing; we need new affordable housing; we need major renovation projects on public housing. However, we have committed to working with the IRC, and, as such, we will do so before we define exactly what our priorities will be for that region.

I appreciation the response from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, my final question to the Minister of Housing is: how will the GNWT work with Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to make the most of the new federal funding over the next two years?

As stated in the previous question, the Housing Corporation is using its definition of needs based on the needs assessment that was done. We've also met with members of the IRC individually, representatives, to see what they define as the needs. The final process that we'll be doing is actually calling a meeting with the IRC, which will be happening within the next couple of weeks, to show the results of what we've compiled and actually to hear what they have to say. They will take the lead on defining where we go with that. I have committed, as the Minister, that I will actually attend that meeting in person to make sure that I fulfil my commitment.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation said, first and most importantly, this change to the board of Directors of the Power Corporation will save ratepayers $1 million per year. My question for the Minister today is: that million dollars, how are ratepayers going to see that coming off their bills? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. As this House will know, an application has gone in for an increase in power rates of 4.8, four, and four per cent over the next three years. The savings of a million dollars allowed us to keep the application that low. Had that million dollars not been saved, the application would have required a higher rate of return to cover the costs of the Board. I haven't calculated the exact amount, but it would have been considerably higher than the rates requested. Thank you.

Previously the Minister had said that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation has been the recipient of substantial GNWT subsidies in recent years. Why is it then that the NTPC, Power Corporation, continues to increase power rates each year, more than 40 per cent since 2012? Is this subsidy a prudent expenditure of government resources in keeping the cost of power under control? It doesn't seem to be working, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, there have been increased in power rates over the last five or six years, and we are anticipating increases over the next three years. However, this increase in rates is driven by several factors. The cost of fuel is certainly one of the factors. Also, too, the amount of power that the corporation actually sells is not increasing, and so costs tend to be stable or increasing while the amount of power actually sold is decreasing. Therefore, unless we are able to find a major export market, it would seem to me that power rates may continue to increase.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister clearly has a keen grasp on the issues facing affordable power in the Northwest Territories, but I don't hear much of a plan to deal with them. Can the Minister share with this House some of the ideas he has on dealing with this problem moving ahead and perhaps on how we're going to build on the NTPC's success with renewables specifically, Mr. Speaker?

The Northwest Territories, and it is an acknowledged leader in biomass heating and ranks second in the country in solar capacity per person. As the House heard yesterday in the Premier's speech, we are going to be rolling out a new energy plan, we will be seeking the input of the public, Members of this House, interested parties, and we are anticipating in being able to table a new energy plan early in 2017.

Masi. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the new federal government has offered billions in green infrastructure and plenty of money available for developing renewable power and renewable energy economies. Has the Northwest Territories Power Corporation applied for any of these resources, and are they looking at deploying to the Northwest Territories so we can get away from increases over every year, as The Minister said we can anticipate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, Mr. Speaker the Power Corporation is interested in keeping rates down. As I mentioned earlier, one of the projects that is a possibility, and this was mentioned in the House yesterday by the Premier, is the possibility of exporting power to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Those discussions are at a very preliminary level as they are governments, provincial, federal, and Aboriginal, involved. But I would expect, should we be able to move forward on that project, that we would hope to obtain significant funds from the federal government. It is a renewable resource, hydro. Provinces to the south of us, particularly Saskatchewan, have indicated that they wish to get off coal, and it does present an opportunity for us.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions about the future of renewable energy in the North Slave region and I'll ask them of the Minister of Public Works and Services. I'd like to start with the North Slave Resiliency Study. I cannot see in the study where climate change models may have been used to predict water levels. Analysis seems to have been based on the past 30 years of data. Can the Minister confirm that the North Slave Resiliency Study did not consider climate change and then no predictions were made of future water levels? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Public Works and Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Climate change was taken into consideration, but the focus was really on the previous 30 years and that is why one of the recommendation is to consider an upgrade and to keep monitoring our hydro production so that we can keep better statistics on the water levels and where we're going in the future with climate change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for the response. The North Slave Resiliency Study basically recommends against investing in renewable energy in the North Slave. Can the Minister indicate what the position of this Government is regarding investment and renewable energy in the North Slave region?

I would like to start by reinforcing that hydro is actually a renewable energy and one of the most cost effective as well, and we have a good supply as related in the Member's opening speech. It's sufficient for 90 per cent of our needs at this time. Unless there's a major mine would we actually have to look at expanding upon that. So within the cost analysis it was shown that the current system as we have now is cost effective versus bringing in something such as a solar system which would cost millions of dollars, and that cost would actually have to be transferred to the rate payers. So we're on top of it, we're watching it, but one of the priorities within this Assembly is the costs of living. So we're really conscious that we want to support renewable energy but the most effective renewable energy options that we have at this time.

I guess I do agree with the Minister in that the North Slave Resiliency Study did recommend against investing in solar, wind, and biomass. Hydro, yeah, we can probably spend a lot more money on that too perhaps, but we've already made a significant investment in Arctic Energy Alliance as the delivery agent for a variety of very successful energy conservation and retrofit programs over many years now. What impact will the recommendations from the North Slave Resiliency Study have on this investment that we've already started through the Arctic Energy Alliance and its programs?

The NWT is actually the second in Canada in regards to renewable resources and I really want to keep that title. In fact, I would like to be number one if we could get there. So Arctic Energy Alliance is really key in distributing the renewable energy resources to communities, so we are committed to maintaining an Arctic Energy Alliance within our programs and projects to work with renewable energy within the NWT.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and I'd like to thank the Minister for her commitment that the recommendations coming from the North Slave Resiliency Study will not impact in any adverse way Arctic Energy Alliance. Yesterday in the House the Premier announced that there was going to be a new energy plan for the Northwest Territories. We already know that NTPC cancelled work leading to renewable energy in the North Slave. The North Slave Resiliency Study recommends against solar, wind, biomass investment in the North Slave. It appears this government has already started to make up its mind about renewable energy, at least in the North Slave. Can the Minister tell this House how renewable energy will be considered in the energy plan and whether that will be an open and transparent process? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, the new energy plan will be -- we will try to consult as much as possible within the definition, so although right now at this point the study showed that within this region that we have capacity, that we're fine within the hydro system, the renewable energy system that we have currently, we still are focussing within our thermal communities. We need to get them off diesel. This is really not sustainable energy and it's not good for our environment. So this is not only a concern for the Northwest Territories, this is national wide and international wide, so we've committed to working nationally and internationally on this issue. We take it very seriously and we will continue to research and stay abreast of current practices and as soon as the cost of alternative besides hydro becomes more cost effective than we will refocus and relook at that again because there have been really amazing results come in with the solar and the capacity of batteries, et cetera. We're on top of it and keep watching it.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Collaborate with First Nations Government seems to be the mantra that this Cabinet has put forward, and there's also a need for jobs, so of course obviously a need to work with industries as well. Can the Minister explain how our concerns over the wood pellet mill and the woodland caribou population within the K'aagee Tu protected area are being addressed? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Ms. Speaker. The department is working on the Conservation Net Reduction Plan to bring forward towards this House here during this session. Hopefully we're going to bring forward our new strategy and Conservation Action Plan. These two questions that he's proposed to me are both related to the conservation area that he's referring to. The woodland caribou has a strategy that we're developing right now with our Aboriginal partners and collaboratively with all people, user groups, and that. I'm glad to say that the working group has worked on a plan and we're expecting to release that by the end of 2016 for the Deh Cho region. So, as the Member is well aware, the Conservation Action Plan will protect areas for the habitat of boreal caribou. That's something that'll be in the long-range plans for that region and also for the territory-wide one that we will be introducing on boreal caribou. As for the question for the pellet mill and its effect on conservation areas, there's two things, I guess, related to the pellet mill: one is the boreal Strategy that also would be affected by the FMA holders in their wood lots. Those things were addressed through the land use permitting of those FMA holders. I believe that the total area for both FMA holders in boreal land caribou would have a minimum impact as low as point-two-five per cent of the range plan for Boreal caribou. Yes, we are trying to work with all groups in this and move this forward, so thank you for that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Negotiations can take time; however, I believe the department and this government could consider mechanisms including fast tracking negotiations or putting interim measures in place. What is required to move candidate area from its current evaluation stage to the next step in the process. Mahsi.

Thank you, Ms. Speaker. As I've said, we are moving forward with the conservation network planning for the NWT. Hopefully within this session we're going to be tabling Healthy Land Healthy People NWT Conservation Area Action Plan 2015-2020. Within that strategy it's going to have an engagement section and we want to get going on all these areas that were put forward as soon as we can once this is brought to the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

How does the Department of Environment and Natural Resources plan to support the processes here? You know, it's moved from an initial concept of Protective Area Strategy, it's kind of moving to this new conservation network initiative there. How would the department plan to support this process?

Once the plan is tabled in this House, we will be looking at seeking engaging our Aboriginal partners and advising a plan with the priority outcomes and that. So we will continue with the process with all Aboriginal Governments and private sector and user groups as we did previously. So we will be looking to engage them in a meaningful way.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Are the two protected area linked to the Deh Cho land use plan and the overall land use plan for the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.

I would have to get back to the Member on that particular issue. I'm not quite certain how they're linked together. In the land use plan there's a Territorial Land Use Plan Strategy and the Deh Cho has their process for their protected areas as well. So I'd have to get back to the Member on that.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, Mahsi. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. First of all, can you update the House on the status of the review of lotteries to bring them into compliance with the CRA? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're still doing the process of trying to bring the lotteries into the department. It was recognized a few years ago that having lotteries distributed by SRC may have been taxable to the point of $1.4 million. So the SRC to their credit are the ones that brought that forward to our attention, though it's better that these proceeds go to physical activity across the Northwest Territories rather than their existence. We're still in the stages of that right now. We're getting legal opinions and everything and we're trying to ensure that we have that transferred too within the department so that we can use that $1.4 million for physical activity Northwest Territories. Thank you. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. Mr. Speaker, to my knowledge we've never consulted with the public to determine whether there's a desire to see the funding eligibility opened to the arts as well as to sports. Program review seemed to involve only sports organizations and, of course, they have a vested interest. Is there an opportunity to have a broader conversation on how the proceeds are allocated? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there is always a broader opportunity to have further discussion on this. We feel that the investment that's made by the government through ECE into the arts through ITI is fairly significant and to the point of, well, $2 million, I think, through ECE. I'm not exactly sure what the ITI numbers are.

To say that this money is going directly to sports, it actually goes to the overall physical activity and Healthy Choices activity for people across the Northwest Territories. This program, I think, was $5 million that we're looking to distribute, and that would go to our four sporting organization partners who deliver a lot of programs in all the remote communities, plus it also goes toward funding all the territorial sport organizations across the Northwest Territories. So that little pot of funding has to go a long way. Unfortunately, we don't have the level of profits as other jurisdictions across the country and if we start spreading those small proceeds even further then hopefully we don't want to water down their effectiveness. So we believe that there's a fairly significant investment into arts and culture across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for his answer. At the beginning I thought that I heard that he would be interested in having a public conversation. What would it take to get that conversation started?

Mr. Speaker, we hear from the public all the time, through Members. Asking me to take this on the road to 33 communities has got to be cost effective first of all, and we know what we're going to hear. We're going to hear-- well, we assume we know what we're going to hear: the arts organization across the Northwest Territories will say that they would like part of the lottery proceeds and all the folks that are responsible for delivering physical activity in healthy choices sport programs will say that we need more money ourselves.

So we feel with the $2 million plus investment from other Government departments, that's a fairly healthy investment into the arts community. I told the Member that there's always opportunity to have public consultation, what that consists of we'll have to determine that. I do have a forum coming up later on this spring or early summer. I've made a commitment to our sporting partners that we were going to have another sport forum once we get further into the lottery proceeds going over to the department, and that might be a great opportunity for me to get their input as to what the next steps may consist of. I'll have that conversation with them and we'll see where we go from there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, I don't expect the sport organizations to say that they would like to give up any of their revenue so I'm not sure that really will achieve the ends that I'm looking for here. The information I have is that lotteries contribute $4 million a year to sports organizations, and I take the Minister's point that this is physical activity. I don't know how the money invested in sports compares to the money invested in arts, all things being equal for that same age group. I wonder if the Minister could commit to producing that information as a starting point to having this conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is absolutely correct, I don't think the sporting organizations would say we want to water down our investment any further, much like if you asked the arts community if they want to spread that $2 million plus they get between another 30 different organizations. I don't think they'd be in favour of that as well.

I mean, there's opportunities here to get some feedback and I will commit to the Member that I'll spend the next little while exploring these options a little further and then we'll continue to have a dialogue. I'll talk to the sporting organizations during my forum with them and seek their input, and we've got the input from the Member obviously, and I'll continue to seek more input.

It has to be balanced, Mr. Speaker. There's a very healthy investment in the arts for such a small jurisdiction and we have a healthy investment into the overall physical activity and Healthy Choices and supporting activity in Northwest Territories, so we have to find a good balance there. But I'll commit to the Member that I'll continue working on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, it's been a couple of years since we had a commitment in this House for a full-time LPN in Tsiigehtchic. I'd like to ask the Minister, what is the latest update on this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that commitment was made prior to my term as the Minister of Health and Social Services and we have had debates in this House before. At this point in time we're not planning to put an LPN in the community but we have been working with the community to come up with an alternative, a community-based solution. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have attempted to get into the community a number of times to work out that pilot with the community where we think there's a significant opportunity to train somebody local to provide some of the emergency response as well as some of the other services in the community. Unfortunately, all the meetings that we've had have been cancelled due to unfortunate circumstances beyond anybody's control. I will commit to having our staff go in there.

In fact, we have been able to confirm a date. Our staff are going in to meet with the community on August 29th, which I know is a little ways a way and I understand how frustrating that can be considering how long it's taken us to get there, but we are committed to getting this done; we know there's interest in the community, and we have a date. Hopefully, you know, barring any unfortunate, unforeseen circumstances we'll get in there and we'll start developing that pilot. It's going to be a great opportunity to work with the community to develop something specific that works with the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, you know I've said a number of times in this House every spring and fall we have a nurse in the community for a total of close to five months out of the year, which is great for the community. If the community had a nurse that is willing to live and work in the community would the department be open to this?

Mr. Speaker, the challenge of that is if we put one nurse in the community we could actually create some liability issues. I know we do it during freeze-up or break-up but we don't have one nurse stations here in the Northwest Territories; we're trying to ensure that there's proper and adequate backup so that the individuals who are on call during the evening don't have to be on call every day 24/7. It can be quite extensive. I'm happy to have that discussion. If the Member can have that person share their information with us and let them express their desire, we'll certainly have that discussion. Our concern is having a 24/7 person in that community. One person can't reasonably do it. So we would be looking at the alternative that we've discussed and coming up with a community-based solution.

I thank the Minister for that, that's very promising. One thing the Department should know that everybody that lives in Tsiigehtchic is pretty much on 24 hour call all the time because we don't have nursing services or policing service, so the community is always the first people to act, Mr. Speaker. So with that then I will be sure to pass that on to the person that is interested and get in contact with the Minister as well.

Masi. I'll take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In all fairness to the Minister, I'm going to be asking my questions in my own language.

[English translation not provided]. Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A little bit of a delay there. Pine Point, as the Member stated, was around for a long time and for a number of years it's been shut down as I know, as I'm a resident very close to that community. Pre-devolution I believe the Pine Point mine site would have been a federal responsibility and I would have to look into that matter, but I believe prior to devolution it was under the responsibility of the federal government. Thank you for that, Mr. Speaker.

[English translation not provided]. Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to check with the federal government if this is part of the devolution final agreement on contaminated sites and get back to the Member where that's at if it's part of devolution.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker.

[English translation not provided]

I have had the opportunity to meet the Minister from the federal government, my counterpart, but we not had direct discussions on Pine Point mine site.

Oral Questions. Member for Tu-Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [Translation] the people are saying there the Pine Point Mine, the work that was worked on all the chemicals that was used would be going into the water. So the Fort Resolution Bay might be affected by the chemicals that were used for the mine. It seems like the people are getting sick from it and we don't know. I would like to ask the Minister when are you going to start doing an assessment on how the land is impacted, the extent of the impact? When are you going to do that? [Translation ends].

The Pine Point site falls under the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. ENR works closely with all other departments. Related to this land use it would be the Department of Lands and ENR. Under ENR we'd have a water licence and all these things are monitored adverse to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. Back to the federal government, if it's a federal government responsibility and we're still trying to figure out how that's working with devolution. The remediation plan will have to be coming probably from the federal government; no different than other federal sites.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a document that was tabled yesterday by the Minister of Justice and it hasn't really received much press so I'd just maybe like to ask the Minister about it. It's the Report of the Northwest Territories Judicial Remuneration Commission. I was looking at it and I guess it's like negotiations with judges for judicial remuneration, and I see that they got about $1000 a month raise. I'd like to ask the Minister is this correct? That's it for now. Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, one of the hallmarks of a democracy is an independent judiciary. In 1997 the Supreme Court stated that there were three components of judicial independence: security of tenure, administrative independence, and financial security. As a result of that case, every jurisdiction set up a commission, a Judicial Remuneration Commission, including ours, and every four years they give us a report. I think this is the third or fourth report.

It's not a negotiation in a sense but both sides, if I can put it that way, represented by counsel, put their arguments forward. The commission determined that an increase was merited. In the first year it'll be approximately 4.5 per cent and the three following years it'll be the Consumer Price Index plus 1.5 per cent. There is an increase and this increase is not really subject to any further negotiation. We've agreed to be bound by the findings of the commission. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I respect the separation of the judiciary from the Legislature. Does this increase have any sort of effect on ongoing negotiations or can it be used as precedent? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

No, this is quite different in my understanding from other negotiations, because it's not a negotiation in the normal sense; it goes to a commission. It would be more like a binding arbitration. So I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that this is quite different than any other negotiation the government is entering into or conducting at this time and could not be treated as a precedent. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How well do we pay our judges compared to other jurisdictions in Canada? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that the commission looked at was salaries of other judges and I think the salaries of our judges are on a par with other jurisdictions. Mr. Speaker, there are some challenges certainly in living in the Northwest Territories and the judges must travel far more than judges do in the south, so it's more demanding from that point of view. The salaries certainly are not out of line with the salaries in other jurisdictions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just thought that was something the public should be informed of so I wanted to get the Minister out of his seat. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

Masi. I'll take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On June 1stbudget day I asked the Minister of Finance if we could get a table that would lay out the job changes that were being proposed in the Budget, things like whether the positions were vacant or not; whether these changes were a result of reductions, sunsets, or new initiatives full-time, part-time, and I'm still waiting for that information. I raised it again with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment a couple of days ago and he committed to work with his Cabinet colleagues on this.

Mr. Speaker, we've now finished four of the departments and this is an important piece of information that this side of the House would like to get to help us with our review of the budget. I'm just wondering if I could ask the Minister when I might expect to get this information and if he can't give an immediate answer can he take it as notice? Thanks, Mr. Speaker.