This is page numbers 2785 – 2828 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 communities.

Question 890-18(2): Prescription Drug Coverage For Mental Illness
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Question 890-18(2): Prescription Drug Coverage For Mental Illness
Oral Questions

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bring this up because people get swept under the rug because, like I said, most people have coverage, and so this approach of looking at a case-by-case basis does not seem like the best way to do things. When can we expect this review to be done and hopefully some specific conditions added to this list to help those who are in need of prescription medication for their mental health conditions but cannot afford it?

Question 890-18(2): Prescription Drug Coverage For Mental Illness
Oral Questions

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I would just like to confirm once again that the broad category of chronic psychosis provides for coverage of a variety of mental health conditions, so a number of them are covered. People need to make sure that they are working with their practitioners to get that information out. A full review of the supplemental health programs will take over a year as it will involve significant cross-jurisdictional review, analysis, and consultation. Once again, we are doing that work now. We will certainly keep the Member and committee updated as we move forward.

However, if the Member is aware where people are experiencing hardship, I would encourage them to deal with their practitioners or go through their MLAs to explore opportunities for exceptions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 890-18(2): Prescription Drug Coverage For Mental Illness
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was talking about my travels across the Southern NWT and asked questions of the Minister of Infrastructure. I'd like to follow up with some questions here today.

Mr. Speaker, I noticed that, when I was crossing the Deh Cho Bridge, on both sides there was work being done and gravel being moved from a spot along the north side that hadn't been moved in a long time, and this work was being done by a company from outside the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise what work is being done to the bridge and the rationale why a company not from the Northwest Territories is doing this work? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part of our bridge monitoring inspection regime, we've been closely monitoring the side slopes on the approaches and the embankment movements of the Deh Cho Bridge. Some longitudinal cracks have appeared and we've been observing them on the bridge approaches, and as a proactive and preventive measure of our ongoing part of our maintenance program, we're working to stabilize these approaches and embankments to stop future cracking of the longitudinal cracks that are appearing.

As to the contractor that's on-site, they are called GeoStabilization International. This was awarded, a contract, through public procurement through the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for his answer. That's very helpful and clears up a number of things. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please tell us if this work is covered under the warranty or are these additional costs that the Government of the Northwest Territories has to cover with this bridge?

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

The cost of this preventative work is actually covered by various bridge capital projects. It's ongoing preventative bridge maintenance across our system, and it's there to extend the life of our bridge assets.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I appreciate the department is actually doing preventative work on there. I was hoping it would be covered under the warranty, but I guess it isn't; it's part of our new capital projects or O and M direction.

I've also heard during my travels there that the slope on both sides is very steep and some truckers, especially on the south side, have to speed up to get across the peak there. If they don't, the vehicle could stall. Can the Minister advise if he's heard these concerns and, if so, what is the department doing to address these issues?

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

I'm not aware of this concern. The bridge is built within normal sloping operating grades and, I suspect anyone who has a Class 1 driver's licence operating should have the skills to navigate the slope of that bridge.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer, but it's been an issue, so I'm addressing it to him so maybe he can look into it.

Mr. Speaker, I've also been told that one of the piers wasn't built correctly and it needs to be replaced. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise if this is true and what the department has planned to replace this pier? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

I'm not aware of a requirement to replace any pier on the Deh Cho Bridge. This bridge has been functioning well since it opened in 2012, and as far as I'm concerned there's no need for that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 891-18(2): Deh Cho Bridge Maintenance And Repairs
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My statement earlier today referred to the Feasibility Study of Universal Affordable Daycare in the NWT that was prepared at the direction of the last Assembly. You can find the study in our tabled documents if you know where to look. It's available on the University of Toronto website, but if you look on the GNWT website, including the Education, Culture and Employment Department, you can't find it there.

Will the Minister commit to putting this study back among the resource documents of his departmental website? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Sorry, that's a question to the Minister of Education. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, we are committed to improving the accessibility, affordability, and inclusivity of childcare in the Northwest Territories. It continues to be a priority of our department, as well as a priority of this government. We want to ensure that we support the creation of new childcare spaces and programs in all of our communities across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, currently we have childcare spaces in 23 of the 33 communities of the Northwest Territories. We need to put our focus, our finances, financial resources into making sure we have childcare spaces throughout the NWT, so there are 10 communities that we need to continue to work with.

The GNWT over the past two years has put into place a variety of initiatives to address the accessibility and the affordability, and we continue to focus on that. We've implemented junior kindergarten. We've made significant changes to streamline and simplify the licensing and funding application process for NWT licenced early childhood programming among many other things, Mr. Speaker. We're continuing to commit to focus on accessibility and affordability to ensure that all of our communities in the Northwest Territories have early childhood programs and spaces. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement in the House about childcare. Unfortunately, he didn't answer my question about whether he would make the study available on his department's website, but maybe I'll give him a chance to answer that with my next question.

The proposed changes to the mandate were brought forward to this House by Cabinet. What is the position of the Minister on universal childcare for the Northwest Territories and when will that happen?

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

With the mandates and the focus of this government to ensure that we do have childcare spaces in all of our communities, before we can even get into universal childcare we've got to make sure that all of our communities do have childcare spaces, and the fact we can actually put our resources that we have now within the remainder of this government to focus on addressing the childcare spaces and needs in 10 more communities across the Northwest Territories while maintaining and sustaining the early childhood programs that currently exist in all of our other communities.

I think that, as a government, we should put our focus on getting all our communities childcare to not only help the child, give the child every chance to succeed, but also help families as well.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

September 26th, 2017

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I don't seem to be having much luck with the Minister today. He still hasn't answered my question about whether he can make this study available on his departmental website.

Of course, if there are 10 communities missing childcare facilities or programs, that should be part of an action plan. The proposed revisions to the mandate would axe the commitment to universal childcare and the action item in our current version of the mandate calls for an action plan for universal daycare within the next two years. It doesn't mean we're going to do it; it just says that we should have a plan to do it. That's from 18 months ago. This means that, until the mandates change, the department should have been working on this commitment and the work should almost be done by now.

Can the Minister tell us the status of the work on an action plan for universal childcare in the Northwest Territories?

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We do currently have an early childhood development action plan within this government, and we're also working on an early learning and childcare agreement with the federal government to look at outlining where our focus is going to be over the next three years.

The Member asks us if we're going to put energy into creating this action plan. We have some documents that we're referring to right now, but a lot of our energy has been working with some of those communities to create daycares. We have two new daycares in two of our smallest communities, and it's a very successful story.

I'm working to make sure that all communities across the Northwest Territories will have that opportunity to see their children, their youngest, succeed, as well as families getting the supports that they need with child daycare.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I seem to be having problems here with the Minister, getting actually any answers to any of my questions today. He cannot tell me if he is going to post a study to his website. He does not want to tell me what his position is with regard to universal childcare. He cannot tell me what is happening with the action plan that his department was supposed to be developing.

Let us go back to the feasibility study. It estimated that a territory-wide program could be introduced for a cost starting at about $20 million a year. Since then, junior kindergarten has come on-stream, which largely replaces the need for child care spaces for junior kindergarten-aged children. Has the Minister's department calculated the reduced implementation cost for universal childcare in the NWT, given junior kindergarten is in place; and if so, what are the reduced costs for universal child care? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I did give him a heads up, so I don't know what the problem is. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Question 892-18(2): Universal Affordable Childcare
Oral Questions

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As I mentioned, our focus is to make sure that we provide those childcare spaces. We have increased subsidies for early childhood programming, specifically on the infant spaces. We are putting more time and energy into making sure that all families in the Northwest Territories have that opportunity in early childhood programs. Subsidies, we made changes to the childcare benefit, the NWT childcare benefit. We are doing a lot of work in the area around early childhood development, and we want to continue to make sure that all of our communities have access to childhood spaces so that our children can succeed, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.