Debates of March 1st, 2017

This is page numbers 2075 - 2114 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 work.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Yellowknife Airport Evolution

Progress Statement - Education and Training

Canada's Outstanding Principals: Education, Culture and Employment Milestone Statement

Commitment to Action on Climate Change

Protection of the Bathurst Caribou Herd

Dead North Film Festival

Proposed Carbon Pricing Charette

Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation Systems in the Sahtu

Northern Carbon Pricing Regime

Deh Cho Boreal Caribou Study

Member's Statement on Inuvialuit Water Board

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Inuvialuit Water Board

Inclusive Schooling Funding

Northern Carbon Pricing Regime

Proposed Carbon Pricing Charette

Industrial Activity Green House Gas Emissions

Protection of the Bathurst Caribou Herd

Notification of Northern Carbon Pricing

Proposed Carbon Pricing Charette

Tabled Document 307-18(2): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 4-18(2): Report on the Review of the 2014-15 Public Accounts Tabled Document 308-18(2): Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 505-18(2): PeopleSoft Public Service Human Resource Reports Tabled Document 309-18(2): Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 606-18(2): Status of Transboundary Water Management Agreements

Tabled Document 310-18(2): We Can Do Better: Housing in Inuit Nunagut Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, Senate of Canada, March 2017

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deferral of Corporate Management Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deferral of Environment Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deferral of Water Resources Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for Environment and Natural Resources

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 71-18(2): Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Deferral of Environment Activity, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister McLeod.

Page 2106

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I take the Member's point, and we have heard those concerns stemming out of some of the incidents we had around here, and we are going to go back and work with the departments and improve our communication plan and have a primary contact or a lead contact. So we have heard the concerns, and we are taking steps to address them.

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Page 2106

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, and that is well appreciated. I too can and am taking some steps to work with my constituents in trying to gather as many of their contact sources of information into one source so that I can share it with the respective departments so that, when these emergencies arise, they just have a go-to source to get information out.

Mr. Chair, let's talk for a moment just with regard to what was previously mentioned by the department in terms of the annual reviews that take place after a forest fire has happened. I know there are annual reviews that take place, and I will call it "inspections" that take place, and recommendations come out. A report comes out, and recommendations always come out in the report. We say in here, in our business plan, that we are going to develop a community wildland fire protection plans planning framework. Are those recommendations critical as part of these protection plans? I will ask that question first. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister McLeod.

Page 2106

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member is quoting off page 74.

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Page 2106

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and my apologies. I should have told you that I was referencing the department's business plan. It is not the main estimate document. It is the planned activities for 2017-18 in the actual business plan, where we say that we will develop a community wildland fire protection plans planning framework. I am asking, relevant to that activity: do the recommendations out of these annual reports become a part of those protection plans? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister McLeod.

Page 2106

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, they would be considered because they are a very important source of information for the department as we do our planning. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2106

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Page 2106

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the answer. Lastly, the recommendations that come out of the reports, what does the department do aside from, say, injecting them into the protection plans? What will be the steps that they are going to take to roll out those recommendations? How will they engage in getting those recommendations rolled out?

Obviously, we have a rather large obligation to want to protect people and assets. We want to avoid at all costs the incidents that have happened in recent years. I am just wondering: how seriously are we taking the recommendations? What kind of resources are we putting into the recommendations? Will the recommendations be rolled out? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Dr. Kelly.

Page 2107

Dr. Kelly

Thank you, Mr. Chair. All of the recommendations are considered at the annual meeting and then operationalized. Each of the recommendations, the department can show how they have incorporated them into how they plan and implement the next fire season. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Dr. Kelly. Mr. Vanthuyne.

Page 2107

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just lastly to that, that is positive. I like to hear that. That means we are engaging and taking steps after the recommendations.

The question then would be: on a go-forward basis, do we have a means or a way in which we are going to reach out to residents, in particular those who are impacted by, I will call it, recent tragedies in fire loss or what have you? Do we have a means by which to get back to them to tell them that here's what we intend to do, that, since those recommendations have come forward to us, these are our next steps? I would be happy to know that we are doing that and that there is a communication effort that goes to letting these folks know what our intentions are after receiving these reports and the recommendations within the reports. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Dr. Kelly.

Page 2107

Dr. Kelly

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My understanding is that that is being done. There were some questions that were asked about what was happening with the recommendations, and the department has provided a response saying how the recommendations will be looked at and how they will be factored in to planning and implementation for the next fire season. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Dr. Kelly. Mr. Vanthuyne. Any further questions from committee? I see none. Committee, that brings us to forest management, operations expenditure summary, total activity, $39,803,000. Does committee agree?

Page 2107

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Agreed. Thank you. That brings us to Environment and Natural Resources, water resources, operations expenditure summary, total activity, $11,802,000. Committee, we have information items from page 78 to 81. Any questions from committee? Mr. O'Reilly.

Page 2107

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. In the Minister's opening remarks, he talked about how there was an extra $2 million to continue implementation of the Water Stewardship Strategy including work on the Transboundary Water Agreements. I think that amount is found under the watershed management item listed on page 79. Is that the case, Mr. Chair?

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.

Page 2107

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Yes, the Member is correct, Mr. Chair. It is. Thank you.

Page 2107

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly.

Debates of March 1st, 2017

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