This is page numbers 4881 - 4900 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 budget. View the webstream of the day's session.

Topics

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I totally agree. I would like to see it expanded. I am hoping within the next Legislative Assembly that we will get more programs, more schools that are doing the full immersion. However, I recognize also the reality is that this will take years. We need to train people to be able to provide that service. At least, I am hoping that within the next Assembly there will be couple of more schools jump on board with the full immersion, and my goal is that every single, at least every couple, of years more will help in, until we are doing it across the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to visitors in the gallery. We have with us Michael McLeod, former Member, former Minister of the Legislative Assembly, and also a current Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories. He just came back from working hard with Dene Nation just now. Welcome.

Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
Oral Questions

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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have some of the most unique ways to travel across the Northwest Territories. Depending on where you live, you can travel by air, water, trails, roads, or combined of winter roads and ice bridges. People from across the world are amazed at how we transport ourselves across this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I have been asked questions from our constituents about our transportation infrastructure and the challenges they have been facing with the roadside assistance program. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure: can the Minister confirm if the ice bridges across the Mackenzie, Liard, Peel, and Great Bear Lake are part of the government's infrastructure? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
Oral Questions

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
Oral Questions

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Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the department construction maintains ice bridges at the Mackenzie, Liard, and the Peel River system. We also do the ferries on those three systems, and we also look after the lake crossing at Deline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They are part of the public road system.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
Oral Questions

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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if the department has a system in place to guarantee that the ice bridges are safe to travel?

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Yes, the Department of Infrastructure follows the guidelines for safe ice construction that was developed with expertise from within and outside of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Other jurisdictions actually use our guidelines, and so does private industry.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, we heard from my constituents that sometimes these companies down south are having concerns about what happens should a vehicle fall through. Can the Minister advise us: does the GNWT have insurance should a vehicle, whether it is going across or is on a flatbed, fall through ice? Do we have insurance to cover that?

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

All public roads are insured for liability risk under the government's commercial general liability insurance. When we hire contractors that also do some of this work, they have to have the exact same coverage. The short answer, Mr. Speaker, is yes.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for his answers. I have one more question. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that four or five years ago, and I'm not exactly sure of the time frame, the Minister of Transportation and the Premier had to write a letter to these companies explaining the Mackenzie Valley Highway was a winter road and maintained by the GNWT. Will the Minister be willing to send a similar letter to these manufacturers who provide roadside assistance to clarify the use of ice bridges?

Question 567-18(3): Ice Bridges
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Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Yes, it was about five years ago that the department had this same exact situation come up, and they actually wrote letters to all the manufacturers, stating that this was part of the public road system, supplied them with that and maps of the Northwest Territories and asked them to reach out to all of their call centres and share this with local service providers that they actually contract this to. To the Member's point, I will actually ask the department to do this. We will step in and write the same letters and reassure the manufacturers that this is part of the public system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up to my statement earlier, my first question to the Minister of Finance is that the recent approval for the licensing for the operators for the Inuvik Satellite Station was good news. This has taken some time. Can the Minister explain why the approval has taken so long? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the licensing for the satellite operators requires licensing through the federal government. GNWT is not directly involved, and there is a rigorous application and review process. We believe that needs to be looked at in the future. Part of it may be because their legislation is outdated and needs to be updated a bit. We continue to work with them on that.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thanks for the reply here. My next question to the Minister is: what is the GNWT doing to work with the federal government to ensure this process is improved?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, in the Member's statement before, he talked about the fact that this has taken almost three years to get this done. We are concerned with that. We do continue to raise it at the federal government's tables that we go to. I recently raised it in December at the Finance Minister's table and our MP, who is working extremely hard in Ottawa, raising it with his counterparts, as well. Our Minister of ITI has sent a letter. Our Premier, I believe, has brought it up to the table that he is involved in. I think Ottawa realizes now that this is something that they need to have a look at. I have made the comment that we do not want to see a lot of our investment not being utilized and have the satellite companies going to Alaska, for example, if their process is not as rigorous as ours. This is something that is new, and I do believe that we are going to take steps along with Ottawa to rectify this and have the process go a little smoother.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thanks for that reply there. I am glad to hear there are efficiencies from the process, that we are learning and benefiting. My question is: what is our government doing to take full advantage of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, it was a significant investment into the fibre optic link down the Mackenzie Valley. One of the things that they built into the link right away was the number of strands that they had in the fibre line that was going down. We are well-positioned in the future if there was a demand for more services out of that. We try to make the international community aware of our investment and they have been fairly receptive. We have an annual Inuvik Satellite Station Facility AGM, where we have a number of people that come in every June, and they check out our facilities and the area and the connection, just to see if there is an opportunity for them to make an investment into satellites there. Now that work is happening to speed up the regulatory process or the application process, they may be more receptive to adding more dishes to the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Daniel McNeely

Daniel McNeely Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question to the Minister is: with the experiences to date on reviews of engagement or monitoring, is the Minister of Finance of the opinion that this is a good investment, with the experiences to date and the cash flow to date and the signed customers on the system?

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

We think it is an excellent investment, and it is one that was needed. It is one that we may be able to build on. I think there are communities down the valley that are taking advantage of the new technology, which is welcome and would help with a number of things down the valley, but we think it is a good investment.

Again, with the application process possibly streamlined, that may send a message out to a lot of those out there who were considering investing into the Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik. They might come on board a little sooner now. We think it is a good investment, and we think it is the way of the future. With the number of strands that were built in the fibre line, I think we are well-positioned if there is an increase in the demand for our service. It was a good investment, and I think we are well-positioned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice. The Standing Committee on Social Development met with the commander of the RCMP's "G" Division at the end of October to be briefed on current policing issues. In my response to my questions about enabling third-party reporting of sexual assaults, the commander said that a joint RCMP-Department of Justice working group was looking at options. I would like to ask the Minister what the status of this work is. Mahsi.