This is page numbers 4731 - 4756 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 support. View the webstream of the day's session.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the reason I am not asking the Minister of ITI questions, I am asking the Minister of Infrastructure, is because I am interested in the road. I think the road would have benefits to Thor Lake. We are not building a road to Whati to accommodate NICO mines, but we are building a road to Whati because we are building a road to Whati, and what happens from there would be beneficial to the mining operation over there. This is the same type of concept I am talking about. Build a road to the shore by Thor Lake that will benefit the community of Lutselk'e and other people who wish to travel from that area. It's a fairly strategic point when you are trying to travel on the Great Slave Lake. So my question, I guess, is: will the Minister have discussions maybe with the communities, like first consultation with the YK Dene and maybe further consultation with Lutselk'e to see if it would be viable? I am sure, like the Minister said, the road would be very acceptable to the mining company, but why bother having that discussion if no one agrees with it? Would the Minister of Infrastructure agree to have a discussion with the YK Dene and Lutselk'e on the viability of a road from Ingraham Trail to Thor Lake? Thank you.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

As the Member clearly laid out a scenario that could possibly work, it is something very similar to the Whati road, where we did a joint proposal or joint exploratory work with the Tlicho government on the road to Whati. That ended up resulting in a road that is going to get built here in the next couple of years. If that is something that the YK Denes communities and Lutselk'e want to consider, I would strongly suggest that they request a meeting, and we can sit down and have those discussions, how we can figure out if there is an opportunity there that we can maybe work into our strategy going forward.

As I have said in this House, we have three strategic transportation corridors that are reflected in the mandate of this government. There is the Department of Infrastructure's transportation strategy, Connecting Us. I believe that has been clearly laid out for the next 20 years, but that is a discussion that we could have with the communities. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are in follow-up to my statement on the Fort Providence Youth Centre, and my questions are to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, Mandate Commitment 2.5.3 says, "We will support opportunities for youth by ensuring effective youth programming, such as the Youth Corps, Youth Contributors, Youth Ambassador Programs, Youth Centres, and Youth Tours." Can the Minister give us a general update on the work his department has done to fulfill this commitment, including the work still yet to come in 2019-2020? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a previous position I held within the public service, I did work as a regional youth and volunteer officer. These programs have always been very well-utilized throughout the Northwest Territories. They continue to be utilized, and we continue to support these programs in all of our regions and all of our communities. We have some very great employees who promote these programs, and I know that the Member did bring up the youth who wanted to do the Youth Centres Initiative. I really appreciate that leadership within the Member's community of Fort Providence when we went through the Detah or Deh Cho tour, our last one. The programs are always utilized to the maximum of their dollars.

Any information that the Member or any Members in the legislative would like to find out about the programs that we have within MACA, we have some very good details on our website, and we would be more than willing to continue to move that forward, as well as looking at our strategy that we are working on, renewing our youth strategy, and sharing that information with all Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has provided funding to staff of the new youth centre until the end of March 2019. How can MACA work with other departments to help the youth centre in Fort Providence?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

I guess, right off the bat, I can encourage the Member, encourage the coordinator, anyone who is working on developing programs and services for the youth centre in Fort Providence, to reach out to our regional staff in our Fort Smith office to discuss the options. Our staff will be more than pleased to work with the coordinator, as well as the youth, to develop what kind of programs they would like to see offered in the youth centre and work on developing an application process. I do encourage the Member, as well as the coordinator, to take that as the first step and move on from there.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Municipal and Community Affairs coordinates a number of funding programs that the Minister had made reference to for youth-focused initiatives. What options exist to help the new youth centre in Fort Providence, the operation over the next year and beyond?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We do have a Youth Centres Initiative where youth centres can actually apply for funding up to a maximum of $25,000. As Members know, we have youth centres throughout the Northwest Territories, as well as friendship centres, that can access this funding. It is on a first-come, first-served basis, and we do have a lot of youth centres, so sometimes they don't get that full $25,000. We try to distribute it the best way that we can. We also have a Youth Contributions Program, as well as the NWT Youth Corps Program, that they can look at accessing with the youth centre. The youth in general can look at accessing other programs that we have in departments, but right now, first off, there is just the Youth Centres Initiative.

Like I said, all of that information on programs that we offer through MACA under the youth portfolio, the details are on the website. I encourage anyone who is looking at programs for our youth to visit our website and see what kind of programs we do offer.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not all youth have access to computers and likely some of them are unable to understand the layers of information that are unloaded on the MACA website. What are the process and deadlines for applications to these funds, if any, and will the Minister commit his interest to ensure that he works with the community to ensure that the operation of the youth centre continues? Mahsi.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As we come to a new fiscal year, coming up April 1st, that is when the applications start arriving to our regional offices. Our regional staff do a good job of getting that information out to all of our partners that work with youth.

In terms of making sure that our youth centres continue to get the funding and support that they need, as I mentioned, we do have a Youth Centres Initiative that we work with our youth centre coordinators, as well as our rec leaders and people in the communities, to make sure that these programs are available for our youth.

Once again, if the funding is already exhausted for this fiscal year, come April 1st, I encourage the Member and the coordinators right across the territory to look at the funding options that we do provide through MACA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. I would like to ask the Minister: what was the issue that we had with the meters on the units that were built before Christmas in Aklavik and Fort McPherson? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do understand that the buildings that were in Fort McPherson, as well as Aklavik, when we did those multi-family buildings, are designed to have individual meters on each of the units. In this case, the units that we did have only had one meter.

It was brought forward to us when we went on the tour with the Member to Aklavik and opened up, I'll put a plug in here, our Northern Pathways to Housing, and we did hear those concerns. We are looking at addressing them, and the Member said it in his statement, the sooner that we can do it, then the sooner that we can get families into those units and address the waiting list for public housing and our families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

That leads me to my next question: how long will it take to install meters on each unit, and when can people expect to move in?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As I mentioned, once we did hear the concerns that were brought forward to us by members of the community and the MLA, we started working on them, getting them addressed. We are hoping to have them done by the end of the fiscal year, March 31st. Once they are completed, passed inspections, and everything is good to go, we will start working on getting people into those units as soon as we can.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Instead of waiting a few months with the four-plex in Aklavik, can we simply let more people move and divide the power bill into four instead of letting people wait three to four months? These people could move in right away and share the cost of the power bill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Obviously, that is a good solution. I will have to consult with our LHOs as well as our regional office to look at that, and how we can. Obviously, you might have one unit that is using more power and somebody trying to conserve their energy. We are going to have to find a way that suits all people who are in the units. Obviously, the best solution would have a meter on all the units, so that you know what each of the tenants is paying. It would not be fair for somebody who is trying to conserve energy when somebody else is using a lot of energy. That is something that we need to consider moving forward, but it is a very good suggestion. We can take a look at it, and I will make sure that I get back to the Member.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on future units, will the Minister ensure each unit has its own meter so we never have this issue again? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Like I said, when we do the multi-family buildings, we want to make sure that meters are put on each of the units. We have to have better communication with our contractors and anyone who does work for the NWT Housing Corporation, we do have to make sure that they understand what our building codes are, national building codes. In terms of multi-family buildings, it needs to be just, and we will make sure that our contractors do understand that moving forward so that this doesn't happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.