Debates of Aug. 12th, 2019
This is page numbers 5877 - 5944 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 report.
Topics
- Oral Questions
- Members Present
- Prayer
- Minister's Statement 212-18(3): Sessional Statement
- State of Downtown Yellowknife
- Child Care Funding
- Health Care System in Hay River
- Nursing Services in Tsiigehtchic
- Strengthening Democratic Institutions in the Northwest Territories
- Programs and Services in the Sahtu Region
- Affirmative Action Policy
- Tuktoyaktuk Shoreline Erosion Mitigation Project
- Housing Issues in the Northwest Territories
- Eulogy for Phillip Gargan
- Eulogy for Rene Fumoleau
- Return to Oral Question 771-18(3): NWT Carbon Tax Implementation Plan
- Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
- Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
- Question 786-18(3): Nursing Services in Tsiigehtchic
- Question 787-18(3): New Services in Downtown Yellowknife
- Question 788-18(3): Shoreline Erosion in Tuktoyaktuk
- Question 789-18(3): State of Health Care System in Hay River
- Question 790-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy
- Question 791-18(3): Cremation Regulations
- Return to Written Question 17-18(3): Strategic Oil and Gas Ltd. Holdings in the NWT
- Return to Written Question 18-18(3): Giant Mine Long-Term Funding Study
- Return to Written Question 19-18(3): Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission Fees and Compensation
- Bill 25: An Act to Amend the Workers' Compensation Act Bill 36: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Resources Act Bill 37: An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act Bill 39: Environmental Rights Act
- Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act
- Bill 42: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products Tax Act Bill 43: An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act
- Bill 36: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Resources Act
- Bill 37: An Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Operations Act
- Bill 48: Post-Secondary Education Act
- Bill 54: Standard Interest Rate Statutes Amendment Act
- Bill 34: Mineral Resources Act
- Bill 46: Public Land Act
- Bill 45: Corrections Act
- Bill 57: An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act
- Bill 58: Justice Administration Statutes Amendment Act
- Committee Report 20-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2017-2018 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report
- Motion that Committee Report 20-18(3) be Deemed Read and Printed in Hansard in its Entirety, Carried
- Committee Report 21-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Annual Reports for the Office of the Languages Commissioner for the Northwest territories
- Motion that Committee Report 22-18(3) be Deemed Read and Printed in Hansard in its Entirety, Carried
- Committee Report 22-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Annual Reports of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories
- Motion to have Committee Report 22-18(3) moved to Committee of the Whole for Further Consideration, Carried
- Committee Report 24-18(3): Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act
- Motion to have Committee Report 22-18(3) moved to Committee of the Whole for Further Consideration, Carried
- Committee Report 25-18(3): Report on the Review of Bill 48: Post-Secondary Education Act
- Motion to have Committee Report 24-18(3) moved to Committee of the Whole for Further Consideration, Carried
- Tabled Document 468-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 720-18(3): Environmental Assessment following Hay River Highrise Fire Tabled Document 469-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 721-18(3): Recruitment of Physicians in Hay River Tabled Document 470-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 722-18(3): Fort Providence Seniors' Facility Tabled Document 471-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 737-18(3): Mental Health Services for Youth Tabled Document 472-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 744-18(3): Foster Family Recognition Tabled Document 473-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 775-18(3): Mental Health and Addictions Plan
- Tabled Document 474-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 718-18(3): Nutrition North and Cost of Living in Nunakput Tabled Document 475-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 730-18(3): Northwest Territories-Nunavut Bilateral Meeting on Transboundary Caribou Tabled Document 476-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 738-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy
- Tabled Document 477-18(3): Petroleum Interests Held in the NWT by Strategic Oil and Gas Ltd. Tabled Document 478-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 705-18(3): Fort Simpson Ferry Service Tabled Document 479-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 710-18(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Environmental Assessment Working Group Tabled Document 480-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 732-18(3): Dredging the Hay River
- Tabled Document 481-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 773-18(3): Third Party Sexual Assault Reporting
- Tabled Document 482-18(3): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 13-18(3): Report on the Review of Bill 31: Northwest Territories 911 Act Tabled Document 483-18(3): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 632-18(3): Community Government Funding Gaps
- Tabled Document 484-18(3): Unsigned Letter to Prime Minister from Conservative Premiers of Canada
- Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
- Committee Motion 157-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapor Products Control Act - Expansion of "No Smoking" Areas, Carried
- Committee Motion 158-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapor Products Control Act - Raising Minimum Age, Carried
- Committee Motion 159-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapor Products Control Act - Smoking Cessation Aids, Carried
- Committee Motion 160-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act - Public Education and Awareness, Carried
- Committee Motion 161-18(3): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapor Products Control Act - Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
- Recorded Vote
- Report Of Committee Of The Whole
- Orders Of The Day
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Page 5885

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is not very often you get to recognize a mother of your grade four classmate, and I am privileged to do that today. Visiting the Northwest Territories for the first time, I believe, in a long time, we have Ms. Jeanne Roska, whose son Clayton I went to school with in Inuvik. I believe her daughter is here, as well, Bernadette Vandenborn; and Edna Lorenzen is here, as well. They are all visiting the Northwest Territories, so we would like to welcome you. We hope you enjoy your visit, and we look forward to seeing you up in Inuvik sometime soon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Page 5885

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would just like to recognize those individuals who are in the gallery, as well, if we haven't already recognized you. Thanks for being here with us. It is also a pleasure to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister responsible for Housing. We have all heard in the news about bedbugs in the community, specifically a nine-plex in the Clusters here. There have been different reports and accounts of what is happening there. Can the Minister tell us exactly what the current situation is? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty
Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to acknowledge the Member for bringing this to our concern. We have seen a lot of it in the news, as well as in the media and all over social media. We are addressing the issue. I know that, through our local housing organization, we did identify some units that did have the bedbugs. We did address them the way that we do treat it. Then, at the same time, we went above and beyond to look at all of our public housing units, and we did identify six other units that we needed to do the treatment to. We have done that.
Our current situation is that we are going to be looking at doing some training in Fort Simpson. We are going to be bringing a lot of our maintainers into the community to do that training so that, for any bedbug issues that we have throughout the Northwest Territories, we will make sure that our maintainers have the equipment and are trained to address the issue. I do appreciate that the Member and the leadership have brought that to our concern. We will be working on treating those units to the best of our ability and getting people trained for the future. Thank you.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Could the Minister please explain what the standard process used by the NWT Housing Corporation is to treat the incidents of these bedbug infestations?
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
The NWT Housing Corporation follows its standard protocols to deal with insect infestations when and after they have occurred. This involves an inspection to determine the type of insect and provide the appropriate treatment measures to remove the insects from the unit as soon as possible. That is what we have tried to do with Simpson, and then doing further follow-up, addressing some of our other public housing units.
As I have mentioned, we have purchased heat treatment systems for each of our district offices. Technical staff are trained, and they have the proper equipment in place to deal with the bedbug issue. It is a four-hour treatment that results in minimal disruption to our tenants' lives and daily business, and our staff also do follow-up inspections in affected units to ensure that the heat treatment was 100 percent effective. We will continue to do that as we move forward.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Shane Thompson Nahendeh
As we are moving forward, I just wanted to make sure that people understand that, when we do have residents move out, what I have learned through this whole process is that we have to make sure that their stuff is actually washed and cleaned because, if not, they could bring it back in. I am learning, as the department and the Health Department are educating me on this. The Minister briefly elaborated on this question, but I am going to ask it again: are there any other initiatives that this government has taken to reduce the incidents of bedbug infestations moving forward?
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
As I mentioned, we did purchase the equipment for our district offices. In Simpson, we are going to be holding a joint workshop with the Department of Health and Social Services in the next month for technical staff from every community so that they are up-to-date and trained and so that we can address the issue of bedbugs in whatever region they are in. It is an issue, and as the Member mentioned, when you do move, or if you are out of your unit, you have to be careful in terms of when you pack up. There might be cases where you might have the bedbugs in a bag. We had the expert who made those comments in the media lately.
We are working with the Chief Public Health Officer, and we will provide a public health perspective, including detection and prevention. We are on top of this and addressing the issue in the Member's riding, as well as throughout the Northwest Territories.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Shane Thompson Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister and his department for being so proactive. I know that they are doing a lot of work, and I have to give credit to the local housing authority for becoming the experts, unwillingly, but they are becoming the experts on this, so I would like to thank them for that. The last question that I do have for the Minister, and we are hearing different things on this, is: do bedbugs pose a health risk to people, besides just the irritation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5886

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake
Our department, NWT Housing Corporation, continues to work closely with the environmental health unit from Health and Social Services in eliminating the bedbug incidences in public housing units in all of our communities.
I just want to let the Member and Members know that bedbugs are not considered to be a public health hazard, and we are working with the Department of Health and Social Services to make sure that we educate our tenants to address this issue and make sure that any detecting of bedbugs is reported immediately to the local housing organizations. As I mentioned, with any families or any of our tenants who are in public housing units, if they do encounter bedbugs in their units, they can contact their LHOs, or they can call the number 1-844-NWT-HOME and give that information. That is information for all residents of the Northwest Territories.
As I have mentioned, I appreciate that the Member did bring this up, and we are addressing the issue in his riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 785-18(3): Bed Bugs in Fort Simpson
Oral Questions
Page 5887
Question 786-18(3): Nursing Services in Tsiigehtchic
Oral Questions
Page 5887

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister tell me how many days outside of break-up and freeze-up that a nurse has visited the community of Tsiigehtchic? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 786-18(3): Nursing Services in Tsiigehtchic
Oral Questions
Page 5887
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