This is page numbers 1253 - 1276 of the Hansard for the 19th 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.

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Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Oral Questions

Page 1267

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the letters are coming from Yellowknife, not from the regional office, just for correction. Given the effects of this ongoing pandemic and its impacts on everyday life, would the Minister consider, for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, placing a freeze on all land leases for rights-based permanent and long-term residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Oral Questions

Page 1267

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Again, I would encourage the Member to get her constituents to reach out to the regional office so they can better understand that. We're in a pandemic. We came up with a solution presently, and so we were happy to waive the fees for a year, starting April 1, 2020, which was $2.7 million from our coffers. It was a commitment we made during this Assembly, during this fiscal year, to do proper things for our residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Oral Questions

Page 1267

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. What is the department presently doing to make sure my residents on the Ingraham Trail do not lose fire services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your question. MACA is currently in conversation with the City of Yellowknife. They did establish a working group, and we are looking at the property taxation act and also the Area Development Act. We're trying to see what options are made within those acts that would be able to work with the Ingraham Trail and looking at the services to be provided there. Also, looking at if we were able to, under the taxation act, have the residents at the Ingraham Trail contribute to that so we can look at other financial means for providing fire services to the Ingraham Trail. Thank you.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

My concern is that the municipality has been asking for changes to the Property Assessment and Taxation Act for decades, and Ingraham Trail residents have been asking for a resolution to how their taxes and fees are spent for decades. We simply have months to resolve this problem. I believe there are some longer-term solutions, such as a volunteer service, perhaps, such as incorporating the Ingraham Trail such that they can have some control in their governance, but that can't be done in the next six months. Will the Minister approach the City of Yellowknife with funding for an MOU to buy us some time to resolve this issue?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Member, for your comment. Currently, right now, the working group has just been established. Conversations are happening between MACA and the City of Yellowknife. There has been no conversation about the financial means right now. It is too premature to establish any financial obligation or financial commitment to the Ingraham Trail, but just for the Member that we are in conversations and these discussions are happening.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

What's happened over time is that we have allowed more and more people to live on the Ingraham Trail such that it has close to 200 constituents out there, making it larger than many of our communities in the Northwest Territories. Coincidentally, we have not adjusted our Hamlets Act, which has a threshold of 25 residents. They could incorporate tomorrow and would be entitled to millions of dollars such that I do not think it is too early to be having the financial conversation. If we do not address this now and if we lose fire services, I'm going to recommend incorporation, and I'm going to get millions of dollars when this is a $100,000 problem. Can the Minister put a dollar amount to this and go to the City of Yellowknife?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Member, for your comments. We have to consider that there is a consultation period that needs to happen within the City of Yellowknife. There are jurisdiction issues. Looking at providing fire services to Ingraham Trail is quite complex. This is not the only area within the Northwest Territories that is affected by this conversation right now. Just for the Member's sake, we are in the conversation with the City of Yellowknife. This is happening, and I will keep the Member informed as we progress.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My other concern is that there are a number of residents who I am sure do not know that their fire services got cancelled after decades, and I'm worried that they are going to call for fire and either we will be liable or the City of Yellowknife will be liable, as no one told them this service was cancelled. Can the department reach out to all those who have cabins on the Ingraham Trail and inform them of the cancellation of the service and our plan to remedy it?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Member, for your comments. Within the working group that has been established, we are looking at an approach of how we are going to be addressing and consulting with all of the residents at Ingraham Trail. I will keep the Member informed as the department progresses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Question 351-19(2): Addictions Treatment Services
Oral Questions

October 15th, 2020

Page 1269

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Holy, we give an initiation to our new health Minister today. I had a couple of questions for the Minister after hearing my colleague from Monfwi's statement on addictions and addiction services. I have a quick preamble. I'll keep it brief. I heard that there is $1.8 million allocated for on-the-land funds available for healing. For me, I think it's important to have good metrics in place for aftercare and stuff, to make sure that we follow up with our people who are healing and make sure that they're doing well, and also to let us know if we're doing a good job and if our programs, our funds for programs, are successful. I don't expect a response too quickly to this, but I guess my first question is: can we have a breakdown of the $1.8 million so far this year, and where are they being used, and how much has been used so far this year? Marsi cho.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh for that question. The total budget for on-the-land funding is $1.095 million and the mobile treatment after-care funding, and these are often pooled together, is $729,000, so the total is $1.8 million. Of that, $482,631 has been spent, and the two IGOs with agreements in place are the Dehcho First Nations and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Each IGO is allocated the same amount. The on-the-land funding available to each IGO is $125,000, and the mobile treatment after-care funding is $66,350. I can make a copy of this page, and I can make it available to the Member so that he has that in front of him. Thank you.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I think it's important, and I had another question going back to after-care reporting. I'm just wondering if there are measures in place before people go out to treatment that there is a follow-up to say, maybe two months, three months, six months down the road, just checking on them to see if they are doing well and if their treatment has been successful or not and to do those kinds of increments.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you for that question. I am very interested in that follow-up, as well, and it's my understanding that the department will start surveying people who go out to facility-based treatment and check in with them, whether they stay for the full time or they leave early, and to check in with them more than once when they come back, to find out whether they've been able to retain their sobriety.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I did have one final concern. I think maybe it's just a communication case; I'm not too sure. Maybe it could be an opportunity for the department. If all of this money is not being accessed throughout the year, I'm just wondering if that is something the department can look at. In, say, the past couple of years, have there been carry-overs for this fund, for the on-the-land fund?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you very much. I don't have a ready answer to that. I know that it's only recently that this money has been increased to $1.8 million and, given the pandemic, I wonder if there will be a carry-over this year because, at this point, we've only spent about a third of it. I can, however, get you more specific information and provide that in a written response.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho. Yes, thinking about it, I do have one final question. I will start with a beginning comment. There is the new announcement of sending our residents to Lloydminster and Toronto. Again, I feel like this is a missed opportunity. I really feel that we need to get more value out of our programs and where we are spending our money. Again, it pains me to see our funds go to the South, and I really feel this is an opportunity to bring them back. I know we can't address all the issues in terms of drug and alcohol addiction, because it is a problem, we all know that in this room, but if we could revisit not having our residents leave the territory and find more ways to keep the money in the North and not leak money, have this economic leakage, per se. I guess my final question is: is there still an appetite to do this within the department? Marsi cho.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. There is no current plan to establish a facility-based treatment option in the Northwest Territories. The last one was Nats'ejee K'eh. It cost as much to run Nats'ejee K'eh as it does to contract the six other places in the South, and so we feel that it's better value for money to have the facility-based treatment in the South, notwithstanding the fact that that money is not being spent in the North. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.