This is page numbers 1317 - 1346 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 million.

Topics

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When COVID-19 first struck the Northwest Territories in April, when we started to put things together and brought in our isolation units, I can't say at that point that we actually had those processes in place. Since then, we have partnered with the Department of Health and Social Services for what is called a "navigator." That person is responsible for when people are identified that they need any help, whether it be mental health, addiction, or other supports. Those people actually will provide the services and try to navigate the people and help to refer them to appropriate services, including mental health support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you for that response. My next question has to do with the first point of contact. Can the Premier confirm if employees working at the self-isolation centres have been given any training, for example, mental health first aid or anything pertaining to mental health?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

My assumption is: no, they haven't got the mental health first aid training or are specialized in mental health. It is a specialty field, in all honesty. It's my background, as well. However, what I can say is that the employees who are at the isolation centres do know that they have access to the navigator, and also the people who are staying there also are provided the information that they can access that service if they wish. It's a volunteer service.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

My third question is: can the Premier explain, if someone is having a mental health crisis while in self-isolation, where can they reach out for help aside from the navigators?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I do want to take a moment and say that, when the Member was doing his statement and he talked about how being in isolation can be really stressful on people, I hear you. I agree with you. I had two of my children who were in isolation when they came back from school, and I know it was tough on them, as well. Mental health is critical within that.

People, if they want, they can actually talk to any of the isolation staff who know how to access the navigator. In extreme cases, when disturbances have been found in the isolation centres and the RCMP have been called, they also know how to reach the navigator. The navigators, again, will link them in with the services available, but they are volunteer. At this point, unless somebody is a danger to themselves or others, we can't force them into taking those services, but the services, again, there would be a risk assessment because of COVID-19, especially if there is a fear of people having COVID-19. There would be a risk assessment done, so depending on the risk assessment, services can either be in person or they can be telephone or virtual care. We've now got in virtual care, which has been a tremendous support for our health system.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 379-19(2): Cameron Hills Liabilities
Oral Questions

October 19th, 2020

Page 1329

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today, I recounted the ongoing saga of how our government allowed the Cameron Hills sour gas field to become a public liability. Can the Minister of Lands tell us what general work has been done to date at the site by our government and how much it has cost? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Lands.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A receiver has been appointed by the court and is responsible for meeting Strategic Oil and Gas Limited's regulatory obligations at Cameron Hills. The government does not own the Cameron Hills site. The receiver conducted work at the site last winter to support the suspended three wells and bring them into compliance with an order issued on October 4, 2019. Also, in regard to the cost, the costs incurred by the NWT received to date have been around $1.98 million. The Government of the Northwest Territories holds $2.9 million in security for this site and the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations hold an additional $1 million. These funds are accessible as needed as set out in legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that information. It's good news that some work is finally done to close the Cameron Hills field, maybe by receiver, but ultimately, it's going to come back to us. There is no way the money that is set aside is going to be able to cover all this. Can the Minister tell us how much money we actually can access in the various forms of available security for the remediation of the property and how much is left before we have to ask taxpayers to cough up more?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

The GNWT has $2.9 million. As I said, the regulatory of oil and gas hold an additional $1 million. Right now, we have $3.9 million present.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I am trying to do a quick math on my feet here. It looks like we've got about $1 million left to do a lot more work. GNWT accepted the Cameron Hills site without an approved closure plan and without full financial security being posted. That should never have happened. We didn't use all the tools available to us to stop it from becoming a public liability either. Having seen some of the inspections reports, there's still a lot more work to be done properly to close and remediate this property. Can the Minister tell us whether there is a plan yet for the closure and remediation of the site and how much that will cost or when a costed plan will be completed?

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

On September 17, 2020, the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board issued a one-year storage authorization for the land-use permit. The authorization is posted to the board's public registry, and the receiver indicated that this was being done as an interim measure until a land-use permit renewal is completed and approved. We don't know exactly how much it's going to cost completely to remediate this site.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.taiga

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that information. It's clear that the GNWT has not done enough to stop public environmental liabilities in a systematic way. We have no early warning system despite commitments to do so in the last Assembly. We have Ekati Mine teetering and nothing in the mandate letter for this Minister to finally put in place a preventative approach to public environmental liabilities. Can the Minister tell us exactly what he intends to accomplish in this Assembly to prevent further public environmental liabilities, like Strategic Oil and Gas? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Prevention of the public liabilities require a collaborative effort from multiple departments, including Lands, ENR, Industry, ITI, and Finance. Current work on early warning includes monitoring the health of the financial institutions, tracking trends in industry, and the financial health of operators and monitoring the environment and regulatory compliance of the operators. I am committed to work with my Cabinet colleagues to continue to enhance this important work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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. As I said earlier in my statement, I am grateful for some of the work we have started on closing the municipal funding gap. However, we are a long way off. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I believe we need to increase the capital funding this year by $5 million. In the grand scheme of things, this is approximately a quarter of a percent of our $2 billion budget. Mr. Speaker, if we can't find a quarter of a percent in our $2 billion budget, then we're truly not in charge of our budget as an Assembly. My question for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs: can we increase the capital funding to our community governments by $5 million? 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. As previously, I did announce that we do have $2.6 million that will be allocated to municipal communities and, also, that we will be meeting with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities to identify how we will be distributing that funding. Right now, that's the funding that is going to be available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I did not expect it to be that easy, but I will have a lot more questions for the Minister during our Capital Estimates tabled today. My concern right now is that the way we fund our municipalities lacked any certainty. We agreed to a formula, but we haven't given the money. I believe the right comparative here would be how we fund our education authorities. There're guidelines in the education, there're guidelines in regulations, and then finally, there're guidelines in policy. No one is in doubt that we are not within those parameters. There may be a debate about whether we should give more to our education authorities, but we're following a clear and predictable authority such that they can plan. We have not given that benefit to our municipality. My question for the Minister of MACA is: will she bring forward legislation that sets out how we fund municipalities in the life of this Assembly?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

According to what we have put forward for Municipal and Community Affairs, this was not identified as one of the legislation policies that we would be looking at, but it doesn't stop me from working with my department to look at further solutions. I will return a response back to the Member.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

I look forward to that response. One of my concerns is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has a large legislative backlog, and they need the resources from the Cabinet to make sure they get ahead of that. One of the mandate commitments is that MACA will work with NWTAC to update funding policies and options. However, this mandate commitment is to be completed in 2023. Whenever I see a mandate commitment completed by 2023, alarm bells ring as these are the commitments that will be at the end of this Assembly. I'm not at all convinced that MACA will get this done, let alone review the policy and bring forward legislation to provide that predictability. Is the Minister willing to speed up the mandate commitment to review the funding policies before 2023?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

My comment to the Member and to answer the question that we are working under unusual circumstances with COVID-19, and it has really burdened a lot of our processes that we are initiating right now. This will be something I will bring back to the department, and I will follow up with the Member.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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