This is page numbers 1689 - 1724 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.

Topics

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

The Minister is correct: there are quite a few elders who cannot speak for themselves. In my region, they speak the Tlicho language. It's very difficult for them to access the NWT housing program. We always say there are online programs, but they can't access online programs. I am glad the Minister and her department are working with the local housing authority to establish some sort of mechanism to deal with these elders, and I certainly do not want to stand here in February or March addressing the same issue that is before us today. I am certainly hoping that it will be resolved by then. Just to continue on with my next question: what progress, and I raised this issue in the House before, has been made in creating a program under the NWT Housing Corporation so that qualified journeymen ticket holders can go into isolated communities such as my community to do this critical servicing of furnaces? We need permanent technicians in our isolated communities now, before it gets too cold.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Also, just in regard to the list of programs, I want to advise the Member that I will provide a list in February to the Member of the elders' programs that we did offer and the number of clients that we did serve within these next months coming up. Also, looking at the journeymen, entrance in trades programming is a challenge for us in the Northwest Territories but also for the Housing Corporation. We are working with the Tlicho Housing Working Group. I will identify this with our Housing Corporation staff to bring this back to the working group, that this is something we need to partner up on and we need to address, to make sure that we are working toward certified journeymen within the Tlicho area to start delivering this programming on our behalf or else in partnership to work with the Tlicho government.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Madam Speaker. An elder once told me, "Enough talking. Do the action now. Fix the problem." There is an issue here, a real challenge for this elderly couple, and I would like to know from the Minister: could we have a dedicated person to deal with these issues? I understand she is dealing with the Tlicho government, the agency, and so forth. There is lots of talk happening, but elders want to see somebody who can service the furnaces, somebody who can service the plumbing. Could we have a dedicated service person, technician, in the community to deal with those during the winter months? Masi, Madam Speaker.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is really very strong and adamant about Indigenous partnership. I looked at this as an opportunity as I have worked with other communities throughout the territory where we had a similar issue such as this, and the Housing Corporation was able to enter into a community initiative program with the Indigenous groups. With looking at the issue for servicing the furnaces and looking at offering programming for the seniors in the Tlicho area, I will follow up with the Member and look at a possible opportunity that we could access additional funding to look at how we are going to have a representative in his riding. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 481-19(2): Elders Housing
Oral Questions

November 5th, 2020

Page 1706

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There are many small businesses throughout the NWT that are still struggling to survive these difficult economic times. Some are finding work and for various reasons others are not. The NWT Housing Corporation is in a position to provide that support to those without work. I'm referring to those businesses that are located in our regional and small communities. Madam Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation if she will commit to identifying those projects slated for the regional and smaller communities and work with those businesses without work to ensure they are providing some work, even if it means sole-sourcing or negotiating the work. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I appreciate that question because, for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, hiring local is a priority. Hiring local businesses, Indigenous businesses, and what I had provided, I want to say last week, is that 95 percent of our contractors are local. Looking at what we actually can offer I would like to follow up with the Member, as well, and look at his riding because we do have a rollout now of RCMP units that are being constructed. We do have some public housing units, as well, that are going through repairs and there is opportunity. My priority as a housing Minister is to hire local and keep the local people employed, offer training and opportunity. I'm open to hearing the Member's comments because I would like to become very strategic in how we deliver programs at the local level. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

We do not provide enough support to our small community contractors. They are the ones that provide the much-needed employment in those communities and deserve our support and sometimes direction in order to build capacity. I would ask the Minister to commit to either doing away with suspension lists for contractors in these small communities or, at a minimum, work and support the contractors to ensure that they are successful and avoid failure.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

For the contracts and tenders that are put out, and we do end up with some carry-overs because due to contract failures, I don't want to see businesses not being able to access to bid again our public tender. We also have to take into consideration the reason and the process that it has taken for us at that time. If we see contractor failure or else a carry-over of a project, we do take an assessment of that. Looking at the contractor suspension, I would look at this very clearly because I would not want to have a contractor suspended. I've seen it already in my time while I've held the housing portfolio. I've been able to work with a client and been able to bring them back and having them work for us again. Again, it's the quality of work that's being displayed that we've got to be very careful of. It ends up costing the Housing Corporation a significant amount if the buildings are not constructed adequately.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

As I previously stated, the NWT Housing Corporation projects are essential and the bread and butter to small community contractors and a source of employment for the residents. I ask the Minister: how many projects are slated for those regional small communities this winter, and is the department in the position to add additional projects, if required, if we find contractors without work?

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

This year, we had a few negotiated contracts that we have entered into with Indigenous groups that have not been finalized, but we have been approached with that interest. Looking at that, I don't have the numbers right on the top of my head, but I'd have to get back to the Member with the number of projects that we do have listed that are slated for the next couple of years. I know the Member is quite concerned about the contractors and also creating employment at the local community level. I want to really just emphasize that that's a priority of the Housing Corporation. We do try and do our best to make sure that our contracts stay local and they stay within the community, and we do emphasize on education and training.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. One area that the NWT Housing Corporation can support our northern businesses is with the transportation of the material going into the communities on the winter road. We have contractors with tractors and trailers down the valley that will be looking for work this winter. Maybe with COVID-19 in front of us it makes sense to use our northern contractors to provide those services. Can the Minister commit to her department to review on how they can ensure our northern contractors who supply trucking services are provided every opportunity to haul the material going down the winter road for their projects this winter? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

I think the Member was reading my mind. I just actually just had this conversation with my department. We are in COVID-19 and the Housing Corporation did find it a challenge getting material into our smaller remote communities. I was actually speaking about looking at our supply for this year and slating for the next couple of years for our projects, and how are we going to be getting them into the smaller communities, and the trucking service, as well, and what is available in the territory. I will be looking at that, and I will follow up with the Member. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The Minister of Health and Social Services has spoken about the harm of alcohol to all of our communities multiple times within the House here. We've also heard multiple times about the upcoming alcohol strategy that is expected in the Northwest Territories. I'm wondering if the Minister can just talk to us about what she intends the alcohol strategy to accomplish. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want the alcohol strategy to produce better health. We have some very troubling indicators for heavy alcohol use in this territory. For example, the rate of heavy drinking, which is defined as having four or five or more alcoholic beverages in a single sitting, is 43 percent in the NWT. That compares to 19 percent across Canada. Better health means that people are not falling into the poor health outcomes of excessive alcohol use and also not falling into the personal despair of excessive alcohol use. To that end, the department has hired a federally funded senior advisor on the alcohol strategy who started work in August 2020. She is completing the following tasks: setting up a representative working group to guide the development of an alcohol strategy; reviewing feedback from an alcohol evidenced action workshop held in March on this issue; preparing a full workplan and engagement plan on this issue; and this work will be moving along with public consultation that will begin early next year. Thank you.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how they intend to roll out public engagement and make it accessible to everyone, given the COVID-19 restrictions?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I see engagement as a real issue even if there was no COVID. The difficult thing will be to find people with lived experience to participate in the engagement to talk about what will or could have helped them at some point in their journey. I don't have the details of how that engagement strategy is going to work, but I do recognize that hearing from people with lived experience would be a very valuable part of it.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to at what points during the development of the engagement strategy will the public be able to weigh in and see how it's going, or will committee be able to see how it's going, as well? Does the department plan on waiting until the very end of the alcohol strategy to then release pieces of it or the whole thing? Where is the public's opportunity to be involved beyond?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

This is a fairly new project, but we have offered and are still willing to provide the Standing Committee on Social Development a briefing and to take questions on what committee would like to see in an alcohol strategy. We are following an outline from the group called CAPE, which is the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation. They have a number of different domains that they suggest an alcohol strategy focus on, so that is the outline we are looking at now. My preference would be to make this an iterative process so that there is more than one occasion on which the general public can be involved in providing their feedback and that the feedback could come in a lot of different forms. It need not only be written. It could be video. It could be voice. It could be song and dance, just whatever it takes to get the information.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.