Debates of March 10th, 2020

This is page numbers 557 - 606 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 thanks.

Topics

Oral Questions

Addiction Treatment Services

Agricultural Strategy

Delivered in Tlicho - Interpretation Not Available

International Women's Day

Fort Providence Health Centre Concerns

North Slave Correctional Centre Assault

Rental Adjustment for Aging Public Housing Units in Nunakput

Daylight Savings Time

Food Security in the Northwest Territories

Housing and Income Security

Virtual Care

Addictions Treatment Options

Agricultural Strategy

Rent Scale for Public Housing Units

Food Security in the Northwest Territories

Fort Providence Health Centre

Income Assistance

Daylight Savings Time

North Slave Correctional Complex Assault

Medical Travel

Municipal Land Transfer

Home and Community Care Review

North Slave Correctional Complex Assault

Written Question 7-19(2): Virtual Healthcare

Return to Written Question 4-19(2): Action Plan on Core Housing Needs

Tabled Document 53-19(2): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 88-19(2): Alcohol Strategy Tabled Document 54-19(2): Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 105-19(2): Medical Travel Claim Forms

Tabled Document 55-19(2): Virtual Care: Recommendations for Scaling Up Virtual Medical Services - Report of the Virtual Care Task Force, February 2020

Tabled Document 56-19(2): Department of Justice Corrections Service Investigation Report

Bill 3: An Act to Amend the Public Highways Act

Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 30-19(2): Main Estimates 2020-2021 - Environment and Natural Resources - Deferral of Further Consideration of the Estimates for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

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Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. The bilateral management committee is a venue for us to bring forward concerns. The agreement does not stop us from pursuing legal means. One of the important pieces of the master agreement is that each party to the agreement maintains the right to manage the use of water resources within their own jurisdiction, provided that they maintain the ecological integrity of shared waters.

In this case, if there was a development in Alberta that we were concerned about, we would use the bilateral management committee. If we could not agree at the bilateral management committee level, we would use the dispute resolution mechanism that is built into the transboundary agreement. If that still didn't get us where we needed to be, we are able to use legal means as necessary. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. Yes. I understand all of that. I believe in transboundary water agreements, just in case anybody's wondering. I do think that there is some value in having them. I just question whether this is really going to protect our waters in ways in which we need. With Teck Resources, GNWT did not intervene in the environmental assessment of that project. Can I have some explanation as to why our government did not intervene? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

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

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Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are talking some corporate history here. Again, I am going to ask the deputy minister to answer this question. Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Deputy Minister, Ms. Kelly.

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Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. In the case of Teck Resources, the proposed Teck Frontier mine did not predict any impacts to water beyond the Peace-Athabasca Delta from the project. The EA panel did not find the potential significant adverse effects to water quality, quantity, or fish or fish habitat. We have the mechanisms through the bilateral management committee to engage in discussions and ensure that we have adequate monitoring of quality and quantity, that we are getting the data from Alberta coming towards the border so that we have an early warning system of change. That is the reason that we didn't participate in the environmental assessment process. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. I appreciate the words of the deputy minister. She jumped straight to the conclusions of the joint review panel. I'm not sure I share all of the findings, or agree with them all, but I still don't understand why our government didn't take the opportunity to intervene in that proceeding. Given the interests of Indigenous governments, downstream water users, I'm still trying to understand why our government wouldn't use that process to intervene and express our interests. I don't think I've had an explanation, so I'll ask again: why didn't we intervene? Thanks, Madam Chair.

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Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 10th, 2020

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

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

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Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Chair. For that detail, I'll have to ask the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Deputy Minister Kelly?

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Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. At the time, we were negotiating a transboundary water management agreement with Alberta that included the provisions that I have described so far for the bilateral management committee; notification or early warning system and additional monitoring, including at the border. We made the decision not to intervene, because we have that avenue for discussion with Alberta. In other cases, where we don't have a transboundary agreement with the jurisdiction, like [inaudible], we have intervened in those proceedings. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Deputy Minister. We will move on to the Member for Yellowknife North.

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Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm trying to get a sense of what we charge industrial users for using water. If someone has a Type A water licence and they're going to be using millions of litres of water, what would we charge them? Where is that set out?

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of ENR.

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Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Chair. We don't have that detail. If the Member wishes, we have an overall picture, but if he wants that detail, we're willing to provide it for him. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I recognize that there is a rather complex way we licence water and use water, and I'm fully supportive of our co-management system. I guess what I'd be looking for from the Minister is kind of a jurisdiction scan of what other jurisdictions charge industrial users for using their water. Ultimately, I think, if you charge people for water, then it incentivizes them to use less water and adopt newer technologies that would put water at less risk of being contaminated. So, if the Minister could provide that information. Thank you.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of ENR.

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Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Two things. The first question he asked, for a total, was $55,000. The second thing, regarding that, we've already provided that information to committee recently. If committee hasn't received it, it should be there, and if not, then we will make sure another copy is sent. Thank you, Madam Chair.

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, committee has received that information. I guess I'm trying to get a little more public information on this. Can I confirm that $55,000 is the total amount we have received for all industrial users to use water in the Northwest Territories?

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The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of ENR.

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Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Chair. I understand the Member wants to make it public, and yes, he is correct; it is $55,000 moving forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of March 10th, 2020

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