This is page numbers 483 - 520 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.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Safety is something that we take very seriously and is a focus of the Commercial Fisheries Revitalization Strategy. A key component of the strategy is addressing equipment and standards, which will promote safer fishing practices throughout the NWT. As with most things, we have many partners in this effort, including the marine training centre in Hay River, the NWT's Fishermen's Federation, NWSCC as well.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

I'll ask the Minister: are there any funds that will be put towards ensuring fishers have access to safety equipment, such as the emergency position indicating radio beacons, which can help locate fishermen or vessels if something happens?

Question 146-19(2): Fisher Safety
Oral Questions

March 4th, 2020

Page 488

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we do have funds available through existing programs, which can be accessed for this kind of equipment. They would include the SEED program, or Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development policy, and the Commercial Fisheries Industry Support Program. I can also confirm we have provided funding for GPS equipment in the past, and we're going to continue to make this part of our discussion as we go through the process of revitalization.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Does the Minister's department work with DFO and/or the WSCC to ensure vessels are inspected and are seaworthy and have the necessary safety equipment to meet safety standards?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Yes, we work with WSCC and Transport Canada, who is the regulator of fishing vessels, to promote safety for all of our fishers, and again, the revitalization strategy works to implement mandatory training and supports fishers to bring their equipment and their vessels up to standards, and we are going to continue to work going forward to ensure that the safety is improved for all fishers on the lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister be willing to throw another $500,000 for grant money for the fishers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

While I can't say “yes” on this one, however, I would have to look to my colleagues to approve any supplementary asks that I may have going forward. If we determine that we do need more funding, we will be coming back to the Assembly to look for that funding, and I hope that the Member will say “yes” at that point. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I spoke today about the need to provide more accessible and affordable childcare by investing in spaces in which childcare can be offered. Has the Minister considered providing childcare space in new or renovated schools as a way to provide suitable space for childcare in communities across the NWT? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, part of our mandate is to better utilize GNWT infrastructure for early childhood programs, so that's a definite consideration. Right now, our capital standards don't say anything about childcare spaces in schools, so we're not mandated to build them, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're prohibited from building it, either, so it's a discussion that we're currently having. Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I'm jumping on this bandwagon. I'm particularly interested in the possibility of providing childcare space at J.H. Sissons school, which is in my riding, and which is going to be rebuilt, starting in the near future. Is it still possible to talk about providing childcare space in that school? Thank you.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I hate to stop the fun, here, but the answer for that one is “no,” unfortunately. The contract, or the engineering and design contract, was awarded in June 2019 and that work has already commenced. At this point, it's too late to include childcare space in that plan. However, in the future, if we have room available in the school, that could be used for childcare space, but dedicated space is not in the plan right now and it's too late to add that.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Okay, let me be the first to call the Minister a party pooper. What I'm interested in knowing is: in the event that it is possible to build childcare spaces in schools, what would that look like? Would it be on a partnership model with respect to service delivery? Would the partners need to bring money to the table? What are the Minister's initial thoughts on how this would work?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Right now, we're open to anything. This is very early in this Assembly, and this mandate item, I think, spring 2021 is when we look to have a plan formed on what this would look like. Of course, we're open to partnerships. I mean, that's sort of been the mantra of this government. Every community is different, and so we have to look at the specific communities. Perhaps the GNWT is the only game in town and we could provide that service, but that is all yet to be determined. Right now, I won't say no to anything going forward in terms of what we're going to consider.

The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. Can the Minister tell us what kind of research is being done on this topic, whether there is a jurisdictional scan, for example, to see how childcare is provided in other remote and high-cost locations? Thank you.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

As part of the mandate commitment, as well, we're working on the Early Learning and Childcare 2030 Strategy, and so there is some work that has been going into that. I don't have the specifics of that, but I can find out and share that with the Member. 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. I spoke earlier today about breaking down the stigma around Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. I believe the first and most important step in doing that is to make sure we are working with the right information. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. How many people in the Northwest Territories have been diagnosed with FASD?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Stanton Territorial Youth FASD Family and Community Support Program has been in existence since 2010 and, as of January 2020, has provided assessments of 93 children. Of those 93 children, 63 have been diagnosed with a FASD diagnosis. The implementation of the adult FASD diagnostic and support program has occurred over the past year. The first diagnostic clinic took place in January 2020, and one adult has been diagnosed with FASD. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

That totals 64 people who have been diagnosed with FASD in our territory, despite federal numbers estimating there are 1,800 people living with FASD in our territory. We have a long way to go in getting these diagnoses. Having worked first-hand in the criminal justice system, I can tell you that diagnosis ultimately affects sentencing, it affects conditions, it affects housing. Given our unique situation in the North, does the Department of Health and Social Services have a plan to conduct its own research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Northwest Territories?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

The department does not conduct FASD research directly. The GNWT is a member of the Canadian Northwest FASD Partnership, which provides financial contribution and sets out priorities for the CanFASD Research Network. The research network conducts research on behalf of the Northwest Territories and other provinces and territories. CanFASD researchers are currently leading 25 major projects related to FASD prevention, intervention, and diagnosis. Being involved in a wider partnership such as these provides the Government of the Northwest Territories with reliable and valid information to improve outcomes for those who are affected with FASD.