This is page numbers 957 - 1010 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 going.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Infrastructure. My first question would be to ask the Minister if she'd read the report from the standing committee of the 18th Assembly, but we have discussed it. I know she has read it. What I would love to know is what her position is on the recommendations contained in the report. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Infrastructure.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was looking to have that easy "Yes. I have read the report." I have read the report and the recommendations. Thank you. Ultimately, the report and everything in it seems to be a very good summary of the conversations that we have been having as a 19th Assembly here over the last eight months. There was a lot of good information in there that I am keen to see started. We do need to sit down as a group and determine what we want to get out of our procurement review. However, I had directed the department to do so ahead of COVID. Obviously, we are continuing on with that work. Part of that will play into our business advisory council, as well. Yes, I am fully in support of revamping our procurement process based along the lines of the recommendations of the 18th Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Given that we just simply don't have time to wait for the review of the Business Incentive Policy before we refocus our procurement on northern benefit, how does the Minister intend to ensure that government contracts will come with a benefit retention to Northerners?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I don't think we need to wait, necessarily, on the review to start making some of the changes. I do believe I have shared a letter where we made some small tweaks to the BIP policy or the procurement policies to that we could favour more northern businesses. As it was part of our mandate and priorities set by all of us, we are going to continue along with revamping the BIP program to make sure that it actually does what it intends and the loopholes are closed within the program.

We are also going to be doing a lot of communications around our Buy North or Shop NWT going forward and encouraging people to use our northern businesses and consider that when they are making their own personal and commercial purchases. I also want to say that I shared recently an email, or it will be going out today to my departmental staff in both departments, to encourage them to go forward, realizing that they are the on-the-ground, front-line people who will be supporting our northern businesses and that the work that they are doing is very important and encouraging them to always have the lens of northern business, Indigenous business when they are looking at procurement and review.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

That makes me very happy to hear because our public servants are definitely in the driver's seat when it comes to making sure that northern procurement stays in the North and benefits northern workers. Would the Minister be willing to commit to quality-based procurement rather than lowest-bid rule while the department works to modernize its procurement policies to ensure that benefit retention to northern businesses and northern workers exists?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Quality-based selection is very close to my heart. It is something that, as a consulting engineer, we discuss often in our association. I speak to engineering projects; we do not feel that engineering is done well when it's done cheaply. You get what you pay for. I do commit to bringing in more of a quality-based selection mindset to the procurement process. Obviously, we have a duty to protect the public purse. We need to make sure we are getting value for our dollars. However, that discussion around the indirect benefits of keeping money in the North, i.e. not having people go onto income assistance, is a conversation I have been having with the department since the day I took this seat and will continue to have. We will just keep pushing this forward and making those changes.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. No. I am very thankful for the Minister for being able to have this conversation, but in order for us to be able to put our money where our mouth is, literally, and be able to show the people of the Northwest Territories that change is happening, although some of these changes do take time, will the Minister be willing to commit to providing this House with annual reports on all tender activities? Thank you.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

There is an annual GNWT contacts report that can be found on the Department of Finance website, and it does list all the GNWT contracts. However, it is a very large and not very easy document to handle. I see the Finance Minister shaking her head in agreement. I do envision that our review process will involve an additional analysis beyond just that reporting of contracts and development of sort of a metrics or system in which we can track and see if we are doing better.

It's great to say, "Oh, we've got northern business," but, if you don't have any comparison or really understand what the number means, it's a bit of a useless fact. I do commit to figuring out a way to better communicate to the public, to the Members, to the business community how the business contracting is going out, in a plain-language type summary that people can understand, that is not an accounting, legalise or such type document. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister responsible for Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission. I'll ask these questions: as the reliance of WSCC risk assessment for reopening businesses and workplaces is key to the success implementation of the Emerging Wisely plan and economic recovery of the NWT, can the Minister tell us what the current staff levels are within WSCC to review risk assessments and inspections? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for the Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The WSCC has 16 people in the Northwest Territories who are working on responding to COVID-19, either through direct contact with stakeholders or in the research and development of resources. This does not include our communications group. To ensure that stakeholders have timely information and assistance, our group in Nunavut has three people who are also being utilized as backup whenever needed to answer any enquiries. Additional help is being pulled, or can be pulled, from other areas in the organization, but where people have occupational health and safety knowledge to assist. WSCC does not review risk assessments. However, if the employer needs help to complete or has questions, they can contact our OHNS inspectors and they provide guidance. Inspectors will request a copy of the completed risk assessment if they are responding to concerns, and, as per the CPHO orders, completed risk assessments must be made available at the worksite and they must be updated if situations or conditions at the worksite change.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. It sounds like there is a lot if inspection work that is going to be required. It is clear that with the Emerging Wisely plan that there will be an increased workload for WSCC in terms of general enquiries, maybe not reviews of risk assessments but assistance in workplace inspections. Can the Minister explain whether WSCC has conducted any analysis of how the current workload is expected to increase under the Emerging Wisely plan?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

The WSCC has completed a relaunch inspection plan, which I can make available to the Member. All enquiries that WSCC has been responding to with respect to COVID and their regular business have been answered within the standard service timeframe. At this point, WSCC has not come to me and said that they have any staffing issues. However, it is a situation that I'm alive to. If we do determine that they are being overwhelmed with COVID response or back-to-work plans and advice, we would then look to get them the supports that they need.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that. I would very much be interested in seeing the inspection plan. I'm not sure it's what I asked for, which is an analysis of the increased workload, but I'll move on. Can the Minister tell me what new resources, including staff, contractors, and/or funding, have been allocated to this increased WSCC workload to help implement Emerging Wisely?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

As mentioned, WSCC has not needed to add new resources. However, all resources within the prevention division are being utilized for site inspections, telephone engagements, et cetera. We have also partnered with the Northern Safety Association, which is also providing education and advice to its member employers. As mentioned, if the WSCC does feel that they need to have more resources allocated, we would look at that time. WSCC is always in a guidance-providing position with all employers, so, despite COVID being busier and slightly needing some reallocation of resources, this is the business that WSCC does always and continues to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I guess I'm still not quite convinced, here. It would also be helpful to know whether service standards have been established for responses to enquiries under the Emerging Wisely Plan for a risk assessment assistance, site inspections, and any other anticipated work. If there are significant delays from the service standards, that should logically trigger the need for additional resources and those triggers should be identified ahead of time. Can the Minister tell us whether service standards have been developed for the WSCC's role in implementing Emerging Wisely, how those would be used, and whether those service standards are available publicly?

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

WSCC has not developed new service standards as our standards are always to have safe workplaces. COVID is just a new additional risk that is factored into the health and safety planning. It does not create an entirely new type of health and safety or risk assessment. Therefore, the service standards that we are adhering to always can be found on our website under the "About WSCC" tab. I won't read you the link here. Please note that we do commit to responding to voicemail and email messages within 24 hours. We are monitoring our ability to respond on a daily basis and to date have continued to meet the standard. I have encouraged them to be proactive, and we do have discussions, and they know my door is open if they feel that they are not able to meet this. Seeing as we've had no delays, I think we're good. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, in the Committee of the Whole, I asked a question whether or not the double-hulled barges we are going to take delivery of will be soon going to the Mackenzie River. The answer I received was yes. These barges are 3500 series versus our current 1500 series. They are heavier than our double-hulled Deh Cho barges. They have a freeboard of 13 feet versus the 6 feet that our 1500 series have. There will be problems offloading deck crates, so communities' fuel capacities will be cut in half, probably, because of drafts on the Mackenzie River and because these barges are really ocean-going class, not suitable for shallow water. Will the Minister commit to having her department review the answer received yesterday and provide me with an updated answer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Infrastructure.