Debates of Feb. 24th, 2021

This is page numbers 2083 - 2120 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 health.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Pink Shirt Day

Youth Mental Health Supports

Addictions

Alcohol Addiction

Mental Health

Mental Health and Addictions

Aftercare

Mental Health and Addictions

Managed Alcohol Program

Public Health Trends

Anti-Bullying Cooperation

Germaine Arnaktauyok, recipient of Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts

Eulogy for Claude Fontaine

Mental Health

Mental Health and Addictions Supports

Addictions Recovery

Alcohol Addiction

Addictions Treatment

Managed Alcohol Program

Community Wellness Plans

Public Health Trends

Stanton Territorial Hospital Medical Detox Service

Stable Housing after Addictions Treatment

Tabled Document 317-19(2): Northwest Territories Law Foundation 37th Annual Report, July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019

Tabled Document 318-19(2): Follow-up letter for Oral Question 491-19(2): Fire Services for Ingraham Trail Residents Tabled Document 319-19(2): Follow-up letter for Oral Question 511-19(2): Alternative Voting Methods for Communities

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers

Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Deferral of Department (page 307)

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 79-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Lands - Corporate Management - Deletion of $303,000 from Grants, Contributions and Transfers, Defeated
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Chapman. Member.

Page 2096

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'll get a little bit more technical here. Where would a contingent liability then be? It's not found anywhere in the main estimates. Is it recorded in the public accounts somehow? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 2096

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. For that detail, I'm going to have to go to the deputy minister. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you. Mr. Chapman.

Page 2096

Chapman

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To the best of my knowledge, we haven't booked a liability because, again, there is an operator in place. I understand the Member's concern where this is potentially going, but until such time that the decision is finally made and the outcome is clear, we are not in a position at this point. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Chapman. Member.

Page 2096

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I understand that whoever is left in charge of the property, I guess the receiver, has to submit some plans to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for remediation by March 31^st. Is the department aware of the status of that work, and is there an expectation that it is going to be submitted and that we are going to review it and participate in that process? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 2096

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. For that detail, I will need to ask the assistant deputy minister to respond. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Mr. Chapman.

Page 2096

Chapman

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am unaware of what work the receiver has completed to date. At this point in time, they haven't chaired that, to the best of my knowledge, with ourselves. They are working with the court-appointed process and working through that process, but until that point in time, we are still awaiting some outcome from that decision. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Chapman. Member.

Page 2096

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm just more than a little bit disappointed that whoever is in charge of the property hasn't bothered to consult or talk to the GNWT about what the remediation plans are at this point because it's heading our way. Look, I'm going to be here asking these questions next year, and I suspect, by then, this property is going to be on our books. A fair heads-up to my colleague on the other side, I will be asking these questions again a year from now. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's all I have. Thank you.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Member. I will go to the Member for Thebacha.

Page 2096

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is on page 316. If you add up the headquarters in North Slave, it increased by two, and the South Slave increased by two in employees. Then you said that the equity lease employees were eliminated at regional centres. These equity lease employees, were they term employees?

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 2096

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that detail, I would have to ask the assistant deputy minister to answer that. Thank you.

Page 2096

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Mr. Chapman.

Page 2097

Chapman

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Through the process of hiring for the equity lease project, we had, at various times, as many as five people working on that project. They were placed in those positions through a variety of different mechanisms. Some were hired as term employees originally, for as long as three-year terms, because that was the funding that was provided on the project. During that period of time that they were hired, as we look back, the Union of Northern Workers agreement was negotiated. It made some significant changes to how we manage employees. Any employees over 24 months were required to be hired on an indeterminate basis, so we transitioned two of those employees to indeterminate employees at that point in time. They transitioned from term to indeterminate. The remaining employees were in other positions within the department, and we deployed them through another mechanism, a transfer assignment, to those project-specific jobs that they were hired for. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2097

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Chapman. Member.

Page 2097

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Chair, were these P1 employees?

Page 2097

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Thank you, Member. Minister.

Page 2097

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you. For that detail, I will have to ask Mr. Chapman if he has that. If he doesn't, we will provide that to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Page 2097

The Chair Rocky Simpson

Mr. Chapman.

Debates of Feb. 24th, 2021

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