This is page numbers 2603 - 2636 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 community.

Topics

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Would the Minister reconsider having a central office with a superintendent in the Fort Smith office, considering that the Taltson River dam is located within close vicinity to the community of Fort Smith?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Just to be honest here, we can't be duplicating services. Otherwise, we may have to increase rates for customers. That is what it comes down to. However, looking at expanding the projects, we would be able to look at whether we need the capacity, should the expansion project go through. The answer right now is "no." We will look at a business case. We will assess it then and then determine. Most likely, it will be a yes eventually, but right now, we just need to be able to look at the project.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Given the history of the Fort Smith office, just in the last year and a half, we lost the superintendent, and it hasn't been replaced. Would the Minister consider the Indigenous file when considering the activity in the future for the Taltson office in Fort Smith?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I believe I have said that we will look at it. It is not a yes right now, but it is something that we will look at going forward for some of the staffing positions in the community.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, logical decisions must prevail when considering large infrastructure projects like the Taltson dam expansion. Would the Minister agree? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

The Taltson expansion project is a major expansion. I had the opportunity to be able to go into the community with the Member, tour the facility, have a look at what a big scope of work it will be for this project, and just speaking to some of the leadership in the communities in terms of hearing some concerns and what a major project this will be for the community, but not only that, for the Northwest Territories. You look at our Energy Strategy. To be able to achieve some of our goals and our targets, we will be looking at the Taltson project as one of the ways to do this. At that time, we will be able to work with the community and the Member to look at some of the capacity and staffing needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. Item 10, written questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I have two written questions.

The first one is on the Slave Geological Province Corridor. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. Cabinet's Mandate 2019-2023 proposes to make strategic infrastructure investments, including the Slave Geological Province Corridor. Could the Minister describe the phases of the proposed Slave Geological Province Corridor as found in the Mandate 2019-2023, including the following:

  1. Identify the time frames of construction, how each phase of construction will be financed, and whom the corridor will actually serve;
  2. Identify how each phase of the corridor will be operated and financed;
  3. State the calculated costs for each phase of the corridor, including a breakdown of construction and anticipated operations costs and the engineering class for such cost estimates; and
  4. State how caribou and their key habitat have been considered in the preferred location for each of the phases of the corridor.
Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Mr. Speaker, my second set of questions are on the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. The Executive's 2030 Energy Strategy and a Climate Change Strategic Framework rely heavily upon greenhouse gas reductions supposedly resulting from a major expansion of the Taltson hydroelectric system. Could the Minister describe the phases of the proposed Taltson hydroelectric expansion set out in the 2030 Energy Strategy, including the following:

  1. Identify the time frames of construction, how each phase of construction will be financed, and to whom will the energy be sold;
  2. Identify the amounts of power to be generated and whether any additional impoundment and/or flooding will occur;
  3. State the GHG reductions anticipated for each of the phases and in which jurisdictions those reductions will take place; and
  4. State the calculated costs for each phase, including a breakdown of hydro facilities, power lines, and related infrastructure, including roads and the engineering class for such cost estimates.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Written questions. Item 11, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Deputy Clerk Of The House Mr. Glen Rutland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to written question 23-19(2) asked by the Member for Nunakput on March 4, 2021, regarding the practice of using power-limiting devices in the Northwest Territories.

The data for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation was compiled at 12:00 noon on March 5th. The numbers fluctuate on a regular basis due to the timing of Northwest Territories Power Corporation's billing cycles. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation had 72 residential load limiters in place. There had been a total of 336 load limiter instances since collection activities resumed on November 9, 2020. These instances could be multiple occurrences on a single location and does not represent 336 unique customers.

For the Northland Utilities Ltd. Limiters, a breakdown of the number of load limiters per community for both Northland Utility companies as of the week of March 15, 2021, is as follows:

Northland Utilities Ltd. (Yellowknife):

  • Yellowknife - two load limiters

Northland Utilities (NWT):

  • Hay River - four load limiters
  • Hay River Reserve - two load limiters
  • Enterprise - one load limiter
  • Fort Providence - one load limiter
  • Trout Lake - four load limiters

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Deputy Clerk Of The House Mr. Glen Rutland

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question 24-19(2) asked by the Member for Deh Cho on March 9, 2021, regarding assessing and managing conflict of interest in the Government of the Northwest Territories.

In order to preserve the impartiality and integrity of the public service, the Code of Conduct Respecting Conflict of Interest and Oath of Office and Secrecy (code of conduct) identifies standards of conduct for GNWT employees, including steps that employees can take to ensure they do not place themselves in situations that could be perceived as being a conflict of interest.

Deputy head approval is required before employees begin any employment, service, or volunteer activities outside of their employment with the GNWT. If a new request is received from an employee to participate in an outside activity, and the activity is considered to be a conflict or potential conflict of interest, the deputy head, upon consultation, has the authority to issue a letter denying the request. The letter would stipulate that the employee is prohibited from engaging in the activity and would inform the employee of possible disciplinary measures should they proceed with the activity. Depending on the circumstances, upon consultation, the deputy head also has the discretion to limit or restrict an employee's participation in part of the activities requested.

If a conflict of interest is suspected regarding an employee's already existing and approved outside activity, the supervisor will discuss with the employee, and approval of the activity can be revoked by the deputy head if, upon consultation, a conflict of interest is found.

The labour relations division of the Department of Finance is asked to review employee requests to participate in outside activities when departments have questions or when a possible conflict may exist. All requests are conditionally approved to allow for the approval to be revisited in the event that circumstances change. The conditional approval, in most cases, relates to adhering to the conditions outlined in the code of conduct; however, there could be approvals that have other conditions, such as an employee removing themselves from a meeting if a topic comes up where they have knowledge obtained though their employment.

An employee can ask that a decision to deny their participation in an outside activity be reviewed by the Deputy Minister of Finance, or, in the case of employees of the Department of Finance, a request can be made to the secretary to Cabinet or the Ethics Counsellor. Should an employee not agree with any decision or action taken as a result of the application of the code of conduct, the employee may access the grievance process contained in the appropriate collective agreement or the Public Service Act.

On initial hire, all employees are required to read the code of conduct, as well as sign the "Oath or Affirmative of Office and Secrecy," and are encouraged to speak with their supervisor if they have questions. Departments are also encouraged to send out yearly reminders to ensure employees are aware of the requirement to request approval before engaging in employment or activities outside of the government. The mandatory onboarding training for all GNWT employees also contains information on conflicts of interest and outside activity, specifically in "Module 4 - Important Policies and Programs." The training highlights the importance of adhering to the code of conduct while engaging in outside activity.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a document that serves as a breakdown, over the past 10 years, of the number of conflicts of interest that have been found, based on the requests reviewed by the labour relations division. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Returns to written questions. Item 12, replies to Commissioner's address. Item 13, petitions. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 497-19(2), Corrections Workplace Assessment"; and "Operating Plans for the Northwest Territories Education Bodies for the 2020-2021 School Year Ending June 30, 2021." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents: "Northwest Territories Tourism: Towards Resilience - 2021-2022 Marketing Plan"; "Tourism 2025: Roadmap to Recovery, April 2021"; and further to my Written Question 24-19(2), "Conflict of Interest Information." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 655-19(2), Biomass Heating and Energy Efficiency for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation"; and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 664-19(2), Devolving Power to Municipal Governments." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 515-19(2), Highway Infrastructure Projects." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the Guiding Principles and Process Conventions for Consensus Government in the Northwest Territories dated August 2020.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, motions. Item 17, notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Item 18, first reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 28, Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2021-2022, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.