This is page numbers 2383 - 2438 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.

Topics

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

As I mentioned earlier, the particular instance here of Husky Oil is one where the call for bids stage took place in 2011-2012 under a pre-devolution regime, under a totally different regime than that which is envisioned by the new Petroleum Resources Act. The new act certainly does give the opportunity at the earlier stage of that call for bids to include rentals and fee structures and opportunities to really increase the possibility for revenue, but again, in this particular instance, we are well past that stage. I would also note that, yes, the new act includes the opportunity for issuing benefit plans, and in this instance, Husky would still, should it choose to proceed undertaking activity, have to go through the process of submitting a benefit plan. With respect to those parts of the process where they predated the current regime, there is not a fair opportunity at this stage to be imposing items that weren't there previously.

However, this is a somewhat unusual situation. Husky is, I believe, one of the last if not the last occasions where we are pulling something that happened in this pre-devolution time and putting it into the new act with the new stage as it goes through its evolution of its licence from the call for bids through to production. The questions being asked are ones that, in the future, when we are looking at new discoveries, I'll be able to answer a strong and firm yes into the future with those new projects.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I'm a bit perplexed at what I just heard. We changed this legislation in the last Assembly so we would give the Minister the authority to impose terms and conditions to get northern benefits; otherwise, we just give the company a significant discovery licence and they can sit on it for 15 years and do nothing. Is this Minister going to use her discretion to impose some terms and conditions to get northern benefits, or is she just going to give Husky Energy a blank cheque?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Again, this is an occasion where Husky originally had their processes done or their bids done in 2011 and 2012, and there is an element of fairness in the regime that we have to ensure to include at all times so that no business or industry of any sector is going to think that they come in here under a certain regime with a certain set of expectations and have it changed under them. In this case, while yes, if they intend to go out onto the land and conduct activities, they will have to be filing their benefit plans, and those benefit plans then have to now be made public. That is under the new regime. It is a tremendous opportunity for northern communities, but with respect to imposing, now, rentals and fees when they didn't have those imposed on them in the past, no, we're not going to be dragging something from 10 years ago and applying this. That's not fair, and that's not the right way to do business. In this particular instance, again, the act is getting that power now looking forward, and certainly, that's something that everyone can move forward understanding what that regime is going to be so that, into the future, there will continue to be those opportunities.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for that. In the existing exploration licence for Husky Energy, there already is an annual fee per hectare the company has to pay. Now, is the Minister prepared to keep that kind of annual fee in the significant discovery licence, or is she just going to give everything away? I want to know from the Minister: she has discretion to do the right thing and secure benefits for the North. Is she going to do that, or is she going to give this away, not even include an annual fee, as there is in the current exploration licence? Will she impose a fee in the significant discovery licence, same as what's in the exploration licence? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

This licence has been subject to significant review from the Department of Justice because of the fact that there was so much that had to come in from the past and into the present. That has been some of the challenge here. I'm not trying to avoid the question. I'm just trying to make sure that I'm not here on the floor of the House getting into something that really has gone through significant legal review, as I've said. I would certainly not expect that there is going to be less fees offered or a freer ride now than what it has been in the past. The significant discovery licence here flows from the exploration licence that was in place, and I'm quite certain that we will continue to follow that approach and looking for it. If they are going to look to renew, which is one of the new benefits of the act, then they are going to be looking to renew knowing that there is now this new regime in place where there may be additional or enhanced fees and additional or enhanced reporting, and additional or enhanced requirements. Again, I'm simply trying to steer us to the fact that, as we go forward, there is a new act that gives a lot more power and puts a lot more expectations on the industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier. As to my statement, I will be looking at the Yukon-NWT border. Has the Premier had conversations with the Yukon Premier about a bubble with the NWT, since he has the power to open the border on the Yukon side? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have had discussions with Premier Silver from the Yukon government around exemptions for residents to cross over the borders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

I'll wait to say if that's good news or not. With the high uptake of Moderna vaccine that we've been hearing of, and I know that the communities in my region have really been posting a lot that they've been getting high percentages of first and second doses. Recently, with all over 18 in Inuvik being able to receive the COVID vaccine, that covers the Beaufort-Delta, anyone over 18. Will there be a Yukon-NWT bubble anytime soon after those discussions?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I have had discussions with Premier Silver from the Yukon Territory. He is more than interested in having exemptions for residents to go across the border. We are, as well, interested in that. However, I have to put it out there: Premier Silver has let me know that, if he was to consider having an exemption, not a bubble, but an exemption, then he would not be okay with us closing the border when they open up to British Columbia; and in conversations, it will only be a couple of weeks, he's assuming, before they open up to British Columbia. At this time, that is the underlying factor that is not good news for us.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

That's not good news, but my next question will be: will the Premier have discussions with the Minister of health and the CPHO, or has had discussions with them, on what the NWT plans on doing, especially knowing that we have higher rates of vaccine?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Absolutely, we have been having discussions with our CPHO around what will happen when the majority of residents in the NWT get vaccinated; 75 percent is herd immunity. However, there is still a population, there are still people who have not, will not, or cannot get immunized, and we have a whole population of children who we don't have a vaccine for. The major factor is actually that they're not projecting that the vaccines will be delivered in the South until late fall, September, so we have serious concerns. There is not enough research. My understanding is that, even if we have the vaccines ourselves, can we still transmit COVID-19 to other people? Those are questions we don't know. I know that our CPHO is well-aware of the mental health, and I know that she is tired of it just as much as all of us. Her job is to make sure that we keep as safe as possible, and she is trying to do that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question I am going to ask is: how long are we going to be in this public health emergency? I refer back again to the Emerging Wisely plan. I think the people of the Northwest Territories, the people of the Beaufort-Delta, have a voice, too, just like the people at the mines do when they are given exception after exception. How long will we be in this public health emergency, and do residents who have been vaccinated have the option to challenge this public health emergency if they choose to, especially after they have been vaccinated? Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I would like to defer that question to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Premier. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question. The CPHO conducts regular risk assessments of the context of COVID-19, and it is her view that a public health emergency still exists. As a result, her public health orders remain in place, and as a result, the self-quarantine for 14 days remains in place until a time when she doesn't think that that risk any longer exists.

In order to change those orders, as the Premier said, she has to do a scan of, for example, vaccine levels. While the NWT is now over 40 percent vaccinated, the number for the whole of Canada is 1.42 percent. There's not anything like equality of vaccination across the country. Secondly, there is still community transmission of COVID-19 in some southern jurisdictions. That's something that we have worked very hard to prevent from happening here.

The third part is that, while we know the vaccine reduces how sick people become with COVID-19, we don't have definitive answers about whether it also stops transmission, so that whether, as a vaccinated person, I can still carry the virus with me and pass that on. We are very interested in making the changes that the Member is talking about. We understand that people are fed up with the isolation, and they would like to be reunited with their friends and family, their former lives, and we look forward to a time when we can truly get this behind us, but that moment is not now. Thank you.

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. My questions today are for the Minister of Infrastructure about who exactly the GNWT pays its rent to. My first question is: how much a year do we pay in leasing to southern landlords?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year, we pay approximately $18 million. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

That's the $18 million that I really would encourage the department to look at and see if we can make that a smaller number and give that to some northern businesses. One of my concerns is that our Leasing of Improved Real Property Policy only permits us to pay a premium to a northern business, and if we are going to rent from a southern business, it actually has to be cheaper to lease as opposed to own. I am a little concerned that, as these buildings have been sold off, resold, merged, and acquiesced over the years, we have fallen out of compliance with our own policy. My question to the Minister is: is the Minister confident that that $18 million is, in fact, in compliance with our own leasing policy?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Yes, we are in compliance with the Leasing of Improved Real Property Policy.