This is page numbers 5011 - 5050 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

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

How can they participate -- the students, how can they participate in decisions to change the Education Act, not phase 2? Thank you.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So when we went out and engaged on the Education Act, we did reach out to everyone. Students were encouraged to participate. If anyone wants to each out to me directly, any students want to write emails, even have meetings, I'm happy to do that. I'm also -- we're also creating the Minister's Student Advisory Council. And so I'll have engagement through that. But if any students want to provide input on education, the education system, curriculum, anything, I would be happy to hear it. I would be more than happy to hear it; I encourage it. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, from the Minister's answers there, I don't think, you know, we're seeing really much change in the way MTS operates. And, you know, we're just going down the same road. We've got the same issues. And, you know, probably next year or the year after we're going to see the same thing. And I'm just hoping that, you know, something's going to change, you know, whether it's through the management or structure, something. Something's gotta give. But, Madam Speaker, with the delivery of fuel, equipment, or materials to north warning sites, Sabina and Tuk, can the Minister tell me if there were delays in those deliveries, and if so, did those delays result in further delays for community resupply? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Infrastructure.

Question 1290-19(2): Marine Transportation Services
Oral Questions

November 2nd, 2022

Page 5028

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Short answer, no. Long answer is while we have challenges this season, as I mentioned it also impacted commercial customers. The commercial deliveries did not delay community resupply. From the beginning, Madam Speaker, the season, only one vessel was dedicated to commercial activities. The majority of our marine vessels assets were focused solely on community resupply. As previously mentioned, there were five tug boats out that were activated this season. One was directly dedicated to the ISR resupply. Two were assigned to support roles for the ISR supply. One was a dual role between essential resupply and commercial lake/river activities. And one was dedicated to the customer -- commercial customers.

I do want to add, Madam Speaker, that last week in the House, MLA Jacobson for Nunakput had asked me if I would be willing to meet with the leaders from his communities, and I just want to say we have a meeting tomorrow night with the leaders that are here from Ulukhaktok, from Sachs Harbour, from Paulatuk, and also from Tuk. So I'm looking forward to having this meeting with the leaders in his riding. And he will also be there in attendance as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess, you know, the reason I want, you know, locations of the ships for that time period I asked for previously is that, you know, the Minister tells me that, you know, not a lot -- well, maybe one or two ships were delivering for private or on jobs that they bid on. But, you know, in looking at some of the information, I don't actually believe that. But, Madam Speaker, MTS was shuttling fuel from a ship, which was the Torm Lilly, anchored approximately 30 kilometres out of Tuk to storage tanks in Tuk. How many vehicles were involved in that shuttle? Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So the tanker arrived near Tuktoyaktuk on August the 17th. Offloading commenced on August the 19th. Offloading was completed September the 14th. Weather played a significant role in the offloading which, if you do the math, that impacted 16 days. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I guess that's the issue is that, you know, we're doing other work and weather's playing a factor, and what we should be doing is resupplying our communities. But, Madam Speaker, if this contract for shuttling fuel was not in place, it would have allowed for timely resupply of those communities in the Arctic. Was that not a consideration prior to taking any work on? Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the factors that impacted MTS operation in the past year, again, are complex and interconnected. Infrastructure, along with fuel services and MTS, will be undertaking a post-season evaluation of this year's operations to get a better understanding of where improvements can be made. And I also believe that tomorrow night's meeting with the leadership from Nunakput will also help in that as well. So I do want to add as part of this year's evaluation there will be analysis of the over the top fuel delivery to understand what worked well, what can be improved, and how it can be improved to be able to better address their concerns in the future.

We also, as part of this review, Madam Speaker, is review some of the challenges and opportunities that exist in the delivery of products from Hay River at both the current year and the past years. So we are looking into that, Madam Speaker. And I'd be quite willing to share that if we're able to. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my understanding is that the fuel delivery over the top may not be as completely reliable and cost effective as we believe. Why would we not move fuel through Hay River where we have control not only over the product but over the transportation as well. This would also provide business and employment opportunities in Hay River. Madam Speaker, I would like a commitment from the Minister to consider this option and conduct a cost analysis on its viability. Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm going to sound like a broken record and just say that Infrastructure and MTS will be undertaking a post-season evaluation of this year's operations to gain a better understanding of where improvements can be made. As part of this year's evaluation, we'll be looking at over the top fuel delivery to understand what worked and what can be improved. Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm going to come back to a topic I brought up earlier which is fertility. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the public sector if she would be willing to consider allowing GNWT employees to use their special leave for in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments? Currently they are not allowed to but it is my understanding it can be used for adoption. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I type quickly but not quite fast enough to find this in time. I think there is -- there are a variety of these provisions that allow public servants to take access. I mean, there's certainly special leave. There are -- as I said, there's a number of different leave provisions and I want to make sure I give accurate information here rather than just speaking off the cuff. So, Madam Speaker, again, I'm happy to provide information to this House, to the Member, about what different leave provisions would be available for public servants. Thank you.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I do appreciate that I was throwing the Minister for a bit of a curve ball there this morning -- or this afternoon. However, I've been overwhelmed actually by the response I've been getting from people that have been reaching out to share what are very difficult and painful and financially burdensome stories about their own fertility journey. So I don't know that I have a question if the Minister hasn't found the answer to the first one yet in the meantime. But I do really want the government to consider allowing flexibility with the types of leave so that people can use it towards fertility treatments. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, part of the hesitancy is I want to make sure that whatever I'm saying is accurate and compliant with what's in the collective agreement and with what is in the public service manual. So just ensuring, you know, that I am accurate with that, I would certainly say that, you know, each individual public servant does have the ability to go and speak to their supervisor and is able to speak to their supervisor about what their circumstances might be, including medical circumstances, and it would certainly be my expectation in line with any other time for the public servants -- or for public service that their supervisors would be amenable to utilizing whatever available leave there is and doing so with keeping in mind flexibility and keeping in mind the need to be adaptive to the circumstances of the public servant. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister -- or sorry, can the Minister answer what is the Minister of Health and Social Services doing to meaningfully address the growing deficit of NTHSSA and is healthcare in the territory chronically underfunded? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to answer this question.

In this House this week, I've been asked for nursing student bursaries, fertility treatments, suicide prevention money. I've also been asked for HIV PREP, which is a preventative medication, and free contraception. That's the problem, Madam Speaker. The expectations of the health system are not commensurate with the amount of money that is provided to it.

What I want to say about the deficit is that it is top of mind for NTHSSA and for me as the Minister. We created the NWT health and social services system, as the Member said, in 2016 and inherited a deficit at that time, and it has grown since. We report twice annually, and we report this to the Regular Members as well as to Cabinet, about the work that's being done by the sustainability office. I want to say that where they are at right now is with cost containment. So I'm not expecting a report that says that money has been saved but rather that the deficit is going to not grow as quickly as it has been. Thank you.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, absolutely that residents have asked for all of that. I guess it comes down to choices because I've also seen some things that I would think that are not necessary expenses for the Department of Health and Social Services, which I won't get into. But I do think it comes down to choices, and I think that there are ways that we can spend money smarter. So my next question is how is NTHSSA working with regional health authorities to reduce the trend in this growing deficit? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it's easy to second-guess spending by a big department by Health and Social Services. And if the Member has ideas, then certainly we're open to hearing from them.

NTHSSA is now one entity. So it's a whole system approach to understanding what the cost drivers are and what to do about them. So examples of initiatives underway now are

  • Improvements to inventory controls and purchasing;
  • Process improvements to improve billing and collection of accounts receivable for chargeable services;
  • Improvements to processes used for managing facilities and fleet;
  • Processes to ensure NTHSSA recovers all costs for services it performs for other departments and jurisdictions;
  • Improvements to budgeting processes; and,
  • Establishment of a quality improvement framework.

So I want to convey that this is an issue that we are taking very seriously, and the sustainability office is working diligently to find ways to control spending. Thank you.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I always love sharing ideas. I've shared one this week that will tackle two of the five major items that run over in the health budget, which is trading education for service in the public service. Thank you.

My next question for the Minister is has there been an evaluation of health authority programs to determine where specifically there can be cost savings to the government in this fiscal year? Thank you.