This is page numbers 4271 - 4300 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 public.

Topics

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour of saying ‘thank you' to a resident who is retiring. Mike Canney started working at the Fort Simpson warehouse on April 4th, 1986, with the federal government as a casual. The following year, he started work with the Department of Renewable Resources as a seasonal store person. In 1991, he was asked to fill in as the regional store person and eventually he was hired full time in that position. The position has been renamed as a material management officer.

He has always spoke highly of his employment with the department and how his supervisors treated him and his colleagues. When asked about what he thought was the biggest improvement since he began, he would say it was the safety and well-being of all employees. Safety is greatly improved, and the managers have made him feel that his efforts are appreciated and respected. When asked about his future goals he said it, with a smile, helping my real boss operate the Lady Slipper Lodge, formerly Mackenzie Rest Inn, and helping raise their granddaughter. If given the opportunity, he hopes to get out on their boat more often and maybe get a few rounds of golf in.

I would like to share a few words from his colleagues from the regional office.

Mike will be missed here at compound, yes, but not just for what the things he did related to the fire season but for all the little things. He's always made sure the compound is secure, locking the doors and the gates. Safety was his priority. You could see him shovel away the snow and remove the ice during the winter months. You could see him dig out the snow from the sliding gates early in the morning. He helped us purchase and maintain all their mobile equipment. He made sure the fuel supply was tested and ready for each fire season. Most importantly, he's a great guy with a lot of patience, practical knowledge and experience, and had a few funny stories to tell. Good luck and all the best in your retirement Mike, you will be sorely missed around the shop.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, use Mike's words: "It's been my pleasure to work for this organization for all these years and will miss the comradery and the challenge of the position. Thank you to the entire GNWT, for the opportunity to serve all those years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Minister responsible for Infrastructure

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by the Member for Great Slave on March 30, 2022, regarding a contingency plan if the Department of Infrastructure and the contractor are not able to come to an agreement on the Inuvik Airport Runway Extension and Civil Improvements project.

The Department of Infrastructure abides by the GNWT's procurement policies when it comes to considering contractual approaches and making decisions on negotiating a contract.

Under the current 11.26 Negotiated Contracts Policy, contracts are not negotiated in the Legislative Assembly. Only the Executive Council can authorize the negotiation of contracts outside the competitive process and, upon authorization, this process takes place between an authorized eligible contractor and the technical team.

Mr. Speaker, the Executive Council reviews each request to negotiate a contract against the established criteria that's in our policy and aims to make decisions and recommendations that provide fair and broad distribution of training, employment, and business opportunities, while also ensuring value for money.

Requests to negotiate a contract for projects that receive federal funding may also need to be approved by the Government of Canada, depending on the terms of the funding agreement. This is the case with the Inuvik Airport Runway Extension and Civil Improvement Project. The procurement approach must be consistent with obligations that are under the internal and international trade agreements.

Both the joint venture and the GNWT's technical teams have resumed negotiations to determine solutions to the funding gap. At this time, the technical team is focused on options with the objective of realizing a way forward to follow the process outlined in the Negotiated Contracts Policy.

Should those negotiations be successful, the project will proceed and should they not be successful, the GNWT will return to Canada and our Cabinet to be able to discuss potential next steps.

The Department of Infrastructure is continually striving to upgrade the infrastructure at the Inuvik Airport to meet changing operational demands and improve the airport's resiliency to a changing climate.

While the federal government has committed to provide some additional funding for the project to be able to address inflation and supply chain costs, subject to due diligence the exact value and timelines are not yet known.

We expect this extension and civil improvements project to create economic opportunities for the region throughout construction. The Department of Infrastructure remains committed to making contracting decisions that will best maximize benefits to local, northern Indigenous businesses and residents within available budgets. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Returns to oral questions. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Oral Question asked by the Member for Great Slave on March 31st, 2022, regarding my knowledge of a joint venture and an Indigenous government.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I am aware of the difference between a joint venture and an Indigenous government.

An Indigenous government is one that has negotiated or is in the process of negotiating a self-government agreement with the GNWT and the Government of Canada whereas a joint venture is a corporate commercial enterprise undertaken jointly by two or more parties.

On the Inuvik Airport Runway Project, the Government of the Northwest Territories has received bids from a joint venture corporation entity, Number 13394883 Canada Incorporated.

The joint venture is an eligible contractor as defined under the Negotiated Contracts Policy, 11.26, and has the operational, financial, and management potential to undertake the work. Negotiations between the joint venture and the technical team resumed with the objective of realizing a way forward to construction to be able to ensure this project requirements, such as surety, is in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to visitors in the gallery this afternoon.

I am pleased to recognize interns from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. They are in Yellowknife to increase their knowledge of our consensus style of government. We have with us today, bear with me with the pronunciation, but Janine Alhadidi, Iqra Mahmood, Alex Horbal, Alessia Rao, Melody Greaves, Habon Ali, Sharika Khan, and Tori Llewellyn.

Mahsi for joining us today. I would like to recognize everyone else in the gallery. I know a couple people left. One just joined us. It's always a pleasure knowing there is much interest in our proceedings. Mahsi.

---Applause

Member for Kam Lake

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's always nice to have kids back in the gallery today and I would like to recognize the three pages that we have here in the gallery from Kam Lake who are Marianne Bumaat, Isha Jha, and Justin Quito. Thank you.

---Applause

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Oral Question 1080-19(2): Mining REgulations
Oral Questions

May 26th, 2022

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of ITI who is responsible for mining.

In the presentation given to committee in April on the five sets of mining regulations being developed, it was said that the public engagement on this important work is to take place between May and July. May is almost over. Nothing has happened yet.

Can the Minister explain this very short timeline for public engagement and how the public can have any meaningful involvement? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad that my title has been corrected. I do feel better standing up with the right name for the right Minister.

On this matter, Mr. Speaker, firstly, there are a number of different things happening in terms of what's happening with the Mineral Resources Act regulations.

Firstly, with respect to the royalties portion, as the Member's already mentioned, it's a complex thing that's being developed right now. That element was opened back in February. Comments are welcome until July the 29th for public engagement. That was extended from April the 22nd all the way through to the end of July.

With respect to other items, Mr. Speaker, I want to start by referencing the Intergovernmental Council protocol that was developed by and put in place by this government. That really has been the guiding focus of a lot of this work, to ensure that we were making regulations for the North and for the future of the northern mineral resources industry, we're doing that hand-in-hand with Indigenous governments.

As I think was already mentioned during the Member's statement, typically regulations don't require the same level of engagement. We've often not have any engagement from the public so we're certainly making an effort to do something quite different here.

So in addition to the IGCS process, Mr. Speaker, there is a formal public engagement step expected to get started here shortly, run through until the summer, and in that regard the items will be posted online. They'll be going through the same typical process that other items do. There's a posting online, people can respond online. They can respond directly. There will be certainly those opportunities similar to any other public engagements that take place.

And Mr. Speaker, that said, these are very technical regulations. The folks that would potentially use them, benefit from them are in this space, operating in this space, know the people to contact. They are already being engaged. They know that this work is underway. And I'm certainly very confident that folks who have those interests have lots of avenues by which to be in touch with us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Let's talk about that public engagement. The Minister committed in April to advising us what research has been done. I found contracts on map staking, legal expertise, on dispute resolution, and policy advice from the University of Calgary. Then there's the internal work that the department has already done apparently.

Can the Minister provide a public listing of the research reports completed and when those will be shared with Regular MLAs and the public as part of the engagement on these mining regulations? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said, this is an extremely complex piece of legislation that's going to be enacted and as a result, the regulations themselves also are unusually complex, and we are always being mindful at every step, again, of the process and of the work that's taking place with the IGCS.

Mr. Speaker, I can say, and in keeping in mind the rules that we have here in a consensus government, that back on May the 12th we did provide a list of the research documents completed as of that time to standing committee and, certainly, if there are documents within that that Members may wish to have access to, I'd like to be informed. We can certainly provide it to Members in keeping with the consensus government's processes around confidentiality as between MLAs and Ministers.

With respect to the three additional contracts that my friend has so diligently sought out, Mr. Speaker, those items I think only of the one with respect to map staking, that one is complete. The others are still in progress. So there's nothing to report on or provide at this point.

With respect to the university of Calgary, it's an opportunity to have academic oversight. So that's likely to continue throughout this process. But as for the other two, as I said, when both are completed -- the one is not but when the other one is, we'll certainly be adding it to the list that I'd already provided to Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. And of course, some of those contracts, there's interim reports that probably could be shared already. But I recognize and support that the development of these regulations is being done with Indigenous governments but it doesn't substitute or replace public engagement. And I also acknowledge that some of these are complex matters and they require a delicate balancing of rights and interests. But this is all the more reason for an informed public debate and information.

So can the Minister commit to providing regular and detailed written updates to committee on the progress of the technical working group that is developing these regulations? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a word, yes. I have found we've appeared in front of standing committee now numerous times on different parts of the process. The Mineral Resources Act regs generally but also on royalties specifically. And those are fruitful. They're helpful. In the one case, it resulted in changes to one of the discussion papers. So, yes, most certainly, Mr. Speaker, happy to make that commitment.

And I want to note, Mr. Speaker, it was pointed out that one of the Members of IGCS had attended the briefing. It's not the usual process here that other Members would necessarily be speaking at a technical briefing, but we do now have this technical working group that includes IGCS members, and I'm confident that we could, in fact, if done in advance and if planned, we can have an opportunity to have members of that group attend as well in their roles or in their roles with the IGCS. And that would, again, likely be a benefit to all parties. So happy to ensure that we can move that forward.

And Mr. Speaker, I -- you know, I haven't been put on the spot for this, but I wanted to note at the time of that briefing, MLAs specifically asked if we could sit down one-on-one. That also remains an opportunity for all Members. I'd be happy to do that and sit down with each of them and the teams so that if there's even more technical issues that we can work out, then we'll make that commitment that we can do that as well. 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, and I will take her up on that commitment. It appears the Minister is going to publicly post five sets of detailed mining regulations that cover a variety of matters, including notice of claims, work, royalties, benefits, and disputes. These are all matters of public interest. It's not clear how long people will have to review and comment, whether those comments will be public, and whether there will be responses to the comments and issues that are raised.

But can the Minister explain how this public posting process will work and whether comments and responses will also be made public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, with respect to public engagement, there's a standard position which is that any operational -- or any draft regulations get no less than 30 days, and that's -- that will certainly be abided by that guideline. But, Mr. Speaker, it's my intention that we'll be going on for longer than that.

It is, you know, as I've been saying, and as been said here by others, these are complex regulations; they are going to require more time. So they'll be posted to the engagement website as usual. Information will go out through social media as well as through other more traditional channels. When that happens, notices out as public service announcements will go out. And again, while the guideline is 30 days, I'm confident we'll have certainly more than that for people to give their information in. Comments come in. They're compiled. Then there's the 'what we heard' reports that get put together. Those, too, can be shared and then analyzed and incorporated into the materials shared with our IGCS partners as we move forward. And as I say, then that's how they get utilized going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important that other levels of government and the general public have their say on potential electricity rate increases.

Will the Minister responsible for NTPC commit to work with the Minister responsible for the Public Utilities Board to have public hearings regarding the impact of increasing electricity rates? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Public Utilities Board develops the review process for the general application and the Public Utility Board schedule allows for a public hearing, if required, on August the 4th to the 5th here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, since the Taltson Hydro Project is in the Taltson zone, will the Minister ensure that there will not be a one-rate system for power rates and that the people of the Taltson zone will always have lower power rates than other communities, because it's a traditional territory of various First Nations and Metis peoples. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In accordance with the electricity rate policy guidelines approved by the GNWT, since 2010 the electricity rates in the Northwest Territories are set on a zoned basis. So each zone, including the Taltson, is to pay rates that reflect costs in the zone.

The utilities use a zone of reasonableness to help manage rate transitions. Today, due to these transitions, the Taltson is currently paying less than its costs, but over time the rates will transition to full cost level. The Taltson rates will be lower than other communities so long as the Taltson costs remains lower than the other communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, after the Taltson expansion is completed, can the Minister explain what the cost impacts will be in terms of electricity rates for the people in the Taltson zone and the rest of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.