Debates of March 2nd, 2023
This Hansard is the unedited transcript and will be replaced by the final copy soon (generally within 5 business days). In the meantime, direct quotes should not be used, when the final is published it will seamlessly replace this unedited copy and any existing links should still work.
This is from 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 know.
Topics
- Oral Questions
- Members Present
- Prayer
- Minister's Statement 320-19(2): Lack of Transparency around Spills at Kearl Oil Sands Development North of Fort McMurray
- Minister's Statement 321-19(2): Infrastructure Climate Change Adaptation
- Minister's Statement 322-19(2): NWT Community Flood Response
- Member's Statement 1407-19(2): Spills at Kearl Oil Sands Development
- Member's Statement 1408-19(2): Yellowknife Liquor Stores
- Member's Statement 1409-19(2): Aftercare and Detoxification Services
- Member's Statement 1408-19(2): Yellowknife Liquor Stores
- Member's Statement 1410-19(2): Energy Strategy
- Member's Statement 1411-19(2): Operating Businesses in Public Housing
- Member's Statement 1412-19(2): Deh Gah Gotie School Trip to Mexico
- Member's Statement 1413-19(2): Public Corporate Structures
- Member's Statement 1414-19(2): Mining Royalties Modelling
- Member's Statement 1415-19(2): Eulogy for Diane Edwards
- Question 1416-19(2): Petroleum Spill in Alberta
- Question 1417-19(2): Energy Strategy
- Question 1418-19(2): Detoxification and Aftercare Services
- Question 1419-19(2): Mining Royalties Modelling
- Question 1420-19(2): Small Business in Public Housing
- Question 1421-19(2): Public Tender on Yellowknife Liquor Stores
- Question 1422-19(2): Crown Corporation Structures
- Written Question 60-19(2): Physician Recruitment and Retention
- Return to Written Question 57-19(2): Payments for Leased Space
- Bill 68: An Act to Amend the Child Daycare Act
- Committee Report 46-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 67: An Act to Amend the Fire Prevention Act
- Tabled Document 865-19(2): Information for Return to Written Question 57-19(2): Payments for Leased Space
- Tabled Document 866-19(2): Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report
- Tabled Document 867-19(2): Environment and Climate Change Canada Guidance for Using Climate Pollution Pricing Proceeds Tabled Document 868-19(2): GNWT Mineral Royalties Presentation to Yellowknife Geoscience Forum: Financial Modeling in Support of Revising the Royalty Regime of Mining in the NWT by Michael Doggett, Nick Dennahower, Hendrick Falk
- Tabled Document 869-19(2): Order of the Alberta Energy Regulator to Imperial Oil Resources Limited regarding the Kearl Oil Sands Processing Plant and Mine
- Bill 72: Opioid Damages and Health care Costs Recovery Act
- Bill 73: An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, No. 4
- Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
- Report Of Committee Of The Whole
- Orders Of The Day
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. So first I just wanted to start -- and I do apologize, I've been in and out so I'm not sure things have been -- if I'm repeating others. But the healthy food for learning program, great program. I can't say enough about having and helping kids have access to healthy food.
Given that we are seeing a high cost of inflation, which is affecting food prices, grocery prices, etcetera, and I've had actually people reach out about how important and more we need help here, I'm just wondering we're staying pretty stagnant; has there been any sort of assessment of, like, the needs of this program; is there more money that's going to be contributed; is it based on the funding formula, all of those types of things? So a little bit of information there. Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. And this number has been very stagnant. I don't know if it's changed for the last decade actually. I do know that when I was in school, there was no food anywhere. And now when I go and I tour schools, there is food all over the place. There's apples. When you walk in the door, there's sandwiches in coolers that students can go get. So there is a lot more food. This is one area where schools receive funding. There's also the Breakfast Club of Canada and there's a number of other organizations that all contribute. That being said, I agree that this is very important and I would love to see this increased year after year.
What is currently happening is the federal government is looking at a national food program for schools and so we are -- yes, we are basically waiting to see what they're going to do, and then engage with them on that. So I'm very hopeful, and I think that the future is bright for food in schools. Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know been a very very long week for all of us. That is great. I am not really reassured, though, by waiting to hear what the federal government says and what they're going to do in a national program. To me, again, people speaking to me that, you know -- or telling me, and even my mom's own, you know, history and experience as a teacher teaching grades 1 and 2, that when kids are showing up to school hungry they don't learn. And given that we're having such an issue in a lot of our sort of social programming areas and wellness areas, you know, in the North, I think this couldn't even be -- like, as much as it might be deemed to be adequate and you are seeing apples and bananas in classrooms, I would -- I can't believe it's adequate for 33 communities and all of the children that are -- that would be affected by this. So I just want to put in a plug for at least some inflationary increases or some extra money being found. And even if that means the kids are taking that extra food home at the end of the day, there's younger siblings at home, there's elders at home, it's not going to go to waste, so. More of a comment on that.
My next question is around the northern youth abroad. I know that obviously during COVID that was very difficult to have -- you know, have that program get executed. But, again, we're still seeing it fairly stagnant at around a hundred K. Given that we've had a lot of conversations with your colleague from MACA around opportunities for youth and children and really just how much, you know, having a chance to travel and see something outside of your realm, how important that is. I've only heard amazing things about the kids and youth coming out of this program.
Can the Minister speak to whether we can see or expect to see another increase coming there. Are there other areas that they access funding from the GNWT to support this program? Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. And this is one organization that's receiving those inflationary increases so that's why they get the whole $2,000 more. And going forward, I expect that will stay. I understand they do receive funding from other departments I think that more than we provide. And I agree. I mean, they provide great experiences. I can get the deputy minister to speak a bit more about this but I will say that from the anecdotal evidence that I've seen, that students benefit greatly from this and it is an amazing program. Thank you. To the deputy minister. Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Macdonald
Thank you, Madam Chair. And certainly lots of experience with Northern Youth Abroad. They're an excellent partner, and they have been for many years both here in the Northwest Territories and in Nunavut as well. Other than their core programming, which I think most of the Members would be quite familiar with, ECE, with the development of northern distance learning, has partnered with Northern Youth Abroad on what's called a post-secondary bridging experience. So we really rely and leverage their expertise with working with youth, organizing youth to travel. And they take northern distance learning students from our smallest communities to universities to firsthand get a tour experience and get an understanding of what life is like in a post-secondary experience. And that's been done in Edmonton. More recently since COVID, as that's resumed, the experience was in Calgary, and we've heard nothing but good things about it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. And I actually had an opportunity when I was in grade 11 or 12 to go to UBC Connect, which was very much the same thing, and even coming from Abbotsford, BC, which is not that small, it was still very overwhelming to come into Vancouver. So definitely I think that's wonderful, and I'm glad to hear it's not just about those specific programs or instances that I see on more advertised.
So my next question comes back around to the funding to the schools. So it's my understanding that due to the high cost or increases to insurance lately that the schools that the GNWT has agreed to insure the YK1 assets, etcetera, because they no longer can afford it themselves. But in the meantime, they have had to sign an MOU because to keep the schools maintained to the same level that the GNWT was already doing, and so that's because obviously the GNWT has a standard that they need to maintain and so the problem with that is that no extra funding has come to the YK1, and I'm assuming other school boards, to help them with this increased level of maintenance costs.
And in particular, in my riding is Sir John Franklin, which is now I understand experiencing huge issues around a pipe that's bursting repeatedly and there's problems there, and it's like a $30,000 fix, which now has to come out of the general coffers of the school board itself. So, you know, while I understand why the GNWT has made the schools commit to this level, they just financially can't do it. And, again, that comes back to the cut of programming and such is what we understand to make up this money.
So can the Minister speak a little bit to that. Is there an opportunity to use a trades program even, something, to reduce these maintenance costs to the schools for the crumbling infrastructure that they are also experiencing? Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
R.J. Simpson Hay River North
Thank you. And I know it's a different situation here in Yellowknife where the school boards predate the Government of the Northwest Territories and so they own their schools. It would be simpler if the government just -- oh no, sorry, not that school. You know what, maybe I'll just hand this over to Yellowknife's own Sam Shannon. Thank you.
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Shannon
Thank you, Madam Chair. So as the Member alluded to, we are in the early stages of this new situation where the GNWT is now insuring the YK1 and YCS assets. And, yes, there is a bit of a difference in the levels of maintenance and the types of maintenance and just the requirements due to different insurers. So as we're working through this together, we're really learning the experience, and we're exploring ways to improve things to modify things but, really, at this point we haven't gone through it long enough to really know what the solutions are at this point in time. So the lines of communication are open. We're working with our colleagues from both school boards to ensure that the maintenance needs are being met, and we're exploring ways to make sure that our dollars go far as possible. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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