Debates of March 7th, 2023

This is page numbers 5695 - 5762 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 know.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

Celebrating Engineers and Geoscientists in the Northwest Territories

Homelessness Programs Offered by Housing NWT

Celebrating National Social Work Month

Minister Absent from the House

Child and Youth Care Counsellors

Future of Local Housing Organizations

Fort Simpson Diesel Plant Upgrade

Renovation Delay Effects on School in Tuktoyaktuk

Crack Cocaine Addictions in Tlicho Communities

Surety Bond Review

Homelessness

Hay River South Constituency Office Services

Budget Shortfalls for Regional and Social Services Authority

Eulogy for Jessie May Snider

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Committee Report 47-19(2): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on Homelessness Prevention: Supporting Pathways to Housing NWT Residents

Portables for Magalanik School

Evaluation of Child and Youth Care Counselling Program

Fort Simpson Diesel Plant

Surety Bond Review

Health and Social Services Deficit

Homelessness

Local Housing Organization Funding

Child and Youth Care Counsellors Staff Integration

Back-Up Generators during an Outage

Child and Youth Care Counsellor Equivalencies

Return to Written Question 58-19(2): Frank Channel Bridge Replacement

Tabled Document 876-19(2): Government of the Northwest Territories Bridge Inspection Form - Frank Channel Bridge, July 2021 Tabled Document 877-19(2): Stantec Consulting Ltd. 2021 Frank Channel Bridge Inspection Report dated February 12, 2022

Tabled Document 878-19(2): Plain Language Summary for Bill 72: Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act

Tabled Document 879-19(2): What We Heard: A Forest Act for the NWT, February 2023

Tabled Document 880-19(2): Letter dated December 26, 2022 from Alternatives North regarding Comments on Forest Act Summary of Policy Intentions

Maximum Allowable Rent Increase for Private Rental Units

Extended Adjournment of the House to March 27, 2023

Bill 76: An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act

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

Tabled Document 813-19(2): 2023-2024 Main Estimates - Legislative Assembly - Deferral of Department (Page 5)

Tabled Document 813-19(2): 2023-2024 Main Estimates - Environment and Climate Change - Deferral of Department (Page 73)

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 371-19(2): Tabled Document 813-19(2): 2023-2024 Main Estimates - Legislative Assembly - Deferral of Department (Page 5), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

March 8th

Page 5724

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks. Yeah, it would probably be covered in the briefing I guess, but I'm interested in that area.

So I look at the, you know, budget line here on page 92, land regional operations, and there is a little bit of a decline there. It's increased from what was spent in 2021-2022. But I'm also cognisant that, you know, at least one diamond mine's going to start closing down. We've got another one that is in closure, Snap Lake. There's a lot at stake for our government because if anything goes off the rails, we're totally liable for that. I just want to get on the record that the Minister believes that we have sufficient resources to properly inspect these diamond mines as they're starting to close so that we don't incur any liabilities? Thanks, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

March 8th

Page 5724

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Yes, we do.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

March 8th

Page 5724

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Well, I didn't expect such a short answer. Okay, great. I don't think I have anything further. Thanks, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Are there any further questions under regional operations? Seeing none, please turn to page 92.

Environment and Climate Change, regional operations, operations expenditure summary, 2023-2024 Main Estimates, $7,708,000. Does committee agree?

March 8th

Page 5724

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. We'll now turn to the regulatory assessment and authorizations, beginning on page 95 with information items on page 96 and 97. Questions. Seeing no -- oh, Member for Frame Lake.

March 8th

Page 5724

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Okay, thanks, Madam Chair. So we covered some of this, I guess, in the Member's statement and questions earlier today. But where are we at with having any kind of policy work with regard to prevention of public liabilities? I know committees, you know, tabled a report in the House about that, motions were passed. But -- and I guess some regulations may be developed under the Public Land Act but we're still operating under a reclamation policy that was developed by the old Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development that was endorsed by our government at the time of devolution. But, you know -- and I understand this is an area with perhaps some shared jurisdiction with the land and water boards as well, and we had some input into the stuff they'd done, but is there actually ever going to be a policy statement or something from this government about how we try to prevent public liabilities? Thanks, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

March 8th

Page 5724

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister Kelly.

March 8th

Page 5724

Dr. Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. There's quite a lot of work that's going on right now working with the land and water boards but also internally. The Public Land Act regulations are ongoing, and there's drafting occurring of those at this particular moment in time. We're fully secured, and there's a guidance document that's being drafted based on some advice that's been provided by EY. There's also a risk-based evaluation tool. And I would also point out that in the contaminated sites work plan we've spoken about previously, there's a number of deliverables within that will assist with that issue and concern. Thank you, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5724

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

March 8th

Page 5724

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Yeah, thanks. I don't want to get into a debate here but we're not fully secured on some of these sites. You know, Prairie Creek being an example. We don't hold full financial security because a crazy arrangement that the federal government got into with the company and that it still hasn't been sorted out as far as I know.

All right, I'll ask a more pointed question. Reclaim is a model. It's almost like proprietary developed by some consultants but it's a methodology of calculating reclamation liability based on a whole bunch of rather complicated spreadsheets, unit costs, and so on. That hasn't been updated since 2017, at least that's the model that's on the ENR website and it seems to be publicly available. What work and with escalating, you know, engineering, construction costs, and so on maybe even some of the unit prices might -- we might have some more accurate stuff. But is any work being done to actually update the 2017 model. Thanks, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5725

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

March 8th

Page 5725

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister.

March 8th

Page 5725

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister.

March 8th

Page 5725

Dr. Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. So we have worked recently with a consultant to -- on unit costs due to inflation. And my understanding is that this tool was originally a federal tool that came over with devolution, and the federal government is doing some work on it in Nunavut where they use it and we will definitely be involved and hopefully be able to use the amendments that are made to the tool there. Thank you, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5725

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Frame Lake.

March 8th

Page 5725

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Yeah, okay, thanks for that. I'd just rather not have to wait for the feds to do something that may not happen. But I want to turn to the integrated resource management assistance program. It's contribution money found on page 96, and it's totally flat-lined, actually for everything here. Maybe it went up in 2022-2023 a little bit. But, you know, I guess this government had some sort of a policy or approach where agencies or departments could go to FMB for forced growth and clearly ENR either didn't go or wasn't successful. And I'm not going to ask them which one. But there's no increases here, particularly for ERMA. This is, you know, important stuff where those governments that don't have land rights agreements can actually access funding to allow them to participate in environmental management, decision-making, co-management stuff. So when was the last time this was increased, and why was it -- is it not increased in 2023-2024? Thanks, Madam Chair.

March 8th

Page 5725

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister.

March 8th

Page 5725

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.

March 8th

Page 5725

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy minister.

March 8th

Page 5725

Dr. Kelly

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is federal funding that comes with the SIMP and audit funding, and we will be engaging with them in a discussion about the next ten years of funding. We had evaluated the program and updated it based on recommendations. And a change that you see here is due to unprocessed contribution agreements and a workshop that was not requiring funding as it was held virtually. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of March 7th, 2023

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