This is page numbers 6303 - 6336 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

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, again, are for the Minister of Finance because she's got control, I guess, of the money and all the finance books. Can the Department of Finance pause -- is it possible to pause outstanding land lease accounts from going to collections in Finance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, dealing with land leases obviously, I know the Member is well aware, is primarily the responsibility of now ECC. The Department of Finance certainly works with other departments but we really are, essentially, just the financial agent in that respect. So I can't pause the accounts of going out on my own, we would be relying on government policy to do that, and I know that work is happening right now over at ECC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I guess my question is, is it possible to -- I guess I should clarify, can it be done? So can accounts be paused under the direction of working together with the Minister from another department? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, what is required in order to pause an account from going to collections, or to cease acting on a file that's gone to collections, really requires some sort of parameters or criteria where a department that had an outstanding account, some other debts for instance, whether a lease or otherwise, if they were to come to the Department of Finance and say, you know, that they had reached some sort of agreement with the person who owes the debt, then that then can be -- that those that can be moved forward to be out of collections, to be forgiven, to be paused, to have some other process. But once the matter has gone out, then under the financial administration rules, the matter would continue as a debt owing. So there needs to be some mechanism to indicate that in fact that what was deemed as an outstanding debt no longer is. So it's those types of parameters that I understand ECC is working on to ensure that they can then convey that and share that with the Department of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just trying to think about -- okay, so it can be done but it has to be in collaboration with another Minister. So I'm just wondering has there been any discussions -- and like you said, the lands were -- has there been discussions with finance that this is -- can be done and will be done or, you know, I'm just -- the reason I'm saying this is that I have constituents that have leases and they've jumped up 600 percent. And if my power and my heating bill jumped up 600 percent, you know what, I'd have to walk away from my mortgage. If my interest rate jumped up 600 percent, I'd have to walk away from my mortgage because I just couldn't afford to pay it. People in the cabin -- that have these cabins, they're not multimillion-dollar cabins. They're probably not even worth two years of lease fees. So what I'm asking the Minister is this something that she and the Minister of ECC -- and if I have to ask more questions, I'll ask the Minister of ECC if he'll work with the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hear the back and forth on this issue in this House. I have heard it now for almost four years as well. I'm only hesitant to create something on the fly out of the Department of Finance when I know there's processes happening in ECC that I am less intimately familiar with. But, Mr. Speaker, the departments -- the two departments are more than happy to work together. I know Minister of ECC and I work together on shared areas of overlap, whether it's finance, whether it's ITI, we have joint meetings. We can certainly start to do that with Department of Finance and ECC as well. And if that might assist the staff, who I know are working through the process at ECC, to access some of finance's resources in how accounts are transmitted to collections and how they can be paused, Mr. Speaker, I know I think both of us on this side here would be more than happy to do that. 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, the Minister of ECE has previously stated that the last time a technical status evaluation was done on JBT Elementary School was in 2005. Can the Minister tell us when the next technical status evaluation is expected to be done for the JBT School in Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to the information I've received from the Department of Infrastructure, technical status evaluations are conducted when there are some certainty that major work is expected in the next three to five years. So if it looks like there's going to be some serious work that's required in three to five years, that is the point at which a technical status evaluation would be conducted. Thank you.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, during the last session the Minister stated that, based on current capital needs assessments, JBT School is expected to be replaced in 2035 which would make the school 77 years old until it's finally replaced. But the Minister also said it could potentially take a lot longer. At this rate, the school will only be replaced once it becomes a hundred years old.

Can the Minister tell us if there is anything that can be done to speed up the timeline for the JBT School to be replaced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And like I've stated before, it depends on the technical condition of the school. So there are many buildings in the territory that need replacing. There's many capital needs. And structures and deficiencies are addressed when they can be addressed when they get to them. Thank you.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the community of Fort Smith petitioned and fiercely lobbied our government to replace JBT School. Would that speed up the timeline for our government to consider replacing this school? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That wouldn't change the technical status or the report -- the technical status evaluation report of the school. But, I mean, it's a political question and so the Member's also a politician, she probably can answer that as well as I can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us if he or Cabinet is content with the fact that the NWT is one of the only jurisdictions in the country who continues to actively use former residential school and Indian Day School buildings for students today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I can't speak on behalf of Cabinet but I can say no, I'm not content. And if I could, you know, will a new building into existence, I would do that. But, unfortunately, I don't have that ability. I do understand where the Member is coming from. I would like to see the same changes that she would like to see. But, unfortunately, we're up against the constraints of, you know, the reality that we are in, so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Finance confirm if all evacuees, whether unemployed or not receiving income from employers, be eligible for the income distribution program? Because some of these people, you know, rely on temporary work, which is now not available to them, or they may be self-employed as well. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every individual who's had any sort of income disruption should be applying. So that applies to anyone who is self-employed, who may be in what is known as the gig economy or temporary employment or, again, any sort of disruptions. So an artisan, for instance, who may be selling -- typically selling art or crafts, anyone who may fall into those categories, I would encourage them to apply. You know, it's difficult -- this was a program developed in less than two weeks. It's difficult to anticipate exactly every category of person to whom it would apply and exactly how to word the eligibility. We've done our best to be fairly flexible. So, again, Mr. Speaker, if they've had an income disruption, I'd encourage them to apply. There may be some classes of persons who work it through and find that it doesn't apply to them, but I'd rather have those applications in and look at those opportunities and see that we can make this available to those for whom it was meant to apply. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that reply because in talking to some KFN members, they were under the impression they could not apply. So that's good to know.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit her department to quickly reviewing the applications as they are received? They are one page, so I don't think there will be too much difficulty in doing that. Thank you.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, yes, absolutely. I certainly wanted to vocalize that commitment here. Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, we didn't have any staff assigned to this role. This wasn't something that we were contemplating. So while I am certainly cognizant that the people who were evacuated who are now having to go back after an extended period of time, they are the ones who are experiencing the greatest hardship. You know, again, we know that, but two weeks ago we didn't have anyone who was in the position of having to take these applications in. That said, Mr. Speaker, I can't say enough that I extend my gratitude to the MLAs from these ridings who were affected. They are bringing suggestions already about how to improve the process, how to improve the forms, and that will only assist in the time it takes to process the applications. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 1559-19(2): Financial Support for Evacuees
Oral Questions

June 1st, 2023

Page 6310

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, now the question is where is the money? Or show me the money. Will the Minister commit her staff to getting the evacuee income disruption support payments out as quickly as possible to applicants? And one thing that they've been asking for is to provide a telephone number on the application so applicants can actually call and talk to a real live person about the status of their application and payment. I constantly get emails and calls about that, and I haven't been able to answer them. So please give me a phone number so that I can give them and one where somebody actually answers. Thank you.