Glen Abernethy

I’ll commit to providing committee, on a regular basis, our stats on workplace safety claims that we are paying or the WSCC is paying on our behalf. I can assure the Member that the Ministers take this seriously, the Premier takes this seriously, we’ve had conversations. We don’t like paying $600,000 when we’d rather use that money for programs and services in the Northwest Territories. This is something that with some diligence I think we can overcome. It’s going to take some work, there’s no doubt there, but I think we’re all committed to having these results.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to thank the Member for congratulating the department on being the top 100 employer. I do have to say that HR can’t take the credit for that by itself. This is an accolade given to the Government of the Northwest Territories and it takes everybody, Cabinet, Regular Members, staff and all the departments. We’re very proud of this recognition and we think it’s fantastic.

The Member is right; we do have an out-migration from the Government of the Northwest Territories. We do run about 360 to 400 jobs on a regular basis that we’re trying to actively fill. I take the...

Obviously, we don’t want to see any late submissions. That’s not our desire. We’d obviously like to save the $56,000. There are some challenges that we face and there are times when late submissions do occur. Sometimes there are time delays when an incident occurred and when the employee reported the occurrence to the supervisor. But as soon as the supervisor becomes aware, you get them to submit a form. There have been delays between when an incident occurred and when an employee sought medical attention. They may not have thought they were injured or that they needed attention. Then the...

I don’t believe that it’s confidential. I believe it’s our insurance policy. I think anybody can look at the policy that Sun Life has with us and that we pay for. If the Member is interested in looking at our insurance policy, I see no reason why we couldn’t share it with him and committee if they’re interested.

Madam Chair, we do do it. We provide that information on a regular basis to the departments so they can make informed decisions and apply the policies that they are responsible for applying on a regular basis. With respect to incident reporting, the GNWT has an incident reporting procedure that is used by all departments, boards and agencies. We are making sure that they are educated and informed so that they can utilize it appropriately. We provide advice and guidance, and we will continue to provide advice and guidance. The departments are responsible for the application of those policies...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me today on my right is Sheila Bassi-Kellett, deputy minister of the Department of Human Resources; on my left is Michelle Beard, director of policy. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Honestly, Madam Chair, the Member is asking the wrong Minister. The Member should be asking the Minister responsible for the WSCC. We, as an employer, share the same concerns. Last year our rate was, I think, 67 cents or something like that. This year we’ve had a significant increase in the rate as all employers have. Last year, as an example, we paid $2.3 million in premiums is really what they are. They are really like an insurance premium. We paid $2.3 million in insurance premium. The WSCC paid out $1.1 million in claims and on top of that we paid just over $600,000 in penalties. So in...

For a specific definition I will go to the deputy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’ve done that already twice today, but I’d be happy to do it again. Do you want me to read it again, Madam Chair?

They are a requirement. Not every worksite has one yet or department has them yet, but they are required to have them and they are getting established.

There’s some overlap. We’ve got a department requirement but we’ve also got a worksite requirement. So there is some overlap with some of those committees. It gets a little complicated at times. But like I said, we’ve got the terms of reference that the individual committees can use to help develop their own and expedite that process. So we continue to work at the deputy head level with the departments, encouraging them to get this done, and at...