Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just a chance to address some of the capital issues regarding… Maybe I can begin in Fort Simpson. I think it was last year I remember the Fort Simpson health budget was actually on the capital plan. I had thought it was in the capital plan, but it certainly is a red flag now. I know that they’ve done the initial work. I think they’ve done a peer review of the project and now they’re looking at doing an RFP for the planning study. I just want to get some details on that. I know that the community is anxious. There has been a lot of discussion in the community and...

Thank you very much. I was wondering: would the Bison Management Strategy, once implemented, have, say, a 1-800 number that the residents can call specifically for this Nahanni bison herd? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on questions to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources with regard to the Bison Management Strategy and, most particularly, the Nahanni bison herd that’s causing grief to the residents of Fort Liard, Nahanni Butte and Lindberg Landing.

Has the draft Bison Management Strategy been completed?

Okay, thank you very much. That’s important information because I’m not too sure how the land is designated. I think currently it’s designated as an educational reserve. What processes would be undertaken here to transfer it to regular GNWT as it were I guess? Is there any difficulties with accessing that land, would be the overall question.

Thank you very much. So it is clear for me, it’s completion in ’16-17 and using the biomass sustainability plan currently.

My other question would be Public Works and Services is responsible for the planning studies for capital projects and the one that they’re particularly looking at in Fort Simpson, as well, is the replacement health centre. I’ve been trying to get some certainty on that work and with the community of Fort Simpson about engaging them in a planning study as we move forward.

I guess one of the big things is about the location of the new health centre. So I know that they’ve...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. As we work with Public Works and Services here just reviewing the much needed Public Works and Services shop replacement here in Fort Simpson and centralizing the carpentry, plumbing and electrical trade space, a couple of questions. In the document here it says shop replacement 2016-17. I just wonder if that’s a typo at all. Most particularly, we’re reviewing capital estimates for 2015-16.

When the Minister is responding, I’m presuming, as well, that he’ll be accessing the biomass steam heating plant for heating the new shop building as well.

Thank you very much. I’m pleased with the Minister’s commitment to look into it and I truly believe that all our education authorities must involve Human Resources and must involve them at all levels, even at the interview stage, because I believe that we’ve taken great strides for this government. This government wants a represented workforce and it must include our education authorities. So once more I ask the Minister to look at that, meet with his officials at the boards and ensure that our Affirmative Action Policy is followed. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I’m going to have to contradict the Minister on the DEAs following our Affirmative Action Policy and our representative Workforce Strategy because I’ve been informed in the past, there’s one particular case, where an Aboriginal teacher had the same equivalencies as southern teachers, where we get a lot of them from, I’ll say that in this House, but that job was given to a southern teacher instead of our Aboriginal teacher. The affirmative guidelines clearly state same experience, same level of training and we lean towards the Aboriginal teacher.

So once again, can the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased with the Human Resources department strategy on striving for a representative workforce and ensuring that we follow our Aboriginal… I’m sorry, my notes are a bit mixed up here, but the Affirmative Action Policy is what I wanted to address here.

Our regional education authorities have no involvement or request no training from Human Resources for their hiring committees. This is concerning because I have heard of several cases in the past few years where our Northerners and our Aboriginals who have become teachers are often overlooked for applying...

Thank you very much. Like I said, the community wants to be engaged, particularly with that site. That site has been under some discussion, but as long as they engage the community and the residents, I’m sure that a significant capital project of this kind should involve the whole community, not only the land but the type of structure that’s going to be built.

I’ve mentioned it on several occasions. I think other communities like Hay River were missing some long-term beds. It was actually picked out after the building got constructed. The same thing in Fort Providence. After the building...