Tom Beaulieu

There are individuals who would work for the GNWT who would have their jobs specifically in a down south location; however, employees who work for the GNWT who have their jobs here should be working here. I’ve only heard of one employee who was working at a distance, and that was an individual who was working in Alberta for the GNWT, and I was looking into that to see how that was possible and why that was happening. My preference, of course, and the preference of this government is that if the individuals are working for the GNWT, then they be located at their job sites in the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The section on voluntary separation, the Staff Retention Policy and so on are in the Collective Agreement that we have with the UNW. The voluntary separation is also a policy that we’ve discussed with the UNW as per the Collective Agreement, and it’s in Section 27 of the Public Service Act. However, why they are not all consolidated, if they are not all consolidated in the HR Manual, I don’t have the answer for that at this time. But I will ensure that if there are policies that are scattered around in the act or in the agreement and not all in the Human Resources...

It is very difficult to speak in an open forum like this about individuals’ employment status. My best advice to the employee or to the Member, and the employee has gone to the Member for advice and support, is to actually discuss with the union the situation the employee is encountering. He is likely a union employee. In that case, then the union would provide the support necessary so that when he feels he is being treated unfairly, the union will represent that individual with the management of the department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each case is quite specific. It would depend on whether or not the individual was management, excluded, union. In the case where an individual was unionized, then what we’d recommend to the employee, if there are issues that they’re not happy with if they’re to be charged and not feeling that they’re being treated fairly by the departments, is they have the option to deal with their union. Thank you.

Thank you. We know that Moose Kerr building is actually in pretty good physical shape. We are going to run it through the capital process. There’s no doubt we have been maintaining the building and it is in good shape, so we’re pleased about that. Even though the schedules have time periods as to when the buildings should be replaced, sometimes the buildings are in very good condition and then, in that case, for the sake of the money, we could effectively do a major renovation. But as I indicated, there is a plan to replace that building in 2019. The process leading up to that, I’m indicating...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated earlier, that school will be scheduled for replacement or a major upgrade about 20 years after the last mid-life retrofit, and that would be in 2019. If we work backwards, I’m assuming that construction will begin in 2019. Then the planning study, if we’re following the cycle, should start in 2017.

I think that’s one of the lessons that we will learn from the Inuvik-Tuk highway, what type of training should occur. Certainly any impacts on the economy, the economic impacts are part of the business case. So, training individuals, employment, on the site employment to the region and overall economic impacts of such a huge infrastructure project are certainly in the business case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are encouraging individuals who will be involved in the eventual construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway to have discussion with the project company that is building the Inuvik-Tuk highway. We think there are lessons to be learned, especially in the type of equipment that’s purchased, as one example. We are hoping we are able to transfer a lot of knowledge from the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk highway down to any other major highway that we hope to construct in the future. Thank you.

I agree with the Member that people working for the GNWT who have their jobs in the NWT should be living in the NWT. If we have situations beyond the one that I am currently looking into where there are other people who are working for the various departments at a distance from outside the Northwest Territories, then I would immediately have our deputy of HR start discussions with the heads of departments where these employees may be employed and find out why that situation exists and how we’re going to find a way to remedy that problem.

Mr. Speaker, I apologize for not answering the question the first time. We have been looking for a solution. It’s a very difficult situation. The thing is that we have to get the people from the Niven side of the road to this side of the road, on this side of the Assembly at some point before they get to the rock cliff on which the Explorer sits, because at that point there’s no more room on that side of the road. So at any time you get walking traffic, people who are walking across the road, which was fairly high speed traffic right up to here – it was 60 kilometres – so the signs were moved...