Debates of August 16, 2007 (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, that is one of the things that I think will make this ultimately much more successful in the way we approached wilderness camps in the past. We are not looking to set up permanent facilities out on the land. We are not expecting an operator to come with a huge amount of infrastructure. We are supplying equipment which we store. We can set this up for men, women or youth. It is all about the programming and finding elders who are willing to do this. The department will work very closely with those people to make sure that we make this a success. So, yes, I think this can be replicated in other regions. As the Member has pointed out, the Member from Tlicho has already been working with his community services agency to see it rolled out this winter. I am sure it will be successful in that region. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories should be very proud in terms of leading the rest of Canada in terms of this type of operation that we are dealing with the Department of Justice. Now, can the Minister commit to me and to the House that he can look at laying out some options in terms of how we take the type of camp that is in Fort Good Hope and replicate it to a youth justice program so that youth now can take advantage of this in the coming years in terms of the camps that we have talked about? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, as we go into the business planning process, as the next government sits down to talk about priorities, they will see, from the work that we have done, the reviews that we have in from both the operator and from inmates. By all accounts, this type of program has been a success. There are many other opportunities and avenues that this can take. I expect that we will be able to sit down with committee and talk about where they would like this programming to go. This, in fact, was a pilot in the Sahtu region. We did this pilot with the hopes that it would be successful and that we could broaden and expand the program. That is exactly what we are going to be able to do. It is simply a matter of the next government sitting down in this Assembly, deciding it is a priority that they want to fund. I fully expect that they will do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will this Minister in this government make it a priority of the Department of Justice to move it out of the pilot project concept into a firm program that could be used in our region, expand it to other areas, involve other departments in terms of having this camp be as successful and be a leading solution to all other programs in Canada? Could I have the Minister commit to me in the House here to move this forward into a high level of priorities within his department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 136-15(6): Sahtu Wilderness Camp For Youth

Mr. Speaker, I suspect the Member at times often knows the answer to the question that he is asking. There is work underway between social envelope departments currently -- I am sure he was not tipped at all, Mr. Speaker -- to look at how we can work interdepartmentally, Health, Education, Justice, all working collaboratively to talk about wilderness camps and to talk about standards, criteria and programming. I expect that this will take a much larger focus and have a higher profile in future governments as it should. We have far too many people in institutions. We need to get some of these people out on the land to do some healing. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the issues I was advocating many years ago was about the disabled barrier for disabled housing unit, and Minister Krutko, at the time when he was Housing Minister, initiated the project and just recently, in the spring, the new Minister of Housing, Minister Handley, had helped cut the ribbon in this facility. But, Mr. Speaker, the spring is long since past. We are bulldozing almost into the fall here and winter will be long gone. When will this facility be open? My direct question to the Minister of Housing is, when will this brand new barrier-free apartment building be open, Mr. Speaker? We cut the ceremony ribbon four or five months ago. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Housing, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there have been some delays since the ribbon cutting. Some inspections had to be completed. The units had to be furnished. That is pretty much behind us now. Applications have been taken. I understand those applications are currently being reviewed and there should be a decision on who gets to move into that unit very quickly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I haven’t asked him this week, but it was just over a week ago they still didn’t even have the building in their possession to be screening applications. So is the Minister really sure that the building is in their possession so they can be screening applications in order to allow people to move into this barrier-free building that was designed for seniors and people with disabilities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Mr. Speaker, I can’t say that I am really sure, really.

---Laughter

But my information is that they are reviewing the applications now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Mr. Speaker, this would be a great project to tuck under the belt of this Premier walking out the door and saying we accomplished some good stuff in the term of this Assembly. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Premier say today he will make sure this building is in the hands of the Yellowknife Housing Authority by the end of next week so we can get people into that building like we told them we would six months ago when we cut the ribbon in early March or in that period? Will he commit to doing that to make sure we start having people move into adequate housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Mr. Speaker, there are only so many good things I can tuck under my belt.

---Laughter

I will certainly endeavour to make this one of them. The original schedule was to have people move into this unit in October of this year. We are working towards that. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I would say we are ahead of schedule on this one, so I am quite proud of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Mr. Speaker, I wasn’t going to bother with the last question, but because of the Minister’s fine answer about we are ahead of schedule, well, maybe the Minister should revisit his briefing notes on this because it was supposed to open a year ago because it was planned to open and finish in October of last year. So maybe instead of his notes saying 2007, it actually says 2006. So the fact is the building is almost a year late from when it was originally supposed to open. People who are in this need said, well, it’s okay; we can wait. Well, March rolled around four or five months later and now four or five months later it is almost September. So when will this building open, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 137-15(6): Status Of Barrier-Free Housing Project

Mr. Speaker, the building will open as soon as the applications are reviewed and selections are made of who will go into that unit. I expect that to happen very quickly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for Mr. Menicoche, the Minister for Transportation. It regards a notification that went out about two weeks ago now, a fairly major restriction on the Kakisa River Bridge near the junction of Highways No. 1 and No. 3. Mr. Speaker, we voted just over $9 million over last year and this year to replace the bridge, but the department advised on August 3rd that a considerable restriction was being put on traffic. Truck traffic was being forced down to a five kilometre single-lane use of that bridge. According to a press release issued that day, this was to minimize vibrations that are a principal cause of stress-related impacts to the bridge. Mr. Speaker, this is a fairly severe restriction on traffic flow. Just what kind of damage was discovered that caused the department to impose this fairly major restriction on traffic on the Kakisa River Bridge?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The safety concerns around the Kakisa Bridge have been on the books for our department for some time. In fact, we are up to looking at replacing the bridge. We have been monitoring the bridge for the last year. Some of the international driving courses is the bridge collapse in Mississippi as well as the incident in Quebec last year that really heightened our Bridge Inspection Program, Mr. Speaker. That is what we are concentrating on. With that collapse in Mississippi, it made us take a second look at the Kakisa Bridge, because it is our oldest bridge, Mr. Speaker. It is 50 years old. We have had some concerns over the steel and concrete structures. So we are having a good look at them. We are just asking the travelling public’s patience as we continue to monitor and assess the bridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Okay. I guess I am just trying to understand just what is the specific nature of the damage that was discovered. Are we just reacting to things that have gone wrong in other places? I appreciate that we want to take a surplus of caution, but just what is the exact nature of the problem? Just what is it, then, that we should be really concerned for a danger to the travelling public or complete failure or closure of the bridge? I think the public deserves to know just what is going on there, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of the issues that we are having with the Kakisa Bridge right now is that it is a 50-year-old bridge. It is steel and concrete that was used on that bridge. It is exactly at that same age. We are having some stress and some fatigue issues with the steel and we are looking at it. The engineers are assessing it to see what kind of mitigation we can deal with the bridge and make it safer for our travelling public. Once again, as repairs are ongoing, we have asked that the road restriction be five kilometres an hour through the work zone. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Mr. Speaker, the advisory that the department put out said that these measures will be in effect until the new bridge is in place. Now, I am anticipating that this is going to be some time potentially through the winter traffic months. I don’t need to remind the Minister that there is, for a very short period of time, an incredibly high volume of traffic that needs to use that bridge. Having to slow traffic to a crawl is not only an inconvenience, but I think that the degree of hazard grows in the winter months. Could the Minister advise, then, just when are we going to anticipate that either these restrictions can be lifted or the new bridge will be in place, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now, we are continuing our assessment on the Kakisa Bridge. Restrictions will be in place until an engineering assessment says anything different. For now, Mr. Speaker, the bridge is old. We do have serious concerns over the stress and fatigue that is with the steel there and the restriction may even be in place up until next year when we start constructing a new bridge on the Kakisa River. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Mr. Speaker, is the replacement project on time and on budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 138-15(6): Restrictions On Kakisa River Bridge

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is anticipated that the bridge will be constructed and in place for next fall. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member from Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Yeah.

Heads up.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to continue with some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services getting back to the closure and I guess now the reopening of the surgery ward at Stanton. If the ward did in fact reopen on the 13th, I’d like to know what patients and families visiting patients on the surgery ward, now that the patient lounge has been converted into office space, where do patients and families go to get out of their rooms and to get some relaxation on that ward? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 139-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ll have to get that information. I was made aware that the surgery ward was back open. I’m not sure what they’ve done to deal with the space situation, as the Member raised earlier the fact that we’ve taken some of that and turned it into office space. I’ll have to get back to the Member with that information. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 139-15(6): Operational Issues At Stanton Territorial Hospital