Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House.
Mr. Speaker, in November 2007 I advised Members that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the N.W.T. Housing Corporation had initiated a review of the Public Housing Rental Subsidy program. At that time I committed to providing Members with results of the review and a plan of action being taken to address issues related to delivery of the program.
Members will recall that the Public Housing Rental Subsidy transfer from the N.W.T. Housing Corporation to Education, Culture and Employment was the result of the larger Income Security reform of the last government. It is under that framework that we have reviewed the program and identified actions that are being taken to make improvements as needed.
First, I’d like to very briefly provide you with a summary of review activities. There were several parts to the review. Information was gathered from front-line staff from the N.W.T. Housing Corporation; Education, Culture and Employment; and local housing authorities about the administration of the program. A Public Housing Rental Subsidy client satisfaction survey was administered by the N.W.T. Bureau of Statistics that sought feedback directly from public housing tenants from all the regions of the Northwest Territories about the quality of administrative services. A review of best practices in public housing administration across Canada and documentation of the administrative process and analysis of potential gaps and issues surrounding the program were incorporated.
The regional meetings and client satisfaction survey were completed in November and December 2007. The final survey results were reported by the N.W.T. Bureau of Statistics in January 2008.
The results of the review so far show the system is working overall, but there is a need for slight administrative changes to be made. The customer satisfaction survey administered by the Statistics Bureau shows that 75 per cent of the 780 respondents were somewhat satisfied or very satisfied. In the review, we have identified areas that require attention including communication, completion of timely assessments, ensuring policies are clear and comprehensive, and a need to review program components such as cost-of-living reductions and work incentives.
To deal with administrative issues, a policy working group including representatives of the N.W.T. Housing Corporation; Education, Culture and Employment; and local housing authorities has been established and has met and developed an action plan that details short- and long-term actions.
Short-term actions are already underway, and we have developed options for dealing with these challenges that require attention. These actions include improving communications, such as program promotional materials, advertising on local radio stations in all official languages, and ensuring Local Housing Organizations and Income Security staff meet regularly to review files; providing tenants with more options for reporting and providing their required documentation; a service commitment to a 48-hour turnaround time when all documentation is in place; assignment of client service officers focused primarily on Public Housing Rental Subsidy clients in larger centres; utilization of itinerant client service officers in the most needed areas; and where possible, co-location of Local Housing Organizations and Income Security offices.
From a policy perspective, we will be doing further work with respect to policies around exempting income for caregivers and eliminating the requirement for 15- to 18-year-old students in a household to report income, providing incentives to work. We will also review and update a cost-of-living rent reduction.
Other actions will be identified through ongoing work of the policy working group and through the continued joint efforts of all parties who play an important role in the delivery of public housing supports to people in need, namely the Department of Education, Culture and Employment; the N.W.T. Housing Corporation; and the Local Housing Organization.
I am pleased with the amount of work that has been done on this review in the past few months. I know that we still have some work to do to continue to make improvements where needed. The review has helped identify the areas that require short-term and long-term actions.
I will be reporting back to Members on the progress that we make in our identified actions at the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly in June 2008.
Under the new Workers’ Compensation Acts that comes into force on April 1, the Workers’ Compensation Board name will change to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC). This reflects the shift in philosophy to emphasize safety and prevention in addition to fair compensation for injured workers. Later today I will table the Workers’ Compensation Board’s “2008 Corporate Plan,” a document encapsulating the WCB’s enhanced direction.
The “2008 Corporate Plan” is proactive and sets the strategic direction for the coming year. It guides the organization to achieve its mission to promote workplace safety and care for injured workers. The corporate plan is developed in correlation with the annual report. The corporate plan looks forward, while the annual report responds to the objectives outlined in the corporate plan.
In developing the “2008 Corporate Plan,” the WCB sought stakeholder participation to establish priorities and goals. The “2008 Corporate Plan” sets out and explains the importance of the WCB’s priorities, the associated goals, and the means by which they will be measured. The corporate plan flows into the balanced scorecard, which is presented in the annual report. The scorecard highlights the WCB’s results and measures performance of the priorities and goals set in the corporate plan.
The Workers’ Compensation Board values openness and transparency. As a means to foster this openness, the Governance Council also initiated activity reporting to provide stakeholders with frequent and current operations updates. The “Activities Report” presents a summary of WCB activities, programs and projects. The report is prepared and published quarterly and allows stakeholders to track progress and evaluate the WCB’s success.
As I noted, the Workers’ Compensation Board’s name will be changed to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission on April 1. To make stakeholders aware of the name change as well as changes to the acts and its progress on objectives, the WCB implemented a communications strategy. The process of disseminating information has already started. Using existing and established mediums of communication — like the web site, the e-newsletter “Insight: A Look a Safety and Service” and Reflections, a semi-annual magazine — the WCB is committed to ensuring Northern workers and employers know how the WCB is changing and how the changes affect them.
Specific to the name change, the WCB will undertake an extensive media campaign during February and March. This includes notifying Northern and southern media outlets of the change through a media release, as well as placing a public notice in local and regional newspapers and announcing it on area radio and television stations.
The new Workers’ Compensation Acts, strengthened reporting system and communications strategy support and further the board’s mission to promote workplace safety and care for injured workers. They allow the board to better and more effectively serve the people of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, I move that Member’s Statement 9-16(2), a statement by Minister Lafferty regarding Public Housing Rental Subsidy survey results and plans for the future, be moved to the Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Do we have a seconder for the motion? Mr. Krutko.
Motion carried; Minister’s Statement 9-16(2) referred to Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, the G.N.W.T. puts a lot of tenders out there across the Northwest Territories worth millions of dollars. The economic benefits from these tenders should apply to all people and all businesses and regions.
The regional businesses should have an opportunity to submit prices on building materials supplied by the N.W.T. Housing Corp in their region. The reason I raise this is that there was a recent material tender put out for the supply of material commodities for N.W.T. projects throughout the N.W.T. You had to bid all or nothing. That’s part of the problem. If you want to bid on material in the Beaufort Delta, you had to submit a bid for commodities across the N.W.T. It’s all or nothing, Mr. Speaker.
It’s not fair to the regional businesses to bid on supplying material in their region and their community but don’t yet have the capacity to bid across the N.W.T. It’s not fair to expect a supplier to bid on supplying two-by-fours in one of the coastal communities when their centre is in Fort Smith or Hay River or even Yellowknife. It costs them a lot of money. And I’ve seen a few cases of contracts that, in my opinion, are tailored for certain businesses.
As a government, Mr. Speaker, we can’t allow this to happen under our watch. We can’t be a party to this. We have to create a fair and a level playing field for businesses all across the N.W.T., because this is a way of tailor-made tenders and the awarding of tenders to certain businesses. It’s not creating a level playing field.
It’s something I would like to see us address as a government. We can’t be a party to this. We talked about everybody benefitting from the contracts and the economy across the Northwest Territories. By doing this, we’re not going by what we say. It’s something this government needs to address as soon as possible. It’s not a fair process. And I personally don’t want to be a part of this process if that’s how we’re going to continue to do business.
[English translation not provided.]
During the 15th Assembly I introduced a motion requesting the government to establish a policy that would spend up to 1 per cent of the budget on each G.N.W.T. building or major renovation on Northern arts creations displayed or integrated into the design of that building.
This motion passed, supported by the government of the day. Premier Handley at that time promised an arts enhancement policy that was supposedly already in the works at that time.
I approached the Minister of Public Works and Services about the government’s plans to include arts and crafts in the new Deh Cho Hall. I was very saddened to hear that there is no budget at all for these arts and crafts. Several constituents have urged me to address this issue and urge government to move forward with this important initiative.
Artists and artisans of Nahendeh and the N.W.T. have been recognized for their outstanding arts and crafts. This should be on public display in all our government buildings. One of the goals of the 16th Assembly….
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.
One of the goals of the 16th Assembly is to create a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices. This priority specifically includes the arts sector.
There are many ways to improve the cost of living and reduce costs, and the other side is to provide income through sales of products. Such was the intent of this motion and the consequential arts enhancement policy.
Let’s put action to these words. Let’s integrate arts and crafts in the new Deh Cho complex and all government buildings and call it the beginning of the N.W.T. arts enhancement policy.
Mahsi cho.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
I'd like to pass my condolences to the family of Noel Abel, from Lutselk'e, who passed away just before lunch yesterday, February 11. Noel Abel was 84 years old and lived in Lutselk’e all his life. Noel Abel was one of 17 siblings and was the last living man of the family. I believe there is only one member of that family still alive, and that's Vicky Sanderson, also from Lutselk’e.
Noel had many, many relatives. I spoke to a couple of his nieces yesterday, and they tell me that Noel had 50 to 100 very close relatives, counting all his siblings’ children and so on. His nieces and nephews still have a few in-laws that are living well in Lutselk’e.
It’s with great sorrow that I pass my condolences on to the Abel family in Lutselk’e, and advise that funeral services for the late Noel Abel will be held this coming Saturday.
Yesterday our Premier indicated that the term “carbon-neutral” had not been heard before in this House. I would like to build on one aspect of this concept: economic tools for eliminating carbon emissions and thus mitigating climate change.
A new report of the National Round Table on the Economy and the Environment, entitled “Getting to 2050: Canada’s Transition to a Low-Emission Future,” states the obvious: climate change is upon us.
Of key interest to me, however, was the authors’ conclusions that with a proactive and immediate response, we can also take advantage of some unique opportunities. We have some great opportunities right here in the Northwest Territories if we immediately provide the leadership required in managing our carbon emissions in a progressive and predictable way.
In the past few weeks alone, chief economist executives from CIBC, TD Bank and the C.D. Howe Institute have spoken out in favour of the economic and environmental benefits of carbon pricing to manage emissions.
The Conference Board of Canada just released a report demanding immediate action on carbon valuations. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is prepared to move on a carbon tax. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives has recognized the need for economy-wide action on carbon reduction mechanisms.
Mr. Speaker, these institutions are all representative of those industries that are most active in the N.W.T. — active both in generating our economy and, unfortunately, also at generating the cause and cost of climate change here and around the world. They just want a certain, predictable and fair system within which to plan and grow their businesses.
Mr. Speaker, it is only the final ingredient that is missing, and that ingredient is political will. I believe that here in the 16th Assembly we can demonstrate the political will and leadership to make this happen. Be it a carbon trading or carbon tax policy, be it the Mackenzie gas pipeline, my furnace at home or the vehicle or airline that transports us to meetings, a fair, well-designed and predictable carbon pricing system will provide revenue while paying back benefits through reduced taxes, energy savings and reduced and avoided environmental costs of climate change.
Mr. Speaker, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia, representing the source of more than half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, are all currently….
Mr. Bromley, your time for Members’ statements has expired.
I request permission to continue my statement. Thank you.
Members, the Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, colleagues.
More than half of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are all currently in talks to set up a carbon cap and trade system. Did we consider joining them at the recent Premiers’ conference on climate change? Are we moving aggressively to implement a carbon tax to provide the level playing field for all our businesses and to stimulate environmentally and socially responsible economic development?
This is a responsible leadership opportunity, Mr. Speaker. The time to move is now. I will measure the strength of this House on the political will and leadership we demonstrate on this pressing issue in the immediate future.
I will have questions related to this issue and the Premiers’ conference on climate change. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My hearing is going; I didn’t hear you the first time.
Mr. Speaker, since the Finance Minister’s fiscal strategy announcement, which outlined the need for massive budget reductions for 2008-2009, Members have all been working very hard considering how to reduce expenditures, the implications of reductions and how to minimize the impacts of those reductions.
One of the unforeseen impacts that has resulted from the announcement of the fiscal strategy is the effect it has had on G.N.W.T. employees and the non-governmental employees who deliver programs and services for the G.N.W.T. The uncertainly with regard to job security that now exists in the public service is very unfortunate.
This situation has highlighted for me a culture in the public service that must be changed. Employees are our best and most valuable resource, a resource we don’t tap into often enough. Senior management, including ministers, must recognize this value and be open to suggestions from any and all employees. In fact, good change and the best ideas often come from those in the trenches, so to speak. But do we ask for those ideas? Not often enough. We need better communication with our employees at all levels — communication that flows in both directions, not just to employees but also coming from employees.
Communication must be honest, it must be open and it must be often. Feedback from the government’s human resources, our employees, must be welcomed. It has been proven many times over in other jurisdictions and in private industry that staff can and do positively contribute to programs, services and savings. The staff doing the on-the-ground work know best how to improve service delivery or to make changes to garner savings.
Mr. Speaker, we must encourage staff input and give credit for speaking up. We must support and develop a culture of creativity and imagination. That can only happen in an open, inviting, risk-free environment, and that environment we don’t have at the moment.
The G.N.W.T. needs to establish a government-wide incentive program, one with monetary awards to promote savings through staff suggestions. We are looking for ways to reduce expenditures. This can be one of them. I think we will be surprised at what comes forward.
Mr. Speaker, I want to speak today about an issue that continues to cause a great deal of concern and frustration to many Northerners. That issue, Mr. Speaker, is the proliferation of migrant workers in this Territory. The latest numbers put the figure at over 3,300 migrant workers. These out-of-Territory workers take with them over $350 million every year to southern Canada. Not only does this money not circulate in our local economies, Northerners looking for work are being denied access to jobs.
The extraction and removal of non-renewable resources and the benefits which should accrue to the people who live here has to be adjusted in a much more vigorous and vigilant way by this government. Far too often Northerners’ companies or joint ventures are subcontracted to companies in southern Canada. Companies and contractors should be monitored to ensure that they are maximizing Northern human resources in the execution of these contracts.
I want to share with you, briefly, a snapshot of what is happening. Northern company A gets a construction contract with Diamond Mine X. They subcontract the work to a southern company, which hires 40 people to do the work. Thirty-two are from Newfoundland, three from the other provinces and five are from the Northwest Territories, of which four are aboriginal. Of the roughly $400,000 in wages per rotation available, $330,000 leaves this Territory — $300,000 to Newfoundland alone. This is every rotation, Mr. Speaker, and just on one contract. In addition, wages for southern employees are subsidized to pay for their airfare back to and from their home province.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is also guilty of bringing in migrant workers, many of whom are former employees working on contract for the government of the Northwest Territories. If former employees don’t live here, don’t bring them back. That is quite simple, Mr. Speaker. We badly need a strategy to address migrant workers. It is bad enough that our share of resource revenue goes to Ottawa, but when money, jobs and opportunities are given away to southern Canada, then we need to do something about it.
We need to be working with industry to ensure any Northerner that is able-bodied and has the ability to work is given top priority. We need subsidized airfare from Yellowknife to Inuvik and to Fort Smith, rather than from Deer Lake and Gander, Mr. Speaker.
Today I’d like to talk about a community event that is truly a community event, the muskox hunt that will be soon be happening in Sachs Harbour. In talking to community members, the hunt is a very good thing for the whole community. Currently there are 16 residents employed for the hunt in the cutting and distribution of the harvested meat. As many as 30 people will be put to work — not bad for a community of 115 people.
In addition to the meat, the hunt will provide an immediate economic boost for the community, as plans are underway to sell the delicious meat throughout the Northwest Territories, as well as selling the kiviat to buyers all the way over to Italy. A total of 500 muskox will be harvested. That’s a lot of freezer space, Mr. Speaker.
The community hasn’t had a hunt since 2005, so it has been three years in the waiting. I’d like to recognize the efforts of a few key individuals who worked hard to make this happen. Mr. Warren Esau of the local hunters and trappers association has been working hard since last summer, and his efforts have been rewarded. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to acknowledge the elders of the community and the important role they play in guiding and keeping this traditional event alive and well. I am not sure if all of you have had the opportunity to taste this truly Northern delicacy, but if you have the opportunity, I recommend it. You won’t be disappointed.
Good luck to the hunters and to the community. I look forward to some freshly hunted muskox meat. By the way, Mr. Speaker, I just got off the phone with the mayor, Bob Eldridge. The temperature is minus 51 with the wind chill in the community, and they’re still heading out.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to take the time to thank the Minister of ITI, Mr. Bob McLeod, and his staff for making this muskox hunt possible for the community.
Mr. Speaker, we learned of the urgent matter of the possible contamination of the air quality in Hay River’s Diamond Jenness school. I’m very upset to hear that our students may have been subjected to harm. We’ve been raising concerns about the air handling and air quality for a number of years, but I had no idea that asbestos particles might have even been a possibility.
During the last government I learned of a technical review that had taken place on the school. I was unable to get a copy of it because it was confidential. In the closing days of the last government, Mr. Krutko, then Minister of PWS, did provide me with a copy of the document on a confidential basis.
At the earliest possible opportunity we raised the issues with the new Minister, leading to a recent visit to Hay River. I was raising issues such as air quality, water quality, air handling, extreme heat in the spring, cold areas in the winter and possible fire-code violations. But never did I think there was a possibility that the insulation on the heating pipes and elbows had deteriorated, possibly allowing airborne asbestos particles to mix with the air circulated throughout the school.
I don’t want to cause undue alarm to students, staff or former students, but I have to wonder how long this potentially compromised environment may have existed. Air samples are being taken regularly now, and the samples are being sent to Edmonton for analysis. While this process is taking place, not knowing what the results will indicate, it’s difficult to know what to do to prepare for those results. If the school is deemed to be unsafe to occupy, arrangements will need to be made for alternate accommodations for the high school students. The closure of the school for this week will be disruptive enough, not to mention that we need to find alternate classroom spaces if we require them for a period of time.
I would like to be assured that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment will treat this matter as the utmost priority. Right now I’m sure students, staff and parents alike will have many questions on their minds. The school administration and the DEA will need the support of this government in undertaking to answer questions and communicate with anyone who might have been impacted while we wait for these results.
Mr. Speaker, I heard principal Greg Storey interviewed on the radio this morning. I want to commend him for the initiative that he took in requesting the inspection which resulted in this information coming to light. I believe he made the best decision possible to close the school. The well-being of our students and staff must be our highest priority.
I look forward to being kept fully apprised in a timely manner of the results of the testing being undertaken and any contingency plans that must be made in follow-up.
Today I will speak on behalf of many of my constituents who rent their accommodations in Yellowknife Centre.
The Residential Tenancies Act allows landlords to raise the rents once per year with adequate notice. This puts tenants at a disadvantage when it comes time to renegotiate a lease. They can be left in a position with little options: they can be offered a 12-month lease with a rental increase, or they can enter into a month-by-month lease with even a larger increase.
The problem arises as to whether you commit yourself to a long-term lease and realize some savings, or you lose the flexibility. Or do you keep paying whatever rate they’re offering?
Mr. Speaker, long-term leases have their place. They give landlords the peace of mind that their properties are rented and allow the renters some certainty for budgeting over a long period of time. However, I believe when the economy is hot and the vacancy rate is low, there should be some mechanism that makes it easier for a renter to break the terms of a lease to help people follow potential opportunities. Rental increases need to have merit, based on modesty, not on gluttony. A new Norman Rockwell artwork in the lobby shouldn’t constitute a need for a rent increase. I’m talking about what’s affordable and about fairness.
Mr. Speaker, there is a lack of reasonable protection in the act for renters at this time. With these types of consumer-protection clauses that I talked about today, I certainly hope that we’ll be looking at that when the proposed Residential Tenancies Act comes forward to this Assembly for deliberation.
I want to close on two points. The first one is quite clear: you could double someone’s rent, and there’s nothing that could be done about it. The fact that somebody may say, “We would never do that,” doesn’t mean they don’t have the possibility to do that. The second point. Pontius Pilate once washed his hands of responsibility for making a fateful decision. He let the crowd determine the justice. Don’t let this government wash its hands of the responsibility for protecting our consumers, our constituents, our people, our family.
Mr. Speaker, the 2008 Arctic Winter Games are rapidly approaching. We have roughly three weeks before athletes begin to descend upon Yellowknife and the N.W.T. By all accounts these games are going to be huge and will be good for the city of Yellowknife and the N.W.T. as a whole.
To make these games a success, it’s going to take a significant amount of time and effort from all parties: the Arctic Winter Games staff, the city of Yellowknife, the G.N.W.T., the many sponsors and, most importantly, the volunteers. In fact, to run the games approximately 2,500 volunteers will be required.
To ensure that the games are a success, the Arctic Winter Games has requested that the government allow G.N.W.T. staff — about 60 people in key roles — time off for the week of the games. In addition, they requested that additional staff registered as volunteers with the games office be allowed to leave at 3 p.m. without penalty when they are scheduled as a volunteer for 4 p.m. I would like to applaud the government for allowing the 60 volunteers in key roles up to eight working days per year to participate. This goes a long way in helping deliver a successful games.
Unfortunately, the Department of Human Resources has declined the second request. The department has indicated that any additional G.N.W.T. volunteers must liquidate annual leave or lieu time if they wish to participate. This limits the number of volunteers as well as complicates scheduling. This direction is directly contrary to the decision made in 1998 when the games were last held in Yellowknife. At that time staff were allowed to leave at 3 p.m. when scheduled to do a voluntary duty at 4 p.m., without affecting their personal leave credits.
This year’s rigid and short-sighted application of their policies is not in the best interest of the G.N.W.T. staff or the games as a whole. Supporting dedicated staff who are willing to contribute their time is in the best interests of the community and of the North and is worth the investment. Let’s work with staff and the Arctic Winter Games to ensure that the games run smoothly and are representative of the N.W.T. and those of us who are proud to call it our home. Let’s reduce the paperwork, let’s support our staff, and let’s support the games.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I’ll be asking the Minister of Human Resources questions concerning their rigid application of the policy.
Mr. Speaker, we all heard in the news over the last number of weeks about the in-depth study that’s going on in Aklavik, where they’re testing all the residents of Aklavik because of the stomach cancer concerns and the high number of people with stomach cancer in that community. We as a government are responsible for the infrastructure in a lot of our communities, and a lot of the concerns in regard to the findings of this study will let us know exactly what some of the causes of this stomach cancer are in the community. The community residents have always been concerned with the water process that’s being used in regard to the treatment of water, the distribution of water and also disposable water in our communities.
H. pylori is something that’s been around for some time. I’ve raised this even going all the way back to the 13th Assembly in regard to Fort McPherson, where we had a THM outbreak in regard to the water source in that community. We now have a new water source. Again, it all comes down to this government’s commitment to ensuring that the infrastructure in all our communities, especially in aboriginal communities, are meeting the public safety standards of healthy drinking water and making sure that our public is being safely served with the water we provide.
I think it’s important that we as government not only look at water delivery as simply taking water from a source, putting it to a treatment facility, delivering it to a community or home by way of a water truck, and then disposing of it into a lagoon or our rivers and lakes. I think it’s important that this government invests and upgrades the systems we have in our communities for the outdated and obsolete that are not meeting Northern and national standards.
I believe the government of the Northwest Territories is in negotiation with the federal government for a new fund called the Building Canada Fund. At the appropriate time I will be asking the Premier questions on exactly how communities can access this fund to improve the infrastructure in the communities, especially dealing with the importance of our water treatment facilities in our communities, to ensure that all people in the N.W.T. have safe drinking water.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. We are aware that these folks will be in the House on Thursday and Friday, practicing their Chipewyan, and we are looking forward to that.
I would like to use this opportunity to recognize my son Ryan, who is down here visiting me. But because we have been so busy, we haven’t really seen that much of each other.
If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. I hope you enjoy the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.
[English translation not provided].
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Ms. Giselle Marion of Behchoko, who recently passed the N.W.T. bar exam. Ms. Marion is a role model among Tlicho youth. She has demonstrated to her peers that with hard work and perseverance, most dreams can come true. It is Ms. Marion’s intention to return to the North, to get back to her community. It is her wish to work with the Tlicho.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Tlicho Nation and the government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to recognize this young woman for her achievement. We are very proud of her. I wish her all the luck in her future endeavours. Mahsi.
Applause.
Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member’s statement, I don’t wish to cause any undue alarm in Hay River. However, if I were the parent of a student who had been attending the school and now they knew there were issues around air quality and possible asbestos particle contamination, this week would seem like a very long week, waiting to find out if in fact there was the presence of this in there.
I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if she is aware of any kind of testing that exists that would definitely determine if people had been exposed to asbestos particles in the air — any kind of medical test.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for the question.
It is my understanding that tests have been done but the results are not out yet. We are expecting the results today.
I wasn’t referring to the tests of the air quality in the school; I was referring to any test of the students and the staff that might indicate if they had been exposed to any kind of asbestos contamination. Is the Minister aware of any such medical test?
