Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. The Minister is aware of a very difficult housing situation here in Yellowknife. A number of leased units that the Housing Corporation has leased from a landlord are being removed from the public housing inventory here in Yellowknife. Apart from the disruption to the lives of the tenants, which is a major disruption as anybody can imagine, the action also causes headaches in the ranks in the GNWT, in particular the Housing Corp.
I’d like to know from the Minister how many units at the Inukshuk Co-op are being lost to the Yellowknife public housing inventory, and who took the action to remove these units from the Yellowknife public housing inventory, and how many units are being lost. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is correct; we were leasing 17 units from Inukshuk. They had a board of directors meeting and they had decided that they weren’t going to renew their lease with the NWT Housing Corporation, so that affected 17 units and all those residents in there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This is a fairly significant reduction in the capacity of public housing in Yellowknife. I think it’s at least 5 percent. I’d like to know whether or not the NWT Housing Corporation will be looking at replacing these lost units with other ones. Is this a permanent reduction or will we be able to keep the same complement of housing that we have now in public housing in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife Housing Authority is currently over-allocated as far as the number of units that they do have. A lot of it affects the money that we get from CMHC. The money is declining; therefore, the number of units that we’re able to maintain is starting to be affected.
We’ve asked all the communities to look at ways of reducing their stock, because a lot of them are over-allocated on the number of units that they have.
Mr. Speaker, I’m a little concerned to hear the Minister say that Yellowknife is over-allocated. He also referenced other communities. I guess I need to know from the Minister what that term means.
We have a great need for public housing here in Yellowknife. There’s a need for public housing in every community, I think, but I think Yellowknife, as the capital, although it’s a different situation here, we do need more public housing.
I’d like to ask the Minister if he could please explain to me what the term “over-allocated” means. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, each community is allocated a number of units that they keep in their stock. As we’re bringing new units into stock, a lot of the communities haven’t been reducing their allocation of units by that amount. So if a community got five new units, we would expect them to take five out of stock, because these are public housing replacement units. With the declining CMHC funding, it’s getting unsustainable to be trying to do maintenance on a lot of these units.
I recognize the Member’s point about the need for public housing. We do see that across the Northwest Territories. However, in some situations we try to deal with the number of units that each LHO has, and if there is an opportunity to possibly hang on to some of these units, then we have to explore that option also.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I think I heard the Minister say that they’re going to look at things, but I guess my last question to him would be: Recognizing that there’s a need for more public housing in Yellowknife, what plans does the Housing Corporation have to try and increase the number of units in the public housing inventory here in the city? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we have a number of units here in the capital and we are looking, in all the communities, at the number of units that we have there. This is kind of an ongoing issue to see where we can make some changes. Some communities may need to add on to the number that they have; some are a little over-allocated, as I said before. But it’s an ongoing issue and I could commit to the Member, and all Members opposite, that we will continue to have a look at this and make sure that we get to a point where all the housing needs are close to being met or are met, and also having this number of units is not unsustainable with the money that we get from CMHC. Because the difference is going to have to be made up somewhere, and in most cases it would come, I think, before the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I asked a question in the House in terms of the long-term plans for ambulances, and I appreciated the response. My question is directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
As you know, at this point we have increased industrial activity in the Sahtu, where we’re seeing large amounts of transporting of goods up to the Sahtu area; plus, at the same time, we have the bridge operable now on a 24-hour basis. So we are seeing increased activity of traffic on the highways.
My question is to the Minister of MACA. What emergency services are available now to assist when there’s a serious accident or fire along the highway outside the community boundaries? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a government, we don’t have services going out on to the highways. In many cases the accidents or incidents that happen are taken care of by the community nearest the incident. It’s just the way thinking is in the Northwest Territories. We’re all good neighbours and if something happens, somebody is going to respond and take care of that incident first and then worry about compensation later. Thank you.
I would like to thank the Minister for that. As you know, travelling on the highway, you don’t have it full of neighbours along this. Usually you are alone travelling at your own risk. Could the Minister provide an update on the work MACA is doing in cooperation with Health and Social Services and Transportation on ground ambulance and highway fire emergency services and also in developing a policy legislative framework? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct; we are doing some work with our colleagues over at Health and Social Services and Transportation, trying to come up with overarching work to cover all of the Northwest Territories.
As far as MACA goes, we do provide $200,000 to communities that want to apply for some of these services. It’s $200,000 divided amongst the number of communities that apply. So we do have that, but understand that that doesn’t really cover a lot of the issues facing drivers on the highway. We are working with Health and Social Services. We are looking at some numbers. It is going to be quite costly to implement a whole system right across the Northwest Territories. Those are options that we are putting together right now and I am sure, when the opportunity arises, we will have discussions with committee and also we will be hearing from the Northwest Territories Association of Communities on this issue too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’d like to thank the Minister for the response. This matter goes back to the 16th Assembly and this matter continues to be at least an agenda item for a to-do list for the government.
Would the Minister agree that our highway communities need locally stationed ground ambulance and highway fire emergency vehicles and equipment and access to training for first responders? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we wanted to do with some of the money that wasn’t taken up by the communities is use it as a training component to train members in the communities. Volunteer firemen would be a good choice and anyone in the community that wants to be qualified as first responders. I think that’s the initial step that we have to take, because they can have a shiny piece of new equipment there, but if they’re not qualified as a first responder, it is a huge liability. I think a lot of communities recognize that. They were very open to the training component of it and we’re looking forward to possibly rolling that out through the School of Community Government within MACA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to understand just what level of coordination and leadership this department is undertaking. Can the Minister advise when he and his colleagues will be able to bring forward a proposal for expanded ground ambulance services for consideration by standing committees in this House? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I knew I should be prepared for that: When? We are continuing to do the work. For me to tell you an exact date, I don’t think I’d be telling you the truth. I will commit to the Members that I will get the information and I will communicate it to the Members. Again, I know I should always be prepared for the fourth question: When? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I strongly believe in order for this government to be successful, we need to plan. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, what is the training plan for the Beaufort-Delta communities to prepare them for the Inuvik-Tuk Highway Project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Part of the ongoing discussions that we have had are in partnership with Inuvialuit and also with the Gwich’in to provide the training requirements. My department is working closely with the Beaufort-Delta on what kind of training is required. Not only that, but we provided training in the past on Source Road 177 in Tuk, combining with our Education and working with the college, Hamlet of Tuk, Tuk Community Corporation and contractors, just going through labour markets to build a database for local residents to plan and deliver training that maximizes the local employment. Those are just some of the examples we have undertaken.
We are looking forward to this new initiative that is coming at us. The project was just approved last week by the Environmental Impact Review Board. We are still waiting for federal approval at that level. But now we are talking about partnership, partnership, partnership. We invited Aboriginal leadership to NWT Days. It was a very productive and successful meeting. We are building on the relationship that we have. Definitely I will be working closely with the Member and members from the Beaufort-Delta to make this training requirement also a success in that region. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in order for us to be prepared, will the Minister ensure that Class 1 driving courses be delivered regularly in every Beaufort-Delta community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, if that is the wish of the communities, by all means, we have done that in the past where training has taken place in the Beaufort-Delta, whether it be safety training, substance abuse workshop, Class 1 driver exam, driver training. There is also heavy equipment Class 1 and Class 3 training that has been undertaken. We need to be prepared and also preparing those individuals from the communities so they can enter the workforce. Once the road has been constructed, we want the manpower to be ready. So that is an area that we are exploring.
My officials will be meeting with ITI and DOT, my department, Aurora College and regional representatives to deal with planning stages on Valentine’s Day. Definitely, we are looking forward to those planning stages. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, how many jobs are expected on the Inuvik-Tuk Highway and what is the target for hiring from the Beaufort-Delta communities and also this territory? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the jobs, training opportunities will be identified through a working group that we are going to establish. When I talk about the meeting tomorrow, that is a preliminary stage of planning. Out of that, we are hoping to get some more concrete figures, concrete numbers from ITI, from DOT, from my department and from regional representatives, because they have their own needs as well. So we need to respect that. We need to take those into consideration, compile all the information that I will be sharing that with the Members once we have that information. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later on today we’re going to be meeting with Environment and Natural Resources. I have some questions in the budget address with the $100,000 that he mentioned that’s an LNG, liquid natural gas, solution for Inuvik. I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails and questions in regard to what this money is going to be allocated towards and how it’s going to affect our gas situation in Inuvik. If the Minister can take a moment, would he be able to elaborate on what this money is for, how it’s going to be spent and how it’s going to be used for what he mentioned in the budget address? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the government has worked with the community of Inuvik and other stakeholders through a response to the declining and depleted natural gas sources around Inuvik, one of the alternatives that came up as a viable option was liquid natural gas. NTPC has been engaged in a lot of work, talking to suppliers, doing the numbers, looking at transportation costs, looking at the cost per gigajoule landed in Inuvik versus other substances like the propane air mixture that’s currently provided, for example, or diesel, which is the most expensive. So there’s been work in that regard and we anticipate, hopefully in the next few weeks, to be able to report that hopefully we’ve reached a successful agreement with suppliers.
At this point that work is still underway and I’m not in a position to speak too much to the detail, but it looks to us, from the information that I’ve seen, that this is a potentially viable alternative. Thank you.
Thank you. I’m glad to hear that the Minister is working on this. In terms of his mention of synthetic gas, it is an issue because the way we ship it up in Inuvik is from Dawson, and as we all know, the Dempster Highway does close down sometimes. Our storage for the synthetic gas is only a five-day storage and we don’t want to get into a situation during these cold winter months where we’ll find ourselves in dire straits here.
He did mention about four weeks to come back with the report and the study. Can he give me an exact timeline, whether it be after we finish this House sitting, so I can let the residents of Inuvik know that at the end of this session we should have something that might be implemented, something that we can look at and move further? Can he give me a specific timeline, if possible? Thank you.
Thank you. The Power Corporation is working hard to conclude some of the arrangements. So I’m hopeful that in the life of this sitting that we’d be able to stand up and make a public announcement. What we are looking for, or the long-term target, of course, that we’re looking for, is to be – if all things fall in place as we’re planning – by this coming fall, in October, November, in Inuvik we’d be able to have an alternative source should we be able to confirm and sign all the necessary contracts to, in fact, embark on putting in liquid natural gas as an alternate source. So within the life of this sitting, I would hope to be able to stand up in this House and share that information with the folks.
Thank you. We’re talking about this advancement in the LNG possible solution. Last year the Minister and the department had allocated another $100,000 to other energy initiatives such as biomass, pellet stoves, wood stoves. Can the Minister confirm whether that dollar figure is still available for the community residents of Inuvik so that they can find another way to heat their homes and not rely on fuel? Thank you.
Thank you. The money that’s in there for rebates and grants is there, and we’ve added dollars and we’ve raised the cap, especially for businesses. So businesses that have expenses that are fairly significant, I think the cap has been raised to $50,000 from $15,000 and to better support folks. So that money is there not only for Inuvik, of course – but if they make use of that, that’s more power to them – but other Northerners as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you. I appreciate the work that we’re doing for all residents and businesses that are on the natural gas situation. But the ones that are on diesel or on fuel, are there any initiatives in the plan going forward that would reduce the costs for those people on diesel fuel, as well, so that their cost of living goes down when other businesses on natural gas go down, as well, so that we’re targeting the whole community? Thank you.
Thank you. The intent with the Power Corporation, we’re focusing on generation of electricity. We’re a major customer in the community. We’ve been on diesel for a while now, ever since we got the word that the gas was being depleted, so that we would free up as much gas for the community as possible.
As we proceed on the liquid natural gas initiative, clearly there’s going to be opportunities for the community-at-large to take advantage of this as well. We have to look and balance the costs that are going to be there with liquid natural gas versus the projected costs for the synthetic gas, which is slightly less than diesel, but it’s still about $35 a gigajoule versus, I believe, $39. So it’s still very, very expensive when you think that natural gas is on the market down south for about $4 a gigajoule. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my questions the other day in my Member’s statement on early childhood development with the Minister of ECE. I’m wondering, are the new family resource centres that are going into place this year meant to be a flash in the pan program, or do they actually recognize, I think, the intent and the need for a long-term comprehensive approach here? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When we first initiated these family resource centres, we wanted to do a pilot project. Maybe for a short period of time at this point for Tulita and Ndilo, but part of the process is we want to listen to the general public, the stakeholders when we’re engaging the general public about the Early Childhood Development Framework. What’s going to come out of that? Would this still be their first priority and others, other initiatives that we’ve highlighted.
We want to see this as a long-term strategy, but we want to wait and see what the framework actually tells us, and based on that, we want to move forward in this format. Mahsi.
Thanks for those comments. I remain concerned about the $125,000 that had been allocated for the Family Resource Centre in Ndilo, apparently very recently because it’s year end. Ten of the 12 months have passed when those dollars were finally allocated. I’m concerned about the effectiveness of those dollars that are being spent for the last few weeks. So I’d like to know from the Minister, what is being done to ensure that those dollars are spent effectively, particularly given this situation this year. Mahsi.
