Mahsi. We are fully aware of the time constraint on the funding allocation. The funding will be direct deposited this week. My department met with the organization last week to start planning. The Ndilo staff do have a plan and they assured us that they want to complete the project by the end of the fiscal year. The acting chief also emphasized to us that Ndilo will implement the initiative in the time remaining. So those are the confirmations that we’ve received from the community of Ndilo, but we’ll continue to assist them, work with them and provide support to the community, because we want this to be a successful project along with the Tulita and other projects along the way. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate his supportive approach here. I have to say I am disappointed. When the House approves expenditures, it’s with the intent that the Minister get out there and get the program on the ground so that we take benefit that year. So I’d like to ask, what were the issues causing this amazing delay in getting the Family Resource Centre dollars out the door into Ndilo, apparently just happening this week, other than their obvious reluctance to commit to a flash in the pan program when a long-term one was needed. What were the other issues and how were they addressed? Mahsi.
Mahsi. When the first announcement came out, my department met with the representative of Ndilo with respect to the Child and Family Resource Centre in September and also following in October and November. We’ve attempted to meet with First Nations CEO, and in mid-November my department heard from the CEO to discuss the required documentation. So the draft proposal has been submitted thereafter November 15th and there’s been some discussions and dialogue between my department and Ndilo.
We’ve done what we can as a department to expedite the process but, unfortunately, through the process the CEO left the community. But we continue to have the dialogue with their representative because we want to see this be a successful project. Again, I have to reiterate that we’re here to support them and we’re going to be allocating the funding now. The plan is in place to implement it. We’ll continue to provide that service and I will keep the Member up to speed on the process itself. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Short, final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I also did speak to the CEO and he expressed extreme frustration with the department. I am sure there are frustrations on both sides. I would ask the Minister to direct his staff to get down to it and just getting to it. Will the Minister commit to getting those dollars out the door early in the next fiscal year for early childhood development? Thank you.
We are going to be releasing the funding this week and the plan to implement their planning. Again, we are working closely with the Ndilo community. We want to have this be a successful project, as well, and other future projects. We are doing what we can to maximize our support and provide services to the communities. Releasing the funds expeditiously will be our top priority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Elders in Motion. In the Northwest Territories there are 4,342 elders who are 60 years and over. In the Sahtu there are 256 elders. We are all going to get old, Mr. Speaker. Some of us are going to be called to be an elder. I think in this House here, there are some seniors already here. I think there are four of them.
I went over to the Baker Centre and I saw some really dedicated people working on issues and helping the Elders in Motion. I want to ask the Minister responsible for Seniors, in working with his colleagues, is there some type of coordination where some of these elders who need support in ramps to their house so they can leave the house when they want to. I am asking this because that’s one of the concerns they brought up.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services and also in my responsibilities for seniors, we are working on a plan for a continuum of care for seniors. One of the main objectives of that work is going to keep seniors in their home communities, in their own homes, as long as possible. That may require some technical work on the units such as ramps and other barrier-free provisions within the unit. Thank you.
I also asked the Minister responsible, I know there’s a wide range of issues we want to look at with seniors and also with the school and part of the continuum care. Is the Minister going to ask Education, Culture and Employment how it can make it more friendly for our seniors to come into the schools and participate with the students? One of the suggestions the group talked about is steps in the school so they could participate easier and they would like to come into the school. Would the Minister look at that also?
I would have no problem discussing that with the Minister of Education. We have recognized that the schools that have easy access seem to be a centre for elders to attend and visit with the students and teachers within those schools. Schools that have barriers such as steep steps are not as senior friendly. So we can have that discussion between the two departments or between my responsibilities as the Minister responsible for Seniors and the Education Minister. Thank you.
I want to say thank you to the Minister of MACA because of the sports and recreation and the good job they are doing with the Elders in Motion program and working with the Department of Health and Social Services. These seniors don’t want to idle any more, Mr. Speaker. They want to go full throttle and they are asking the Minister to help them on some of these issues. One thing that really bothers them a lot, having to do with the municipality, has to do with loose dogs. I just don’t know how the Minister can help, the Minister of MACA, to have dogs tied up. That’s an issue that I want to ask the Minister about and if he would work with his colleague to see if they can get these loose dogs tied up in the communities.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. You are changing the topic, but I guess, Mr. Beaulieu.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I have no problem to discuss the issue of dogs, stray dogs in the communities that could potentially be a danger for seniors with some mobility issues with the Minister of MACA. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya. I guess I will give it to you, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, I went to the Baker Centre and I heard the Sahtu people talk about the Elders in Motion program in our region and a number of issues our elders have to face. I want to ask the Minister, would he be committed to come back, within a period of time, and make some improvements to some of their recommendations. Some of them I talked about in this House. Will the Minister come back this fall so we can have some discussions about some of the things we talked about to make it easier for the elders to keep in motion?
As I indicated, within the continuum for care for seniors, I will give the Member a progress report on how we are moving along with that initiative. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow up to my Member’s statement today, I have some questions for the Minister of Transportation. In this tentative agreement we have with the federal government for the construction of a highway from Inuvik to Tuk, I would like to ask the Minister, in his discussions with the federal government, has the topic of the ongoing cost of the operations and maintenance of that highway ever been raised. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ongoing maintenance and operation of that highway would be the responsibility of the Government of the Northwest Territories like other highways in the territory. So the answer would be no.
I would like to ask the Minister if he could give us an approximate cost of what it cost to maintain the 2,200 kilometres we currently have of all-weather road in the Northwest Territories, a ballpark figure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I don’t have that figure and I’d be guessing, but I can perhaps read the Member’s mind. The projections on the maintenance costs of the Inuvik-Tuk highway would be approximately $2 million a year. Thank you.
I was hoping that the Minister would give me an amount so I could figure it out per kilometre. If it was a high amount, I was going to tell him that’s exactly why we can’t afford to spend more. If it was a low amount, I was going to tell him that’s why we can’t afford anything else because we can’t even keep with the roads we’ve got. I was ready for it.
Mr. Speaker, when we built the Deh Cho Bridge, it was self-financing. Does the Minister see any aspect of self-financing from the use of the Inuvik-Tuk highway? Thank you.
I think now is the time for the government to invest in an infrastructure project like the Inuvik-Tuk highway. Now is the right time. We have to think long term. One of the criticisms, when you talk to companies that want to do business here in the Northwest Territories, is the lack of infrastructure. Putting a road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk is going to do a tremendous amount to the future economic prosperity of that region. It’s going to grow an economy outside of Yellowknife in a region of our territory that needs that type of activity. It will lead to resource development both onshore and offshore. It will connect those two communities. It will lead to further tourism opportunities in the region. There is a number of great, compelling reasons why the government needs to act now to build the Inuvik-Tuk highway. We need to make those type of decisions now, that are going to be benefitting this territory for generations to come. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you for that lovely speech. I’m all for growing the economy outside of Yellowknife, as everybody knows. But I’d like to ask the Minister, how did the traffic projections for this projected road, this planned road, compare with other regions and other all-weather roads throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, for that level of detail, I can get that and commit to get that to the Member. Certainly, this road will be the first one to get to the Arctic Coast in Canada. It’s going to connect the country from coast to coast to coast, and our belief is we are going to see a lot of interested parties that want to drive this road to get to the Arctic Coast. Currently, you have to fly in there or take the ice road in the winter. It’s a great opportunity for the region, a great opportunity for our territory and a great opportunity for this country. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today in my Member’s statement, I spoke about our Health department working with the BC Health ministry and their northern health authority about having Fort Liard residents utilize their services.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, do we have a current arrangement with BC Health or any of its authorities currently? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do not have arrangements currently with BC Health.
As I indicated in my Member’s statement, I think by having an agreement with the BC Health ministry will certainly impact and even lower our health costs in terms of medical travel as well.
Can the Minister investigate what process will it take to having a working agreement with the BC Health ministry as we did in the old Capital Health System with Alberta? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, yes, I am prepared to have the Department of Health and Social Services have discussions between the leadership in Fort Liard, Deh Cho Health and Social Services, to discuss the feasibility of using the health system out of Fort Nelson, British Columbia. We will use our agreements with Alberta as a guide to hold those discussions. Thank you.
Already our Fort Liard residents are utilizing the Fort Nelson health system on their own costs. Will the Minister also investigate the possibility of reimbursing patients in Fort Liard going to Fort Nelson, at least for routine care? They’re using the dentist, they’re getting health check-ups. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, normally we don’t have a system where we pay retroactively on medical travel and so on within our own system. Right within our system we don’t have that possibility. But I will look at having a system where if it’s medical travel, just like we do medical travel into Alberta, there would be medical travel from Fort Liard. As opposed to going to Simpson, they’re going down to Fort Nelson and it would be just like the regular medical travel system. I will look at that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister is on the right track. Once we get an agreement, I think the travel between Fort Liard and Fort Nelson will certainly take care of itself.
Just once more, will the Minister contact the BC Health ministry and begin these discussions, as well as involve the community of Fort Liard and its residents? Thank you.
I will commit to having our department, Health and Social Services, the executive office, start those discussions and we will make contact with BC Health in Nelson and also discuss that with the leadership in Fort Liard. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, the loss to Hay River and the South Slave of the Greyhound service has been detrimental to the spectacular North. My question today will be for the Minister of ITI.
Has the department looked at re-establishing this service into the North?
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was unfortunate that Greyhound made the corporate decision to not include the Northwest Territories in its routes in 2011. They have done likewise across this country with taking away a number of rural routes into other northern areas of other provinces. Some provinces have provided subsidies. I know in Manitoba they’ve provided a $3.9 million subsidy to Greyhound to operate rural routes in Manitoba.
In the Yukon, with Alaska there and the Alaska Highway running through the Yukon, Greyhound continues to operate in the Yukon and services a market in Alaska of close to a million people.
We just don’t have the scale of that type of market here in the Northwest Territories, and Greyhound made some business decisions and decided to cut the route into the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, my next question is: Has the Minister and his department looked at what it would take to get Greyhound back into the Northwest Territories?
Mr. Speaker, we haven’t explored the prospect of subsidies to accompany Greyhound to operate. We certainly understand there’s a negative impact on tourism numbers in the South Slave because of the discontinuation of Greyhound service.
I would say that there’s a business opportunity here for somebody in the South Slave to pick up the slack and have some type of service, scheduled service, whether it’s to Grande Prairie or Peace River or wherever the case may be in northern Alberta, to connect to the Greyhound line. That’s an opportunity for somebody to pick up that slack.
If there is an entrepreneur in the South Slave that wants to take a look at that, we have programs and services with the Government of the Northwest Territories that could help somebody get established and get that type of service started in the South Slave. Thank you.
