Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although we’ve heard something of discussion out there about a group who has gone on-line to raise concerns about the high cost of energy there has been no request made to Members of this Cabinet nor, as is my understanding, to Regular Members as well.
I hope we don’t have to wait until somebody asks us to do something when we see a need out there. Obviously there’s been considerable press, as I’ve mentioned: radio coverage, newspaper coverage, electronic coverage. I was asking what initiative we have taken to step out and meet these people halfway. Perhaps the response I got means that we haven’t done that and I would ask if the Premier would be willing to get our government to actually do that, to recognize the citizen effort here and offer to meet with them.
The record will show that we’re not waiting for a request to do anything about this. In fact, previous governments have been dealing with the issue of the high cost of living in our communities in quite a number of ways. You can look at almost every department within the Northwest Territories where we are taking initiatives to try to help with the cost of living. Whether that is a fuel subsidy for seniors, property tax issues for seniors or income support basket for residents, our housing program helps deal with that. This government itself is looking at alternative energies and investing the dollars to look at alternative energies to help stabilize our costs or even reduce them. We’re taking quite a number of initiatives as a government to help with the cost of living issues in our communities. When it comes to the one group alone, no, we haven’t gone out to them. There are many groups out there we meet with on an ongoing basis to deal with the core need or high cost of living issues.
I appreciate that response from the Premier. I’m wondering what this government is doing to actually reduce the cost of living beyond buying out a reduction in the cost of living and putting it onto the back of our taxpayers indirectly, sort of hiding those costs in a way. Not that I don’t appreciate those programs; we need them as part of our strategy. But what are we doing to actually reduce the costs of services to our people and the cost of living directly?
This government has made huge investments in looking at alternative energies, that being some of the biggest cost drivers. When we looked at the overall impacts, two factors come to the forefront around the cost of living and that is transportation and energy costs. So we’re looking at expanding, for example, hydroelectricity to smaller hydro potential initiatives in our communities. So we’re pursuing that. We’re looking at wind energy. We’re looking at a number of other factors; biomass. But those are yet to come and have the potential to reduce the cost of living or stabilize it in our communities. The other area is, for example, on our winter roads or ice crossings, when we try to speed the acceleration to build up the ice crossings so that the trucks can get across and deliver goods to our communities
All of these, Mr. Speaker, require an infusion of cash to help makes things happen across the Territories and that still costs us. Many governments across this country look at subsidies for individuals to help offset. Even in Manitoba where there’s hydroelectricity, everybody pays the same cost, but we know that the cost of delivering service in remote communities is offset by those who live in the larger centres just because of the population base. So aside from what we’re doing, the energy review that’s happened, we’re working on our response and working with Members to come forward on that to help stabilize the cost of living and energy in our more remote communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I appreciate the comments from the Premier. He named a lot of good programs that I’m hoping actually get on the ground and start to reduce our costs. But the phrase that caught my attention is yet to come. We’ve been talking about a lot of things. We’ve been planning a lot of things. Let’s just pick hydro, for example, I think eight, nine, 10 years we’ve been planning small hydro, small hydro, Mr. Speaker, in Lutselk'e and Whati. Yet, here we are spending more money and time thinking about it. When will people actually see these things on the ground in a way that starts reducing our costs? I recognize there are front-end costs to that, but we can’t keep studying these things to death, Mr. Speaker. When will it happen on the ground? Thank you.
At times it can be frustrating in trying to move things along, but in our style of working with our community governments and aboriginal leadership we have to work through a process. Hopefully, on the Lutselk'e project, for example, the mini-hydro there, we began to move that ahead at a faster pace. Whati is another area where we’re working on run-of-the-river technology. Some of the decisions that have to be made though are should we be looking at a bigger expansion or leave it to the community size when it comes to the hydro pieces. Biomass, when we look at replacement of diesel generators is the time to look at a natural conversion of those things so that we’re not having to duplicate the efforts or come up with additional cash when things are as they are. The yet-to-come benefits are the ones where those hydro projects are in or, for example, our runway expansions and our ice road technology improves. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve got some questions today and suppose I’ll ask them of the Premier. In getting back to my Member’s statement, I wanted to talk about sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers. I’d like to begin by asking the Premier if there is any political direction given from his Cabinet when it comes to sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a number of contracting methods as the Government of the Northwest Territories -- sole-sourcing is one of them, negotiated contracts, RFP, public tender -- and we use all of those in a range of accessing services, whether it was with past employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories. We don’t give a specific direction and each department has these ways of seeking whether it’s a sole-source or a tender process. But departments have that initiative that they can use. When they come forward to request exemption is when we would deal with it. Thank you.
One of the things that I want to talk about is the process here today on how it’s possible that former deputy ministers get sole-source contracts with this government, and it goes back to the reply to a written question asked by my colleague, Mr. Bromley on a contract with BDK Applied Management Services for consultation and communication services provided to the Department of Finance. I’m just wondering, Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk about process, what process is followed that allows contracts to be sole-sourced to former deputy ministers. What process is this Cabinet and government following when it comes to handing out contracts like that? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the process for seeking or sole-sourcing, again, depending on the initiatives that are there and, again, all of the requirements to fit into either sole-source or negotiated contracts all have limits that would apply before there’s direct involvement from a deputy minister level or coming to the Cabinet or FMB table. So there are a number of processes that would be involved, whether it is specifically an initiative from a department and a Minister right on through the whole system. So we have processes in place and those are used as we seek to get the work done of government. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, some of this work performed by BDK Applied Management Services for consultation and communications services is, in fact, for our participation in Vancouver at the 2010 Games. I’d like to ask the Premier -- we have known about our participation at Vancouver 2010 for a long period of time, and again, getting back to the process -- why didn’t this go to RFP or why didn’t it go to tender? Why was that sole-sourced, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the work at the Olympics was one where it’s pan-territorial, so any initiative under that would have worked through the system of deputies that we had in place, and, again, involved the other territories. So I’ll get all the information on that.
By the way, just coming back from the NWT Day, it was a huge success, so our program delivered in Vancouver is getting the attention of the world as the Olympics goes on. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, know the work that’s been done down in Vancouver with Northern House and our participation there has been good. I’m not talking about that, Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about a process that’s allowed a former deputy minister to get a sole-source contract with this government. By the sounds of it, the Premier is saying that he’s got this working group of deputy ministers that review former deputy ministers. I think, Mr. Speaker, there’s something wrong with that. Will the Premier commit to having a look at the policy when it comes to sole-sourcing contracts to former deputy ministers and senior staff? Thank you.
Let’s be clear, though, the Olympics side of it, I don’t believe there’s a tie between what the Member has raised as a sole-source contract and the actual Olympic program that’s in place. For deputy ministers and senior staff of the Government of the Northwest Territories, past, that is, we can definitely sit down at some point and set some time up to go through the policies of this government. We’re using what’s been in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the prevailing issues that keep coming across my desk, whether I’m getting a phone call, a letter or an e-mail, Mr. Speaker, is medical travel. That, as well, seems to be fraught with challenges. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what is she doing to lead some type of initiative that clears this up. Because medical travel seems to be a challenging issue and it appears, clearly, that it’s complicated as well. So what initiatives are being done to examine medical travel and make sure it’s clearly laid out for the public what they qualify for and don’t qualify for? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The rules are quite clear about what our residents are eligible for. If they are getting medical or doctor services, they get medical travel associated with that, and there are some extended health benefits where they will be entitled to medical travel. So without more specific information, I’m not sure if I know what the Member is referring to. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister I believe last week, in response to one of my questions, said medical travel is under review. I’m just wondering what is specifically “under review.” We’ve even got a letter that had been sent not that long ago to our offices that said it’s being reviewed. So what type of review process is medical travel under at this time, and is the Medical Travel Policy posted for all who wish to see it on either a website or some type of government access? Thank you.
Absolutely, there is detailed information on the Department of Health and Social Services’ website on the Medical Travel Policy and what the public needs to know about what it does. The same with the extended health benefits or any other programs and services that the department provides.
The review we are undertaking doesn’t have to do with who qualifies for medical travel or not because that part is clear. What we want to do is to make sure that our system is working the way it was meant to be, that everyone who is eligible for service get them in a way that is smooth, and that our practitioners are keeping in close touch with the files so that there’s seamless service delivery to our residents, that there is proper follow-up and checkup, and that when referrals are made that they are looked into. So we’re working to make sure that our system runs efficiently. Thank you.
I’d like to know what type of appeal process is involved in medical travel. In other words, if you’re denied housing, there’s a housing appeal; if you’re denied some other type, maybe educational subsidy or income support subsidy, there’s an appeal process. What type of appeal process is involved with medical travel other than having to run it up the flagpole to the Minister’s office every single time?
Under the current system there is no appeal process for medical travel. The way the system is set up is that the health insurance office looks at the policy, looks at the guidelines and they apply the policy accordingly.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really glad to hear we have the policy office, because I suspect they never make a mistake so that’s why we have no appeal process. It’s sad to say that we don’t live in a perfect world, so I guess my question would be to the Minister, then, is what’s stopping us from setting up an appeal process if a person is denied medical travel so we don’t have to drag it to the Assembly floor time after time after time again and we can deal with it probably in a peer review process, especially when a lot of things are denied when they have medical letters supported by doctors’ signatures that say that they need something done? Mr. Speaker, what’s stopping the Minister from setting up an appeal process? Thank you.
I think we should be mindful of the fact that we serve about 40,000 people in the Territories and by and large the service delivery goes smoothly. I do appreciate that I get a number of files across my desk and the MLAs get them as well. But if you compare that, a few dozen a year to 40,000-plus people that we serve, and the satisfaction reports that we’ve been getting, I think the service is satisfactory that way.
Now, people are always not going to like being told that they can’t take medical travel for this and that, and it might not have anything to do with the fact of whether it’s right or not. It’s just the fact of being told you can’t do it. But according to the policy, in fact, they might not be eligible for that service because it’s not something that we cover under the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just had a few more questions that I wanted to ask pertaining to former deputy ministers being hired by sole-source contract by this government. I’m just wondering if the Premier could let me know if there’s a cooling off period for former DMs and senior staff before they are sole-sourced by this government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there is a cooling off period for DMs. I’ll have to check on the senior management file. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering, again getting back to… Again, this is about process, Mr. Speaker. The sole-source contract to BDK, I’m just wondering whether that cooling off period was respected and I want to ask the Premier, was there any discussion at the Cabinet table about the sole-source contract to this company. Was there any political involvement in the hiring through sole-source of this company?
Mr. Speaker, when departments fall within the policy that is in place, there is no purpose for it to come to Cabinet except, for example, negotiated contracts and, again, depending on the dollar value of that. Let’s be clear so we don’t muddy the waters when it comes to the Olympics. There was an RFP, is my understanding, for that Olympic process that went out there again in conjunction with our partner territories. But when it comes to department initiatives, if they fit within the policy and the approval limits, then that’s just normal course of business that’s out there. Thank you.
I wanted to follow up on that and I just wanted to get some clarity here so that I’m sure how this works and the public is sure how it works. Who ultimately makes the call on hiring a former deputy minister through a sole-source contract? Is it the other deputy minister, their former colleague, or is it the Minister of the department that makes that call, Mr. Speaker? I just wanted to be clear on that question. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the approval process is laid out. There are some dollar figures. So a contract could be let at a community or regional level and it could be let to a past employee of the Government of the Northwest Territories if they’re a year, two years, five years, ten years. As the record shows, and public accounts and our contracts document shows that there’s been those, an example of those, used by governments throughout different Assemblies on that initiative. Again, it depends on the dollar value. You could have directors issuing a contract all the way up to deputy ministers as well as up to Minister’s approval. So there are different steps. Again, without getting into details, this is the best we can do in providing you information. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Premier for that response, but I didn’t really get an answer that was satisfactory. Does the Minister of the various departments that’s giving out the contract, do they get involved in the decision to sole-source a contract to a former deputy minister? I think that’s a very straightforward question, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, on a normal course of business, when a deputy minister wants to inform the Minister of different contracts being issued that might cause some concern, they raise it to that level. So, yes, the Minister’s office can get involved in issuing a contract as the process allows for. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier as well. I want to follow up on the questions I asked over the last number of months on sole-source contracting. Obviously it was quite a concern and we had some really good examples. I happened to be dealing with Ministers; now we’re dealing with deputy ministers and high-level bureaucrats. What steps has the Premier taken since we’ve raised these issues and the obvious concern of both the Members of the House and the public? What steps has the Premier taken to tighten up and review, perhaps review and tighten up, the contracting procedures? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have had no one from the public contact me or my office specifically; the issue has come from the Assembly here. We continue to use the policies that are in place. Any change in policy, we have a process where we go back to Members of the Assembly. If there’s a request by committee to look at that, we’ll take a look at that, as I responded earlier in an earlier question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would say the request has been quite plain and already on the Premier’s plate for some time now, probably through committee too. So I’d like specifics. That there is no concern out there is clearly not correct, if the Premier reads the newspaper and so on. I’m hoping he will tell us what he plans to do, if he actually has not done anything yet, to review and tighten up this process for sole-source contracting.
