Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We don’t work with the tenants in market housing to help take the landlord to court. Sometimes we will get some concerns from those that are living in market housing and we tell them that their option is to go to the rental office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, they are a third-party source tenant situation here. We have Yellowknife Housing renting the units from a landlord. The tenant itself through Yellowknife Housing, by way of example, has no tenancy rights on this because they are directly responsible. It is the housing authority that has a direct contract with the landlord. That is where the responsibility lies.
So I ask again to the Housing Minister, if this isn’t the case, why isn’t this the case? Because I can tell you I have had habitual complaints all built around things like heating, access, safety and other responsibilities, all directly related to the Residential Tenancies Act, that say the landlord must provide, and if they ignore these requests, what are we to do?
Mr. Speaker, in the Member’s first question he didn’t point out the fact that they were renting these from our local housing authority and was involved as a third-party renter. If that was the case, then I would encourage the tenants to work with the local housing authority to identify some of the problems there because they would be leasing these from the private developer, and if there is an opportunity to get some work done and they are not willing to do it, then the option might be there for the local housing authority to work with the tenants to take them to the rental officer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, they do, and they take them to the housing authority and the housing authority takes the complaints to the landlord and nobody does anything. So I’m asking, why don’t we have a rule on the books, or why don’t we have a Minister’s directive that if the landlords are not responding to the needs of the tenant, which are furthermore supported by the needs of the housing authority that they believe that they are valid, and again under the Residential Tenancies Act, that they will be taken to the rentals office and they will be treated as appropriate? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to think that our local housing authority, if they are leasing these units of the developer, that they would have some say into the maintenance of these units, and if the work is not being done, then I would encourage them to… There are some options they may have at their disposal, but I would encourage them to work with the rental officer to see if there is opportunity there to have the landlord do some of the necessary repairs because, at the end of the day, we are paying the landlord to use these units and if there are opportunities for us to use some of the stuff at our disposal, then we may have to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They, again, are doing these things, but the housing authority isn’t taking the landlord of the units, that we lease and pay a hefty sum for, to the rentals office. So I would like the Minister to show some leadership on this issue to say that if we have anything outstanding over 30 days, that falls under the Residential Tenancies Act, we are going to start filing, and that will motivate these landlords to comply with the rules as clearly stipulated under the Residential Tenancies Act. He could do that today and he could send a letter not only to just the Yellowknife Housing Authority but to all authorities so, therefore, our people are treated fairly and respectfully as outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to work with the Member, and if any other Members over there have specific cases where I don’t hear from any of the other communities, but if there are specific cases, then the Member has raised them and the Minister will show leadership and try and rectify the problem before it gets to the floor of the House. This is the first time I have heard of it, and we need to work with each other sometimes to ensure we try to deal with these issues. If we are unable to deal with these issues, or are unwilling to deal with these issues, then we raise them on the floor of the House to bring them out to the public, but give us that opportunity and we will take care of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have two sets of written questions here today.
My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Please provide the total number of cases for 10,000 patients for the following superbugs for each calendar year starting from 2005 through 2013:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA);
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE);
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE);
Klebsiella;
Acinetobacter;
Enterobacter;
Pseudomonas; and
Clostridium difficile.
What is the regional breakdown of the number of cases per 10,000 patients for the list of superbugs listed in question 1 for the same time period?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Please provide the following information:
the cost of expanding the Social Work Program at Aurora College by one year so that three years of study toward a degree in social work are available in the NWT;
the steps that would be required to expand the Social Work Program at Aurora College by one year; and
the obstacles, if any other than funding, that would have to be overcome in order to expand the Social Work Program at Aurora College by one year.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Errata for Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates for 2014-15.” Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Northern Lands, Northern Leadership, The GNWT Land Use and Sustainability Framework.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, I will move that Bill 12, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan Act, be read for the first time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Kam Lake, that Bill 11, Petroleum Resources Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Bill 11 has had first reading.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Bill 10, Northwest Territories Lands Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill substantially mirrors the Territorial Lands Act of Canada in accordance with the requirements of the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.
Question.
Question has been called. Bill 10 has had second reading and is referred to committee.
---Carried
Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 69(2) and have Bill 10, Northwest Territories Lands Act, moved into Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.
Good afternoon, committee. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have three items on the agenda today: Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act; Tabled Document 4-17(5); and Tabled Document 22-17(5). What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee wishes to continue with Tabled Document 22-17(5), NWT Main Estimates 2014-2015. We would like to start the Department of Justice and, time permitting, Industry, Tourism and Investment and perhaps Finance. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Great. Thank you, committee. We will commence after a short recess.
----SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We are going to be working on the Department of Justice. With that, I’ll turn it over to the Minister of Justice for his opening comments. Minister Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today I am presenting the 2014-2015 Main Estimates for the Department of Justice.
The department’s mandate is the administration of justice in the Northwest Territories, including policing and corrections. The department is also responsible for providing support to the courts. Within this mandate we continue to build a system of justice that is open, accessible and responsive to the needs of the people we serve. We support families when they are in conflict or personal crisis, and help them as they work toward successful resolutions.
The department’s main estimates propose an operations expenditure budget of just under $125 million. This represents an increase of 7.3 percent over the 2013-2014 Main Estimates. This includes just over $6.1 million in additional funding to ensure core programs and services have sufficient resources to operate, and it also includes $2.5 million to fund initiatives that will enhance and improve service delivery to the residents of the Northwest Territories.
The bulk of our resources go towards maintaining core programs and services the people of the Northwest Territories rely on, and making sure that these programs are efficient and effective. We support this Assembly’s goal of sustainable, vibrant, safe communities. We provide safe and secure custody of offenders and community supervision to support rehabilitation and reintegration back into communities.
Department of Justice staff assist youth in trouble with the law, victims who have been harmed, people who need lawyers, families who need help working through separation or divorce, and offenders who need support to make better choices. Staff are located in regional offices bringing them close to the people we serve; however, we do not do this alone. We have strong partnerships with NGOs, community justice committees, community and Aboriginal governments, and our colleagues within the GNWT.
The Department of Justice also meets the needs of residents through our services to government. These include the provision of legal advice and legislative drafting for all departments as well as policy advice and support on access to information and protection of privacy matters. While these areas may not be clearly apparent to most, they are the foundation of a strong and effective government and are an essential part of our program and service work. These services will be under pressure this year, as we move forward with the Devolution Agreement and take on new responsibilities from the federal government. In response, we have identified $1.4 million to assist with this vital work and support the Assembly’s priority for an implemented agreement.
As I have mentioned before, providing these services and programs during times of fiscal restraint remains challenging. The justice system is experiencing pressures similar to those confronting other departments. Socio-economic factors contribute to a rate of police-reported crime that continues to be the highest in Canada. It is vital that we not simply react but take the time to fully investigate and plan, making sound decisions that are proactive and fiscally responsible.
We are working towards this by proposing investments in areas to support this Assembly’s priorities. New in this year’s main estimates are resources aimed at strengthening our services and improving the way that we work with our partners. We are proposing additional resources in the amount of $807,000 to pilot an Integrated Case Management Project. Additionally, we are proposing to move forward on the implementation of a wellness court. The purpose of this court is to assist those in our society who come into conflict with the law because of addictions or mental health issues. Funds in the amount of $300,000 are budgeted to implement this court in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Justice programs and services also provide the GNWT with modest revenue of just under $14.3 million, or 11.5 percent of the department’s expenditure budget. These revenues are either generated through cost-sharing agreements with the Government of Canada for access to justice and youth justice services, exchange of services agreements for housing federal and Nunavut offenders, or through the collection of fees and fines in legal registries and the Territorial and Supreme Courts.
The budget presented today is prudent, responsible, and will allow the department to continue to work on Assembly priorities and serve NWT residents.
I thank you for the opportunity to provide an overview of the department’s 2014-15 Main Estimates and I look forward to discussing it in more detail with you. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Minister Ramsay, do you have witnesses you’d like to bring into the House?
Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.
Minister Ramsay, please introduce your witnesses to the House, for the record.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my right is Sylvia Haener, deputy minister of the Department of Justice; and to my left is Kim Schofield, director of finance for the Department of Justice. Thank you.
