Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have the details of the Fort Smith program. I wasn’t aware that there was a program in Fort Smith. I heard about it for the first time today.
I don’t have a lot of details about it either. I read about it in the newspaper. It sounded interesting because it isn’t everybody that can leave house, home, family, jobs, whatever commitments that they have, it isn’t everybody that can leave all that and go to a 28-day residential program. It’s at the community level where they can be an out-patient. They’re not in the hospital. They go to this program through the health authority and it seems to make imminent sense to me as one alternative for people to access help. It’s also for people who are sober but want to maintain that sobriety; they can also access this program. I will get the article from the Slave River Journal, I will share it with the Minister and then I will pursue questions on this later after we’ve both had a chance to inform ourselves a little bit more about it on how we can see that on a broader scale in the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, today I’m going to be talking about something that obviously shocked the North. Unfortunately, this is a shocking event that happened in Whitehorse but nonetheless it’s our northern family. That is the Rusk family who unfortunately were involved in a tragedy dealing with a silent, tasteless and odourless killer called carbon monoxide. Again, on behalf of the Assembly, our hearts go out to the family.
With that in mind, carbon monoxide obviously takes on a new role when a tragedy does occur. Most recently we’ve heard of a recent tragedy even in Whati. It’s unfortunate that a tragedy has to come forward for us to create awareness of this silent killer.
I realize that National Building Codes are part of the standards of which the territorial government will endorse and I know that there has been some work in 2010 regarding updates to this code. That said, I have a question for the Minister of MACA, Mr. McLeod. We can’t do a lot with regard to a lot of the building codes in terms of residential housing and I won’t be addressing that in this question, but for public housing my question for the Minister is: Do we have a policy in place for carbon monoxide detectors, and if so, what is it?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we feel badly for the events that took place in Whitehorse and we never want to see that in any units anyplace in the Northwest Territories. I have been giving the department direction to see about the policy to see what our standards are and see they can be enforced. I’m just in the process of gathering the information right now and until I have the information gathered, I’ll take the Member’s question as notice.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Minister has taken the question as notice. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier. I’d like to follow up on my statement but also the Premier’s statement today. I’d like to start off by saying I really appreciate the statement that the Premier did make today and that there is a commitment to action on the part of the government towards an Anti-Poverty Strategy. The Premier, I believe, stated that it is time to begin work. I would say that it is well beyond the time to begin the work, but I’m very happy that it is going to start.
We have heard that basically this work is going to start. We’ve also heard that a strategy is going to be developed based on a document that he is going to table later on today. My concern is that we have a report from a very thorough workshop which was held in October 2010 and there is no indication on any information that I’ve had from the government that we will be using that report to develop our Anti-Poverty Strategy. I’d like to know from the Premier the timeline, as well, that he’s indicated is pretty much a full calendar year. Almost 10 months. Well, over 10 months if we start from today. I’d like to know if the Premier could advise me and advise the House what the government will be doing in working with people in developing a strategy that is going to take 10 months. Can he give me a bit of an outline of the details on the process that is going to be followed?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to indicate that in addition to the workshop that this government funded for $40,000 which assisted us greatly, we also had consultations throughout the Northwest Territories. We had about 250 people present to the group that was doing the community consultation. We had focus groups and sessions in a number of communities. We had regional advisors from every region in the Northwest Territories. We’ve taken that information and we are releasing the document What We Heard today, and over the next few months we will be working within the government and also working with a committee that will be established called the Social Envelope Committee, and we’ll be working collaboratively with as many people as we can to develop an Anti-Poverty Strategy that will hit the ground running this year.
Thanks to the Premier. I think my question was more to the details as we go forward. I’d like to mention that Nunavut is well into the process of developing an Anti-Poverty Strategy and one of the things that they did was to have a public engagement process culminated in their strategy. It basically took them about a year and I’d like to know from the Premier whether or not our process is going to be similar to the Nunavut public engagement process. They had a team which was representatives of government, Inuit organizations, non-profit organizations and the business community. They travelled to every one of Nunavut’s 25 communities. Is that the sort of process that this government is going to follow or is it going to be something where we have this committee, as the Premier has mentioned, made up of bureaucrats who work in isolation?
I’m sure the Member would be very pleased to hear that we’re going beyond what Nunavut has done. We’ve had 33 focus group sessions. My understanding is Nunavut held one workshop and released the recommendations that emanated. We’re going to go further than that. We’re going to draft the strategy, we’re going to have direction from the Ministers of this government, the social envelope Ministers, and when we are finished we’ll have an Anti-Poverty Strategy that will be implemented and hit the ground running.
Thanks to the Premier. I’m getting a little more confused. The Premier’s now saying that we will draft a strategy and then I thought I heard him say that there will be some consultation after that.
I need to go back to comments that the Premier made in December, and I believe he then talked about a discussion paper relative to the Anti-Poverty Strategy, that one was in development. I don’t see any reference to a discussion paper in his statement today and I haven’t heard anything in his answers to my questions yet. I’d like to ask the Premier whether or not the discussion paper that he referenced in December has gone by the wayside or is it still being developed. Thank you.
I would like to clarify once again. We will be releasing What We Heard papers, What We Heard from all of our consultations. We are working on a draft discussion paper. We will be working developing that in conjunction with the social envelope Ministers. We met with Alternatives North and YWCA to discuss the Anti-Poverty Strategy and they were very pleased with that approach.
Thanks to the Premier. I’m pleased to hear that Alternatives North and the Y are very pleased. There are a few more organizations than that, though. I believe the Anti-Poverty Coalition has some 25 or 29 organizations and I would hope they would also all be very involved.
The Premier mentioned a committee of Ministers or DMs. I’ve lost the thought now, but I’d like to know, most initiatives that we have within the GNWT have a lead Minister, and I’ve heard no reference to who the lead Minister for the Anti-Poverty Strategy project will be. Can the Premier advise me of that? Thank you.
We’re going to have a committee of social envelope Ministers, so all the Ministers that are involved with poverty will be directing the development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy. We’ll have a lead deputy minister that will coordinate the direction and make sure that we follow the direction of the Social Envelope Committee.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess my last question for the Premier is: If we have a committee of Ministers and I have a question that relates to the Anti-Poverty Strategy or something that is related to that, who do I address my questions to? If it’s a department, I’m well aware, but if it’s a committee of Ministers, I would ask the Premier again who is the lead Minister that I can speak with when I have a concern? Thank you.
We communicated that information to the chair of P and P just recently and the chair of the social envelope Ministers will be Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement regarding community economies. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Here in the Northwest Territories, in the Mackenzie Valley, whether we live up north, whether in the south, west or eastern part of the Northwest Territories we call this our home. We live in small, remote communities, regional centres and, of course, we live in big cities like Yellowknife.
My question is: Does Education, Culture and Employment adapt its employment programs to each community’s needs, and if so, how is that done?
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Member did talk about the income security in the communities, and part of the program is to assess those individuals that could pursue productive choices at the community level. We also have a small employment program, as well, a subsidy to the employer so they can hire community members. It’s been very successful to date and we will continue to address that. There’s also a Labour Market Agreement and Labour Market Development as well. That funding is allocated for training, skill development, self-employment, work experience and so forth, youth employment. That information I can share with the Members. Mahsi.
I would like to thank the Minister for his response. My question was whether the department would perhaps maybe modify or else customize its approach in terms of trying to create employment in communities, because not all communities are the same. We have, of course, different demographics in different regional centres in different communities. My question, once again: Does the department adapt its employment programs in circumstances of each community that is normally different? Mahsi.
Through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment we have regional representatives, regional employees at the community level, and we collaborate with other departments, as well, whether it be the superintendents working with the career development officers or PWS and ENR. Each department has their own mandate, their own initiatives on how or where those individual positions should be based, which community or region. Within our ECE department we target each region, each community where those positions should lie, what kind of position it should be, the skills and so forth, and creating more opportunities in that area. We will continue to do that. I’ve touched on certain programs that we need to promote more of those into the communities. Mahsi.
My final question is directed in terms of some of the agreements, the labour market agreements with, say, the ASETS program, which has served the Deh Cho region for some time. I want to know what kind of efforts the department is making to ensure that those agreements are renewed and working in the best interests of the North. Mahsi.
I’m glad the Member raised that issue. It’s a very valid point. There are agreements in place with the Deh Cho and other regions as well. There are some changes through the federal government, whether it be ASEP versus ASETS and we also have the Labour Market Development Agreement and also the Labour Market Agreement that I’ve highlighted. It’s a separate entity but we continue to support those individual organizations and members.
The Member referred to an agreement that is in place. We know that there is a sunset clause but we need to coordinate together with the community. It is at a federal level and we will continue to push from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and GNWT perspective. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to return to the issue of a residential detox centre required here in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to state for the record, of course, if you really care about this issue, even from a Yellowknife perspective, I want to emphasize it doesn’t matter where the building gets established, where we provide residential treatment for people who have detox needs. I mean, the fact is if we can put it in a regional centre, I would certainly support that any moment that that issue comes forward for any type of a decision.
On that note, a residential centre is much different than what the Minister is describing as an on-the-land type of program. Can the Minister of Health and Social Services provide information to this House that defines and explains why an on-the-land program would work in cases when someone is suffering from cocaine, crack, hallucinogen addictions, things along those lines where you’d need defined medical treatment and support? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The program that I was referring to, on-the-land, that was requested by many of the small communities. The small communities refer to on-the-land treatment as a more holistic treatment that is to address all of the issues, mental health, addictions and the whole human being. Regardless of what type of addiction the individual is struggling with, they feel that specific program would work on the land for the small communities. Thank you.
I’m not going to deny the need for spiritual connection both within one’s self and certainly with the land on a lot of people. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. We cannot shoe horn everybody into the on-the-land program and call that a solution. What facts does the Minister have at his hand or with his arsenal defined as the department that he can provide this House and say and show that an on-the-land type of program would help people who suffer from things like crack, heroine, speed and other types of problems that require medical support, not just spiritual support? Thank you.
Detox is a program, not a building. What we are saying is that the health and social services authority is spending about $6 million across the board on mental health and addictions. Detox is a part of that and can be in any location. It is a program. It is available right across the North and certainly available in Yellowknife if needed. Thank you.
I have to take issue with that particular last point which is saying detox is available across the North. I’m sorry; that is not exactly true. As we all know, the only place with any detox treatment here is at Stanton Territorial Hospital. As I repeated many times over, Stanton is not defined as a detox centre. It is a central wellness for folks. We should be putting people with addictions in an addiction treatment centre for detox.
My point here is we need bold action. This government needs to wake up from its deep slumber and take some action. Will the Minister be willing to develop a plan to develop a detox centre here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
In the past in the Northwest Territories on Franklin Avenue there was a detox centre. That was shut down for one reason or another. People needing detox at this time do seek detoxification through various avenues. The department is there, like I indicated. Health and Social Services is spending over $6 million in the various health authorities to address that issue, mental health and addictions. Detox is a part of addictions and, yes, we as a department are more than willing and are prepared and want to be involved in helping people detox from drugs and alcohol. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
I like the last phrase the Minister said, which was he is prepared to be part of something that goes forward here. I am going to offer a quick pro quo to this particular subject. If the Minister is willing to do something, I will stop nagging about it every session. What I am asking for now is that he diverts some of that $6 million and develops a plan. Just because he shut down the detox centre, it didn’t shut down the issue. The people are suffering from these particular things. It didn’t just magically go away. The reality here is simply this: Would the Minister be willing to divert some of that focus of the $6 million he keeps talking about for drug treatment, to work on a plan to develop a detox centre here for Northerners so they can get residential treatment when we suffer from the drugs that I have talked about?
A part of that money that is being spent by the health and social services authorities is for addictions. That is for treatment. It is for detox. Yes, during the upcoming business plan we would be willing to talk to the MLAs and discuss the possibility of moving more money into detox. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement on the lack of attention by this government and the federal government on Highway No. 7. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance. I know that we have a federal engagement strategy and it is a credit to the northern region where the Inuvik-Tuk highway is on the Prime Minister’s vocabulary. I sure would like to have Highway No. 7 have the same attention as well. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance, when they are having discussions about infrastructure and highways at the federal level, is he willing to bring up the need for Highway No. 7 reconstruction? Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do have a plan for the Northwest Territories. It has been articulated since we have picked the Cabinet and since we set our priorities. One of the major objectives in this Assembly, given the fiscal circumstances that we are in, what happened in the last Assembly as we put all of our pre-capital to take advantage of the stimulus money from the federal government and put out a $1.1 billion capital program over three years is to look at our borrowing limit. Our borrowing limit talks are productive. They are going to result in an increased borrowing limit. The reason that we are going for the borrowing limit is to be able to, in due time in the life of this Assembly, make strategic investments in the areas that we don’t now have the resources to do that. The issue of Highway No. 7 is on that. There is a list. It is going to be called a red flag list. Next in line, should there be funds available, the borrowing limit gets done, we free up some of our savings from within government, then we will be working collectively to address some of those outstanding infrastructure issues like Highway No. 7. Thank you.
I find it incomprehensible that this government does not know about the needs of Highway No. 7. I have been up here for nine years. In the 2012-13 infrastructure budget there is zero dollars allocated to Highway No. 7 and it collapses every spring and that is around the corner. I would like to ask this government what is their plan for Highway No. 7 when it comes to infrastructure investment. Thank you.
We are well aware of the concerns of the Member. We are well aware of the circumstances of the road. We are well aware that we have far more needs than we have resources. This road is on our red flag list. We have to resolve the borrowing limit issue and look at collectively making those strategic initiatives necessary in critical areas such as Highway No. 7. That is the intent of the government. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I know that when there is will and desire by the Cabinet to spend extra money, they can certainly come up with the money. I would like to ask the Finance Minister when is Highway No. 7 being discussed at the Cabinet table. Who represents my constituency at the Cabinet table when this investment is required? Thank you.
