Mr. Speaker, we have these discussions as we go forward as the Government of the Northwest Territories in the 16th Legislative Assembly. We have shown, and I can show Members, the amount of times we have gone and met with aboriginal leadership across the Northwest Territories.
On the issue of caribou, we have agreements of co-management boards with the aboriginal leadership across the Territories that have settled areas that have co-management boards in place. The one place we don’t have is the area of the Akaitcho. That is an area where the Minister and the department have met with their leadership. In fact, at the last regional leaders’ meeting, this issue was discussed to talk about the importance of caribou and what steps needed to be taken. Meetings were upcoming following that as well. Minister Miltenberger and the staff had consequential meetings to that in those areas. There will be a number of items to be discussed that I will have discussions with Minister Strahl on this area, because it is an issue that has arisen. We will touch base on this as well. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago there was a leadership meeting in Fort Simpson convened by the Dene Nation where all the chiefs had some discussions on this issue. From discussion I heard on the radio, it seems like we are still at an impasse in terms of this issue here with the chief and this government in terms of the ban on caribou and there must be some form of miscommunication somewhere along the line. Would the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs see if there is a possibility of seeing if we could work with the leadership down the Mackenzie Valley in terms of how do we deal with this issue here? I think if this is not resolved in a good way, this will damage our relationship with the aboriginal community for a long, long time.
Mr. Speaker, let the record show that we have worked with the leadership up and down the valley. In fact, we have from the NWT Metis, we have from the Tlicho, we have co-management boards set up for regime and accepted some harvest allocations. This is the one area that this issue has arisen and was raised at the Dene leadership. We continue to work with the leadership on a whole number of issues. The caribou will be one of them. Ultimately, I think when you talk to all of the leadership up and down the valley, it is the fact that we want to ensure that we have caribou herds for our future generations. So it is the conservation of caribou that must be first and foremost and work towards how we achieve that. That is something that we will continue to work on as the Government of the Northwest Territories with our aboriginal partnership across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, conservation is an issue. It is being cited in the actual resource transfer agreement act but also there are treaty and aboriginal rights also, so there are two sides to a story here, Mr. Speaker. I guess I am trying to find which will prevail for the day after this issue has been heard and discussed. I want to ask the Premier, if he has the chance, will the Premier commit to reporting results of discussions with Minister Strahl immediately to the House and to the Members?
Mr. Speaker, I am always prepared to update meetings we have had with federal Ministers on a whole number of issues that we have discussions on. As I said, this will be one of the areas. There is not much time to talk about it, but it is informing him of the steps we have taken. When we talk about what we have tried to do as the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Minister of ENR, his staff, it is to, again, put the conservation of the caribou first and foremost that we have caribou for the first generation. Let’s not lose sight of that. It is important we set up a process amongst the leadership across the Northwest Territories and understand that caribou don’t play politics. They don’t get involved in who has the final right, who wants to be known as the last person. We made debate on who had the final authority, but what is the debate worth about who has final authority if the last caribou gets shot and we talk about what was and not what is. So we are going to continue to work together as a leadership across the Northwest Territories and come out with the best picture possible and the best solution. That is to ensure that our future generations have caribou to harvest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are intended to try and bring as much transparency as possible to the GNWT’s role in responding to the Joint Review Panel report. My first question is to the lead Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Could he describe the process that the GNWT will use to respond to the Joint Review Panel report and recommendations? Mahsi.
Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The process is underway. It was underway prior to the release of the report when we were certain that it was coming. We have staff with ENR in the lead from across departments. We’re working with the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline office in Hay River and we’re working through committee systems with deputies to pull together the response and the work on the responses for the JRP with a goal to hitting the timelines so we can make sure there’s no further delays that we can get our responses in to the National Energy Board.
I think the public certainly would appreciate more details on how the GNWT intends to proceed on this so that they can have their participation and input and at least be aware of what’s going on. Does the GNWT intend to invoke the consult to modify process with the Joint Review Panel regarding the modification or rejection of any recommendations? You know, the public would like to know if that’s happening. If we intend to modify, will we be using that mechanism? Thank you.
We will be taking all the appropriate steps using all the appropriate mechanisms that are determined to be necessary to possibly be invoked as we look at the recommendations one by one. I have not seen the work to date. I know that the officials are at it. We know that we have some tight timelines and we know we want it to be clear, comprehensive and be able to stand scrutiny and be shown to have followed due process. Thank you.
I would appreciate it if the Minister would find out whether we are intending to invoke the consult to modify process and if we do, will the Minister commit to making such proposed changes public at the time that they may be transmitted to the Joint Review Panel so that our public can participate meaningfully in the review process? Thank you.
We have committed to work with committee to brief them when we have sufficient work done and we have our communication plan that involves the release of the work going forward and we will be, at the appropriate times, making sure the public is aware of the work that we have done. Thank you.
Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not asking about committees here; I’m asking for transparency to the public. There is the potential for this consult to modify process to be completely in confidence and thus remove the ability of the public to participate meaningfully. So I’m asking for a commitment from the Minister to ensure that if they are submitting to the Joint Review Panel in this consult to modify process, that those documents be put on the public registry with all the other documents that have had to be put on the public registry to date so that the public can be informed. Mahsi.
I have seen nothing, nor am I aware currently of any plan to do any of this work, consult to modify or any other work required in secret. We know that we have to be accountable and we will definitely be keeping the issue of making sure the public are fully informed in mind as we go forward. Thank you.
The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on the CBC special report this morning about the test results that show reading and math levels are still low in the NWT communities. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education some questions on the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative that we have going. I know that it started last year. So if he could tell me just a bit about the program and what initiatives are slated for this coming year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Member for asking that question. I think it’s important to highlight that initiative that we’ve undertaken, the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. We were given indication last year sometime that enrolment was down and there were challenges with identifying students, where they’re at with their grades and so forth. So, Mr. Speaker, that area has been identified and we have a committee that’s in place that had several meetings already and they’ve made recommendations to our department.
On providing additional funding to the school boards themselves to deal with the enrolment issues, we’ve conducted that; a laptop for the grade 12 students. So those are the areas that we’ve improved so far. These are just bits of it and there will be more packages that will be coming out this year and I’m looking forward to it and providing recommendations on what we can move forward on. We will certainly be dealing with the student enrolment and attendance and also their grade levels as well. Mahsi.
Some of the reporting from this morning spoke about low attendance in smaller communities. I have a riding with many small communities, six in fact, and it didn’t say in the report, but I’ve got some factual information that aboriginal students are missing up to 41 days per year. I’m glad that the Minister has the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative.
What processes are currently in place to address this and what are some of the initiatives the department will be undertaking? Thank you.
Mahsi. The process itself is working closely with the school boards, the school board council and the district level as well, because we provide funding to the organization to provide the operation and maintenance of the school and to deal with the students. Enrolment issues are becoming an issue, but at the same time we have provided funding just in the last several months, now we’re seeing some results, but it’s going to take some time, but we are progressing on the enrolment issue.
So, Mr. Speaker, that’s great news. Even though it’s just a short period since September, we are seeing positive results and with that there are other initiatives that will be underway. There is a lot of discussion happening at that table, at that level, and there are representatives in all jurisdictions. The five regions are involved and we have representatives from the Member’s riding as well and it’s valuable to have their input into making a difference for the schools, making a difference in the students’ lives, because every one of us would like to have our students succeed in school and in life. Mahsi.
As I indicated, the aboriginal students in our smaller communities are missing 41 days of school per year with the equivalence up to about two years of schooling by the time they reach grade 9. I know that the Education department and our school boards consider this very seriously and I think they coupled some of the monitoring stats, like the Alberta Achievement Test, which shows that our use of English is being impacted because they’re missing a lot of that. So what kind of projects are being undertaken this fiscal year and planned for the next year, in terms of addressing this concern?
The overall plan will be in these coming months. What I’ve highlighted is we’re currently working closely with the school boards themselves, the literacy councils in the communities. Also just dealing with the enrolment issue. The Member is right; that is one of the top priorities within our Education department. If a student misses one day a week, it adds up to almost a year by the time they reach grade 10. A year of schooling is a lot. So those are the topics of discussion that we’re having with the experts around the table, the committee members. They’re the ones that are the experts at the community level and we’d like to get their advice and recommendations on a going forward basis. So when the package is available I will be sitting down with the standing committee to provide or highlight the key findings. We will certainly move forward from there.
Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
As a Regular Member, I certainly would like to see some of the measurable results. I know there’s only been one semester this year, but certainly if the Minister can commit to continuing to keep us informed of the progress. If the Minister has any information with regard to my particular riding and with the Dehcho Divisional Board and some of the progress or initiatives they have planned, if he could share that with me.
Yes, I definitely will commit to the Member to provide the information. As we move forward, we’re seeing some progress already that I will certainly share with the Members and we’re starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve dealt with the enrolment issue and now we’re seeing progress. So we’ll certainly share more as they become available.
The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some more questions today for the Minister of Transportation. It gets back to the subject of the Deh Cho Bridge Project. Yesterday I had mentioned the fact that the project was sold to Members of the last government on the basis of a fixed-price contract. It was also sold to Members of the last government on the basis that benefits on the return on investment to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation would accrue to the community of Fort Providence. At the 11th hour the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation didn’t have the $5 million in equity when the concession agreement was signed and in fact had to go to the contractor and another company the contractor owned, Atcon Holdings, to supplement that $5 million in equity. Now that Atcon is out of the equation, I’m just wondering what the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation is going to do to ensure that they have the $5 million in equity so that the benefits do accrue to the community of Fort Providence in the future.
The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking a question that should be directed to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. Our involvement and our agreement with that company requires an equity portion be invested in this project. They have so far been able to commit to a portion of it; roughly half of what the agreement was involving. They have now, as the Member has stated, no longer a partner that was covering the rest. I believe, and I would have to check with them, that they are now seeking a new partner and looking at options of how they can come up with the rest of the money, including talking to the federal government about some of the agreements they thought they had with them.
I’d like to ask the Minister who exactly the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation is responsible to and what the working relationship is between the Department of Transportation and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. How are they held accountable in their role in getting this project completed?
I’m not sure which one of the three questions he wanted me to answer in that barrage of questions he just tossed out there. The Deh Cho Corporation, of course it’s accountable first and foremost, I guess, to the owners of the company, which are the Dene and Métis in the community of Fort Providence. They have an obligation to us as a government through our agreement to build and construct and design this facility that we’re working on, which is the Deh Cho Bridge.
I’m just wondering if the Government of the Northwest Territories, given what’s happened -- the project’s been delayed for a year, the inability to raise the required equity, the troubles with the designs -- are there any plans by the Government of the Northwest Territories to re-evaluate that relationship with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation?
This project, without a doubt, has had its share of challenges. We have continually worked with all the players, all the people involved in this project, and we have reviewed the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and their responsibilities. We’ve also reviewed and looked at the contractors and sub-contractors. We’ve also at the end of last season, and we’d like to do this again, sat down and brought all the people involved with a facilitator to look at what we possibly could have done better. We’ve had some good discussions on how we can change our relationships. The short answer to the Member’s question is yes, we do it on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so.
Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
My fear is that this relationship and partnership that we’re involved with, with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, is causing the Government of the Northwest Territories to expend funds that it normally wouldn’t; i.e., our involvement in the project management now with the project. I’d like to ask the Minister what would trigger our severing of ties with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. Is it not getting a contractor in place by March 1st? What would that trigger be?
The Member’s assigning a lot of blame to the Bridge Corporation. I’m not quite as ready to do so. He’s mentioned a lot of extra costs that are being borne by the government so far. I guess there’s been a position and a portion of another position that’s dedicated to the project and maybe some of the travel. The rest of the costs that are being incurred are being absorbed by the project and the project budget. We have and will continue to see how our partner in this P3 program is working. We have to remember it’s probably the largest project we’ve had for this government and it’s one of the first in this whole country that has been involved with a P3 type of layout, and of course we’re going to encounter challenges. There is no template for us to follow. However, we still feel we’re on track and we still have the target date of November 2011 to have this project done.
The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. My questions today are really wanting an update on where this government is at in terms of supporting the activities of a very exciting mining project that has a great potential and could positively impact the South Slave. Communities like Hay River did realize some benefits from the diamond mines, but we were really geographically kind of on the periphery of that. The Avalon rare earth minerals at Thor Lake is something that potentially has a processing or secondary processing opportunity in the South Slave. I understand that one of the challenges will be power supply. I’d like to ask the Minister of ITI what our government is doing to help our communities south of the lake and the GNWT economy realize maximum benefits from that particular mine.
The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government has had some sessions with Avalon to discuss their project. Certainly, valued added is a priority for our government and also we want to work with them to facilitate that. So our first order of business is to determine what their requirements are.
As you know, the federal government is responsible for mining in the Northwest Territories and as such they collect royalties for all developments. So it makes it a little difficult for us to actually provide financial support. But, nevertheless, we are working very hard to identify areas that we can have value added. We’re working with the new Canadian North CanNor facility that has been set up by the federal government. We will be holding, in conjunction with them, a workshop in March to determine value-added opportunities.
With regard to power, we met with the principals of Avalon in Vancouver at the Cordilleran Roundup and they advised us what their requirements are. They need six megawatts of power for operations and an additional six megawatts for heating. They have advised that they are also looking at properties in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and they are looking to see what we can offer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I hope that in looking at what we can offer, we do not put too much emphasis on that federal responsibility and the royalties not accruing to the Government of the Northwest Territories, because we have the diamond mines as a very clear example of where this government went to extreme lengths -- and I applaud this, I’m not criticizing this -- with diamond secretariats and training programs through the college and a lot of financial support, loan guarantees for processing diamonds. There was a whole real spectrum of support for the diamond mines and we didn’t get any royalties from that either. So now this is something that has the potential of really benefiting the South Slave region. So I would like to ask the Minister who has jurisdiction over the excess power generated at the Taltson Dam at this time and what is the amount of that. How many megawatts of power is the surplus and who has jurisdiction over that at this time? Thank you.
They amount that Avalon is requesting, or has identified as requiring, is available through the current production at Taltson. But the way it works, the current timelines of the different projects would indicate that that power would go to the diamond mines when and if or when the Taltson Hydro expansion is completed and the transmission lines are done. We don’t have a process for reserving power. So it’s basically on a first-come, first-served basis. If that power is made available on an immediate basis it would be through the regulated side and it would have to go through and obtain PUB approval. Thank you.
I believe that the power purchase agreements that are contemplated for the diamond mines are outside of the regulated process because it is being sold to business, it’s not being distributed to consumers. The purpose of the PUB is really to protect the interests of consumers, usually considered on a broad scale. Why would the power purchase agreement framework or model that is contemplated for the diamond mines not be appropriate in the case of the purchasing power for a processing plant for Avalon Ventures at Pine Point? Thank you.
