Again, the Minister is proposing August. He knows we don’t get together until September and that’s business plans, which means this won’t be in the 2013-2014 budget. Now we’re talking 2014-2015. I guess my response to that is a request to the Minister that he commit right now to having a program in place, proposed, in the draft budgets, the business plan that we review in September.
I don’t believe we’ll be ready to make that kind of decision. We need to pull the information together, we need to work with Members to do an analysis of the different types of options that are out there, and we together have to get together to select one. We have to pick one that is going to work in the best interest of the people of the Northwest Territories. From there we are going to have to go into a whole design model and design a model that actually works. There are so many things that have to fall into place.
With respect to the type of supports individuals may be given through the courts, we need to make sure that any alcohol and drug training, wellness training, will meet the standards of the court. There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done, and like I said, we need to get it right as opposed to right now. I am committed to bringing back an item for decision to all of the Members by the end of this fiscal year, hopefully early in the winter, and from there we’ll make some decisions on what it’s going to look like in the future.
The Minister is not hearing this side of the House. We are about prevention. I think three years is unreasonable. We have passed the motion in the 16th Assembly. This government has already spoken repeatedly from this side of the House. That is a totally unacceptable time frame and does not match with the crime bill either, which is already, according to the Minister, partly being implemented here. We are suffering those consequences. Jurisdictions across the country, indeed across North America, have put in mental health courts. There’s nothing new about this. This is proven. This has often been put in place with little to no extra dollars. We have the biggest social problems in the country and we want action on this now. Does the Minister agree that in fact mental health courts fit the needs of the jurisdiction of the Northwest Territories to a T?
I believe that I’ve been fairly consistent, in my time as a Minister and before I was a Minister, that prevention is important. My colleague, the Minister of Health and Social Services, spoke in favour of prevention significantly and I have as well. To that end, we are working on an Anti-Poverty Strategy that’s going to help us deal with the root causes of crime. These are all prevention. When it comes to the courts, I acknowledge full well that the courts are an important tool. Whether it’s an addictions court, a mental health court or whether it’s a wellness court. What I’m telling you right now is we don’t know which model is the most appropriate for the Northwest Territories. We’re doing that analysis. We’ll get that analysis done. Once we pull that information together, we’ll share it with our colleagues on both sides of the House so that everybody can see it and we can make an informed decision on which model works best for the people of the Northwest Territories.
I understand it’s taking long, but there are a lot of things happening in this government that we have to get done. This is just one of them. We will get it done. We will have it in place for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I seem to detect a shifting of responsibility onto communities and a possible shrinking from responsibilities at the territorial level. I hope that’s not true. Does the Minister agree that this is indeed partly a community problem, but that the territorial government has a real responsibility to be in place providing programs on this issue? Mahsi.
I’m not sure how I suggested we’re downloading this responsibility. When it comes to things like anti-poverty, we’re all working together to find a solution that’s in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories.
The same is true with the courts. We know that we have a role to provide courts in the Northwest Territories. This is an option that we’re excited by, but we want to make sure we get it right. We are going to work with our colleagues on both sides of the House and experts who exist out there. The judges certainly want to have some say into what this looks like with respect to where they’re going to divert people to, so that it meets the standards that they expect. There’s a lot of work that needs to get done. We want to get it done, we want to get it right, and we want to get it done as quickly as we can, that is reasonable given the budgets and timelines that we have available to us. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a couple of questions for the Minister of Transportation.
As I mentioned earlier in the session here, many people in the Mackenzie Delta depend on the Rat Pass channel. We have many elders in the Mackenzie Delta who live in their bush camps year round. Some of them are in their 70s and 80s and they depend on the Rat Pass receiver to communicate with their loved ones in the communities. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation, will the Department of Transportation continue paying the $10,000 for maintaining the receiver on the Rat Pass channel. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Transportation, Minister Ramsay.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are currently exploring options to keep that service available to residents in the Mackenzie Delta, and as soon as we come up with a solution for that, I’ll be happy to share that with the Member. Thank you.
We’re running out of time here. NorthwesTel needs to have an answer right away. Also, we have many people, contractors who maintain the highways who depend on the Rat Pass channel as well. My next question is: What is the alternative the department is planning to replace the Rat Pass channel with? Thank you.
The department is currently exploring options. With the advance in technology there may be other solutions there. But certainly, we understand the importance of the Rat Pass receiver to the residents and operators using that road up in the Mackenzie Delta, and again, we are going to explore every available option to keep that service up and running. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, $10,000 is a small price to pay for emergency services in the Mackenzie Delta. Will the department confirm today that they will continue paying that $10,000 for the safety of our residents? Thank you.
As I mentioned to the Member in response to his previous questions, we are exploring options. Whether it’s $10,000 or not, I won’t be able to comment on that right now. We haven’t worked out a solution. But our objective, Madam Speaker and to the Member, is to keep that service up and running and we’ll endeavour to do that. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Your final, short supplementary. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that. No further questions at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
How many and which departments are not in compliance with the mandatory requirement for the establishment of health and safety committees?
What are the claims costs and the claims experience penalties paid by the GNWT in the last three fiscal years under the Safe Advantage Program, and to which departments are they attributable?
What scores has the GNWT been given in the last three fiscal years on its management practices questionnaires?
Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the agenda, please. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
You may proceed, Mr. Bromley.
At this time I would like to recognize constituents in the gallery. I’ve got Ms. Katrina Deneron out of Trout Lake, who won the safety poster contest, as well as Ms. Bertha Deneron with her, her sister Faith Deneron, and Bernice Hardisty, who was the organizer from Health and Social Services, Fort Simpson. Mahsi cho.
Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, reports of committees on the review of bills, Item 15, tabling of documents. Item 16, notices of motion. Item 17, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, motions. Item 19, first reading of bills. Item 20, second reading of bills. Item 21, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success; Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010- 2011 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.
Colleagues, before I place you into Committee of the Whole, by the authority given the Speaker pursuant to Rule 11 in the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, I hereby appoint Mr. Bromley to act as deputy chair of Committee of the Whole for today.
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We’ve got five items on today’s agenda: Tabled Document 2-17(3), Commissioner’s Opening Address: Creating the Conditions for Success; Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013; Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act; Committee Report 1-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010-2011 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; and Committee Report 2-17(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2010- 2011 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013, and continue with Environment and Natural Resources, Industry, Tourism and Investment, as well as the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you very much, committee. We will take a short recess and return.
---SHORT RECESS
Welcome back, committee. We are currently on Environment and Natural Resources. Does the Minister have witnesses he wishes to bring into the Chamber?
I do, Mr. Chair.
Does committee agree to bring witnesses into the Chamber?
Agreed.
Sergeant-at-Arms, could you please bring the witnesses in? Thank you.
Mr. Miltenberger, could you introduce the witnesses to the committee, please?
Mr. Chair, I have with me Mr. Ernie Campbell, deputy minister of Environment and Natural Resources; and Nancy Magrum, director of financial administrative services for shared services between ITI and ENR. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Campbell, and Ms. Magrum. I will come back to the committee in the House. Committee, we are on page 13-17 of the main estimates, activity summary, environment, operations expenditure, $5.936 million. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had noted previously that there is quite a substantial reduction in the commitment for energy expenditures and that this is costing us, especially I think in the production of both heat and power from renewable energy. We have fallen down and it is now costing us considerable many tens of millions of dollars in subsidies. This sort of thing will continue if we do education. We don’t quit while we reorganize our education; we continue to deliver education. I think that is what we are about here.
If we allow this trend to continue, of course, more and more will have to go into subsidies and we will be losing the options as we already are now for the next three years in terms of other infrastructure and services, important services for our people throughout the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. We will just wait until that motion is circulated.
Committee, the motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. The motion is not debatable.
---Carried
I’d like to thank committee for consideration of activity summary, environment, operations expenditures on the Department of ENR on page 13-17. It has now been deferred. We will continue.
Page 13-18, activity summary, environment, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $2.549 million. Does committee agree? Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that this page also falls under the offices of the summary on page 13-17. I am looking for your guidance here. If necessary, since this deals with the same thing, if it is simply details of the energy management I would introduce the same motion if the Chair felt it was necessary. Otherwise, I am happy to roll forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. By virtue these are just extensions of the motion in question. By virtue these will be deferred as well. Thank you.
On page 13-18, activity summary, environment, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $2.549 million. It would be considered deferred as well.
Information item, environment, active positions. Are there any questions? There are none. Page 13-21, activity summary, forest management, operations expenditure summary, $28.634 million. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do note that there has been a substantial reduction in the overall budget for forest management, $33.6 million down to $28.6 million. I suspect that is related to not starting out with the same degree of capability or capacity, I guess, for fighting forest fires, but I would like to get that confirmed.
As well, in the contract services, getting into the detail, there is a reduction in the order of $3 million.
Finally, I am concerned about the reduction of $300,000 from forest resources. As we’ve discussed in the House before, as we move toward important biomass programs to help our communities and our industry that is now proposing a pellet manufacturing plant, of course they’re relying on good information on sustainable yield of our forests throughout the NWT, as well as good forest inventories and so on. I’m wondering, again that’s a real hit to the forest resources just at a time when we’re proposing to move more and more to local use of our forest resources. Those three points, if I could get some explanation and justification on the forest resources side and what we’re dropping there.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The first two items are tied to the supps that have come through for firefighting. The biomass one is one of the sunsets resulting out of the lapsed strategic initiatives money that was there previously.
I guess I’ve just heard that it is indeed related to the slash to our Biomass Program. I think we’ve already committed to further discussions on that. I will look forward to those discussions.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. More of a comment. We’ll go back again. Page 13-21, Environment and Natural Resources, activity summary, forest management, operations expenditure summary, $28.634 million.
