Under the land claims, not all the land claims have a golden pot waiting for them to fund certain programs. There are permitted activities in the land claim that would also allow them to service some of the activities in the communities such as programs and school programs and such, so they don’t have the ready, available funds at times. That is why I am asking the Premier if he would look at this review again to see if it makes sense within the communities in the land claims that help the people through these activities that are allowed in the land claim chapters.
It sounds like the Member is focusing only on the NGO Stabilization Fund when the NGO Stabilization Fund is just a fund to top up funding to NGOs that provide essential services for the Government of the Northwest Territories.
We have a third-party accountability framework, which is called Excellence Through Partnerships, and I think that is more appropriate to the line of questioning that you are taking. We have three categories of NGOs and I am sure that when we review it, if we get more specifics as to how or why you think land claims organizations should be funded by this government as an NGO, to see if they fit into any one of those three categories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
My focus is because these are probably one of the most efficient and effective operations that give NGOs support in our communities and the land claims is one of the biggest ones here.
I want to ask the Minister, would he also look at the eligible NGOs policy where it says if in Yellowknife you receive $50,000 or more in funding from the GNWT annually, so that’s an automatic $50,000 that goes to Yellowknife if you’re a Yellowknife NGO. So is that somewhere else where the regions can also get that type of funding automatically on an annual basis if we can make out a policy that’s equally shared across the Territories?
I want to clarify that the NGO Stabilization Fund is just a top-up fund. There are three other categories of funding that are providing funding to NGOs from all different departments. So I’m sure that if you clarify what it is that you want for land claims, we can see if it fits into one of those categories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In respect to the NGO Stabilization Fund that we’ve made a priority here today, there are real needs at the community level. For example, in my riding there is a real need for youth programs in terms of ensuring that there’s funding for programs and resources. At the same time, we’re contending with real social issues like homelessness. For those reasons, this fund is relied upon from the community organizations outside of Yellowknife.
For the Premier, as Minister of the Department of Executive, is the Premier willing to consider enhancing the NGO Stabilization Fund for 2014-2015 to at least a minimum of $500,000? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We would like to fund all of the requests, but we have a finite level of resources and we are going to the main estimates process. We will also be rolling out a number of strategies that pertain to social programs, such as the Early Childhood Development Framework, the Northwest Territories Anti-Poverty Strategy, the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Mental Health recommendations, Economic Opportunities Strategy, Mineral Development Strategy, the Land Use and Sustainability Framework. So we’ll be rolling out all of those frameworks as well.
So I can commit to the Member that as we go through the main estimate process and that as we go through developing action plans for all of these strategies, which I’m sure will impact positively on the communities that need assistance, at that time we will look at all of the requests. Thank you.
I’d like to thank the Premier for making that commitment. Some NGOs are currently delivering critical services, but without GNWT funding they don’t qualify for the Stabilization Fund. What capacity building support is available from the GNWT for such NGOs? Mahsi.
We have a third-party accountability framework and it has three categories. The categories that provide services to the Government of the Northwest Territories, we can provide multi-year funding agreements, and depending on the type of service and the kind of NGO, and if they get funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories, there are different categories of reporting that are required. So if you’re not providing essential services, then your reporting requirement is not as complicated as for the NGOs that provide essential services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI. I’ve spoken critically of ITI’s controlling, non-inclusive and delayed approach, not always intentional, I know, in delivering the Growing Forward Program at the community level, and its failure to germinate citizens’ enthusiasm and capacity to carry projects forward.
Yesterday I learned of one more example. Rather than turn granted money over to a YKDFN community garden for supplies, ITI made the purchases on the basis of the YKDFN supplied list. This stuff arrived and it’s the wrong stuff. Yet again the garden is put back further in starting at this critical planting date.
What’s up, Mr. Speaker? The wrong stuff is bought because the department simply is not knowledgeable in this area. The result is there’s another loss of project control for the gardeners; they lose the opportunity to develop purchasing and ordering skills.
Why are we persisting in this approach rather than an enabling an approach that grows real experience and capacity?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m familiar with the community garden in Ndilo. I had the opportunity a couple weeks back to have a tour of the garden itself and get into K’alemi Dene School. Talking to one of the contractors down there, she had mentioned that there was some work required on that community garden. This is the first I’ve heard of wrong supplies being ordered, but we will certainly look into what transpired in this case and make sure that the necessary goods arrive in Ndilo so that the garden can proceed.
Thanks for that commitment from the Minister. I will note that in two weeks from now the days start getting shorter. Unfortunately, there’s more. As of today, well into our brief but intensive growing season, YKDFN is still waiting for approval on the basic supplies. No word back on buying seedlings, seeds and equipment. Surely ITI wouldn’t have placed the first order if it weren’t going to approve the remainder. It’s June 4th and the season is running on.
Will the Minister commit today to blowing out this log-jam and getting this garden project approved now? This community can’t afford another growing day lost.
There is obviously a need to get this work done, and I will give the Member the commitment that I will go back to the department and try to find out exactly what is happening and how we can continue to move the community garden project forward in Ndilo, without hesitation.
I very much appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Part of the problem here is that nature does not run on a fiscal year basis. I’ve talked to the Minister about this. We’re delivering a $6 million agricultural support program on a bureaucratic cycle that won’t consider applications until months after the seed orders should have been placed.
This program has five years of dedicated funds we know are guaranteed. Applicants say they will have their plans for next year by January 1st. They plan ahead. Why can we not adjust this application contribution agreement process with the standard qualifier clauses stating contingency of funds of being available, and tune this program up for delivery on a growing year rather than the fiscal year cycle?
That is certainly something I believe the department will be looking at. It makes perfect sense to allow the funding to flow when it’s needed, and not on a financial calendar or a bureaucratic calendar, but instead with the true growing season in mind so that we can make the most out of the money that we have. The good news is we are going to be spending another $6 million in the area of agriculture over the next five years, and that’s some good news.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister again. I know this Minister is interested and supportive of the gardening and food security issues. Many of the issues gardeners face relate to the lack of understanding and agricultural knowledge of ITI staff that gardeners must apply to or expect support from. As a consequence, highly qualified and experienced public gardeners and NGOs are stepping into the lurch only to be undermined by a lack of equally sound and knowledgeable support from government.
What will the Minister do to ensure this timely and quality support is available from ITI now and in future growing seasons?
Mr. Speaker, we have competent staff in the regions. We have competent staff here at headquarters. If the Member has some examples of, as he mentioned, staff not giving other folks the right type of information, I would be more than happy to have the Member write to me or write to the deputy minister and advise us of such occurrences. We have a big program to deliver and the staff that we have are trying their best to deliver the programs that we have. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I would like to formally acknowledge and admit my error. I recognized the Mineral Development Strategy Advisory Group as the opportunities group. In all fairness, we’ve been receiving panels, advice for strategies, frameworks and many other things. They can have my apologies. They’re all blended together. Thank you for your fine work.
My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Does the Minister of Education recognize that there is a serious problem here for opportunity for those people who live in an impoverished situation? There’s an unfairness that many of the children won’t ever be able to participate in music programs, arts programs and even some extracurricular sports programs.
What does the Minister recognize in this impoverished situation, and furthermore and more importantly, what is he willing to do once he recognizes this particular issue? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do believe there were three or four questions in there; I can only answer one. With the distance that has been brought to our attention through the poverty strategy that we have engaged with the public, NGOs, it is important for us to be part of that as income support. We have made some changes over the years, even major changes in 2007 that reflect on communities’ needs. Along the way we have been making changes. We are glad we are part of the Anti-Poverty Strategy that is coming forward in this Assembly, along with other strategies as well. It is important for us to be part of the process. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
One good thing, the Minister clearly can count because he said there were a couple of questions in there, maybe three, but since 2007 he has proven he can’t answer one of those three or number of questions highlighting those changes.
There have been no changes. I pulled out the regs. There are zero changes providing these opportunities for kids for poverty.
What does the Minister really recognize and what is he willing to do about this situation that children who are part of families on income support cannot participate in music, extracurricular arts or even extracurricular sports? There is a fairness and equity here. We are missing a huge opportunity to do something. I would like to hear it.
Mr. Speaker, we are doing something. I am answering his questions as well. Part of the curriculum that we deliver, K to 12 and beyond that, we provide a music program. We provide various other programs in the school as well. We will continue to enhance our programs. These are areas that we are very interested and also we are working closely with the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to deliver those programs, even after-school programs. We are involving the parents. We are trying to make a difference. We are making programs deliverable, even working closely with the college and different agencies to deliver these additional programs beyond K to 12. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I pulled the regulations. There is nothing that talks about this. If the Minister wants to talk about funding education through K to 12, let’s talk about that, but K to 12 funding doesn’t support the initiatives I’m talking about. I’m talking about income support. Welcome to the file. Please. My goodness. Under income support there is nothing that supports music, arts and extracurricular sports.
What is the Minister willing to do on that? Will he launch on this opportunity to say, let’s investigate this and let’s do something to ensure that these children have the same opportunity as other children deserve? Let’s do something and we can do it today. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we do provide basic fundamental funding to the clientele that we service, the income support clientele. The funding that we provide is shelter, food and clothing.
Again, we are working through various programs such as Municipal and Community Affairs have numbers of programming through NGOs such as we do.
As the Education, Culture and Employment department, we provide almost $7 million in various NGO funding that consists in a breakdown in the communities of various funding that is accessible by the parents, by the children, by the community members. Continuously we have been providing that to the communities and we will continue to strengthen our programming into the communities even more. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Clearly, the Minister doesn’t get it. When we start talking about the communities, the fact is this: income support provides food and shelter, yes, that is a given, we all know that. But why do the children in those situations… They don’t ask to be on income support. The families are there because of various reasons. We are not here to debate that.
The question I am asking is this: We need to be opening up doors. The Minister has the power that is in this directive; let’s start doing something today. Even if it starts with $500 per head, per child, to get them into music, sports, arts, let’s give them the same opportunities other families certainly give their kids, and these kids deserve them equally. If he is saying no to this, he is saying they are worth less, and I take exception to that.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, we are not saying no. We are saying we are providing these opportunities for these children.
In the Northwest Territories Anti-Poverty Strategy, there will be a targeted action plan coming forward. This consists of all these departments sitting here. We are very serious, we want to make changes and it will reflect those changes as well. Thank you.
Member for Inuvik-Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up from my Members statement, I actually wanted to get this question in yesterday, but I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services with regard to the funding this government worked on getting for prevention and promotion through our most recent budget session on operations.
Has all of the funding been allocated for what we fought for in terms of prevention and promotion activities? Has that funding been allocated, and if not, what is the exact number of dollars that still has to be allocated in this fiscal year for prevention and promotion programming? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi Cho Mr. Speaker. That money has not been allocated; however, we are close to determining exactly where that money will go. We are going to wait for the completion of both the 10-year framework on early childhood development and the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness to determine where we feel the best places to allocate this money. The money, the majority of it will be going into those to action plans and also some of it will be going directly to NGOs. Thank you.
Yesterday the Minister made a Minister’s statement, and he does say that he’s waiting for the Early Childhood Development and Anti-Poverty strategies to come forward, but he says, “I will not wait until that response is finalized to take action.” So the sooner the better. We can’t wait to start providing programs.
You have heard a lot of really good options, a lot of good suggestions on this side of the House, what’s happening in Hay River, what’s happening in rural and remote communities. I’d like to ask the Minister, would he look at creating an application-based program with the funding dollars, which I am not sure how much that is. I did ask that question. Would the Minister look at creating an action-based program with some of these dollars that have not been allocated for some NGOs, so that they can start doing some of these programs like introduction and promotion and education and awareness? Thank you.
The Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social service authorities jointly fund about 50 NGOs to the tune of about $14 million. In that, about 30 to 35 of those could be working in the healing and prevention field, like, where it funds some youth organizations, some healing organizations and community governments. So within that we are capable of moving some of this prevention money directly into those organizations, whether they be NGOs that specifically do healing, or youth, or community governments that could do that as part of their functions. Thank you.
Just for clarity, I’d like to ask the Minister how he is going to fund those organizations, NGOs. Specifically, is it going to be an application-based program, is it going to be something new, or is it going to be something that’s built on something like the Health Promotion Fund? Can he be more specific on how these organizations can apply for this extra funding, and if he can still answer part of my first question, which was how much of these dollars have not been allocated for this fiscal year yet that we still have on the budget? Thank you.
Currently, specific to that additional $1.6 million that was allocated, none of that money is allocated. Although it’s targeted, it has not been allocated to any specific project. The majority of the money that will flow, in addition to the money that is already flowing, will probably be added to the NGO contribution policy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
One million six hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money for our NGOs and our small communities. Would the Minister, going back to I think it was my second question, look at creating an application-based program specific? We have a lot of application templates out there. Would he create something new where we can start funding things like kids sport, friendship centres, youth centres, or hamlet organizations? Would he look at creating something new in the amount of, say, maybe $25,000 application so that communities can actually get a little extra dollars to run some great programs and services?
As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, the majority of our foster kids, the reason they’re in foster care is due to neglect, which is something that I feel this government needs to address very strongly. Thank you.
Certainly, we fund the NWT Foster Parents Coalition. We fund the various foster parents coalitions across the territory, as one example.
Yes, I think that application-based may be a good method of flowing money out and creating small contribution agreements within organizations. I think within the frameworks that we have and within the organizations that we already deal with, the majority of this money can flow, including to some of our own organizations like Healthy Families. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
