Debates of March 1, 2006 (day 39)

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 491-15(4): School Transportation Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the budget that has been considered in this House, there is no money that would be specifically allocated for that purpose. It is entirely up to the Tlicho Community Services Agency to determine if that is one of their priorities. If it is, then it is their responsibility to take the money out of their regular programming and put it into transportation. They have the right and the responsibility to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 491-15(4): School Transportation Services

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to stress that, with the new information on the decline of caribou herd that we have heard last week and related increase of wolves and grizzlies in the isolated communities in my region, I would like to ask the Minister again if he will be willing to revamp or look into some sort of amendment to supplement the current funding available to the Tlicho Community Services Agency to ensure something as simple as transportation services are available to isolated communities such as Gameti, Wekweeti, and Whati, and the basic need for our safety of our children is met? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 491-15(4): School Transportation Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If there is a concern for safety for the children in those communities, then it is incumbent on the DEAs and the Tlicho Community Services Agency to deal with that issue. Either they need to work with parents to make sure that somebody is walking with the children to school to make sure that they are safe, or they need to find some way to provide that transportation. But, Mr. Speaker, all of the money that we have within the department for schooling goes to schools. We don’t keep any money available for other special projects. So right now, all of the money is being distributed. The money that has been approved in the budget for the next year is allocated to the DECs. There is no pot of money that I can draw on in order to provide extraordinary services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today, I spoke of the need for the community of Tuktoyaktuk to secure access for the gravel located at source 177. Without a steady year-round source of gravel, Tuktoyaktuk will have a problem meeting their infrastructure needs. We understand that the Department of Transportation has plans for a road to gravel source 177, so that physical access to part of the problem is being addressed. Mr. Speaker, what needs to be addressed is the right of the community to use the granular source that belongs to the ILA, Inuvialuit Land Administration. Can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs tell this Assembly what his department can do to assist the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk in securing the necessary funds to access gravel source 177? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 492-15(4): Transportation Infrastructure Needs Of Communities

Mr. Speaker, the gravel revolving stockpile fund was wound down in 1999. Investment for gravel requirements have been built into the municipal community government budgets. In the case of Tuktoyaktuk, there are no specific projects that we can point to at this point. I don’t have any listed that require gravel. We don’t have any plans to bring any stockpile into that community either from the Department of Transportation or from MACA. Having said that, there is a need across the Territories for assistance to look at the issue of gravel. We are working with other departments to put together a gravel study. We hope to have that completed. We are working with the Public Works department. The Housing Corporation and Municipal and Community Affairs and DOT are working together to try to come to deal with some of the issues that are coming forward from some of the communities. That study will be ready this spring. In terms of actual projects for gravel required in Tuktoyaktuk, there is none identified in our capital plan. We have a gravel fund of $250,000 that we provide to communities if there are additional requirements needed over and above what is built into the community government plan, and there was no request from that community for this fund. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 492-15(4): Transportation Infrastructure Needs Of Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am still disappointed that there is no money identified for Tuktoyaktuk for gravel all this winter. As you well know, Mr. Speaker, Tuktoyaktuk is well known for the erosion problems that they are having. In terms of stockpiling, I think that is important that the department identify that Tuktoyaktuk should be of necessary needs to address right away. I would like to ask the Minister again, under the $250,000, how much of that…I know he said there is no money identified with Tuktoyaktuk, but can some of that money go towards Tuktoyaktuk? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Minister McLeod.

Further Return To Question 492-15(4): Transportation Infrastructure Needs Of Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no. The money in the $250,000 is application based. That money has already been committed. We have six communities that have applied for this money. They have been approved. That money has already been committed for this year. Tuktoyaktuk did not put in an application for this community revolving fund of $250,000. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 492-15(4): Transportation Infrastructure Needs Of Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I will voice my disappointment, but again, this winter is the only time that Tuktoyaktuk can access gravel haul from source 177. If the Minister is able to find money like he did for other projects like in previous years for the Executive, or able to find money from elsewhere, if there is any money that can be found to access the gravel haul, will he consider Tuktoyaktuk as one of the priorities for gravel haul? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Minister McLeod.

Further Return To Question 492-15(4): Transportation Infrastructure Needs Of Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in order for us to, as a government, consider a gravel stockpile and to bring in equipment or to contract that out, we need to have specific projects. I recognize the Member’s need to work towards building a road system to the source of gravel. It is a problem for the community of Tuktoyaktuk. We recognize that. There has been a large request for a large contribution from the community that we have considered. We are not able to accommodate it. We have continued to realize that there is a need for a reliable source. However, in order to have a stockpile program, we have to have the projects that either Public Works brings forward or the Housing Corporation brings forward, or MACA, for that matter. They bring these things forward. We will take that into consideration and look at doing a winter haul. At this point, there are no projects in the community that we have identified for this fiscal year. We are not looking at doing a gravel haul. We continue to work with the federal government in our requests for additional money to build a road to the source 177. We have to, once again, meet with the federal government to discuss our plans to bring forward a list of our needs in that area. We hope to do that this spring. Hopefully, we will have some firmer answers for the Member in the near future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today go to the Minister of ITI. Earlier in this session -- and we have been sitting here for almost a month -- there were some questions about the discussions that need to be held between the secondary diamond industry companies and the diamond producer. The Minister made a commitment to bring them together to see if their differences could be worked out. I would like to know, as we are about to leave this House and we are not going to sit until June, I wondered if the Minister could update this House as to where we are on that file. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Brendan Bell, the Minister of ITI.

Return To Question 493-15(4): GNWT Position For Supporting Diamond Industry

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The dispute between one of the mines and one of the cutting and polishing operations has been ongoing for some time now. I do know that, in Antwerp, the two parties met to try to work through these issues and resolve them. I don’t have a full briefing in terms of exactly what was determined at that meeting. I do know from one of the sides that part of the ask raised some concerns about being able to, or the desire of the factory, to take some of the rough that wasn’t economic to polish in the Northwest Territories and move it offshore. Obviously, our policy as a government is that this is a problem for us, so we want to better understand what they are asking, Mr. Speaker. But I haven’t sat down with the two parties yet. I will endeavour to do so as soon as we are out of the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 493-15(4): GNWT Position For Supporting Diamond Industry

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I am going to have to ask the Minister to be more forthcoming on exactly what his approach is and where this government stands on this issue. This government is not exactly a bystander on this file. This government has invested a lot of money and the well being of this cutting and polishing plant has many implications for us. I do understand. I don’t even want to call this a dispute. I see that there is a disagreement. I know this is a disagreement between two commercial companies. I want to respect their place in sorting that out, but I am still not clear. I do believe there is a role for the Minister to play. Has the Minister given a thought to this file? What is his approach going to be for the next little while to resolve this issue? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Bell.

Further Return To Question 493-15(4): GNWT Position For Supporting Diamond Industry

Mr. Speaker, we are going to bring the two parties together to try to work to some resolution. It is difficult for me to get into the nuances here and the intricacies of the disagreement, but I have, from the mine at least, the assertion that what was being asked for at the meeting in Antwerp was the ability to take some of the rough they weren’t able to cut and polish here, what they deemed uneconomic, and move it offshore to a lower-cost cutting centre. That has always, from a policy perspective, been a problem for our government because today, what is uneconomic, tomorrow may be twice that amount that is deemed uneconomic. We would have to have some objective way to assess that. It gives us problems. We see it as the thin edge of the wedge and could potentially lead to the downfall of the local industry here. So we work very hard to get an allocation of rough for the local industry here. We want to make sure it’s there. We don't have the interest of seeing that rough move offshore. Mr. Speaker, obviously, it's very complicated. I will sit with the two parties and try to work through the issue, but that gives you some sense of what we're grappling with. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Bell. Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 493-15(4): GNWT Position For Supporting Diamond Industry

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to say, for the record, that I respect the contribution that both sides do make to our city and our territory. I appreciate we want to make them work and we want them both to prosper. Mr. Speaker, however, in talking to both parties -- and I've had an occasion to talk to them -- I'm not sure if at least one party, anyway, understands that this is an issue that the government has any place in. So I'd like to know what specifically he's going to do to make sure that we are a party to that. We have a great deal of interest in the success of both industries. Could he be more specific about when his next meeting might be and what kind of communication has he had so far with both sides, he's only speaking about one side. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Minister Bell.

Further Return To Question 493-15(4): GNWT Position For Supporting Diamond Industry

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that my departmental officials have been in discussions with both parties. We are going to work to set up a meeting so that we can sit down and go through the myriad of issues. As I’ve said, it’s very nuance. I can't get into what this government will do if and when we start going through some hypothetical scenarios. We think and we are optimistic that we can arrive at an agreeable solution. We think both parties recognize the interest that the GNWT has in seeing this resolved, and we do think there is a commitment on the part of both parties to make this work going forward. So once we are done here in the House, I will sit down with my officials, we will try to set a meeting with the two parties. Obviously, some of them are overseas, so one of the things we have to do is work out schedules and make a determination around where it's easiest to meet. If they were all in Yellowknife, it would be very easy to do, but it's not, Mr. Speaker. So I'll work on that and hopefully we should be able to get a meeting within the month, the month of March. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not questioning the medical care that patients receive once they get to the hospital. You know, we have one of the best medical systems in the world. But my colleagues and I, and it's an argument that we've had for a long time, it's the actual getting to the hospital part is where we have concerns with. My understanding is that the authorization now for medical travel is made out of Yellowknife, referred to by Inuvik. So I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, where did this direction come from to authorize medical travel out of Yellowknife and take it out of the regions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 494-15(4): Medical Travel Policies And Procedures

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It came from me. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 494-15(4): Medical Travel Policies And Procedures

So the authorization came from the Minister, he states. So I'd like to know, who gave the Minister his direction. Did he consult with the regions? I think that to say the decision came from him, I'd like to ask, then, who did the Minister get his direction from? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Minister Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 494-15(4): Medical Travel Policies And Procedures

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the rationale for that decision was based on efficiencies; it was based on the need for coordination; it was based on the fact that we found out at one point, a year or so ago, that we had paid for over 1,800 bed days in Capital Health out in Edmonton for services that could have been provided out of Stanton, because without the coordination that we currently have in place, Stanton was routinely overflown as a result of referrals made by the different authorities and the different communities. This was part of our review of how we do business. We were working with the senior managers, the board chairs from all the authorities, and one of the directions that came out of that and that I approved and agreed to was the need to coordinate travel in the North and South to make sure that we used our facilities to the best possible way and we didn't pay twice for services that we already have. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 494-15(4): Medical Travel Policies And Procedures

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for a little clearer answer. I agree with the Minister that coordination is a big part of it. I wasn't questioning sending the patients south to the city, my questions were based on sending people to Yellowknife and that seems to be where there's a real lack of communication, Mr. Speaker. Too many people are being left out in the cold when they get to Yellowknife. They're sitting at the airport for three hours. We can talk for hours on the stories we hear. So I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services to demand his department improve the lines of communication so we don't have elders sitting at the airport waiting out in the cold. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 494-15(4): Medical Travel Policies And Procedures

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate and note the Member's concern, and I want to assure the Member that we work every day to try to make sure we provide the highest level of service possible. When there are circumstances that happen where the systems may not have worked appropriately, we backtrack on those and we try to take the steps necessary to make sure that, in fact, services are provided. I would like to point out that, yes, there are times when things don't work and those are unfortunate, but the vast majority of time, medical travel works in a good, efficient way. But in the cases like the one the Member's mentioned, we are looking at it to make sure that while we can't change the past, that we learn from it and try to improve service for the future. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Last week, I had the pleasure of being on the Hay River Reserve and I had a quick, brief tour of 10 two-bedroom units that they're constructing on the reserve. I thought that was a really good idea, so I just want to ask the Minister how this project came about and can we look at doing other communities, as well? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Honourable David Krutko, Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.

Return To Question 495-15(4): Need For Immediate Alternative Housing Solutions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have a Loan Guarantee Program in which we were able to assist the Hay River Reserve by getting a loan through a loan guarantee where we guaranteed the loan in which they were able to borrow $1 million from the bank and build 10 units on the reserve. Again, the program is open to every organization out there. We have several of these in place with a lot of businesses, and also people in the private sector. So this program is in place; it is there to assist people in the private sector to develop housing infrastructure in the North. So it is a program we provide which is called the Loan Guarantee Program.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 495-15(4): Need For Immediate Alternative Housing Solutions

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister for that response. It's been something that the communities have been crying…Well, not crying, but they've been looking for an alternative to relieve the housing pressures immediately. I know that we've got ABCD Company that's going to provide all these thousands of homes, but it's today that people want answers for…

Today.

…Mr. Speaker, and that's a good alternative. Once again, if the Minister can tell me how can the communities, for example, Fort Liard, get the process initiated for such a program of building 10 homes? Thank you.