Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Harriet Geddes of Fort Providence was chosen and honored on Saturday, March 8th, as the Wise Woman for the Deh Cho region for 2014.
Harriet comes from a very traditional background. She was raised on the land and from a very young age, she was taught how to be a good caregiver from her mother, Adeline Landry.
She took those words and applied them to her own life and to others. Harriet started on a healing journey and decided she was meant to be here to help others. She took training and workshops firstly on self-awareness, prevention and treatment for alcohol and drugs, counseling, family violence issues, and many wellness and healing workshops.
Harriet has worked hard, effortlessly comforting families with loss, guiding young families, giving advice and caring for the elders and teaching her cultural and traditional values.
She has helped many families to live a healthy lifestyle and reminding young families of their culture, tradition and spiritual ways. She stresses that families are so important today and we should love and care for each other, like the old ways.
She deserves the recognition as she is a good role model, never stopping to help out and volunteer her spare time for others in need. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke about the high quality of athletes in the Northwest Territories and having a program that would be something like a TEST program. I want to ask the Minister of MACA, in his role as the Minister of Sport and Youth, is it something that has been talked about in senior level of government? Has something like a TEST program been talked about where we could begin training some of the younger children who have the calibre to go to the Olympics and other world champion games?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Youth, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re quite proud of our athletes from the past and present. I think the athletes from the past have set the bar very high for our athletes coming along today. With the support that the athletes get from this government, they are able to develop. We have some fantastic sporting partners that bring all the games to the communities. With the support of this Assembly and Assemblies past, we have been able to increase the funding. We also have funding available for high performance athletes, those who are competing at a national and international level. We are quite proud of that too.
I think this is one program we may have to revisit because we have heard some concerns that our athletes are starting to get out there competing at a higher level and we may have to look at how these athletes are funded. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague Mr. Bouchard talked about the athletes from his riding attending the Arctic Winter Games, and certainly many athletes across the Northwest Territories will be there next week. Also, over the weekend we had the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships and I’m very happy to know, from speaking there to the young athletes, that Mr. McLeod was there to show support and people were quite happy that he was there to show support.
I’m asking if there is any type of discussion, with all the other support he has given to the athletes, if there’s any type of program that’s being looked at similar to the TEST program that happened up in Inuvik.
To the TEST program specifically, there has been no discussions; however, our colleagues over in the Yukon are tossing the idea around about a centre for sports excellence, and this is one initiative that we’ll be following quite closely to see if there are opportunities for us, as the Northwest Territories, to see if that would work here.
Again, I did have an opportunity to check out the Traditional Games; I had an opportunity to check out the NWT speed skating championships that were going on, and we have some fantastic speed skaters coming up. I understand there was also the territorial ski championship, I believe, going on this week. Our athletes are quite engaged and I think, again, working with our sporting partners, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, Sport and Rec Council, Sport North and the Mackenzie Beau-Del Recreation Council, with all the programs that they’re bringing to the front line, I think we’re starting to see a result of that. I would say the fact that we had 27 of 33 communities represented in the Arctic Winter Games by athletes I think goes a long way to indicate that our programs are working and all the programs we’re providing in the front line are paying off. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just witnessing the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships over the weekend at William Mac School, I could see these young students with gleam in their eyes with all the excitement.
I would ask the Minister, when he is meeting or talking with his colleagues from the Yukon government, is that something that will come to this Legislative Assembly for some discussion on this side as to possibly looking at the concept of a centre for excellence for our northern athletes?
Mr. Speaker, as we go further into the initiative and get some information, as we normally do, we will meet with committee and provide them an update and seek some input from them.
Again, we’re very early in the stages. We have to have a discussion with our colleagues over in the Yukon to see how their program is being rolled out and how it may be working. Again, everything that we do we share with committee and get some feedback from them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the beginning of planting the seed, so I look at that as the first process, is get the seed in the ground and start developing a vision for our athletes in the future. I’m not too sure the time frame of when this discussion will come to our side; hopefully, it will be done within the life of this government.
Can the Minister then sort of give some assurance that it will happen soon so we can have some discussion and start working on it?
Mr. Speaker, I believe the seed was planted a long time ago. I think we’ve been able to see what our athletes in the Northwest Territories are quite capable of doing with the proper mentoring, the proper training, the proper facilities, the proper funding, so it’s very important to us that we not only develop our athletes – I think it goes further than that – we develop them as people. I think we see that with a lot of the TEST ski program participants back in the day.
Again, we’re early in the stages. Any information that we do come up with and any feedback that we’re seeking, we will have a discussion with committee and I can probably say, without reservation, that we will have a discussion before the end of this Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to follow up a little bit with regard to my statement. One of the things that add to teachers’ workload is new initiatives and changes made to curriculum, changes made to the way that they are expected to report things, changes made with the way that they’re expected to deal with students in the classroom and in the school.
I’d like to ask the Minister, right now the department is undergoing or has posted an Education Renewal and Innovation Strategy and they’re working on an action plan. I know that there are some initiatives planned for the next school year, which starts in September 2014.
So I’d like to ask the Minister what initiatives are planned for schools, other than JK, we know junior kindergarten is starting, but what other initiatives are planned for September 2014 for the next school year? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The department obviously understands the importance of teachers having adequate time to prepare for many responsibilities, including the instruction of students, working with students, assisting students’ learning, engaging and also the ongoing professional development and collaboration.
As the Member indicated, the education renewal innovation is part of the process where various initiatives will be undertaken. We’re at the preliminary stages right now because we are going to be developing an action plan pertaining to those highlighted portfolios within the education renewal. So, we will be coming back to the Legislative Assembly with the action plan overall and which priorities we’re going to be moving forward with. As you know, there are sectors of activities that will be happening in 2014-15. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear a specific answer to my question. Apparently we have to wait for the action plan for the ERI Strategy to come forward. My understanding is that that’s going to be, I think I’ve heard May, I think I’ve heard June. That doesn’t leave much time for anybody to get ready for initiatives in a few short months.
I’d like to know from the Minister if he can tell me, if the action plan is coming out in June, are there expectations that programs or changes other than junior kindergarten that will need to be implemented in September of 2014? Thank you.
Mahsi. Upon receiving the action plan later this year, we will be putting that towards the business planning process for the following year, so it is a process that we have to follow. We are in the stages of developing some of the initiatives for 2014-15 this September. As the Member alluded to, junior kindergarten is a prime example of one that falls under that as well.
So, by this summer we’re expecting the action plan to be developed and finalized and then put it towards the business planning process for the following year’s budget. Mahsi.
Thanks. I’m not quite understanding why the Minister doesn’t really know what these initiatives are at this point. The budget for 2014-15 has been passed. Presumably there’s planning in that budget under the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for new initiatives for the fall of 2014, September, for schools, for new things.
Can the Minister tell me what is in the 2014-15 Education budget that they are planning on implementing and that those changes are going to be coming in under the Education Renewal Innovation Initiative? Thank you.
Mahsi. I can provide the detailed list to the Member. As the Member indicated, part of it is the junior kindergarten, the wage top-up is another one. Those are just some of the examples of the activities that will be happening, but I will commit to the Members to provide the most detailed information on those activities that will be coming forward. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the commitment from the Minister, and I would hope that that information would be made public because I’m sure the teachers want to know what changes are coming down the pipe for them as well.
One of the things that is required, and the Minister has referenced it, in terms of junior kindergarten, there’s going to be training required for some of the teachers who are going to be going in and teaching junior kindergarten.
I’d like to ask the Minister if the school boards have been provided with funds to do the training that is required for new staff or is the department going to take on that training itself?
My department will be providing the training and working very closely with the school boards, because we have to deal with the teachers to deliver the junior kindergarten. I stated in the House that we are moving forward on training by this summer and then in the fall time for those individuals that may not have gone through the training program. Those are slated for this summer and then this fall, and again, my department will be working with the school boards to finalize those plans.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a follow-up to my Member’s statement, I just want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services a couple questions on the Medical Travel Policy.
In terms of one of our NWT residents who might travel to a regional centre or to here in Yellowknife either for personal or business type of travel and they end up getting sick or succumb to illness where they have to be admitted into the hospital or be under some type of observation over a couple days and they have to take care of their travel back, what does the policy state in terms of taking care of any type of accommodation or other travel in order to get the residents back to their communities?
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Medical Travel Policy is for patients who require medical travel to the nearest location where necessary and appropriate insured services are available, so if a resident were to travel to Yellowknife from a community or from outside of Yellowknife and they happened to get sick while they’re in Yellowknife, there is no transportation required to bring them to the closest location where the insured services can be provided because they already happen to be in Yellowknife. If the patient is then discharged and is able to travel on a commercial flight, there is no requirement under medical travel to provide the patient with travel because they would have come in without medical travel and they can leave without medical travel. But we do recognize that there are exceptional circumstances, and there is an exception request process that an individual can follow based on situations beyond individuals’ control of if a person needs special care on their transportation back. There is an exception process available to residents of the Northwest Territories for the type of situation the Member is describing.
You heard earlier in another Member’s statement about the work that NGOs do on behalf of people of the Northwest Territories, and in some cases NGOs have to cut costs where they can or make savings where they can, so sometimes they don’t pay for a full flight return ticket back to their communities. Sometimes they’re not able to make those changes if they get a ticket on a seat sale or something. Those are some of the issues the come, because some people that do come to some of the bigger centres might be on a fixed income, should it be a senior, somebody living with a disability or somebody that is doing volunteer work on behalf of an NGO that might be on income assistance that don’t have the necessary funds to do it.
In the Medical Travel Policy group – I know they’re following their guidelines and their policies – is there an appeals process? I know the Minister mentioned there’s an exception process, but is there an appeals process to the decision made for residents of the NWT when they’re travelling outside of their home communities to get that turned over so that they are able to get some support to get back home?
As I’ve previously committed in the House, we are doing a comprehensive review and modifications to the Medical Travel Policy, and these are the types of discussions we’re having and we’ll certainly continue to have them with the Member and his committee.
The exception requests are done on a case-by-case basis. They have to come from a practitioner, but in situations like this, if the Member identifies to the practitioner or the resident identifies to the practitioner the need and the situation behind, they can absolutely make an exception request and it will be considered seriously. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Minister mentioned the exception process of going through the practitioner. Can the Minister confirm the process for an exceptional grant to get the necessary accommodations or travel for a resident to get back home? Can he confirm that the patient, resident or family of the resident would go through the process of getting a letter or note from the practitioner in order to get these extra expenses paid that are unforeseen should an individual fall sick or need some medical attention while on a trip? Can he confirm that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The resident who happens to be utilizing the services would have to work with the practitioner and then we would follow the normal medical travel process with respect to the exception request.
If a resident comes to Yellowknife, happens to get sick and is admitted to the hospital and then has to be transferred to another hospital in their home community, they would actually be covered. It’s when the individual is discharged or free to go where this is a situation. The resident would have to work through their practitioner and follow the normal medical travel process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, these are unforeseen medical concerns or issues that might come up at any given time.
What is the turnaround date in any of these appeals or exceptional processes? Is there a timeline? A lot of times they might just need one, two or three days of assistance. What is the timeline in the turnover to get these expenses covered or any of the additional supports the resident or patient might need? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Exception requests are done on a case-by-case basis, recognizing the challenges that the patient and the practitioners provide. I can’t say it would be one day, I can’t say it would be three days. It all depends on the situation, but they would move as quickly as they can to accommodate the needs of the residents and the practitioners to make sure they get the support they need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are following up on my Member’s statement directed to the Minister of ITI. When we were reviewing the budget for ITI a couple of weeks ago, the Minister promised to look into the policy requiring that commercial gardeners have at least one-sixth of an acre to be eligible for funding.
Given that only one commercial producer of these operating producers might actually meet this bar, is the Minister now able to explain the reasoning behind this policy? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of ITI, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the work of the EOS, it was identified that the territory does need to do some work in the area of policy when it comes to developing the agricultural industry here in the Northwest Territories. We are moving forward with development of an Agriculture Strategy for the Northwest Territories, which will include work towards a policy base, as well, for agriculture here in the Northwest Territories. We continue to work towards that. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister. I will remind the Minister, it is planting season, believe it or not, as we speak. When he spoke on the 25th of February, the Minister said it is important we maximize any opportunity we have to get people involved with the agricultural sector here in the NWT.
Recognizing that new approaches and technology could substantially increase production from small, intensively farmed plots and especially given our modest markets, how does refusing to help people because their operations are too small help maximize opportunities for them? Mahsi.
We want to make sure we get things right and the Member is correct; we want to maximize opportunities. If changes to policy are going to allow us to maximize opportunities for people and it’s in the best interest of the territory and the sector, that’s something we are very much interested in doing. Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister’s commitment. With the one possible exception, the largest market gardens in the capital area are about 2,500 square feet, or about a sixteenth of an acre. These successful market gardens have just had their applications rejected because they are too small. So if the largest market gardens are too small, how does the Minister plan to change this policy in time for this season so that any agricultural development can go ahead in the North Slave region? Mahsi.
If there are changes that we could look at that would have an immediate impact – and I know the Member is very much interested in beginning to plant seeds here – we will take a look at that. I can give the Member every assurance that we will look into this matter and if we need to adjust the policy to allow funding applications to be approved, we will do just that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I almost have no question left here.
Fresh produce is one of the largest contributors to the high cost of living, as I know the Minister is aware of in the North. We’ve got some very good people finding ways to make this happen and these are new ways.
Will the Minister commit to supporting the actual people and organizations that are, indeed, in place right now and making it happen and dealing with these disabling barriers in time for this season? Mahsi.
