Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a critical role to play as part of this process. We devote a considerable amount of public funds to maintaining the secretariat. We work with other stakeholders, the federal government, the Aboriginal governments, the communities. We work through this eight-step process.
I think it was just recently that one community in particular had worked on trying to advance the eight-step process and I think they’re at the point where they’re trying to conclude one of the stages to ensure that the process continues. Suddenly the government has stepped back and I want to know from the Minister why the department stepped back from the Protected Areas Strategy process.
We remain committed to the process. As we reached the critical point with our negotiations with the devolution process and we’re looking at concluding the deal and doing the transition and implementation so that we can take over those responsibilities, we wanted to make sure that the federal government didn’t, at those late stages, do anything precipitous until we could get ourselves sorted out with devolution and our thinking clear on the steps ahead. We indicated that we were fully committed to getting the groups that weren’t at step five to step five to pull the information together, look at northern tools, negotiate with the federal government about the funds that were available for the five identified national wildlife areas in the Deh Cho. We are, as I indicated today, still committed to that process. I have in my briefing book a list. The farthest, most advanced site is Edehzhie, step six. We are going to conclude that with the federal government and the Dehcho. As I indicated yesterday, we’ve had a meeting with the leadership of the Dehcho. We’ve agreed to remove all the tables plus establish a bilateral process specifically to work on issues of special concern with the Dehcho.
Part of the negotiations process is trying to at least understand the issues and try to mediate and at least meet at a common point where both parties compromise. I think from the start of this process there has been great compromise, especially in terms of communities trying to… Without having a land claims settled First Nations communities have taken a leap of faith in terms of ensuring that this process works. One of the stumbling matters that has become apparent is that one of the policies that this government has stood on is the ratio of 45 percent land.
Can the Minister explain in terms of how this plays out in the negotiations of lands, particularly the PAs, and also the whole Dehcho land claims process. How does that figure prominently in negotiations and what kind of 45 percent ratio of lands fares with the amount of 225 square miles in the Deh Cho?
In our discussions with the leadership of the Dehcho, the issue of the 45 percent was raised, and through the bilateral process that was one of the items that was put on the table for further discussion. We indicated that we have some flexibility and we are prepared to enter into those discussions with them as we sort through that particular issue.
The key underlying principle, of course, is to make sure that, at the end of the day, we have an adequate balance between land that’s available for development that’s going to help the economy as well as recognizing that there are areas of special significance that need to be put aside and the balance between the environment and resource development on culturally appropriate land and those type of significant issues need to be, those pieces need to balance.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a few questions about the Auditor General’s report and the report from the Auditor General on Income Security Programs at ECE. One of the things that was identified in the Auditor General’s report was a lack of training for staff. It was identified that this lack of training contributed to part of the problems that were identified within the Auditor General’s report.
I would like to first ask the Minister what exists now in terms of abilities and opportunities for training for staff.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The report is before the committee but I’ll allow the Minister to reply or take it as notice. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With client service officers usually when there’s a demand for any advancement in their position or usually we have client service officers to get together. There is training or workshops that happen at times. Just recently we had a group of client service officers gather to provide training to them to deal with clientele professionally, not only that but the efficiency and proficiency and effectiveness of delivering a program. Those are some of the areas that we’ve covered. Whenever there’s training that is required, we provide that to client service officers.
Thanks for your indulgence, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister, as well, for his answer. One of the things I have understood in my dealings with constituents who have come to me with difficulties and with concerns with income security programs, is that they feel that the staff of the department are handling way too much work. There is not enough staff to handle the work and they have difficulty keeping staff. I’d like to ask the Minister why, if he can advise why, if he has any understanding why the department is consistently short-staffed on both front-line and supervisory positions on a regular basis.
I’m sure that will be the outcome of part of our action plan we’re going to be delivering to the standing committee next month. We make do with what we have, the client service officers, throughout the Northwest Territories. Some have high caseloads, some low. It does fluctuate. We are monitoring that right now. We continue to, again, pertaining to training, conduct training in the regions and communities. At the same time, this is an area that we are seriously looking at as part of the nine recommendations that came down from the office of the Auditor General. We are taking it seriously as part of an action plan going forward.
Another problem that I have encountered, my constituents have encountered and I hear about it by-the-by, is the issue of paperwork and files that are lost or misplaced or incomplete. It’s a huge issue. Clients regularly have all their paperwork in hand, they hand it in, and then they get a call a few days or a week later saying that their paperwork is not complete. I’d like to know from the Minister if he can advise whether or not this is a problem with the software that the department uses. Is it a technical issue, is it a lack of processes for the client service officers that they don’t understand how they should deal with applications, or is it something else?
What we’re talking about here will be released next month. I don’t want to get into detail before it comes before standing committee. This is an area that we have addressed and it will be part of the action plan. We are taking it very seriously. We’ve heard there’s probably… I’m not sure the percentage of files that have been misplaced but, at the same time, there are other areas where we have made progress and improvement. We will continue to do that but this is an area that will be before us as part of the action plan.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I understand that he doesn’t want to prejudge what may come from the department. I know the staff within the department do their best. I would like them to know that I am not criticizing when I ask these questions. I am looking for solutions to solve the problems. I do believe that there is a great deal of knowledge and experience within the staff of the department on the programs that they run and I’d like to know if the Minister, in looking at the Auditor General’s report, will tap into that knowledge and that experience and the valuable resource that he has in his staff as he develops his action plan.
Yes, we do have, even with our client service officers throughout the Northwest Territories and even as far as the directors, we have the professionalism, we have dedicated, educated individuals in the system. At the same time, there is always room for improvement on the programming areas and we have to work with that as well. I’m glad the Member is raising that profile. That is part of the process as we discuss the action plan.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, regarding single parents receiving assistance under the Income Support Program.
Please provide the total number of single parents receiving assistance under the Income Support Program.
Please provide the various ranges that single-parent clients receive under the Income Support Program.
Please provide details on the support single parents are eligible for under the Income Support Program.
Please provide a breakdown by constituency of the number of single parents receiving assistance under the Income Support Program.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a statistically valid poll of small and large communities, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, male and female residents of the Northwest Territories, sponsored by Alternatives North and entitled EKOS Poll Reveals Groundswell of Support for Plebiscite on Devolution Agreement.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Annual Report 2011-2012. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Measuring Success: The Positive Impact of Diamond Mining in the Northwest Territories 1998-2012.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, March 18, 2013, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the potential role of an NWT ombudsmen, whether stand-alone or combined with another statutory office, and options for implementing such an office, be referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for research, review and analysis, and that the committee report its findings back to the House at the earliest opportunity;
And further, that the Standing Committee on Government Operations shall be provided, through appropriations of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, with the necessary financial support to carry out its assigned responsibilities as they relate to this review.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Colleagues, I’m going to call a 15-minute break.
---SHORT RECESS
Mr. Speaker, I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 14, 2013, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, May 29, 2013;
AND FURTHER, that any time prior to May 29, 2013, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called.
---Carried
Mr. Nadli.
Mr. Speaker, WHEREAS Northwest Territories highways are remote and communities are not equipped to respond to emergencies on our highway system;
AND WHEREAS communities must apply for reimbursement when they respond to accidents outside of their municipal boundaries;
AND WHEREAS there have been an average of 130 collisions per year on Northwest Territories highways over the last three years, and the volume of traffic on the Mackenzie Highway between the 60th parallel and Yellowknife will likely increase with the opening of the Deh Cho Bridge that now allows uninterrupted travel year round, 24 hours a day;
AND WHEREAS increased traffic increases the risk of fires, injuries and fatalities on the Northwest Territories highway system;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has engaged a working group to advance the provision of ground ambulance and highway rescue services;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that the Government of the Northwest Territories enhance its work in the area of ground ambulance and highway rescue by emphasizing training and preparing for emergencies outside of municipal boundaries;
AND FURTHER, that the government bring forward legislation within the next 12 months to update the Fire Prevention Act and to make any other amendments required to make provisions for ground ambulance and highway rescue services;
AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleague from Range Lake for seconding this motion. Essentially this motion asks for the establishment of ambulances and, at the same time, highway rescue services to deal with people that are in distress either in communities or on the highway.
Of course, it also calls for the enhancement of first responder training, training for fire departments, as well, and likely the establishment of protocols for dealing with emergency situations both inside and outside of communities. I understand there has been an interdepartmental exercise in terms of trying to add some focus in terms of the discussions of looking to establish some solutions on this initiative. In that instance, I think three departments have been working on this for some time.
Initial comments include that there’s a lack of trained personnel. There’s a lack of equipment, lack of money, plus a matter of liability is a major concern. Our conscience will be our liability if we do not act immediately on this matter and put in place adequate services for transporting medically distressed people or assisting vehicles, accidents or fires on our highway system. At this point there’s a lack of will to establish the vital, basic service for the well-being of all Northerners, and this motion addresses that.
With the bridge opening, we should have anticipated that it’s going to necessitate the need for increased services on the highway in terms of trying to be able to respond to accidents that could happen. At this point we have our volunteer fire departments in communities that need to be properly trained. One example is just in terms of putting them into a capacity so they do know how to deal with defensive fire techniques, and at the same time, first responders need to have adequate training so they’re confident and, when the call of duty comes, they don’t hesitate on a moment’s notice. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. To the motion, I’ll allow the seconder to make comments. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve risen in this House a number of times during this session to speak about ambulance, first responders, as well as emergency services on our highways.
Mr. Speaker, recently we suffered a dangerous tragic accident on our highways and those are always – and hopefully and thank God – rare on our highways. But the statistics show that we have had 130 vehicle accidents on our highways in the last three years, and if you add the numbers, that’s almost one accident every eight days somewhere on our highways. They may seem small compared to the roadways in Alberta or our southern counterparts, but indeed it’s something that is gravely concerning to many of us here.
It has been brought up in this House a number of times, as I said, during this session, where I’ve had concern where we’re at with respect to our emergency services or highway emergency services and our first responder protocols.
I’ve had the chance to speak to both Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Services, as well as the Department of Transportation to find out where we’re at with respect to our highway protocols and our highway services. It appears that we actually did not get very far on those questions. In fact, it did probably shed more light on the fact that we had more gaping holes in our program than we did have in terms of process. So we’re hoping, by virtue of today’s motion and those Members who are speaking in favour of it and with Cabinet listening, that we, indeed, can make some progress and some milestones towards the safety of Northerners across the Northwest Territories.
We’ve known for years now that the three departments in question that I mentioned have been working on programs and services to develop emergency training management programs, but years have passed and yet we still have no solutions in site. In fact, we’ve asked whether or not there could be interim solutions or temporary solutions to these problematic issues. We’ve heard that there will be none forthcoming.
I applaud the Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli, who has brought forward this motion. I think it speaks loud and clear the needs of our citizens, and it speaks loud and clear the needs of this government to finally get to a point in question where we have the right services and safety for the people on our highways. I will be voting in favour of this motion. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. To the motion. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be supporting this motion given that at least several communities in my riding don’t have an ambulance, or even the training and the support services to support an ambulance service. I think that our government has to start taking a look at this. I know that we had a nice ambulance committee, joint committee on the government side at the deputy level. I’d like to see that reactivated, look at the issues and certainly provide for the safety of all those travelling our highway systems. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion is overdue. Action on this front is overdue. I thank my colleagues for bringing this forward. Highways in the Northwest Territories are a part of GNWT infrastructure and, as such, we are the responsible party. Communities are clearly willing, if properly resourced with equipment and training, to fill in here, but they need proper support. The horror of having severe injuries and being left to suffer with nobody responsible to respond and/or no one with capacity to do so by those who are willing is completely untenable. I will be supporting this motion, as I said, and I thank my colleagues Mr. Nadli and Mr. Dolynny. I urge all to support this motion and get it done.
