Mr. Speaker, through their ability to motivate and serve as role models, many staff in the Department of Justice make a significant difference in the lives of people in the Northwest Territories.
In our 10-year strategic plan we made a commitment to our staff – and ultimately the public they serve – to build and maintain a strong foundation at the Department of Justice. The first step towards this goal is to create an effective human resources plan.
Our plan will build and support a northern workforce. To do this, we will make ongoing investments in our over 500 employees, many of whom work in high-risk environments. They work with offenders or support people in crisis or transition. Both front-line and management staff need to have appropriate training so they have the tools, resources and support to fulfill their duties while maintaining the safety and well-being of their clients, colleagues, themselves and the public.
Most Justice staff work in the corrections field in Hay River, Fort Smith and in the two facilities in the North Slave region. Our facilities operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our probation officers work in communities throughout the Northwest Territories. These corrections positions can be stressful and we see frequent turnover.
The department also has specialists in the legal field who represent the government in court, draft legislation, or help families and individuals in their legal issues. Our professional staff ensure courts have the support necessary to see justice served
throughout our system and perform the necessary functions to ensure the smooth running of government systems. Our people have great experience and extensive training; they are a talented collection of individuals.
To ensure we are listening to our staff in a manner that is both meaningful and effective, we offered each employee an opportunity to participate in focus groups on HR issues. Corrections staff participated one on one with an independent surveyor to answer questions about their training and working environment. To ensure replies were anonymous, all personal identifiers were removed. We are using all of this information to develop the human resources plan.
The results were interesting, Mr. Speaker. Employees trusted us enough to provide honest answers. We found the majority of our staff enjoy their jobs, their co-workers and the department as a whole. They feel their work is challenging and interesting. They were also clear about the work that needs to be done. Our management teams are preparing to address these issues.
We will plan for succession in management positions and operations that are vulnerable to staffing changes. As well, we will be refining the recruitment and training model used for corrections and courts to encourage NWT residents to consider joining us in a career in the justice field.
By strengthening our capacity and resiliency, we will maintain the strong foundation that allows us to provide change and gives innovation room to thrive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to the Long John Jamboree website, in exactly seven days, 21 hours, 24 minutes and 46 seconds, Yellowknife will enjoy and host our 2nd Annual Long John Jamboree on the ice of the Great Slave Lake in Yellowknife Bay.
My praise and admiration goes out to the many organizers and volunteers that are working feverishly behind the scenes in preparation for one of the “Gotta Go!” winter festivals in Canada.
The organizers for this year are promising even more great events and activities both on and off the ice. We’ve been promised the return of the kids’ tent, music, Terriers and Tiaras, Flaunt your Skivvies, ice hockey, the Snowking Festival, fireworks, artisans, and the MLAs’ favorite, the ultimate trivia contest.
This trivia contest is where the Yellowknife MLAs teach the local media teams a thing or two about overall knowledge and the supremacy of smartness.
We know that CBC narrowly won last year because of Mr. Paul Andrew anchoring the team. However, this year, Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife MLA team has been training for months and we’ve been put on a restrictive diet of contraband Bathurst caribou meat and Sahtu special tea.
It would be rude of me not to mention last year’s third and last place Northern News Service team; however, like in any competition, who really remembers the bronze medalists anyway? Sorry, Mr. Mike Bryant, but you know that’s the truth.
Mr. Speaker, it is also important to mention the return of the De Beers-inspired ice carving competition. This is only one of four “big block” harvested ice competitions in the world. It is now deemed the final event of the season for the National Ice Carving Association circuit.
Events like this do not just happen on their own. It takes leadership and commitment to see such a success transpire. Therefore, I would like to thank these Yellowknife volunteer leaders for making this all possible: Adrian Bell, Julia Mott, Cory Vanthuyne, Michelle Demeule, Janet Pacey, Jacqueline McKinnon, Claire Smith, Brad Morrissey, Andre Corbeil, Keith McNeill and Nancy McNeill.
In closing, I would encourage all Yellowknifers and visiting Northerners to make an effort to come down to Yellowknife Bay during March 14th to 17th and see what all the excitement is about.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Here is a story familiar to communities all over the North. The government guy comes to town in his government truck loaded with his expensive equipment and know-how. He’s there to help. He asks directions, drives to the site and gets to work. Locals watch curiously as another government project takes shape. Days pass and stuff happens until, duty done, the government guy loads up and is gone. Who was that masked man?
From what I hear, that’s a pretty good description of the ITI delivery model for the Small Scale Foods Program under the Growing Forward Agreement. The ITI agricultural worker has spent the annual $245,000 in funding. Yes, we have dutifully tallied the mounting number of local gardens spreading across our communities. Yes, we can claim 30 community gardens, but feedback indicates that’s a very hollow claim.
In contrast, modest investments or contributions to non-government organizations like the Territorial Farmers Association, Ecology North and the Arctic Energy Alliance have netted real community engagement, buy-in and capacity building. The Lutselk’e, Simpson and Fort Resolution community gardens are great examples. Watered and weeded by gardeners in the making, the communities harvest the bounty of their own care and attention. Nothing tastes so good. Beyond that, though, community residents very soon use new-found skills and enthusiasm to take on leadership roles themselves.
Fortunately, I have begun hearing that government has realized the drive or fly in, put in the garden, and leave modus operandi is less than ideal. Gardens and gardeners don’t grow untended. The Minister’s office says three ITI regional offices will be taking on delivery of the Small Scale Foods Program. While I’m happy to support regional roles, I am leery of seeing new positions carry on in the same old way. Based on real partnership results, the approach should be to enhance meaningful support of groups that know how to do community outreach and capacity building.
We’re talking about supporting a school of agriculture with funds from Growing Forward 2. A community-wise component of local engagement and mobilization should be part of that new curriculum. Community folks are saying that drive-by gardens don’t work. Let’s use a proven approach that emphasizes local control with efficient non-government organization expertise to build self-reliance.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the statutory officers of this Assembly is the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The commissioner does excellent work, not only carrying out her regular duties but also advocating for areas in need of further attention. Unfortunately, the government is not heeding all of her recommendations.
For almost 10 years now the Information and Privacy Commissioner has recommended that this government amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy legislation, ATIPP, to include municipal governments under the act. This has yet to happen. The most recent Information and Privacy Commissioner Annual Report, 2011-2012, again highlighted this need. The NWT Association of Communities has resolutions on their books for the past six years asking for a change in legislation.
Each year the Information and Privacy Commissioner receives a number of complaints from residents about municipal actions, specifically the way municipalities are collecting, using, or disclosing personal information. In 2011-2012 there were two such privacy complaints about municipalities but they weren’t actioned because the Information and Privacy Commissioner has no authority or jurisdiction under the ATIPP Act to deal with complaints against municipalities. Even when the Information and Privacy Commissioner tried to engage these two municipalities in discussions around the protection of privacy of employee information and policy, she was refused.
Currently, without access and privacy legislation applying to municipalities, there are no legislative constraints on NWT municipalities. Even though they all collect and retain significant amounts of personal information about their citizens and their employees, there is no oversight and no recourse for citizens when information is improperly used, nor are there any rules which allow citizens access to the information that municipalities create and collect.
I realize that municipalities face capacity and staffing issues, but the government, through MACA, has to accept responsibility to help their communities, to help them with ATIPP. But the burden on municipalities, if they are included under ATIPP, is acceptable when compared to the potential violation of individuals’ rights to privacy and protection of their own information. Of all Canadian jurisdictions, the three territories are the only ones without information and privacy legislation for municipalities. It’s long past time for this government to take action on amending the ATIPP Act. It really must be made a priority. Mr. Speaker, as you like to say, let’s get ‘er done.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Something very troubling has come to my attention and I feel the need to raise this issue in the House today.
Last week a letter went to parents of biathlon athletes in my community from their long-time coach, who is also a teacher in Hay River. Although I cannot read the whole letter in my Member’s statement, I would like to draw your attention to some parts of this letter. It reads:
“It is with much sadness and disappointment that I must share with everyone that I will be stepping down as the head coach of the Hay River Biathlon Team and Ski Club. I will finish out the season and continue to lead practices and coordinate the Polar Cup races and the Ptub races this year.
My reason for having to step down is the ongoing lack of support, which I have received over the years from my employer when it comes to volunteering and coaching the Hay River Biathlon Team. The latest reminder of this came when I required one hour of class time off in order to leave with the team, only to be told that I would have to apply for a half-day of discretionary leave and be responsible for covering the cost of a substitute teacher with being away, despite having another teacher offer to fill in for me for that one hour. As a teacher, I do not have lieu time or annual leave that I can draw from, so there are no options when your request for leave is denied.
This is just an example of numerous other requests in the past to coach our team, but with similar feedback. I feel that I am put in a position in which I am continually letting our athletes down as I cannot travel with them to competitions, especially after many, many weeks and months of preparation that we put in leading up to these competitions. It has been explained to me that the reason for this is that biathlon is not a school sport and, therefore, I am not entitled to the same leave as a basketball coach, for example.”
The letter goes on to explain the reasons why he decided to step down.
This teacher has been coaching in Hay River for more than 10 years. He has poured himself into his work, dedicating hundreds of hours each season, sacrificing his time and efforts to offer his services on a voluntary basis. It is not easy to find people who are willing, capable and qualified to make this type of commitment, and our government, unfortunately, does little to support teachers that coach outside of school sports. This teacher was only requesting a short amount of time from the workplace to be with these athletes. He is coaching kids, providing opportunities for them to be involved in sport within Hay River. He is also on the Hay River Ski Club and NWT Biathlon Board, and works to fundraise and plan for many opportunities for our youth.
It is also incredibly demoralizing to put so much into a program and then have so little support and recognition from your employer.
I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
The only games that are covered by the Human Resource Manual for approved leave are that associated with Arctic Winter Games, Canada Winter Games or national level championships. There is no leave for work as a teacher in our community with a group of youth outside the school setting. This is further compounded by the messages in the media that you hear about the importance of volunteering and giving back to the youth in our community.
Youth are a very high priority of this government, and I don’t think we should distinguish between school sports and community sports. I don’t think that money can buy the kind of contribution that a coach like this makes, and it’s not the fault of the school and it’s not the fault of the principal. It is a policy that needs to be looked at.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to discuss one of the commissions that are going around the Northwest Territories, the NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission. I’d like to talk about this commission and its involvement throughout the communities. Right now they are in the process of doing public consultation and we’ve given them direction to go out in the Northwest Territories and get opinions from the residents of the Northwest Territories to see what we do for electoral districts. Do we want 18, 19 or 21 MLAs?
They had a meeting last night in Hay River and it was very poorly attended, sadly to say. I just want to encourage all the Members and everybody else in the Northwest Territories, to attend the upcoming events. There is one on K’atlodeeche tonight at Chief Lamalice Complex from 7:00 until 9:00. Tomorrow, on Thursday night, there is one in Lutselk’e. Next week we have one, on March 10th, in Inuvik. There is one in Aklavik on March 11th, one in Yellowknife here on March 12th and one in Detah on March 13th. The commission is also taking submissions either on-line, at www.nwtboundaries.ca, or you can write the Commissioner and give your comments there. We need public input into this important issue. As MLAs, we will be deciding the fate of the future of the Northwest Territories, but we need feedback from the general public and we need to hear from them. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m going to be speaking on the Inuvik-Tuk highway. Yesterday we had a couple of strong statements and some questions in the House that gives a perception out there that our government is actually hiding something in terms of moving forward on this project and that deals are being done behind closed doors.
I sat here and I listened to it, and I felt that I had to say something today that we do have a process, and that process is waiting for the right correspondence from the federal government. The Minister sat up in the House yesterday. He explained himself. He answered the questions as best he could, but when he was answering, he was also mentioning that some of the information that some Members were seeking was also confidential.
We are very lucky in this House, and as legislators and as MLAs, to get some of this confidential information to help us make the right decisions that we have to make. There is a process for it. When the time is ready, it comes down into the House and we make that decision. I felt that it was unfair to the Minister and unfair to the House that we did have some Members questioning the Minister and trying to get the Minister to bring confidential information out into the public. Obviously, we are going to bring confidential information to the public. Obviously, we are going to bring this information to the public, but there is a process for it.
I just wanted to bring this out because I felt that although we know it in this House, the perception, the way it was stated yesterday, there is perception in the public that the government is hiding documents and hiding information and I don’t feel that is the case.
This is a big project. Obviously, I am in support of the Inuvik-Tuk highway for many reasons. A lot of them were discussed in the House. A lot of them were discussed in Members’ statements and Ministers’ statements, but mainly it’s for people in my region, in the Beaufort-Delta region and the community of Inuvik, looking at some of the stats for income support. We have an increase in the amount of dollars that our government is providing for people that are on income assistance right now. We have an increase in the amount of people that are applying to income assistance. We’re getting houses that are foreclosing in the community of Inuvik. This is not only providing infrastructure for the government, for the region, but it’s doing something that’s bigger in terms of Canada and the nation bringing our nation together closer, coast to coast to coast and building infrastructure to each coast.
I wanted to bring that up in the House today, that there is perception out there. I want to let the public know that we are following due course on this project, and when we do have information, it will become public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This week Canada agreed in writing to complete the final stages of their Protected Areas Strategy initiative to establish a co-managed national wildlife area of the Edehzhie. The federal government has also agreed to pay the cost of the litigation of the Dehcho First Nations. In return, Dehcho First Nations have agreed to withdraw their judicial review application.
Today Grand Chief Herb Norwegian said that he would renew calls for the Dehcho First Nations to the Harper government, to work with them to complete the process of protecting Edehzhie and establishing a co-management regime. The Dehcho First Nations has always been committed to the protection of this important area and that will never change. It’s a shame that we had to sue Canada to get the Harper government to honour its obligation, but we are very satisfied with the results of Grand Chief Herb Norwegian. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last weekend I had the opportunity to drive the Mackenzie Valley winter road with Minister Ramsay. Over 700 kilometres through God’s country makes a guy feel a little poetic. I want to share with my colleagues here today some of the things that were going through my mind.
Almost heaven, just past Wrigley, Mackenzie Mountains, Deh Cho Big River. The roads get rough here, rough as any seas. Holes and bumps and ridges, spilling coffee on my knees.
Winter road, get me home to the place I belong. Sahtu country, Great Bear River, get me home, winter road.
All the oil companies gathering up there. The ice couldn’t take it, trucks waiting in Nahendeh. Lots of big loads heading north for resupply, it’s a race against springtime under the northern sky.
Winter roads, get me home to the place I belong. Sahtu country, Hare Skin River, get me home, winter roads.
I hear the geese, way down south. Now as they call to me, make me daydream, about blasting and plucking this May. Bouncing down the road I get a feeling, the all-weather road highway should have been built yesterday. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker.
So with that I’d like to say thank you to Minister Ramsay for braving the winter road with me and I hope, now that he’s experienced it he will agree that we need an all-weather road yesterday. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health and Social Services did a Minister’s statement on the Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness. I want to quote a couple of things. It says not one community in the entire Northwest Territories can claim to be free from health and social problems caused by addictive behaviour.
That beginning statement is very telling about the problems we’re having here in the Northwest Territories. I believe in prevention and, certainly, enhancing established treatment facilities, as the Minister has highlighted in his statement, but I think we need to go just a little bit further. We need to draw the line and say we need to establish true treatment facilities to address these types of problems.
I thank the Minister who has offered two detox centres and two in Inuvik, I believe he said, or sorry, detox beds, my apologies there, but I think that only is just a re-profiling of what we already do. Are they just going to be re-profiled spots at the hospital? I liken it to what the federal government does. They keep announcing decisions already made about new money. It is something we’re already doing? Are these new beds that he’s talking about?
I applaud the government, on the other hand, when they talk about $9 million annually on counselling and treatment. This is a relentless fight. I will not give up on those people who need help, because hard drugs are a challenge out there. There’s not a month that goes by that somebody calls to talk about their children. I can’t say this call comes everywhere, but I can definitely attest that this type of call comes in every month that someone talks about their partner, their friend, their children with these types of problems. We are in a position to better people’s lives.
I worry about this Addictions Forum group. Are they just going to restate what the endless amounts of reports, experts and studies have already told us to do? They’ve told the government to act, but now they decided to strike a new committee. I also fear that laypersons will be helping to drive government policy when we’ve had many experts who’ve already pointed out the right direction. Although they mean well, I just worry we are taking on a topic that they don’t bring the skills to the table.
I will be asking the Minister questions about giving us an update as to what this forum has said and heard. I want to make it absolutely clear, my last point here for the day, that I certainly support the principles of things like on-the-land programming and to that I will stand with my colleagues, but I fear that it may appear taboo to say, this but no on-the-land program will help people with hard drugs such as crack and meth.
I will have questions during the appropriate time later today and I look forward to the answers by the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot has been said in this House in recent days about the proposed highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. There has been so much talk about cost overruns that I was starting to wonder if I had missed the start of construction. Of course, we know that the decision has not yet been made. Critics of the project are so fixated on costs that they downplay the most important fact: The Inuvik-Tuk highway is a great investment in our economy and future. The benefits are huge. There will be hundreds of jobs building the road for people in the Mackenzie Delta, Inuvik and Nunakput areas. Many of these jobs will last for several years and possibly much longer if the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project goes ahead. There will be many business opportunities and most of the work will go to northern contractors.
I do want to throw in a word of caution here. Gwich’in businesses have not always had a fair shake in getting government contracts in the ISR and that must not happen on the Inuvik-Tuk highway.
This project will turn around the weak economy that we have had for so many years in the Beaufort-Delta. Our young people will see that they have a way to get ahead and support their families. They will see that going to school is important. We need these jobs. Every year the cost of living goes up and up, and with the cost of electricity and fuel, and groceries and everything else, our people need opportunities besides income support. Once it is finished, the Inuvik-Tuk highway will bring down the cost of living in Tuk and open new opportunities there including tourism, especially if the increased investment dollars that can promote all the Delta has to offer. If we build it, they will come.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome a constituent, Ms. Lone Sorensen, in the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When Mr. Ramsay and I went on a winter road trip, we drove to Fort Good Hope and to Fort Simpson. On our way from Fort Good Hope to Fort Simpson we stopped, and there was a bridge there at Oscar Creek. I want to ask the Minister what his plans are from his department having that huge bridge, I think it’s over a million dollars of infrastructure, sitting there. What are his plans with his department to get it fixed and used?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I enjoyed the Member’s song earlier. It was a good song. Good trip with the Member down the Mackenzie Valley. We did see a number of things. One of them was the bridge at Oscar Creek. We took a number of pictures of that bridge. There was some engineering that went a bit awry back about 10 years ago on that bridge. When I got back in the office on Monday, I had an opportunity to talk to the department about the Oscar Creek Bridge and what was happening with that. There are plans to use the bridge on Oscar Creek. It might not be in the location that it’s in currently, but there are plans to realign the all-weather road with that bridge. Plans are in the works and I’ve impressed upon the department that that should happen sooner rather than later.
It was a long bumpy road and I want to ask the Minister, with all the work going on in the Sahtu, and next year Good Hope is going to get busy on that section, I want to ask the Minister if he could put pressure on his colleagues in the department to get that bridge. The bridge is there because of the engineering that wasn’t done properly. Could the Minister press his department to get that bridge? There’s over a million dollars in infrastructure sitting there. They might as well just bring that Oscar Creek Bridge and put it right in front of the Legislative Assembly because that’s all it’s doing is just sitting there. It’s an embarrassment. Taxpayers are paying for this and I want to ask the department if they could speed up putting that bridge into operation.
That happened about 10 years ago with the location of putting the bridge in its current location. It does need to be moved. It’s a sizable piece of infrastructure that would require probably looking at relocation and realigning on more of the all-weather road alignment of the highway. It is going to take a capital investment of probably somewhere in the magnitude of $2 million to $3 million, I would imagine, to move the bridge and put it where it needs to be. It is in the works and I can assure the Member, having seen it for myself, that bridge will be moved as soon as we can possibly move it.
The people in the Sahtu are very happy, even over the last couple of days. The people in Tulita are very happy that the Minister has taken the trip and driven down. The Minister knows the conditions that we have to put up with day in and day out in the Sahtu.
I want to ask the Minister, amongst the other bridges, we looked at Bob’s Canyon and that’s a disaster waiting to happen. The number of trucks that we passed along Strawberry Creek. Will these bridges be fixed so that we can have some safety next year on our winter roads?
We had the opportunity to stop into Wrigley. We talked with the band manager. The Member and I both had the opportunity to drive through Bob’s Canyon and Strawberry Creek. Pehdzeh Ki Contractors, the folks in Wrigley are doing work on both of those areas. Not all of the work is going to be concluded this year. We will continue to work on some of that next season, but certainly from a safety perspective, Bob’s Canyon, when we did get back to Yellowknife on Monday I instructed the department to address the concern with the ruts in the road at Bob’s Canyon and they had somebody get on that right away. That was addressed immediately.
The work will get done there. We have highlighted both Bob’s Canyon and Strawberry Creek as areas of high priority from a safety perspective, and we are working toward the completion of those projects.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were a couple of spots that we went on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. There’s one called Washboard Lane and Pothole Valley. I want to ask the Minister, is the Arctic paving program going to increase the dollars for the oil companies, because those number, maybe 1,500 or 1,600 trucks are pounding the roads in the Mackenzie Valley. If the Minister can look at some funding to increase the Arctic paving program in the Mackenzie Valley, that will certainly help our people and probably will save a lot of lives.
The Member and I probably saw about 60 trucks heading north, just on the Saturday alone, driving from Norman Wells to Wrigley. We need to continue working with industry. This past winter season we’ve had an investment of $1.2 million, through partnerships with industry, for enhancements on the winter road. Next season we anticipate that work going a little bit further north towards Fort Good Hope. Our anticipation is that industry will want to continue to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories on ways to enhance the winter road. That includes applying water to the road to build up the base so it lasts longer and is more durable. All indications are that industry will want to continue to be our partner in this effort in advance of us having an all-weather road down the Mackenzie Valley.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
