Thank you, Mr Speaker. This Assembly has a vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. We called our plan Northerners Working Together because we know that each of us has a part to play in helping us achieve that vision. Last year, with the support of Members, I engaged with residents all across the Territory to hear about their priorities and ideas for coming together to create a better future for all Northerners. I would like to take this opportunity to update Members on what I heard.
At the March 2010 meeting of the Northern Leaders’ Forum, it was agreed that each member of the Northern Leaders’ Forum would take the summer to engage with respective constituents and ask them about the kind of future they would like to see for the Northwest Territories. Following these engagement processes, members of the Northern Leaders’ Forum were to meet again to share their findings and determine whether any common themes emerged which could form the foundation for a vision for the Northwest Territories.
As Members are aware, my contribution to the work of the Northern Leaders’ Forum was to launch a territory-wide engagement process called “Creating our Future Together.” I spent the summer months reaching out to NWT residents to seek their views on what our Territory should look like in 20 to 30 years.
In addition, we partnered with NorthwesTel and the NWT Teachers’ Association to sponsor an essay contest encouraging high school students to
articulate their priorities for the future. When we come back as an Assembly in May, it is my intent to introduce the winner of this contest and have them as Premier for a day.
Our young people are an impressive group. They spoke with honesty and passion. It’s clear they care about the kind of future they’re going to inherit and they expect to play a part in shaping it.
I am pleased that many residents accepted the invitation to get engaged and involved. Residents I met with and/or heard from provided thoughtful input and innovative ideas about the kind of future they wished to see for the NWT. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a report and appendix summarizing this input.
One of the most encouraging but not necessarily surprising things that emerged is the fact that people generally share the same concerns and priorities and that these are many of the same priorities we identified as an Assembly.
Probably the most frequent point raised by residents and youth in particular is the need to strengthen educational opportunities for NWT residents and to better prepare youth for future success.
Residents also made it clear that they want a sustainable economy. Residents are united in wanting an economy that creates jobs and prosperity for our people today, but they expect it to yield social and economic benefits for the long term.
Closely linked to this theme, people are also committed to protecting the land and the environment. Residents value the land and the northern way of life. They want to see a future development successfully balanced with conservation. Many also talked about the need for the NWT to become more energy efficient and less dependent on fossil fuels.
A final theme that emerged from my engagement with residents involves governance. While there was a healthy diversity of views expressed about what needs to change, almost everyone we heard from wants to see devolution. They believe NWT residents should make decisions that affect our residents.
It has truly been an honour to listen to people from all walks of life share their views on a common future for all of us. I believe, from what I have heard to date, there is much common ground on which we can build our Territory.
All of the submissions by individuals and organizations, roundtable participants and input from youth have been summarized in the report I will be tabling later today.
I am pleased to advise that I’ve had the opportunity to present the results of the Creating Our Future Initiative to members of the Northern Leaders’ Forum at our January 24th meeting. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation and the Northwest Territories Association of Communities also tabled and presented the summary reports of their respective engagement processes. At our meeting, members of the Northern Leaders’ Forum agreed to continue the work of developing a vision. We will be meeting again in the near future and agreed to hold a conference in the spring to finalize the vision and roadmap for the NWT.
There is no better or more crucial time for northern governments and the people of the NWT to continue the discussion of developing a vision for our future. For too long decisions about our future have been made elsewhere. We need to seize the future. We cannot take a back seat any longer.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To deliver effective programs and services to the people of the Northwest Territories, the government requires a public service staffed by skilled employees. The goal in 20/20: A Brilliant North, the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan, is to provide effective human resource tools which allows managers to have the right people in the right jobs at the right time.
To further this goal, I am pleased to announce that by the end of March 2011 the final phases of e-Recruit, the government’s on-line electronic recruitment and staffing system, will be launched.
Implementation of e-Recruit is being carried out in three phases. Phase 1 started in January 2010, to allow individuals to view job ads and apply for jobs on-line. Immediate benefits saw a reduction in competition completion time and fewer paper-based processes.
Phases 2 and 3 of e-Recruit, currently being implemented, provide a powerful staffing and recruitment system for managers and human resource staff. Key features include the ability to:
initiate staffing requests electronically;
view resumes and screen applicants on-line;
track the progress of competitions;
schedule interviews with applicants on-line; and
generate recruitment statistics.
Mr. Speaker, e-Recruit moves the government from paper-based recruitment to an on-line electronic system that provides a streamlined and efficient staffing process.
I know Members are interested in greening initiatives and one of the more significant impacts of e-Recruit will be the move to paperless competition files. Staffing competition files are often two or three inches thick with paper. In the Yellowknife offices of management and recruitment services, paper is bought by the pallet load. As we move to paperless files it is anticipated there will be a reduction of approximately 80 to 100 boxes of paper used by the Department of Human Resources on a yearly basis. Eliminating paper files will also reduce printer cartridge use and the costs associated with both.
As Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly, we identified an effective and efficient government as one of our goals. Efficient recruitment enables us to have the right people in the right jobs at the right time. Our continued investment in improving the public service is an investment in our ability to provide quality programs and services to Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday there is going to be a referendum in Yellowknife on the Con Mine community energy system. I’ve talked with City officials to get a firm understanding of the project proposal and I want to share that information to help voters make a wise decision.
It’s important to be clear what the vote is or isn’t and what citizens are being asked to approve. This vote is not a final investment decision or a vote to go ahead with the project. Referendum approval would allow the City to talk to partners in a meaningful way. It would give the signal of serious intention private firms need before undertaking the expense of a detailed business plan assembly.
With the consent of the referendum, the City can proceed to finding a partner who will provide capital costs confirmation. With firm capital costs, customer rates can be confirmed, and given confirmation that the project is viable, work can proceed on signing up customers. City officials tell me that then and only then would the City use the consent given under the referendum and assemble the funds needed to establish a new arm’s-length utility.
This is a cautious strategy and very risk adverse. It provides a number of off-ramps to back away before any capital construction decision is made based upon the hard numbers of the business case. After the system is constructed, building owners will hold the risk of fuel price fluctuation.
So why is the City making this project its business? Because the City wants Yellowknife’s future to be based on environmentally responsible energy price stability, with a secure future for stable, low-energy costs. City growth can be planned around a built-in economic advantage based on low carbon emissions. City planners are acting to reap the windfall of federal funds available now. And for taxpayers, energy sales could actually result in decrease of tax assessments thanks to the new revenue source. The City is offering voters a cautious next step towards a more secure, greener future. There will be lots more public scrutiny and lots of opportunity for hard questions.
I’m urging Yellowknifers to get out and vote on Monday, March 14th, and let’s keep our options open, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Enormous environmental benefits could accrue if the Con Mine community energy system goes ahead. On carbon emissions reductions alone the project is a huge winner. The project will displace Yellowknife’s fuel oil consumption by seven million litres a year, providing a 17,000 tonne reduction in greenhouse gases. That’s the equivalent of taking half the vehicles in Yellowknife off the road. It also cancels the emissions from thousands of fuel haul trucks.
Emissions from buildings connected to the system, the largest buildings in the city, will drop by 95 percent. Geothermal energy can heat this city for as long as there is a Yellowknife. Cheap distributed heat is an economic incentive to build a compact community with energy-efficient densities for walking, commuters, a green community for people.
One recent letter in support of this project asked us to imagine a Yellowknife family in 2015 buying a townhouse, working downtown, sending their kids to nearby schools. Those kids could grow up 100 percent carbon neutral, their power from Snare Hydro and their heat from the Con Mine community energy system. Even their tap water would be preheated using mine energy.
While Con gold mine is closed, we are still sitting on a gold mine. Emission-free energy savings from continually renewing energy offers strong competitive advantage to Yellowknife which will pay dividends for the foreseeable future. We have a limited time offer of $14 million federal to help us seize this opportunity. The green category of the project gives us access to federal funds other cities can only envy.
People are frequently discouraged in confronting the immense challenge of turning back climate change. It is natural to say I am just one person, the task is so huge, what can I do? Mr. Speaker, they can vote in favour of the Con Mine community energy system. People are being given the chance to vote in favour of a green future. I am marking my calendar to vote yes on March 14th and I am hoping Yellowknifers will too. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last couple of weeks I have raised issues in regards to the Joe Greenland Centre, the closure of the long-term care side of the facility. Mr. Speaker, I am still getting calls from a lot of the residents of Aklavik and especially concerns of their loved ones, and more importantly, the elders, and also what is going to happen to them.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important as government that we relay the message that there is a transition taking place, but more importantly, what is going to change.
Mr. Speaker, we have to improve the quality of life for our seniors no matter where they live, identify specialized programs to allow more independent services to meet the needs of our elders and the aging population. Those would include personal care, use of handicapped devices and finding the supports they need in regards to ensuring the seniors can live a long time yet in their home communities by being provided the physical and mental services that other people receive in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, we also have to ensure that we do have programs in the communities like respite care, having the caregivers utilize these programs and services in our communities ensuring that we utilize all government programs and services throughout the Northwest Territories regardless if it is Meals on Wheels or ensuring that we have home support services for those elders who need the assistance regardless of their disability, their age or their mobility, to be able to take advantage of different programs and services ensuring that they are independent and that the safety and health of the individuals are taken care of.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the government has to do more to ensure that we are offering programs and services to communities such as Aklavik in light of the closure of the long-term care facility in the Joe Greenland Centre. I would like to give some assurance in the government with a motion passed here in the House, and what type of investments are we going to make as a government to ensure that those elders in the Joe Greenland Centre who basically have been relocated or have to be relocated will continue to be given supports in their home communities.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on where the government is going on this matter. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the goals of the Sahtu region has to look at the financial stability that will stimulate the Sahtu economy in our region and develop the resources. Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to look at the negotiated contracts that the government produces every year and I looked over them for the last three years. These documents tell a very sad story, Mr. Speaker. We need to do better in my region.
For example, in 2009-2010, I see a $23 million negotiated contract with a local firm in Fort Smith to renovate the health centre. I also saw a $6.8 million negotiated contract for Tuktoyaktuk. In my region, I see a negotiated contract for $900,000. Compared to other regions, Mr. Speaker, we’re talking peanuts here.
It’s even worse in the year before, Mr. Speaker. A negotiated contract was awarded for the Beaufort-Delta for $11 million for transportation work. There are more than five to six million dollars of negotiated contracts for other Aboriginal companies in Monfwi and Nahendeh ridings. I see no issue with this, Mr. Speaker...(inaudible)...
Mr. Yakeleya
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I start over again?
The light went off just shortly before you quit talking, I think. So if you want to start back from one paragraph back, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There were five to six million dollars negotiated contracts with other Aboriginal companies in the Monfwi and Nahendeh ridings. I see no issue with this if it benefits local people, Mr. Speaker, but there must be fairness. If it can be done in the other regions, surely it can be done in mine, and again, in the Sahtu, one little negotiated contract for $200,000 was awarded.
Mr. Speaker, there is a long-term trend to this. In 2008 this government negotiated a $28 million contract here in Yellowknife. Surely some other companies would have loved to have bid on that work, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to remind the government that employment in my region is epidemic and I don’t see much to strengthen or to stabilize our economy.
Mr. Speaker, in our land claim, economic benefits was our goal in our settlement. I’d like to remind the government of this too. I’d also like to remind the government of the first goal of the Negotiated Contracts Policy: benefits for business or residents, which could not be reasonably expected to achieve through competitive contracting.
I’ll ask the Premier later, Mr. Speaker, on questions regarding the Negotiated Contracts Policy.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to say yes I “con,” I “con” support the City of Yellowknife district energy system.
---Laughter
I “con” vote yes on referendum day, next Monday, and I will vote yes. I support the City’s Geothermal District Energy System Project and I’m excited by the concept of a district energy system, and I’m excited by the long-term benefits that will accrue to both the city and its residents.
Like many city homeowners, when I first heard the details of the project, I heard that it would supply heat to 39 downtown buildings. I wondered what was in it for me. Would there be a benefit to me as a single-family homeowner? Would my taxes go up because of the $49 million loan? Could I expect the price of oil to go up in the future because of this project? The answers are yes, I will benefit; no, my taxes won’t go up; and no, the price of oil won’t increase.
In the short term, homeowners will benefit through revenues from heat energy sales, which will go to the City because it will be a major shareholder in the district energy company. In the long term, the company will expand to possibly provide heat to all residents of Yellowknife. It might take 30 or 50 years, but eventually we can be off all the oil as a heat energy source.
Any loan taken out by the City for this project will be an expense of the energy company, separate from City expenses and will be paid off through the energy company, not through our taxes. In fact, we may even see a reduction in our taxes because of this new revenue source for the City.
You’ve heard about other aspects of this project from other Members. I’ve focused on the impact that it will have on individual city residents. For me the benefits far outweigh the negatives. I know more work is needed before this project can go ahead. A yes vote on Monday will allow for that work, the necessary research and study, which will determine if the project should proceed. A no vote stops everything right now, before the study and the evaluation of the viability of the project has been completed and it wastes the man hours and the money spent to date.
I will be voting yes on Monday for two reasons: because it addresses the long-term sustainability of my home community and because I “con.” I urge all Yellowknifers to get out to the polls on Monday and do the same.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
I rise once again to implore this government to hear the needs of the community of Trout Lake who wish to see a stand-alone school. Trout Lake is one of the many growing communities in the NWT. Younger families have been moving back and there are more children in the community. Also, technically the previous Charles Tetcho School was never replaced. Our government promised to replace it but it was never done.
The school is presently housed in the community recreation centre. Actually, government has some planned renovations to this facility this summer to accommodate the needs of the teachers and students from learning in a one-room school. This is great, but in the long term not good enough.
The Louie Norwegian School in Jean Marie River is a good example and probably not that costly a solution for a school that Trout Lake is looking for. The chief, counsellors, elders and staff always look to the future. They know that the youth are their future and want to ensure the very best for them. They also point out that our government’s priorities are to take care of our youth and to have the best education. All they are asking for is for us to follow our own priorities.
All the big schools are almost completed. It’s time to take care of our small communities like Trout Lake. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment must recognize the needs of the community and assure a budget for the new school is in the next capital planning process.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members of this House are aware, the NWT has had a payroll tax in place since 1993, before I became a Member. It happened before my time.
The tax was originally brought in because so many non-resident workers were flying in and out of the Territory on a regular basis and benefitting from our job opportunities, government programs and services, and public infrastructure without contributing to our tax base. A tax credit was brought in at the same time to partially offset the payroll tax for NWT resident workers.
In 2005 the payroll tax increased from 1 percent to 2 percent. At the same time changes were made to the cost of living tax credits. The combined effect of these measures is that NWT residents now pay 2 percent payroll tax on any net income from employment over $66,000.
The cost of living continues to rise. We are still coming out of a global recession and even middle and higher income workers are struggling. These workers already pay higher rates of income tax for their higher earnings. Why should they have to pay another 2 percent on top of this? Not only that, Northerners who make just as much or more money from non-employment sources such as investments or business income get the tax credit but are not subject to the payroll tax at all. Where is the fairness in penalizing employees over other NWT residents? What message are we sending?
While I am supportive of the payroll tax as a way of getting at least some revenue from fly-in/fly-out workers who benefit from our roads, hospitals and high-paying jobs without paying our income tax, I am concerned about the impact it is having on employees who live here and have to cope with our higher cost of housing, fuel, food and other basic necessities.
For NWT residents the GNWT should get off our backs and axe the tax.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The problem with water and sewer infrastructure at Northland Trailer Park continues to be a serious problem. For the past two weeks many of its residents are still trying to cope without water and sewer. These residents undeniably are in a difficult situation and immediate action needs to happen to save our homes. To date the discussion around financial responsibilities continues to overshadow or overtake the problems of health and safety concerns of the 259 families that are at serious risk of losing everything.
As such, the GNWT needs to rise to the occasion and help these families by being more of a supportive friend of encouragement and actually putting money on the table. As is typical with these types of problems, while the three levels of government talk about what to do and who should pay, what is actually happening is these 259 families wait while the ground crumbles beneath them.
Without any doubt, I believe our government has a role here and this is why:
when considering in California when the landslides destroyed families homes, the state stepped in to help the people;
when in B.C. the fires burned down people’s homes, the province stepped to the plate;
in Manitoba when the Red River, true to form, rose and created floods, the province had a role; and
when in Aklavik, the great community flood of 2006, the river predictably rose and $3.6 million rightly found its way to helping that community.
Now I’m sure the government has an interesting interpretation on what constitutes disaster assistance programs, but even in the communities across our great country when water supply becomes a problem, even INAC has been known to step in and rise to the occasion to help them.
I can’t give you the interpretation of this government’s definition of what “vital services” are, however, I can assure you that 259 families will say water and sewer, in their view, is a vital service to them. For illustration purposes only, the definition of “vital services” in Section 33(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act is: a vital service includes heat, fuel, electricity, gas, hot and cold water and any other public utility. So rather than contemplating the issue about roles and responsibility or even looking for loopholes, what about putting people first for a change?
Finally, this concern is not just about money, but if it is, and the GNWT is worried about how to get it back, then caveat all the properties. It’s time to act, not talk. I ask this government not to confuse the right thing to do with rules and responsibilities as justification to do very little in this serious case.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Today I would like to talk about contaminated sites in Tu Nedhe. As we are all aware, there is a lot of resource activity in the Tu Nedhe riding. In fact, all the diamond mines and many other exploration activities currently underway are in Tu Nedhe. In addition, there are many sites within the community boundaries that must be cleaned up by various GNWT departments as soon as possible. Also, there are sites inside and outside the communities that must be cleaned up by the federal government.
The people of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution want all the contaminated sites cleaned up using as much local labour as possible. There are 25 to 30 contaminated sites in and around the communities of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution and I’d like to see the government tell me what the plan is moving forward.
As I’ve mentioned numerous times in this House, the small communities need work. The contractors in the small communities need contracts and the land around the communities must be remediated to an acceptable standard.
This government must begin working with the federal government so that a plan to address the contaminated sites is put to work. One of the areas I see the two governments working together on is in the area covered by the Interim Resource Management Agreement. This government must work closely with the federal government to increase funding in the Interim Resource Management Agreement so the money can have some real impacts in Tu Nedhe.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last summer the federal government announced changes to the Food Mail Program for Canada’s North, basically to subsidize the cost of transporting food through Canada Post. The new plan is to subsidize retailers directly. We all hope the new program will finally reduce the cost of healthy food in our remote communities and improve the variety of food available. The new subsidy applies to such foods as milk, fruit, vegetables and bread. Just yesterday the Indian and Northern Affairs Minister said it will continue to subsidize some other goods such as toilet paper. He said the retailers were saying that changes to the program were happening too quickly.
The Food Mail Program is the biggest subsidy program in the North. Given the terribly high prices of basic foods in the communities, it is important that the federal government get this one right. It must help our residents, not just the retailers and freight companies. When a small bag of salad costs $10 and a litre of milk costs $18, we have to wonder who this is benefitting.
I’m glad the federal government is making changes based on the feedback it’s getting from the North, but it makes me think that the changes were not well thought out in the first place. Maybe the federal government needs some help. The new Food Mail Program is replacing Nutrition North. This is transparent and reliable. The consumers must be able to see where the subsidy goes. It must bring down the prices of staple foods for our residents. Healthy eating and living are priorities of this government and crucial to the health of our people. I encourage the government to work with the federal government to improve the new Food Subsidy Program.
I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize one of the Pages who’s been working with us I think over the last six weeks off and on. Aimee Yurris is a constituent of Frame Lake and I’d like to thank Aimee for her work off and on over the last six weeks. I’d like to congratulate all the Pages for the work that they’ve done. They’ve done a great job.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Dr. Nicole Redvers, a naturopathic doctor and constituent of Kam Lake. I’ll be having an acknowledgement for her later on today.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague Ms. Bisaro, I’d like to recognize the hard work of all our Pages that have been helping us here for the past six weeks, but specifically I’d also like to make special note of two Sir John students who are residents of Yellowknife Centre; that is Theresa Johnson and Karol Manning. Thank you for your hard work and we appreciate the work you do.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the two Pages we had up from Sachs Harbour this week working with us here in the House: Shelby Lucas and Ms. Leigha Keogak.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use this time to acknowledge Mr. Stephen Pretty, employee of the NWT Housing Corporation who is going to be leaving us soon and moving back to Newfoundland. Good luck to you, Stephen, and welcome.
