Debates of May 16, 2007 (day 8)

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 97-15(6): Contract For GNWT Employee Assistance Plan

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the deputy minister, when the issue was raised with her, did in fact ask Shepell-fgi to ascertain that the names that they had in their proposal were properly listed. Shepell came back and, at that point, said, we have mistakenly included one name, and apologized for that and asked us to remove it from the proposal. At this point, we are advised that there was one name, but that is the only one that we are aware of. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier in my Member’s statement today, I talked about the issuance of a driver’s licence. In a larger community, it is pretty simple to go into the office and write their exam and road test, but the example I gave is in Paulatuk where a few residents have to fly to Inuvik just to write and get their road test to get their driver’s licence so that they can find employment, especially with the hamlets. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation on whether these people that travel to Inuvik at their own expense for accommodation, for the airfare and for meals, to see if the department can reimburse these individuals once I give him the names. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 98-15(6): Driver’s Licensing Services In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The short answer is no for the honourable Member, Mr. Speaker. But I can commit to follow up with the community to see if we can alleviate those concerns about the best way to issue driver’s licences and getting driver’s tests done in that community. One of the ways of doing it, of course, is to set up a schedule to go into the community as long as everybody is aware when the driver examiner is coming. I know that some licences expire, but there is a grace period. But with enough planning, we should be able to address some of those concerns, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 98-15(6): Driver’s Licensing Services In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for that, but I still think, Mr. Speaker, that these people looking for employment in the local hamlet of Paulatuk, in order for them to find work, like I said earlier, they have to travel to Inuvik to get that done. Had the department been able to send someone to Paulatuk, they wouldn’t have to pay the cost of flying to Inuvik, so I understand when the Minister said no, but can he at least look at…If I can give the names to the Minister at this point in time, will he at least contact these individuals and see what kind of reimbursement they can get for their travel expenses? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 98-15(6): Driver’s Licensing Services In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do not have any program for reimbursing people to get their driver’s licences re-issued but, once again, Mr. Speaker, we are willing to look at the community of Paulatuk to go in there and discuss their needs with them. We do not, of course, have an issuing system in all of our communities in the North, but we are planning to provide support to the outlying communities and to deal with systems that the driver examiner and our department, what is the best way we can alleviate the concerns in the communities and getting people driver’s licences so they can get to work. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 98-15(6): Driver’s Licensing Services In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to follow up with the Minister. Can the Minister direct his department in Inuvik at least to try to make a scheduled service to these communities, not only Paulatuk but to Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 98-15(6): Driver’s Licensing Services In Small Communities

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, part of our plan is to support all outlying communities that do not have access to the issuing agents and driver’s examiners. We are undertaking studies of a portable system which a driver examiner can bring into these smaller remote communities, as well as setting up a detailed or a consistent schedule to visit the communities will be part of the solution. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been in the discussion with Ken Hudson, the Metis president from Fort Smith, also a very avid and capable hunter. He has been attempting to take advantage of the federal amnesty to register weapons, which ends today. He has been telling me that the 1-800 number is clogged with calls. You can’t get through. When you go on the Internet, there are enough forms to choke a mule. The concern, Mr. Speaker, is I know this is a federal program, but my question to the Minister of Justice is, is there any way that representation could be made to the federal government? Mr. Hudson is of the opinion that he is not the only one, that he thinks a considerable number of aboriginal gun owners aren’t going to be able to register their guns. They are not going to make amnesty. I just wanted to ask the Minister if there was any way he could make the case that there is going to be a bunch of people left out through no fault really of their own? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 99-15(6): Federal Gun Registry

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wasn’t aware that there was a concern with the crush of number of people trying to get in and register their firearms. What I will do and propose to do is, the minute we are finished here in the House, I will call Stockwell Day’s office, the Minister responsible for Public Safety, make the case, let him know that we are having difficulty here and appeal to him to either find some way to extend this or put more resources into accommodating the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask some questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland. It relates to mental health services and the demands that we are encountering here in the NWT. I was wondering if the Minister could give us a snapshot of the current level or the current demand for mental health services and our capacity to help people to deal with these, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 100-15(6): Mental Health Services Capacity

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t have a specific caseload that all of our workers have in the communities across the Northwest Territories at this point, but, from the department’s perspective, we have invested quite a substantial amount of money over the last few years in trying to strengthen this area of mental health and addictions. For example, in 2007, as I had stated yesterday in a number of questions, 77 positions were added and funding of about $6.6 million through health and social services authorities to strengthen this area. That went towards community wellness workers as well as 24 mental health and addictions counsellors and eight clinical supervisors. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 100-15(6): Mental Health Services Capacity

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is interesting. I kind of contrast that investment with the decision by the Department of Human Resources to actually reduce investment in counselling services in mental health support to our own employees. Because of the decision by the Department of Human Resources to choose a southern-based contractor for our Employee Assistance Program, does it concern the Minister that we are subsequently going to be losing resident professionals who could be part of the mental health regime here in the NWT, Mr. Speaker?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 100-15(6): Mental Health Services Capacity

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process we have used in trying to strengthen our mental health and addictions programs across the Territories is one we have worked in partnership with NGOs, ourselves, and health and social services authorities. I am not sure if this contract, the impact it would have on us. Of course, every link in the system will help strengthen our own position. So I would have to ask the department if there is going to be any spin-off to this. Of course, this program we work under is available to every resident of the Northwest Territories. As I stated, we are working to strengthen that.

One of the other things we are doing, for example, Mr. Speaker, as I stated yesterday again, is in March of this past year of 2007, there was a territorial advisory group that had a meeting and we are hoping to see their work by mid-summer to see where we are going with this whole area and strengthening how we deliver the program in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 100-15(6): Mental Health Services Capacity

Mr. Speaker, we know that within our own Employee Assistance Program, the growth in the number of calls for support has increased substantially between 2005 and 2006 and 2006 and 2007, something like a 42 percent increase. This signals that we have got a substantial need here. I wanted to ask the Minister if he has any indication from the people in his department about this, but a concern is that, now that we have lost these resident professionals from the Northstar contract, there is going to be a much greater demand on other parts of our mental health care system because we will not have this direct support available on the ground here. It is going to be from a southern contractor. Has the Minister heard any concerns of that nature from his department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 100-15(6): Mental Health Services Capacity

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department has not raised this issue with me in this area. We will continue to work on the program we have established in partnership with the NGOs and health and social services authority. This specific area hasn’t been brought to my attention. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Highway No. 8 is always a difficult highway to drive sometimes. There is a lot of dust and a lot of potholes. I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation how the Department of Transportation determines the amount of dust control they are going to apply onto a road in a year if there is a 152-kilometre stretch from Inuvik to Fort McPherson that needs it? How do they determine that? I would like to know if it is cost or safety. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 101-15(6): Dust Control On Public Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As with any highway where there are many challenges to ensure the highways are as safe as possible for the travelling public, and the Dempster Highway that the Member is referring to is one of the ones that we are focussing a lot of our capital and energy on. We are basically reconstructing that highway. Also, another one of the big challenges is the amount of dust control that we can apply to those roads. One of our biggest barriers, Mr. Speaker, is the cost of application; whereas, down south, the southern sections of our roads, we can get away with $1,500 per kilometre. On the Dempster, it is costing us $5,000 per kilometre. It really impacts the amount of O and M we can apply to those roads. That is one of the deciding factors, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 101-15(6): Dust Control On Public Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. It just surprises me that we hear so much talk about cost and you do one stretch that is $5,000 per kilometre. What happens if an accident happens on another stretch on another kilometre where it wasn’t dust controlled? Are those people worth more than $5,000? I would think so. We have been fortunate that we have not had as many accidents as we could have had on that highway. The Inuvik to Fort McPherson section of it is very bad. I would like to ask the Minister to be the Transportation Minister. He has to know all the highways. I would like to ask him if he has been on the Dempster Highway. If not, would he commit to taking a ride on the Dempster Highway, once the snow goes, with myself as the driver? Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 101-15(6): Dust Control On Public Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, I did commit to the Member that I would certainly be glad to take a ride with him on the Dempster at the posted speed limit, of course.

---Laughter

I am certainly interested in the highway that we are spending lots of resources on. I do want to see for myself, Mr. Speaker. So I will be happy to commit to that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Supplementary To Question 101-15(6): Dust Control On Public Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that commitment. I look forward to the ride. I would like to ask the Minister, before I asked him, how does the department determine how much highway to dust control? Now I would like to ask the Minister, who decides how much of that highway we can apply dust control to? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 101-15(6): Dust Control On Public Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not quite sure what the Member is getting at, if he is looking for a name or…but, typically, it is done by regional offices that makes a determination based on the condition of the road and engineering studies that we conduct periodically. That is how the highways are assessed for need for work, etcetera. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, offer the same invitation to the Minister responsible for the Department of Transportation to consider travelling on Highway No. 3 to visit these cabins. I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up from my previous question in a different format. As Mr. Menicoche outlined, there was a disagreement on the private contractor. Is the Minister willing to sit down and talk about the potential contractor again, because that contractor he was referring to was before August, 2005, with a new Tlicho agreement? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 102-15(6): Maintenance Of Highway No. 3 Access Roads

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In other regions, this is not too much of an issue because people do understand the application of their access roads and they do make arrangements with Transportation, but namely our contractors to have their access roads ploughed. So that is something that has happened in this region. I know that contractors in this region have been complaining to us for using highways equipment. Highways does maintain this stretch of road. Often, the contractors complain that we are taking away work from them. That is why we are not using our equipment to provide for the services of helping people with their access roads. With respect to the first part of his question, I would be happy to commit, as well, to driving with the Member down Highway No. 3. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 102-15(6): Maintenance Of Highway No. 3 Access Roads

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad the Minister is taking up the offer. I am looking forward to that. Mr. Speaker, my next leading question is, when we identify a contractor in a community prior to 2005, there might have been a case at that time, but today, if you approach a community and say would you like us to clear your roads, they would be more than happy to take on the opportunity. Is the Minister willing to invest from his department to identify a contractor, whether it be DOT or in the community, to clear the access roads to the traditional cabins? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 102-15(6): Maintenance Of Highway No. 3 Access Roads

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be glad to sit down with the Member and the leadership to discuss ways in which we could best address this issue. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.