Before I began this discussion, I had a discussion with our staff, and I’ll try to stay away from the budget numbers there, but certainly I will be raising it more specifically in Committee of the Whole. The overarching thing is the concern that there is a reduction of about $300,000 there, Mr. Speaker. However, there is also some passive restraint going on with the NWT tourism. There’s $400,000 being held back and that’s creating concern for the people that depend on this, on government funding and the support.
Once again, I’d like to ask the Minister how is it that our government continues to repress our tourism budget when they’re there saying that they support tourism. Thank you.
We will get to the detail that the Member is talking about, but certainly the message from this government is that we support tourism. Again, it’s $10.4 million, and as we go forward I think it’s very important that we find more money to go into marketing initiatives.
We’ve had a great deal of success working with our neighbours, Nunavut and the Yukon, on a pan-territorial approach. I see that continuing as we go forward. We need to find other ways to market the Northwest Territories. I believe as revenues increase and opportunities present themselves, we should take advantage of those opportunities.
Certainly, we support tourism. As the Member mentioned in his opening statement today, tourism has the potential to provide some real economic activity in every one of our 33 communities in the Northwest Territories and that’s something that’s not lost on the government.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m just following up in regard to my Member’s statement. With the Forging the Future Youth Conference reporting, 42 youth from across the Northwest Territories got together last summer and they came up with a bunch of recommendations and talked about all the issues that we talk about in this House. It was an initiative from the former Premier and the former Minister of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. My question today is for our newly elected Premier and Minister of DAAIR. Is he familiar with the report and is he familiar with the recommendations that are in this report, and is he familiar with those recommendations? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very familiar with the report that the Member is referring to, although it was undertaken in the previous Assembly, in the 16th Assembly. But with your new approach, we are definitely following up on the recommendations that were put forward in the 16th Assembly. Thank you.
There are two specific recommendations. One is for an end goal of getting a treatment centre that’s culturally sensitive with multicultural staff, trained professionals, unique treatment plans for youth, adults and elders, as well as a recovery support program, something that we are lacking in this territory. As well, they made a recommendation to place a qualified school counsellor and mentor in every school to help them achieve their goal of graduating high school. With the Minister of DAAIR familiar with those recommendations, when can we see those recommendations be put into action that will help our youth succeed and also our adults and our seniors as well?
As in any good government, we put our own stamp and our own brand on those two recommendations, and those were identified as priorities by this 17th Assembly, although perhaps under a different name or a different recommendation.
With regard to the treatment centres recommendation, we are actively working on that and our Minister of Health and Social Services will be tabling a Mental Health and Addictions Strategy very soon.
With regard to a counsellor for every school, we have recognized that, as well, as an area that we need to look at, and through our Aboriginal Student Initiative we are looking at what we can do for every school in the Northwest Territories.
As recognized, this was an initiative put on by the former Minister and Premier. I just wanted to ask the Premier if he’s willing to continue working on such a document and such a very strong initiative with our youth leaders in this government to continue on such a great project. That it’s not a one year thing and that we continue to work with our youth and listen to our youth in how we can work to better a future for everyone.
We are always looking to become more effective and efficient, and we do have youth as a priority, and we will continue to find ways to interact with the youth and to make sure that their voices are heard.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Youth is always a priority; however, it did not get on the document for our caucus priorities, which I made a Member’s statement early on in the government about committing to the youth that we’re still going to work in their best interests. It’s nice to hear those comments from the Premier. What I didn’t hear was the commitment that he’ll continue working with the document to bring youth together and possibly working with other departments, interdepartmental governments. Can I get a strong commitment from the Premier on this? Thank you.
Although perhaps it didn’t make it on the priority list, this is part of the ongoing work that this government does that we work with youth. Normally, we would like to have our own brand, so we would continue to work with youth and perhaps not under the auspices of what was done in the 16th Assembly, but I would expect that we would want to work with something, perhaps a better, more improved version, I would like to think, so we would commit to continue to working with the youth.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. 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 statement. Aurora College students, those attending classes here in Yellowknife, unfortunately some of them are in extremely crowded conditions. Some of them are in classrooms which have great heat variations, sometimes too cold, sometimes too hot. It’s not an optimal experience for them. I believe strongly, and I think many of the college staff and students also believe, that Yellowknife deserves a stand-alone campus similar to those in Inuvik and Fort Smith. I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has a capital plan that includes planning for and construction of a stand-alone campus for Yellowknife. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do agree that there needs to be a stand-alone campus along with other jurisdictions similar to them. However, we have to find the funds within the Government of the Northwest Territories to make that a reality.
There have been several meetings that happened over the years. Just recently there has been a meeting between the GNWT, college and city, just preliminary discussions that we have been having. We want to focus on what our options are that we can work with.
At the current stage, the lease agreement is up for the Northern United Place. We are in the process of renewing that from two years up to five years so we can plan for potentially a new building if that is the case. Those are the areas that we are continuously working towards. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I am really pleased to hear that there is actually something happening other than just talk. There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of years about maybe this happening, maybe that happening, but there has been nothing concrete.
I’m glad to hear the Minister say that he is meeting with the college board, but I guess I would like to know, when he says that they are looking at all options, does that include options such as P3 projects. Does that include options such as a corporate sponsor who might perhaps assist in the building of a college? Is the Minister seriously considering every possible option? Thank you.
Yes, those are the areas we are exploring and working closer with the Department of Public Works and Services as well. These are the areas that we have continuously in discussion with potential partners that may be out there.
There has been an issue that has been brought to our attention, is more emphasis on trades programming. There will be several partners potentially involved in this. Those are the discussions that we have recently had and will continue to have. We will keep Members up to speed on what is happening with that progress. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the Minister my usual question in terms of when we might expect to see some progress on this particular project. From the Minister, can we expect to see a timeline for this project, some definite movement in a forward direction, not talk? Thank you.
Again, we have initiated a discussion just last week. There are players involved now. The corporate sectors, the city, the college, the GNWT is a partner in this and exploring options, as we indicated. Those are the areas of interest to us. We want to explore those options so we can share with our standing committee. We need to move forward on this. At this point we are renewing the lease agreement, so that is first things first and getting out and integrating with the potential partners. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I do agree we have to move forward on this, but I heard no timeline except that we are going to renew a lease. Again, lots of talk and little action. If we are renewing this lease for three years, can I expect to see a timeline for construction within the next six or eight months? Thank you.
First of all we have to go through a process to find the funds. Those are the areas that we are discussing at this point. When that happens, then we will notify the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a follow-up to my Member’s statement. I have questions for the Minister of Education. How does the number of students with special needs figure into the way the department funds teaching positions in their schools? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This is the area that we need to work closely with the Beaufort-Delta Department of Education, and also local education authority. We provide funding through them based on enrollment. There are PTR and also inclusive schooling. That is their contribution through BDDAC and then on through the communities. When it comes to teachers, it is really up to the school board to hire those teachers, hire those professionals, so we will continue to work with them. If there is a need in the specific most current school, then that will be addressed next time I meet with the board chairs. Mahsi.
The department’s Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is helping raise local awareness interests and support for the schools and students. This is certainly true in Aklavik. What will the Minister do to answer the need for another teacher for the early grade levels? Thank you.
Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is in the works during the implementation stages. We work closely with BDDAC on this particular subject. When it comes to hiring additional teachers, this could be a discussion that we could have with the school board identifying a specialized teacher through the ASA if that needs to be the case. It has to be at the board level. I will be discussing that with them as well. Mahsi.
Will the Minister go to Aklavik and see the situation at Moose Kerr School for himself?
Mr. Speaker, by all means, if there is an indication, we are willing to accept and go to communities. I think that is part of the job that we have here. I am looking forward to visiting those communities. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the infrastructure needs and some of the things that are happening in the Northwest Territories. I also made comments to the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline initiative and Mr. Ramsay, the Minister of ITI, talked about the Mackenzie Gas Project. In light of what we have heard and read, that we are downsizing and there is not much of an uptake now from the federal government or the oil companies to look at the Mackenzie Gas Project and not knowing whenever that will come to light, within Mr. Ramsay’s department is he looking at other big picture initiatives that are happening in the Northwest Territories that maybe we need to have some high-level discussions with the communities in the North?
Would Mr. Ramsay acknowledge what is happening in Norman Wells? Could he see that this can take precedence over some of the initiatives, as well, that have been happening in the North in regard to the Mackenzie Gas Project and possibly looking at a pipeline coming from the south to the north from Zamba to Norman Wells in regard to what is happening out there in Alaska last year?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government is still very optimistic that the Mackenzie Gas Project will be constructed at some point in time. I have recently met with proponents of the gas project who share that optimism. At some point in time that gas project will see the light of day.
We continue to be optimistic that that will happen, but we also have to be cognizant of other opportunities that are presenting themselves in the territory. Of course, the resource play that is currently underway in the Sahtu is very important and very exciting and has the potential to turn the central Mackenzie, the Sahtu region into a real beehive of activity. We are looking forward to working with the Member.
As we move forward and as the resources are developed there and opportunities present themselves, we will be taking a look at how we can help the Sahtu region advance the interests there for the good of the entire territory. We are excited at the opportunities there. Thank you.
As the Minister mentioned, the Sahtu could be a real busy place like a beehive. I hope he’s not referring to us as honey buckets here and being dealt with in the last four years in Colville Lake. I want to ask the Minister if they’re looking at high-level discussions in the Sahtu because of the shift of the playing and just the way things have turned out. Is the Minister willing to look at maybe opening up some discussions on a Highway Strategy in our region for oil companies, communities that we can possibly have a new discussion paper on looking at some new initiatives that could happen because of what’s going on there? Thank you.
I’ve discussed this issue with both of my deputy ministers at ITI and at Transportation, and at the earliest opportunity I would like a chance to sit down with the Sahtu Explorers Group – that’s the group of companies that are doing work in the Sahtu – to explore opportunities to work together to advance transportation infrastructure, both winter road access and perhaps even all-season access into the Sahtu from Wrigley. Those discussions I look forward to having with the Sahtu Explorers Group as we move forward. Thank you.
Can the Minister tell me when possibly his officials, his department or the Cabinet could look at some new direction for the Northwest Territories in light of what’s happening in the Sahtu? It’s going to be busy, busy, busy. So maybe the beehive businesses, that’s probably an inaccurate statement, but can he tell me when will he be able to share some documents with us saying yes this is how we are going to move in this area once he’s met with the Explorers Group and he has some indication that this is going to be a place that needs to be paid attention and that the Sahtu could look forward to his presentation to us?
We’re still in the early days. There was a great deal of activity there last winter. There’s some activity there this summer and for the foreseeable future there will be a great deal of activity taking place in the Sahtu. There were two wells drilled there last year and there will be a number more proposed to be drilled this coming winter.
As the resource is better known and we get a better indication from industry and the residents in the Sahtu on what is there, I think then we really need to take stock of programs and services that we have on the ground in the Sahtu, and if there’s a need to ramp up government activity to deal with the progress that’s being made there on developing the resource, then that’s something that we’re going to need to see happen sooner rather than later. But certainly all indications, from what I’ve heard from industry and people who have been out in the field, this is a sizeable resource play and it’s very exciting and the potential exists for billions of barrels of oil to be located across the river from Norman Wells. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Ramsay talked about some of the sizeable, significant things that could happen in the Sahtu. I want to ask the Minister if he can let his Finance Minister know, and Cabinet know, that next time they do a budget and report that, you know, we could have some indication as to some of the things that could be happening there.
Right now we’re talking a lot of Mackenzie Gas Project, but we don’t know when that’s going to be built. Whenever I guess is sometime way in the future, but something’s happening in the Sahtu right now that should have had some attention in the budget. So could I ask the Minister in the next budget report that he could look at some of these issues that could be seeing some development happening within this government with the Sahtu people and going forward on some initiatives that we’re going to be needing to help us over there?
As we move toward all the activity that will take place in the Sahtu next winter, we will be working toward the business planning process this fall and certainly not just the two departments that I’m responsible for, but other departments. As things progress there and there is a need for more resources in programming or services or personnel, those are discussions that are going to need to take place and those will come through the business planning process in discussion with the Sahtu Secretariat and folks that are in the Sahtu. Those discussions will certainly play themselves out over the coming months. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the Finance Minister’s budget address earlier today, if I could, just with some general level questions. I know we’ll be getting into details here and I want to specifically target in on the revenue section. I have to say I wasn’t impressed with the revenue section. Obviously, it was 10 lines long and so not a lot of detail there.
I am pleased to see that our revenues are up $132 million, but there was mention of a Stabilization Fund and I was wondering if there’s any early thinking yet about how such a fund would work. I have no background in that area and I’m interested if the Minister has thought yet about how that might work or whether that’s still work to be done. Thank you.
