Thank you, Mr. Nadli. I, too, would like to welcome, it’s not too often that I get to have constituents here from Ulukhaktok. It’s Helen and Joseph Kitekudlak from Ulukhaktok.
While I’ve got a moment, I’d like to… The 40 years, Helen, that you’ve given to all the students in the home school of Helen Kalvak Elihakvik School in Ulukhaktok and we’re really thankful for all the work you’ve done, both you and Joseph. Thank you very much. It’s good to have constituents here. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.
Again to all the Education Hall of Fame inductees, welcome to the Legislative Assembly. I’d like to welcome all our visitors in the public gallery here today for taking an interest in our proceedings here today. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would just like to acknowledge Mrs. Margaret Thom, who was the recipient of the Education Hall of Fame. Also with Margaret is her husband, Jim.
Margaret has contributed to the education of her people through her work as community counsellor at the Deh Gah Elementary and Secondary School for 20 years. She has taken a lead role in supporting graduates by travelling with them to post-secondary institutions. Many students have been successful as they continued their education, thanks to her continued support even after they’re finished in school.
Margaret recognizes the importance of traditional teachings and education. She has made sure that the cultural value and beliefs of the people of the Deh Cho are present in all the school and what the school does from counselling to parental involvement to classroom work. In 2009 Margaret became the first elder representative on the Aurora College Board of Governors.
Margaret, it gives me great pleasure to recognize your contributions to the community.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow up to my Member’s statement, I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services a few questions on a process that brought this situation down to the floor. I’d like to ask the Minister what the steps and processes that the Department of Health and Social Services takes in awarding service contracts and is it a common practice between all contracts throughout the regions.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The standard process is that if it’s a tender, then it’s evaluated using the Business Incentive Policy for just the tendered cash value. If it’s an RFP, it’s evaluated as an RFP by the Business Incentive Policy.
My second question is: How does a local contractor lose a contract that he previously had for four or five years to a southern company, and most likely through the BIP process? Can I ask the Minister to explain that one to me? Thank you.
In this particular case it was an RFP, which evaluates the certain categories of the RFP through experience, methodology, cost, northern content and so on. It was determined that the southern bid had higher points in certain areas of the RFP including areas in the fees and costs. And because the southern bidder had all local employees at the particular location of the job, they were, after the BIP evaluation was done, the southern contractor had more points. Based on that, the award was given to the southern contractor.
When the contract was awarded out to the southern company, our local contractor in Inuvik was already told that he had got the contract after the BIP was awarded to the southern company. It’s pretty mindboggling. Anyhow, how can the department justify signing off on a contract when the initial contractor, the one who had it before, is appealing the process? During the appeal process, how can this government sign off on a contract, especially when it’s going to a southern company and our northern dollars are going south? Thank you.
The contract, there was a bit of a timeline between when the bid was out and when it closed. The evaluation process is that the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority did the BIP evaluation. It was initially determined that the northern contractor had a better score, but after consultation with ITI, who are the keepers of the Business Incentive Policy, they determined that, no, in fact the southern contractor had the higher bid, so they allowed the appeal to the Public Works, which is our quality control for the Business Incentive Policy. After that appeal, Public Works supported the original decision of the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services and ITI that definitely, in fact, the points issued on the second evaluation was correct. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. After the initial awards were brought forth, it had come to the headquarters here and it was headquarters that had made the recommendations that they review the BIP policy. I believe that’s the process, according to my sources dealing with this guy. What it comes down to is we want answers. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’s willing to make public the original proposals with the date received stamp on them as well as the contract scores in detail. Not the final scores. The scores in detail of the contracts made public to this contractor and to everybody so that contractors out there know how this government is awarding contracts and why some of our small local contractors are losing out. Thank you. I’d like that commitment.
I don’t think it’s an issue with the department to review with the losing contractor in this case. No problem. We can provide the information. I think the information actually was provided on the BIP evaluation by Public Works after the original BIP evaluation was done and also provided to the contractor. But making these forms public, I don’t have the information to make that decision at this time to make this public information. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. I have to say I was really glad to hear the Minister’s remarks earlier today when he made his statement. He talked about wanting an economy that’s diversified. Absolutely I agree. He wants to raise the profile of locally made, in this case, jewellery products. Absolutely I agree. He wants to support the local arts sector and he feels it’s an important element to grow this sector to do that promotion. It flies in the face of what I spoke about in my statement where we have an NWT Tourism website which does none of that in terms of local, northern-made products.
I’d like to ask the Minister, first off, where each of the items that are displayed on that website are made, the licence plates, the pins, the maps and the luggage tags. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll get that information for the Member but I think most importantly is what we’re doing going forward. I spoke earlier today about our support for diversifying the economy here in the Northwest Territories, and there are three major initiatives that we hope to carry out in 2012-13. That’s an NWT artist database and website, NWT Arts Branding Logo Program and Arts Marketing Tactical Plan. These will be conducted here in the next year and, certainly, I will look into whether we can link sites from around the Northwest Territories to the NWT Tourism site. That is an idea that I think is a good one. I will be in touch with NWT Tourism to see if we can make that happen. Thank you.
Thanks to the Minister. I’m glad to hear that we are going to do something, but I am a little concerned that we’re not doing anything at this point. I guess I would like to know from the Minister, at this point, what we do right now to promote our northern products, whether they be books, whether they be music, whether they be paintings and carvings. All of the products which are produced by our northern residents, what do we do right now to promote them? Thank you.
Earlier I spoke of the close to $1 million that goes out between ITI and ECE in support of artists around the Northwest Territories. We do support festivals. We support our artists. I also should mention BDIC and Northern Canada Trading. I think that’s a component of the BDIC that I believe currently is underutilized and something I’d like to see have more far-reaching impact. I think we as a government should take more of an active role in promoting our own artists and getting goods produced locally here in the Northwest Territories, into a storefront somewhere to be sold to the travelling public. Where that is going to take place, that remains to be seen, but I certainly think we have a long way to go. But I think with a concerted effort we can get there and I’m interested in seeing us make some progress in this area. Thank you.
I didn’t hear much there about promotion. I mean, it’s a wonderful idea to have a storefront, but there are an awful lot of people who look for stuff from the North and they look for it from afar. They’re not here and they’d be quite happy to buy stuff on-line. I would like to ask the Minister, and I appreciate that he’s committed to look into possibly linking artists, all our artisans to the NWT Tourism website, but he’s talking many months down the road. I would like to suggest this is not an expensive proposition. If people are on-line already, it’s a simple matter to link them to our NWT Tourism website. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can make it a reality as soon as possible, and when I say as soon as possible, I’m asking the Minister for a date when I could expect to see northern products linked through the NWT Tourism website. Thank you.
As I outlined to the Member earlier, the development of the three initiatives is going to be carried out in this fiscal year 2012-13. It includes an NWT artist database and website. Certainly, when that is wrapped up, we can look at linking it to NWT Tourism site.
In response to the Member’s earlier questions, what we’re doing today, we have NWT community workshops where we’ve delivered programming information sessions in 27 communities around the Northwest Territories. We’ve also provided training to our regional staff. We have arts promotion, a brochure of a series that was developed to provide art enthusiasts with information about traditional NWT arts and crafts. It’s distributed at airports, visitor centres, galleries, regional ITI offices and on-line in both English and in French. We have an NWT artist newsletter. That content focuses on arts-related events and activities across the Northwest Territories. It has a quarterly distribution of over 750 recipients. We also have a toll-free line, a 1-800 toll-free number for a direct link to artists to access regional staff and program assistance. We also promote NWT artists. This is an initiative designed to increase economic impact and production of arts products in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that comprehensive list. I didn’t hear much in there about how we promote our artists’ sales, how we get their products out there and they get the money. I appreciate that there is a database coming, but I don’t think we need a database to link those artists who already have an on-line presence to the NWT Tourism website. I think it is a matter of e-mailing them and asking them for their connection and then we get TSC to do it. Will the Minister commit to do that in the very near future as opposed to waiting for the plans that he has? Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will look forward to build on those yeses here with my questions today. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I spoke once again about the need for new schools in Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake. We have super schools and mega renovations in Inuvik and Yellowknife. That is where our education money is being spent. When will the Minister and this government start turning their attention to our small communities and regions? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do focus on the communities, the 33 communities that we service, small communities, larger communities. It all depends on the infrastructures that are in most critical need. Depending on the Trout Lake and also other communities such as Nahanni Butte and other Deh Cho communities, throughout the Northwest Territories it all depends on the infrastructure itself where some of the schools are compatible for students as some of these highlighted, the Member is highlighting from his district riding. We must keep in mind that we have to work with the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, as well, to identify these as critical need. I will continue to work with them and work with the Member as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have been making the case for many years now that the needs are critical. I don’t know what the standards are according to ECE standards for school buildings, because we have an old log building in Nahanni Butte. Technically we don’t have a school in Trout Lake. The old Charles Tetcho School had burned down. They had moved the school into the recreation centre. At that time the government promised that they will be there until the new school is built, so they still don’t have a school. I would like to ask the Minister what exact guidelines and standards do we have for our school of communities in terms of school buildings? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are capital standards and criteria that we do follow with all of the schools in the Northwest Territories. With respect to the Charles Tetcho School, there is currently a capacity of an identified 33 students. That is 61 percent for 2011-12. Those are numbers that we are currently working with.
With regard to Nahanni Butte, we have contributed $380,000 in 2011-12 for technical upgrades and also minor renovations for that school. Those are the areas that we continue to upgrade. I have already made a commitment to Members that I will be going to the Deh Cho riding in August to review more in detail. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, certainly the communities and I look forward to the Minister visiting the communities and show him exactly their needs.
Since February, after speaking with the Minister, I would like to know what the Minister has done to date to review the long-term capital plan and look at moving up these capital needs for these two communities. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the year, every time we go through the capital planning process, we have identified various capital needs in the communities. When it comes to discussion at the regional level and also within the department there are some areas that don’t make it through the system within the process itself, but we will continue to push these further into the capital planning process, pending the criteria that has been outlined by part of the criteria for the schools as planning process.
This is an area that we continuously work with the superintendents and also the board chairs in the region. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is the exact area that I would like to explore further. We have to commit at least some planning dollars to look at these two schools in these two communities so that we can make a good case at the capital planning fall time budget session. I would like to ask the Minister if he can at least do that and have a good assessment of those schools in the capital planning process this fall. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, Nahanni and Trout Lake have been an earmark of our discussion here in the House and my department is fully aware. They are doing a review of those two schools and generate it for this capital planning process. If it makes it this time around or next year – we have to start planning for next year as well – we will see what we can do with that and the review process. I will take that Member’s notice into consideration as well. We will definitely be in discussion with that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I indicated my concern with the future of the commercial fishing industry in Hay River. My question today will be for the Minister of ITI. What is the department doing to innovate and to assist commercial industry in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We currently have a funding program to assist commercial fishermen in the Northwest Territories at $225,000 a year. Thank you.
My next question is concerning the government facilities. Does the Minister have information on how much fish is bought in the Northwest Territories through our government facilities such as correctional facilities and schools and stuff like that?
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have that level of detail with me today, but I believe that was an issue that came up during the last sitting. I believe it was Mr. Bromley that brought that up as a performance indicator, how much local fish and meat products we are using in the Northwest Territories. If the Member likes, I can provide him with that information. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, yes, I would like that information. I would like to know what the department is doing to encourage purchasing through the different departments and facilities.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT Fishermen’s Federation is still involved with the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. They voted back in December of 2010 to remain a part of that organization. That organization is in fact going through a bit of turmoil. Just recently both Saskatchewan and northern Ontario have pulled out of FFMC and 90 percent of the total fish being run through FFMC now comes from Manitoba. There have also been some issues with the governance of the FFMC. So that’s where currently the NWT Fishermen’s Federation is marketing their fish.
As to the future here in the Northwest Territories, we do want to work with the NWT Fishermen’s Federation. We want to ensure a viable commercial fishery here in the Northwest Territories and we will continue to support commercial fishing in the NWT. Should the NWT Fishermen’s Federation decide at some point not to continue with FFMC, then we will have to reconsider our support and see where else we can help the fishermen in the NWT. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
