Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about ways we can support the artists’ community in our North, and as I said, that represents one in five of our population, or I should say almost one in five of our population. Mr. Speaker, it is a considerable amount of people and I would say that they certainly deserve a certain amount of respect certainly by this government.
Saskatchewan has adopted what’s called the Arts Professions Act and what that basically does is it recognizes, supports, enshrines and protects the work that these artists do to make sure that they’re treated fairly and certainly treated properly.
Mr. Speaker, my question would be to the Minister of ECE -- Education, Culture and Employment -- and I’m hoping that he would task his officials to investigate the Arts Professions Act as put into statute by Saskatchewan government, to see if we can enshrine and protect our northern artists to make sure they’re getting fair value for work here in the North. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This is an area that we can definitely explore in other provinces, the Arts Professions Act that they may have in other provinces. But we do provide, as Members would know, increasing funding to support performers as well, and also artists. The Member talked about recognizing and supporting them. We currently do that already and we’ve increased our funding, but this is legislation that we can definitely look at in other jurisdictions as well. Mahsi.
I want to recognize the fact that the Minister has worked hard to make sure that artists do receive both their due and financial support from this government and certainly by his department. This Arts Professions Act, which I’ll table later today, is a very small act. It basically defines what artists are, and how they’re recognized and certainly how they can be supported by the government. Again, it’s by the Government of Saskatchewan protecting Saskatchewan artists.
Does the Minister see any chance that once he has a copy of this, does he foresee any chance that perhaps he can task his department officials to investigate it right away and see if they can respond with some type of discussion paper into the new year, if that’s considered possible or reasonable? Thank you.
Mahsi. I did commit to the Member that we will explore and review the Saskatchewan legislation to see if it has the context and also relevance from a Northwest Territories perspective. So I did commit already and we will look into this. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources in follow up to my Member’s statement earlier today.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation around the management of the Bathurst caribou herd is a two-year plan of activities. I’m wondering if the Minister can tell me what resources, both the dollars, direct dollar support and personnel support, staffing support, are being provided to the Yellowknives Dene First Nation to carry out their end of the bargain and whether this is going to be assessed partway through to see if it’s adequate. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a joint committee that’s been formed and we are going to assist them with funding to staff a coordinator to work with us as we do the increased monitoring and supervision of implementation of the plan. The Member is correct that there will be ongoing assessment to see how things are going and if resources are an issue.
I’m glad to hear there’s a coordinator being supplied. I wasn’t sure I heard a figure on the dollars that are being supplied. One of the major issues is the overlap with the Tlicho Agreement. I’m wondering how this has been handled and how it’s being handled in a final sense until such time as the Yellowknives Dene complete their land claim agreement, given that the Tlicho have already finished theirs.
The intent is to set up a broad, multi-stakeholder management plan for the caribou in the North Slave region that will include, of course, the aboriginal governments and the territorial government -- the Tlicho, Akaitcho, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation -- and it’s going to be a complex undertaking, given the fact that we have to look at the Ahiak, the Beverly, the Bathurst, the Bluenose-East, and significant overlap areas as well into Nunavut and some with the Beverly down into Saskatchewan. The challenge over the next two years is to get a process in place that will allow us to bring all those players to the table to come up with the steps necessary to manage and enforce the right actions on all those various herds.
I appreciate the response from the Minister. I have no doubt that he’s fully committed to making sure that does progress strongly during the two years of this interim agreement. The Yellowknives Dene First Nation agreement contains measures for a limited harvest to meet subsistence needs. One aspect of this is, of course, the understanding of what sort of adequacy this meets in terms of their nutritional and subsistence requirements and so on. I’m wondering if the Minister could tell me what we must see in terms of herd recovery before the harvest guidelines will be opened up a bit to meet some of those requirements.
That kind of technical, herd-specific decision is going to be based on the work of the assessment that’s going to be based on the recommendations from the boards, both of the Wekeezhii and the joint board we’ve set up with the Yellowknives. We’ll all be looking to their advice.
I don’t have an immediate, final definition in my mind. We do know that some of the indications have been somewhat comforting. From what the information is, there’s been no further decline of the Bathurst herd. It seems to have flattened out. The same with our basic work on the Ahiak. There’s even been a bit of modest growth in the Bluenose-East. Each one of those herds is going to have to be looked at individually.
I would point to what was agreed to with the Yukon and the management of the Porcupine caribou herd there, that they came up with all the appropriate triggers based on herd numbers that would determine what kind of action is going to be available to be considered if those numbers are hit. I would suggest that a similar type of approach, in my mind, makes good sense here as well.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Caribou have been essential to the nutritional, cultural and spiritual well-being of the Yellowknives Dene since time immemorial, as I’ve recognized earlier. I recognize that the Minister is providing for some alternatives in the meantime, such as opening the season on bison and assisting Dene to hunt other herds. However, caribou are also extremely important to many non-Dene in similar ways. What measures are being put in place to provide them with increased access to alternate meat sources such as bison and other caribou herds as their numbers improve?
The one area is going to be the possible access to bison tags. There is no harvest anywhere in the Northwest Territories at present for any harvesting except the aboriginal harvest. So there is no capacity to open up access to caribou tags anywhere at this point, given the pressures the herds are under. We’re looking at other types of animals besides bison. There is moose, of course, and depending where you live up north, there’s other things like muskox, as well, that could be considered.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment regarding my Member’s statement on the protection of the Peel River watershed and the Peel River land use planning commission’s report, which has now gone to public review. They have had formal meetings in Fort McPherson and at that point there were some 60 people who turned out. The majority of the people there asked for 100 percent protection. Right now the commission is recommending 80 percent. I’d like to ask the Minister of Environment what is the position of the Northwest Territories government regarding the Peel River planning commission’s report.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Keeping in mind that the vast majority of the Peel River watershed is in the Yukon and it is subject to, in addition to this process, a transboundary agreement with the Yukon, weak though it may be, the Government of the Northwest Territories is supportive of the aspirations of the people on the Peel to protect as much of the watershed as possible for traditional lifestyles.
Also in my Member’s statement I made reference to the implications and major effects of resource development on the headwaters, which will have a direct affect on the communities in the Northwest Territories, particularly Fort McPherson and Aklavik all the way to the Arctic Ocean. I’d like to ask the Minister with regard to our Water Strategy and looking at the implications we’re seeing at Fort McMurray and the downstream affect that is having, does the government have a position regarding the Water Strategy and the implication of these developments downstream on the waterways?
I’ve had a relatively recent communication with the Minister from the Yukon and I’ve indicated to him in that conversation that we have, and have had, concerns about the Peel River watershed. There’s lots of activity there. We also have concerns about the efficacy and efficiency of our transboundary agreement that was one of the only ones that has been signed under the existing Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Agreement and that we are drafting a communication to open discussions on that whole issue.
I’d like to ask the Minister if there has been any formal written correspondence from the Government of the Northwest Territories regarding its support of the Peel River planning commission report regarding the protection of the watershed for the people in the Northwest Territories.
We are engaged in water issues across the Northwest Territories. As it pertains to the Peel, we are paying very close attention and we are involved. If my memory serves me correctly, it is the one region that is yet to have their water conference. We’ve opened up our discussions with the Yukon and we’re trying to be as supportive as possible of the work that’s being done in the Peel River watershed land use plan.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister responsible for the environment if he could formally write a letter to the planning commission regarding the Government of the Northwest Territories’ position on where we stand with regard to the planning commission report so that the people of the Northwest Territories from Fort McPherson and Aklavik, the people that I represent, will get an understanding where this government stands on this important issue.
I will talk with the officials in the department, starting with the deputy minister, to see if we can follow up on that request.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Recently I was contacted by a constituent who has a son incarcerated in our jails. I’d like to ask the Minister of Justice a question. I guess one of the changes that have been brought to my attention is that apparently there are no halfway houses here in Yellowknife for the inmates. We’re actually going to be sending inmates down to Edmonton. Of course, the concern is that it’s going to be that much more costly for the parents, friends and family to visit inmates. I’d like to know more about what this change is as well.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I think we need to gather more information on this particular case. Who are we referring to? The condition of the case if it’s going to be transferred to Edmonton, there are always certain cases why they’re transferred to Edmonton. I need to gather more information on this subject.
I guess just in general, is there a change in our policy or directive at the jail that we have to send inmates out to a halfway house in Edmonton or outside our jurisdiction?
There have been, within the policy, changes to certain programs. I need to dig further into this particular area. The Member is referring to individuals who are being sent to a halfway house. I need to work with my colleague, as well, at the Health and Social Services department and find out what the status is, which file he is referring to.
Like I said, with certain inmates, they are transferred to certain areas, depending on their circumstances and their positions. I need to gather more information on this particular file.
I’d be pleased to share the details with the Minister and follow up on this issue. I’m not sure, but I think the Minister took the question as notice as well.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I didn’t hear a question there. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recently asked some questions regarding the WSCC and my concerns regarding the occupational health and safety regs that are being reviewed and certainly ensuring that they will be fairly reviewed by the public, such as businesses. The Minister did respond in a good way and certainly said that he would make sure that did happen. After that, I did approach the Minister with some concerns regarding this situation with the Safety Advisory Committee. Specifically, where do they get their mandate to do this review that’s approximately 400 pages of regulations? In discussing this matter with a number of people in the community, be it with the Governance Council and in some light with the Minister, it sounded like no one knew who gave them that mandate. Can the Minister comment specific to that issue in the House today, which is: Who gave the Safety Advisory Committee the mandate to go out and review those 400 pages of regulations? Furthermore, who are they reporting their findings to?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Section 26 of the NWT Safety Act gives the Minister the mandate and authority to establish the Safety Advisory Committee. The committee is established and they do report to the Minister. Thank you.
I thank the Minister for that clarification of who they actually report to, but, Mr. Speaker, part of my question was overlooked, which is who gave them the mandate to go review the almost 400 pages of regulations under the occupational health and safety regs? Who gave them the marching orders? Was it the Governance Council or was it the Minister’s office? Thank you.
The mandate was given from the Minister’s office. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister responsible for the WSCC let me know when that mandate was given and specifically what that mandate was to do? If he could clarify the instructions given specifically to the Safety Advisory Committee. Thank you.
I will gather that information and pass it on to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation in regard to individuals who applied under the HELP program for homeownership in regard to the Homeownership Entry Level Program.
Mr. Speaker, I have constituents in my riding who have been approved for the program. They have been in their units, they have been paying monthly in regard to their payment responsibility, and also taking responsibility for the utility costs and the operational costs of the units. But yet, Mr. Speaker, now they’re being told, sorry, you have to vacate the premises, because apparently there’s a fine line there that says you have to be fully employed in order to be able to occupy one of these units.
Mr. Speaker, realistically, in the Northwest Territories, in the riding I come from, the majority of people that are the working poor depend on seasonal employment. In the Inuvik region, that is the reality of that region. I’d like to ask the Minister exactly why is it that these individuals, who don’t have arrears, they have been faithful in regard to making their payments, are now being told, sorry, you’re not fully employed, you must now leave the premises. I’d like to ask the Minister why is that practice being put in place, considering we have some 246 units unoccupied at this time.
