I said we will continue to work with the communities and see what kinds of plans come up. We are always willing to work with the communities. I think sometimes there is always the question of…Well, there is always the big question of funding. When we do work with them, they think we are going to bring our cheque book when we’ve already given them all the money we’ve got, so we have nothing left in the bank, the MACA bank anyway. So we will continue to follow up on this and work with the communities and see if there is some kind of action plan that is being put together. Thank you.
Then would the Minister put in coordinating efforts in the communities, for example, the Sahtu region? Would the Minister instruct his officials if he could work closely with the communities in the Sahtu to coordinate with each community when there is this type of service that may be needed, so the communities are well aware of who to call regarding emergency services, ground rescue services in the communities and which team members could get involved and how to go about it? These are some of the things that members from the Sahtu talked about in the past. We would like to know for sure about this type of strategy. Can the Minister inform me?
Most communities do have an action plan and, as I said, we are always willing to work with the communities. If the communities came to us and said we need help in trying to develop something, we are willing to go there and work with them. But for us to go and say you are going to do this and you are going to do that, we always leave the onus up to the community and then we will work with any community that requires our assistance. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue again is sometimes we get conflicting messages in our communities. When there is an accident on the winter road, sometimes there is a policy within the Health department that the nurses are unable to go out. With the RCMP, there is a policy. So the community takes it upon themselves to do their rescue here and sometimes it’s difficult in terms of the coordination. I will ask the Minister again, will he work very closely with the officials, work with the communities in terms of who they call and that nobody is left in the dark? Can the Minister work on that, please?
As many of us live in small communities, we see how in times of emergency the communities usually respond very quickly and usually have good results because of it. There is always the planning and that, and sometimes you don’t worry so much about the planning, but action that needs to be taken. So they take it upon themselves to do that. But I will commit to the Member that I will speak to the appropriate departments and see what is being done about an overall action plan for emergency services and rescue. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Education. It’s in light of the issue heard in this House where people are asking for gymnasiums for all the schools in Yellowknife. I think I would just like to point out, for the record here, that there are certain communities in the Northwest Territories that don’t have gymnasiums. They have to use the community hall as a means for recreation. In most cases they have to travel to Inuvik to take advantage of the swimming program, to drive to Fort McPherson for the hockey program, because they don’t have those programs in their communities. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Education what are we doing to ensure we have gymnasiums in all our communities in the Northwest Territories and for those communities that have to go out of their communities to get these services, drive an hour and a half to Inuvik or a half an hour to Fort McPherson because you don’t have these programs being delivered in the communities, especially the community of Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this area has been brought up in this House and I did commit to looking into it even further with PWS and other departments on a going forward basis. We do have some old buildings that don’t have suitable gymnasiums or other sports activities in the communities, but we are working closely with local education authorities or education councils to have some sort of agreement with them to deliver or transport students to specific areas so they can be actively involved with physical recreational activities, whether it be soccer, volleyball, hockey or other activities that may be happening in larger centres. So those are the areas that we continue to work with. Those individual communities that do not have gymnasiums, we continue to develop programs that are nearby the communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Again, getting back to the community hall in Tsiigehtchic. Last year they realized they had some problems with the community hall because it is on pilings. They found they are eroding and they had to shut it down for awhile, so no one had access to that facility. So, again, we took away the only means of recreation programs for the students and residents of Tsiigehtchic. So I would just like to ask the Minister, are you considering looking at recreation-like programs like gymnasiums for the smaller communities in the Northwest Territories?
Those are the discussions that we are having, whether it be the centres, with our departments. Those individual communities that do not have a gymnasium, what can we provide to them that’s suitable or, as the Member alluded to, a gymnasium-like facility where we can deliver recreation activities. So we continue to work. Some communities have been very good being creative, being innovative, generating ideas on how we can improve on certain areas, transporting students to different communities. So those are the areas of the discussions we continue to have.
Small communities that do not have gymnasiums, we understand the challenges, but we continue to work with those challenges. I think it’s great to have more opportunities for us to have a great dialogue about how we can improve in those areas and find solutions.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the communities’ local education authorities, even as it falls under Municipal and Community Affairs, sports and youth. We need to work collaboratively with all the departments as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me when he expects this review to be completed and when can we see a report in regards to what the review has found and what this government is going to do to improve recreation services for communities that don’t have gymnasiums? Thank you.
The discussion that we are having at the community level, that can certainly be brought forward to my department. We can certainly present it to a standing committee, if we need to, on the status of our discussion. So, certainly, we can do that, Mr. Speaker. I will make a commitment to gather the information from my department meeting with certain groups and education authorities and meeting with Municipal and Community Affairs and different departments what we’ve gathered. We can certainly share that information. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services in terms of the response call-out policy with the local health centres. When there is a call from one of the community members in the communities asking for the nurse to come because of situations where a person can’t leave their house, what is the policy in terms of the nurse responding to a call?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Generally speaking, that call will be determined by the situation, obviously, and also the availability of nurses in the health centre. Sometimes if they have to be on call -- I mean, they usually have to be on call -- they may not be able to leave the centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, if the call-out situation is very grave and is a matter of life and death, even if the nurse is on call, does this give enough warrant for the nurse to leave the health centre to attend the patient at their home?
Mr. Speaker, I believe there are specific practice guidelines on this which I don’t have right now, so I will have to take the question under advisement and get back to the Member. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister then provide some policy that states very clearly in the health centres that when there is a life or death situation, the nurse will attend at the patient’s home?
This goes to, obviously, the core of the service that our health care professionals do provide and I believe there are practice guidelines on that. I will, once again, take the question under advisement. I will get back to the Member on that and verify what is on there. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Can the Minister provide to me in detail what renewable energy initiatives are planned for the Sahtu region in the next two years?
Will the Minister provide to me a comprehensive alternate energy plan that will reduce the cost of living in the Sahtu in the next two years?
Will the Minister of ITI outline how the department will work with the Arctic Energy Alliance to reduce the cost of living in the Sahtu; for example, training residents of the Sahtu to be certified energy advisors?
Can the Minister provide to me a final report on the upcoming hydro symposium and an action plan to their recommendation?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled NWT Coroner’s Services 2008 Annual Report. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Pursuant to section 21 of the Human Rights Act, I wish to table the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2008-2009.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the report of the sole adjudicator be accepted.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the NWT Motor Vehicle Act be amended to ban the use of hand-held devices while driving; and further, that the Department of Transportation initiate a comprehensive public awareness campaign to inform the public about the risks of driving while distracted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I will move that Bill 6, Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2010-2011, be read for the first time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, I will move that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 17, motions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
WHEREAS a letter of complaint, dated February 16, 2009, and signed by six Members of the Legislative Assembly, was addressed to the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, and requested that the Commissioner carry out a formal investigation regarding certain conduct of Mr. Floyd Roland, Premier of the Northwest Territories and MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake;
AND WHEREAS section 101 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act directs the Conflict of Interest Commissioner to conduct an investigation into such a complaint;
AND WHEREAS the Conflict of Interest Commissioner carried out an investigation and, pursuant to section 101(1)(b) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, submitted to the Speaker a report, with reasons, directing that an inquiry be held before a sole adjudicator;
AND WHEREAS the report of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner was laid before the Legislative Assembly at the first opportunity, in accordance with section 102(4) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act;
AND WHEREAS a sole adjudicator, appointed pursuant to section 103(2) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, conducted an inquiry into the matter;
AND WHEREAS the sole adjudicator has submitted a disposition report in accordance with section 106(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act;
AND WHEREAS the disposition report of the sole adjudicator was laid before the House by the Speaker at the first opportunity;
AND WHEREAS the sole adjudicator has dismissed the complaint pursuant to section 106(1)(a) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the report of the sole adjudicator be accepted.
