We would like to think all the homeless shelters, emergency shelters, transition homes would be of the highest standards. As far as standards go, I will follow up and see where we are with that, but I would expect that all of our units, and I know the ones that I’ve been to, have very high standards. I’ll follow up on the Member’s request and I’ll communicate that to the Member and Members.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked about the NWT housing survey, and I want to ask the Minister will there be another survey coming out, since 2009 was the last one?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Housing, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have started work on the new housing needs survey and we’re anticipating early 2014 to start the survey.
I certainly look forward to the next survey. That leads me to my second question. With the 2014 survey, hopefully that will give us some measurements to let us know how we’re doing in regard to bringing down some of these numbers from 2009.
I want to ask the Minister, in his tenure as the Minister, has he been, I guess, getting a sneak peak of the housing issues in the Northwest Territories. Has he seen numbers coming down from the 2009 survey?
As far as the numbers coming down, I think we’re going to find out in 2014 that with the investments we’ve made since the last housing needs survey, I think we are going to see the numbers come down. I know in the Member’s riding alone, in the Sahtu, since 2009 when the report was done, we’ve spent approximately $14.7 million in trying to improve that, and we’re looking at a further $13 million investment within the next three years, so I think that will go a long way in addressing some of the concerns that were raised in the last housing needs survey. I think once we do the survey in 2014, I think it’s going to be reflective of the investment that we’ve made in the Northwest Territories.
I’m glad the Minister was able to indicate the amount of dollars that went into infrastructure for the Sahtu people. Even though those numbers are high, we still have a case in Colville Lake where there is a TB case. Why is that? What causes TB? You know, there are a number of factors in the case of TB or the homeless in Fort Good Hope or the couch surfing in Tulita. You know, there are issues in the Sahtu where these situations are still being dealt with today.
I want to ask the Minister, these types of situations in the Sahtu that we have, hopefully, with the new type of infrastructure, how can the Minister reassure me and the people in the Sahtu that these issues will be looked at where we won’t have to deal with them on a day-to-day basis.
There are many different reasons why we have these situations in some of the communities with the couch surfing and the other issues that they do have. I think one of the things that I’ve seen during my time as the Minister is a lot of people were being evicted because of arrears and that, but I have to admit that across the Northwest Territories the numbers of people that are honouring their commitments has gone up by quite a bit and we’re very encouraged by that, and we look forward to the next few years where we see less and less evictions because people are honouring their commitments.
As far as the other issues go, I mean, there are many other reasons why we have these particular issues in the small communities, and I don’t think it’s my place to touch on the TB question. But I think we’re seeing across the Northwest Territories a lot of the public housing tenants are actually starting to step up to the plate and honouring their commitments, and as we go forward, I think it’s going to be reflective with less and less evictions in many of the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just on the point of the TB case I made reference to is because I looked at the factors. One of the factors is the condition or suitability of the house and the high number in Colville Lake, where the percentage is 97 percent with housing problems. That could be a leading factor to the TB case that we had in Colville Lake.
Are there any types of initiatives where the people could challenge the people in the Sahtu, in the Northwest Territories, to look at how we can put more houses in the communities such as something that is a very well program run? They have a program we can get behind and the corporation can say we can do this, if you allow us to put some of our sweat equity and ideas into building housing in our small communities.
Mr. Speaker, I think, when the 2014 needs survey is being worked on, we are going to have to be more specific in some of the questions we ask. If you ask anybody anywhere, is there something wrong with your house, I’m sure all 19 of us in here could find something wrong with our house. So that affects the adequacy issue and I think sometimes the numbers aren’t truly reflective of the condition of the units.
As far as the overcrowding goes, we have a public housing replacement program where we’re trying to get as many housing units into the communities as possible where the need is the greatest. I think we’re going to see that our investment in the next few years is going to try and address that very issue.
Again, it’s been a work in progress. There has been a lot of good work done on this not only by the NWT Housing Corporation, but by the clients and tenants across the Northwest Territories. We have different homeownership programs that we’re hoping to see some uptake on those.
So work is being done. There has been a lot of progress. I think, once we do the needs survey in 2014, we’re going to see a decrease in the need across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. It has been pretty much out of commission since the springtime when members weren’t reappointed.
I would like to ask the Minister, what are the plans for restoring the board of governors at the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s no question that there is an important role for regional boards to play in ensuring that local culture and language are reflected in program delivery and that also the concerns of the communities are heard. We do need to find a solution to this problem.
The boards were originally put in place when the responsibility for Health and Social Services devolved down to the GNWT. At that time, we heard clearly the communities and the people want to be heard. As we know, as I have heard from both Member Menicoche and Blake, it’s not working exactly right and there are certainly some challenges. We need to make some changes to the system if we are going to provide best care to our residents. That’s the bottom line, it’s about the individual patient and/or client.
We need to find a way forward. I have an opportunity to talk to the public administrator for the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. I understand that the public administrator is going to be doing a tour through the communities to get some feedback from all residents of the community and all residents of the region on how to move forward. I am looking forward to working with the Member and with the public administrator to find a way to help us meet that objective. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I did my fall tour and I spoke with the leadership and the people in my riding. There is only one thing worse than knowing, it’s not knowing. The people don’t know when they are going to get the board back, what the plans are for it. I think it’s important that the administrator does get out to the communities. It is also more important that the department also communicate their plans through public consultations.
The other important thing is that many rumours abound because of not knowing.
I would like to know from the Minister of Health and Social Services about the hiring of the CEO position in Fort Simpson, that it’s going to be done under the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Thank you.
I would certainly like to sit down with the Member and have that conversation. We do have a hiring practice and procedures that we utilize here in the Government of the Northwest Territories and our authorities. The public administrator will play a key role in the recruitment and retention of a CEO for that health authority. I look forward to having discussions with both the public administrator and the Member on how we’re going to move forward with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, then the Minister can probably clarify for me, because what I heard is that the Deh Cho Health and Social Services will have its own CEO. I’m hoping that position is the same as it was before, established in Fort Simpson to deliver health to the people of the Deh Cho from a local central body from Fort Simpson. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that’s the way it is now. We actually have an acting CEO in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. As I indicated, I believe we will be moving forward and I look forward to working with the public administrator to see exactly how that’s going to work out. I will keep the Member informed and I’ll have more discussions with the Member as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much. Once the Minister works with the public administrator in establishing dates, I’d certainly like to be informed. Should I be available, I would certainly like to attend those meetings as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. More of a comment. Oh, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the Member knows who the public administrator is. I encourage the Member to talk to the public administrator about maybe participating in some of those tours. I also know that the former Minister of Health and Social Services made a commitment to the Member to go into the community and have a public meeting in Fort Simpson with the entire region and I’m going to live up to that commitment. We’re going to work out the dates. It would likely be after the public administrator has finished his tour, but I look forward to coming to your community and having the discussion around the authority and how things will move forward with your community once we get some dates confirmed after the public administrator has finished his tour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the new Minister of Health. Earlier today I gave the Minister a brief update of what’s been happening in the Mackenzie Delta region.
With no board in place for years now in the Beaufort-Delta, how are residents of my region supposed to provide input on health care in our region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my responses to MLA Menicoche, there is no question that we want the input from our citizens and our residents. Right now, as the Member knows, we do have a public administrator in the Deh Cho. The previous Minister of Health and Social Services made a commitment to reinstating the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority before the end of this government and we will live up to that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, that’s great news. The previous Health Minister said in May the process of appointing a new board in the Delta would begin immediately. What progress has been made? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my last response, we need to make some changes to this system. It’s not working. We want to make sure we are getting the input from the people and from the communities and regions. We also know, as the Member has clearly outlined in his Member’s statement, that there are some real challenges. We want to focus on the care of our residents, the individuals. We want to focus on the person. So we do need to do some work. We need to finish that work before we move forward with re-establishing the authority in whichever capacity we move forward in, whether it’s a board of management, as the Member identified, or an advisory board. We need to know what we’re doing because we want to make sure that the delivery is effective and efficient and it’s the best services that we can provide to our people.
We need a bit of time. But as I have indicated, we are going to live up to the previous Minister’s commitment and we will have something established in the Deh Cho before the end of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would just like to remind the Minister that I am from the Mackenzie Delta, not the Deh Cho.
---Laughter
My next question is Deputy Minister DeLancey spoke recently on changing legislation, but that is the first I’ve heard of it. No such legislation is before the House. The process takes time, as we all know. So what changes are being made and when will this legislation come forward? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I apologize. I know the Member is from the Mackenzie Delta. We have toured the Mackenzie Delta together and I look forward to touring it again.
Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with reviewing the authorities and how things are going and what changes we may have to make, it will most likely, most definitely take some legislation changes. I expect I will be working with committee in short order and I think we will likely have to bring some amendments to the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act that will provide more clarity on accountability, roles and responsibilities and this will be an important first step, but we will work with committee on that. All legislation has to go through the legislative process. We are seeking input from the boards, public administrators and the public on how to make the system work better. We will work with committee on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A former board member told me that one of the major challenges was the financial part of operating the board. Will the Minister assure that finance training will be made available to those future members? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, if it’s a management board we go with, that would make perfect sense. If it’s an advisory board that we go with, it may not make as much sense, but regardless, we will work with the members of the boards that exist and the future boards to make sure that they have the training so they can adequately provide informed direction and decisions within their particular mandates. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up from my Member’s statement on Friday, which was on the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure’s tabled document on responsible extraction, wherein the Pembina Institute reviewed the Industry Panel Report on Pathways to Mineral Development. I’d like to note right off that the panel public consultation effort was about a third of what was funded, unlike the economic development opportunities report which was its full budget and did a comprehensive consultation.
To focus on subsidies today, could the Minister please explain how this government calculates how much we should subsidize industry to set up a mine in the NWT compared to the benefits we get back? Is the Minister suggesting we pay them double what they pay back or should it be triple? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have in place socio-economic agreements with mining companies doing work here in the Northwest Territories. The expert panel on the Mineral Development Strategy went out, consulted far and wide across the Northwest Territories, and we have to keep sight of the fact that this is a development, a Mineral Development Strategy. We’re not interested in scaring away investment and we are going to have to ensure that as we continue along the path of implementing this Mineral Development Strategy. I thank the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for going out and commissioning a report, but that report runs contrary to what the panel heard across the Northwest Territories in many cases and the views of people who live in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
How does the Minister know? He didn’t talk to them. Clearly, the Minister is not interested in speaking to residents. He said it himself. This is talking to the industry, saying what is our wish list here. I think we all agree that mines should produce a net benefit for the public, not a liability. The Mineral Development Strategy Industry Panel Report, on behalf of our 42,000 people, proposes at least seven new government subsidies for the mining industry.
Could the Minister explain which of these subsidies provides the best return on investment for the public? Is it the publicly funded marketing campaign, the full-time GNWT mining industry assistants we’re going to hire for them, or the power lines, highways, airports that we’re going to construct for them on taxpayers’ backs?
The expert panel talked to a variety of stakeholders here in the Northwest Territories, including municipalities, industry, Aboriginal government and organizations including NGOs. They talked to Alternatives North, regulatory bodies, chambers of commerce, education and training institutions and non-government organizations, so for the Member to say that we didn’t talk to anybody, that’s not an accurate statement.
We haven’t opened a mine outside of a diamond mine in well over 20 years here in the Northwest Territories. Our interest is in getting more mines open so we can have jobs and opportunities for the people who call the Northwest Territories home. As to the subsidies the Member talks about, or the incentives, that is yet to be determined as we move forward. We’ll be working with the standing committee and Members of this government to ensure that we have a Mineral Development Strategy that is going to attract investment and get jobs and opportunities for residents of the Northwest Territories.
This Minister is out to lunch. The expert panel was an industry panel. There have been two mines approved in the last few months. There’s a list of mines that are on the docket to be approved. The biggest subsidy of all may be the pre-cleanup service that we offer when mines close. Past experiences at Faro, Giant, Colomac, Ptarmigan and Tom Mines should teach us that. All are costing more to clean up than either we or the federal government get back ever in revenues.
Under devolution we will assume full responsibility for cleanup costs on new mines. Given the clear and unaddressed inadequacies already detailed, how does the Minister propose that we ensure a net public benefit, a benefit – think of it – from new mines and not a cleanup liability?
Gone are the days of Giant Mine. Governments today certainly have the tools to put in place sizeable security deposits when mines open up, and the reclamation is planned into the development of the mine. Some mining now takes place with progressive reclamation as the mine goes forward. Certainly, again, as we move forward here, we can certainly look at opportunities here in the Northwest Territories to ensure that that does not happen. Again, this is a Mineral Development Strategy, not an anti-development strategy.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seventy percent of inspections have failed to happen. We know that. Jericho. The Minister says there are no failures today. Baloney. The National Energy Board recently proposed new requirements to make sure companies exploring for oil and gas in the Sahtu don’t get to leave the public on the hook to clean up after them. Does the Minister support these new requirements?
I support our Mineral Development Strategy, and I hope that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and the Regular Members support the Mineral Development Strategy and what it means to the future of mining here in the Northwest Territories. That’s what I support.
