Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back, colleagues, as we reconvene the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
Another beautiful autumn is upon the Northwest Territories. I hope you’ve had the opportunity to get out and enjoy it. As we return from a summer spent reconnecting with our communities, our constituents, our families and our land, we prepare for the busy session that lies ahead of us.
Members, on September 19th the Legislative Assembly concluded our 20th anniversary celebrations with the burial of a time capsule in front of the beautiful building that we call home. The capsule is scheduled to be opened in 30 years, during the building’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Please join me in welcoming our Pages for this sitting. We will have students from Hay River, Inuvik, Yellowknife, and the Sahtu, Thebacha and Deh Cho regions joining us in the House. It is always a pleasure to have them here.
Members, October 15th is recognized as a Day of Remembrance and Awareness of Pregnancy and Infant Loss. Although the House did not sit yesterday, I ask all Members to join me in honouring those taken from us far too soon.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my personal condolences, and the collective condolences of the House, to all families who have suffered the death of a small child, infant or preterm baby.
Members, today I would like to extend condolences to families and communities who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. When we lose a loved one in our small communities, it is felt by all. I am sending thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of Troy Taylor, Joe Roy Kimiksana Jr., Sue Keevik, Martha Kudlak, John Gruben Jr. and Eddie Bourke.
Colleagues, it is now my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads:
“Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of
Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2015-2016
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015, and
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-2015
during the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
Yours truly, George L. Tuccaro, Commissioner.”
Thank you, colleagues. I know we are all eager to tackle the work at hand, so let us begin.
Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome all Members back for the resumption of the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
Last month the Government of the Northwest Territories announced that it would cover the expected $20 million in increased operating costs that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation faces due to extremely low water levels in the Snare Hydro system.
Our government took this extraordinary step because we are serious about addressing the high cost of living people in the Northwest Territories face. Without this decision, the added cost of using diesel to supplement hydro generation on the Snare system would have been paid by electricity users in every community of the Northwest Territories.
As an Assembly, we share a vision of a strong, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories that provides opportunities for all its residents. Making the Northwest Territories an attractive place to live, work and do business is an essential part of achieving that vision. We cannot achieve that unless we address the high cost of living and doing business in our communities. Energy is one of the biggest components of that cost and we have to do what we can to make it more affordable.
But we have to be clear that subsidizing consumers by taking on the additional costs of generating and distributing energy is not an effective, or affordable, long-term solution. If we really want to address the high costs of energy in the Northwest Territories, we need to make fundamental changes to how we approach energy specifically and how we think, more generally, as a government.
Identifying and harnessing new ideas is why the Government of the Northwest Territories will be hosting a second Energy Charrette early next month. The first Energy Charrette brought a broad range of energy experts and stakeholders together, including representatives from communities and Aboriginal governments. Together they discussed a long-term energy future for the Northwest Territories that resulted in an Energy Action Plan and a Power System Plan released late last year.
While those documents set out a long-term energy vision for the Northwest Territories, it is clear from recent circumstances that we also need to identify some more immediate and less expensive actions for addressing the high costs of generating and distributing energy right now. Our communities and businesses need the relief, and it will be critical to growing a strong, diversified economy.
A second Energy Charrette will give us the opportunity to identify those solutions, while accessing the input of stakeholders and good advice of energy experts. To help focus the discussion on finding practical solutions, we will be putting three questions forward:
Is there more that the Government of the Northwest Territories can do in the short term to help Northwest Territories residents and businesses cope with rising costs?
Are there new projects, programs or technological solutions that could be effective in the immediate term?
What should be the approach to transforming our energy systems to ensure they are affordable and sustainable in the long term?
This charrette will look at generation options, rather than the large-scale transmission projects that emerged from the last one. We need to find ways to meet our energy needs closer to home, making better use of alternative energies like wind, biomass and solar. With ongoing advances in alternative energy technology, small-scale generation projects in communities, and even homes, are an affordable and feasible way we can help meet some of the demand, particularly in the North Slave where our current systems are at full capacity.
We need to do things differently, and the charrette will give us an opportunity to make a start in an area that is of great concern to all Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, energy is not the only area where the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to be doing things differently. We continue to face challenges that limit the choices we can make as an Assembly and hamper our ability to create the prosperous future we want for our residents. Even with devolution, the unpredictability of resource revenues will always affect our fiscal plans. Climate change will continue to affect our infrastructure and create challenges like longer fire seasons and low water levels at hydro facilities, placing more demands on our budgets and our people. Personal challenges like irregular school attendance leading to low educational attainment levels and mental health and addictions will continue to hold our people back.
We will only be able to realize our vision of a strong, sustainable and prosperous territory if we make some fundamental changes that free us from these external limits. We need to grow GDP and government revenues by transforming the territorial economy, creating something more diversified and less dependent on volatile resource revenues. We need to address the high costs of factors like energy that continue to be a drag on our economy and affect the standard of living of our residents. We need to effect social change that creates an environment our people can thrive and prosper in.
More money is not the answer. Increased flexibility in the form of a higher borrowing limit or more revenues would help address these challenges, but we cannot simply depend on finding more money that just may not be there. Increasingly, we need to realize that we will have to make managed and strategic investments calculated to make the fundamental changes we need for a successful future. At the same time, we need to maintain fiscal discipline, ensuring that we are not mortgaging our future at the same time as we are trying to transform it.
The growth and health of our economy depends on many factors. It depends on a skilled and educated workforce. It depends on competitive tax and royalty rates. It depends on affordable housing, energy and other costs that make it attractive for businesses to locate and stay here. It depends on vibrant, sustainable communities offering the kind of infrastructure and services residents and businesses need.
With so many factors in play, it is clear that we need to think creatively and broadly if we want to promote the kind of change in our economy that will create long-term, sustainable prosperity for our residents.
That is the kind of thinking that underlies our decisions to develop and implement an Economic Opportunities Strategy and Mineral Development Strategy. It informs our decision to make strategic investments in infrastructure like the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway and Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line that will help support economic growth and development. It is what is behind our decentralization initiative and our objective to grow the Northwest Territories population to help sustain economic growth in all communities and regions.
At the same time, we continue to actively seek partnerships, recognizing that economic development is broader than just the Government of the Northwest Territories alone. We are particularly interested in seeking the opportunities that might come from engaging with forums that link governments and businesses with a shared interest in sustainable economic development and prosperity in our region.
Examples include the Arctic Economic Council, recently established by Minister Leona Aglukkaq in her capacity as chair of the Arctic Council, and PNWER, or the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. The Northwest Territories recently took over the presidency of PNWER, giving us a unique platform for promoting the economic potential of our region to a broad range of business and political leaders from several US states and Canadian provinces and territories in the Pacific Northwest and to gain the benefit of their experience.
New thinking and new ways of doing things are not just being applied to the economy. Our government is also taking new approaches designed to promote the same kind of fundamental, positive changes for the territory and its residents in the areas of education and health and wellness.
If we want the people of this territory to live healthy, educated lives free from poverty, we cannot simply address symptoms, we have to address causes. We have to create change at a fundamental level that positions our residents for success and we have to do it early on.
That is why our government has introduced the Early Childhood Development Initiative, Mr. Speaker. We know that the right kind of support provided to children in the years before they are five will pay off exponentially with long-term success in later years and reduce demands for more intensive and expensive interventions later.
The need to do things differently is also driving education renewal across the territory. We need to ensure our youth are prepared for the challenges of the future and ready to take advantage of the opportunities that a thriving economy will provide for them. Education renewal is working with our citizens to re-imagine the structure of the education system so it better reflects northern realities and leads to improved student achievement.
Our government has also been talking about the need to make fundamental change to the Northwest Territories health and social services system. We need to make sure that we are providing the best care possible to the residents of the Northwest Territories and that we are doing everything we can to encourage them to make healthy choices. We also need to make sure that we are using our resources wisely and that our system is as effective and efficient as it can be. We have been talking to people around the territory, outlining our vision for an improved and integrated system that will help ensure best health, best care, for a better future.
Our government has also been pleased to support the establishment of a Wellness Court by the Territorial Court of the Northwest Territories. This alternative to conventional court has been created to help offenders deal with the underlying mental health, addictions and cognitive issues they struggle with. By addressing causes and contributing factors, we hope to create lasting change that will allow offenders lead healthier lives.
Mr. Speaker, these are just some examples of how the Government of the Northwest Territories are doing things differently to help create long-term social and economic prosperity for all the people of this territory. It is going to take sustained and focused effort to do things a different way, but it is what we have to do if we want to achieve this Assembly's vision of a prosperous and sustainable territory with healthy, educated people and a healthy environment. As we prepare for the remaining months of our term, I invite all Members of the Legislative Assembly to join with us in creating a better future for the people we serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will table “Building Stronger Families: An Action Plan to Transform Child and Family Services” as well as the formal response to Committee Report 6-17(5). This government is committed to a fundamental shift in how we deliver child and family services in the Northwest Territories. The action plan will guide necessary and transformational changes to improve the overall quality of these services and achieve better outcomes for children and their families when they require services under the Child and Family Services Act.
In the past four years, over 100 recommendations have been made with respect to legislation, policies and practice in child and family services. The Standing Committee on Social Programs of the 16th Legislative Assembly undertook a comprehensive review of the Child and Family Services Act, and in March 2014 the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly. This was followed by the report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, which was tabled in the last session.
“Building Stronger Families: An Action Plan to Transform Child and Family Services” forms the government’s comprehensive response to the Auditor General of Canada’s report on Child and Family Services and the report from the Standing Committee on Government Operations.
The action plan outlines three overarching goals of increasing accountability between health authorities and the department, improving service delivery, and better assisting children and families in our communities. The plan identifies three significant areas of reform. The first will be to make changes to service delivery and child protection practices. The second will focus on risk management and quality assurance, and the third will be to improve program administration and management.
We need to find ways to reduce the number of children taken into care, and at the same time we need to protect children and put their interests first. To accomplish this, child protection workers will receive additional training to assess risk, determine the strengths and needs of each family and develop responses that are appropriate to each individual situation. This fundamental change to child protection practice will ensure that children and families are provided with appropriate support.
To improve risk management and quality assurance, the department has already completed and implemented a number of items outlined in the action plan. The 2013-2014 Report of the Director of Child and Family Services will be tabled later this session. The format for new quarterly performance reports from authorities to the department has been designed, and reporting activity begins this month. The quarterly report covering October through December 2014 is due in January 2015. We have developed audit teams and a common audit tool for use by both the department and authorities when auditing child protection and foster care files. Annual auditing of each authority starts in January 2015.
Information is key to case management and service delivery planning. This year $3.5 million in capital funding was approved to replace the Child and Family Services Information System. This project spans three years, and the department is currently engaging professional services to oversee the development and implementation of a new electronic case management, information and data system.
Changes to program administration and management include the development of an improved accountability framework and the appointment of all health and social services authority chief executive officers as assistant directors under the act, creating clearer accountability in the system. The CEOs were trained and appointed in July 2014. We have also undertaken legislative amendments to the Child and Family Services Act that will support more community and Aboriginal involvement in child protection matters, including prevention and the development of a plan when we need to step in and assist families under the act.
In addition, the department has contracted the Child Welfare League of Canada to undertake a review of child protection caseloads and workloads in order to ensure we have the resources needed to provide adequate and essential programming across the NWT.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, “Building Stronger Families” acknowledges the role Aboriginal governments play in the delivery of programs and services and recognizes their future interests in this program area. We are committed to working together and to understanding the unique interests and challenges of each region and community as we improve our delivery of child and family services.
I look forward to working with Members as we transform child and family services in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable David Ramsay will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible for Justice and Public Safety meeting in Banff, Alberta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The extremely high cost of municipal services in Fort McPherson is ridiculous, Mr. Speaker. Over the past few years, the Hamlet of Fort McPherson incurred a deficit of over $2 million. The hamlet council took this expense upon itself to better the community services, only to be pulled deeper into debt. The cost of municipal services dramatically increased. The average cost of water, septic and garbage services in March 2014 was $150 per household. Come April of 2014, the cost went through the roof and now Fort McPherson homeowners are paying, on average, $425 every month and upwards of $1,400 per month.
Constituents call me, asking why they now have to be the ones to pay back the amount the council overspent. The local housing authority is not getting an extra subsidy for the increase in water. Elders on a fixed income are not compensated for extra costs, and homeowners barely making it now have to pay almost three times what they were paying normally.
As it stands, we have a hard enough time keeping food on our tables for our children, let alone trying to keep up with paying sky high water prices.
I want to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, where is the control? At what point does the department step up and say there’s something wrong here? Where are the auditors? Who authorizes funding to councils under such a deficit? The department needs to realize that the responsibility is shared.
My question to the Minister is: At what point would you step in again and revisit the situation? Clearly, something is not working.
The community members call me on a regular basis on the same issues over and over again.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Is there a way the department can work with the community to lower the municipal services bills so that the residents can gradually adjust to the increase? The department and the hamlet should consider a five- to 10-year payback to the deficit, not try to recover it in one day and on the backs of community members.
There has to be a common goal of both the department and for my constituents. They are not happy paying such high prices to the hamlet. They are going into arrears and are given warnings that services may be discontinued, and some people have been refused water delivery.
Aside from the department coming into my community and telling people what will happen, can we sit down and come to an agreement to bring municipal service rates to a level where my constituents can hope to keep up with their bills? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s good to be back in the House with you and colleagues.
As we heard from our Premier today on all our accomplishments, it’s imperative that we take stock as we embark on the tail end of our journey of the 17th Legislative Assembly. However, in the midst of human tragedy, such as the hangover effect of residential schools and the more recent call for murdered and missing Aboriginal women, we need to take stock of another kind.
Now, more than ever, we need to commit ourselves to our communities – all communities, big and small – because in the end, all politics are local. We need to meet our responsibility toward our fellow citizens with equal measures of restraint and passion for all needs. As a territory of new-found powers, we need to control who we are and who we can be. We know we need to overcome the shameful behaviours of our past, yet we need to stop the patronizing as a nation with the wooden spoon of ignorance and we must embrace the modern reality we live with today.
It’s imperative, more than ever, to create an environment of true belonging, a territory of achievement and a North capable of harmony. If we are to move forward in such fashion, as one territory, as brother and sister, with true forgiveness at heart, I ask my colleagues here today, let’s show it with the remaining time in this Chamber.
With that, I’m calling on all leadership, all community governments and all organizations in the Northwest Territories, to put differences aside and work together so we can achieve this greatness.
In closing, I reach out for the wisdom of a great leader of our generation, Nelson Mandela, who said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I challenge you today, for the time remaining in the 17th Legislative Assembly, let’s get these initiatives done for the residents we serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome everybody back to the Assembly. It’s been a busy summer throughout the North, and with the record fire season this year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of ENR, the firefighters on the front, all the workers put together that helped protect this territory.
We had over 385 fires and three million hectares of forest destroyed. These people have been working hard for the public of the Northwest Territories, and I know the public appreciates them, especially in areas such as Kakisa and Reid Lake where the fires were right close to the facilities.
Other departments throughout the government need to be thanked as well: the Department of MACA for some of the services that they provide, as well as the Department of Transportation. I know some of the motor vehicle guys were on the lines for long hours controlling traffic, closing the roads. They were not popular at times, but I would like to thank them for their hard work.
As well, I’d also like to thank the departments. I think the departments all had to learn how to deal with certain situations, communications, getting out to the public.
While we’re speaking of fires, I’d like to congratulate Vince McKay of the Hay River Fire Department for receiving a Volunteer Firefighter’s Award this past week. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The voice of the NWT, the people of the NWT have expressed serious concern about fracturing the earth for oil. They’ve signed petitions by the hundreds, they’ve passed resolutions calling for comprehensive reviews or fracking bans in their areas via resolutions at the Sahtu and Gwich’in assemblies. By the hundreds they’ve written letters to authorities and asked their MLAs to call for a review, and indeed some MLAs have.
The Yukon First Nations banned fracking. Old Crow banned fracking. Our people with a new voice, supposedly devolved from Ottawa, have called for a comprehensive review. And this government’s response? No. We believe we can frack without significant impacts; we are the government, trust us. Your input? We’ll let you know.
The Minister of Finance’s frequent calls in the past for the government to respond to moral if not political responsibilities, the requirement for environmental review if there “might be public concern” according to the MVRMA or any newly enhanced responsibility to respond to the public are simply not on.
Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec, PEI, Ireland, all those other states and countries with moratoriums or bans, the Council of Canadians Academy’s report? Unlike our Cabinet, the presumption is that these people are off track and this government can regulate it better to avoid their concerns.
The Yukon process of a select MLA committee, public meetings and transcripts of proceedings with diverse experts in all relevant areas? Completely unnecessary. In fact, we just want to talk about how to frack and let’s not bother with pesky little questions like are the risks of fracking acceptable in the first place. Is this what we are hearing from a traditionally paternalistic, colonial federal government? Nope. Incredibly, this is our own government talking, our government with its brand new authority devolved from the federal government so Northerners’ voices can be heard more clearly and more effectively. Yet to so many, and myself included, this response is clearly colonial and paternalistic.
So now we know devolution gives greater power to the Premier and to the biggest promoter of fossil fuel development, Minister Ramsay. Taxpayers pay the Minister’s and Premier’s travels around the world to entice fossil fuel developers, declaring the NWT open for business.
I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Taxpayers pay the Minister’s and Premier’s travels around the world to entice fossil fuel developers, declaring the NWT open for business. Then the Minister returns home, dons his regulator hat and regulates these same corporations. I ask you, are there questions to be raised here? All this for fossil fuels whose combustion is known to be frying the earth and whose pursuit leaves the land and many people devastated in its wake. The people know what is needed, but they are being effectively silenced.
Citizens of the NWT, rest easy, your government is on the job. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Still a question arises: Why? Why will this government refuse to take a transparent and objective look at this controversial practice? Addiction has been defined as knowingly indulging in something repeatedly when it gives short-term gratification yet devastating long-term harm. Could that be it, Mr. Speaker? I simply don’t know, but I know our record on dealing with addictions. I will have questions. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The summer of 2014 was a record-breaking forest fire season. By the numbers, almost 3 million hectares of boreal forests burned and 384 fires. Suppression involved the efforts of more than 600 firefighters, 10 air tanker groups, nine incident management teams and dozens of helicopters at a cost of around $55 million.
The greatest number of fires was in the South Slave and had a major impact on the Deh Cho riding. By late June the smoke along Highway No. 3 was so thick that the road had to be closed between Fort Providence and Behchoko, the first of many highway closures this summer. We heard reports of vehicles lined up three to four kilometres, waiting for the chance to drive through. The raging fires by Birch Creek almost had a tornado effect as fires swirled across the road, stretches of pavement and road signs melting, and warnings about air quality.
By mid-July the fires had consumed over 8,400 square kilometres of forest. That’s the size of Calgary and Edmonton combined. Kakisa was evacuated and Fort Providence was surrounded by three big fires, the Birch Creek to the north, the Kakisa fire complex to the south and the bison sanctuary fire to the east, familiar names to people across the North who were listening to their radios this summer.
There was a big fire camp at Kakisa and the Big River gas station in Fort Providence was extremely busy. People were stranded at Fort Providence and residents began to open their homes and businesses to travelers. The Department of Transportation organized convoys to escort drivers through areas of dense smoke and continually posted updates on road conditions on its website and Twitter feed.
By mid to late August, the fires began to subside and things got back to normal. Fires are part of a forest’s natural cycle, but global warming is making our climate hotter and dryer than ever before. This resulted in more extreme forest fire conditions.
I encourage the government to take lessons learned from the NWT’s most dramatic forest fire seasons yet and be prepared for the future. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you Mr. Nadli. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The Charles Tetcho School in Trout Lake simply has to be a stand-alone school. I’ve been speaking about this with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, with my colleagues and in committee meetings. I would like to see it in our capital budget.
During my last visit to Trout Lake this fall, the chief and leadership were not happy to hear that a renovation was planned rather than the GNWT building a new school. The community’s wishes have been well known to the Minister and to this government for many years. Trout Lake has grown in recent years. In fact, Stats Canada has shown this is a growing community, especially in the zero to 10 years age category, meaning that school enrollments have increased and will continue to increase. That’s good news, but we also need even better news: a new school.
The biggest concern is that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is doing renovations to the building that do not take the community’s needs and wishes into account. The residents do not want to lose their valuable community hall and activity space, which they use six days a week.
Also, I am concerned that renovating the existing facility will delay and even defer the decision to build a proper school for the community of Trout Lake. The community has been waiting too long.
I will have questions for the Minister of Education at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho.
Thank you Mr. Menicoche. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome all Members back into the House here.
The Premier, in his sessional statement, mentioned that personal challenges such as mental health and addictions will continue to hold our people back. Earlier in the 17th Legislative Assembly, all Members of this government got together and we developed priorities that were going to lead us along this path for four years. One of these priorities was enhancing addiction treatment programs using existing infrastructure so we didn’t have to put more dollars into creating new buildings. We were also told at the onset of the 17th Legislative Assembly, one of the biggest cost-drivers to this government and previous governments was mental health and addictions. Today that continues to be the case.
We are three years into our mandate and, yes, we have done some work in this area. We have started creating things that are going to help those who are battling these addictions. We’ve developed a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, which some of those actions were already taking place during this past fiscal year. We’ve had the Minister’s Forum on Addictions, where we heard from residents of the Northwest Territories and took the recommendations seriously. We’re also looking at creating a new Mental Health Act so that those who are falling through the cracks get the help that they need.
I just want to point out that we do have a lot of facilities in the Northwest Territories where they are government stock or facilities that are owned and operated by our Aboriginal partners, so we can still look at addressing one of these priorities that we as a government agreed to at the onset of this Assembly.
We have taken a few steps moving forward, but there is still a long way to go. There are still a lot of obstacles, challenges that we need to overcome, such as follow-up and support for people who go through treatment. Detox centres are another one that we really need to address.
I’m going to make a suggestion that moving forward – I know we are at a fiscal responsibility time within our government – this government take a look at taking a pan-territorial approach with our northern partners, Nunavut and Yukon, and create a northern treatment facility that meets the unique needs of Northerners in the North, for Yukon, for Nunavut, for the Northwest Territories, also working with the Aboriginal governments that can meet the unique needs of Northerners that desperately need this type of help and this type of service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today also is on mental health and addictions. In the Premier’s statement, he talked about reducing the people being held back by addictions and mental health issues. Like my colleague Mr. Moses, I do not agree. I don’t think this government is doing enough.
We were preparing for an Ebola epidemic, we were taking measures, but we have an epidemic in the Northwest Territories right now. All you have to do is read the newspaper every week and you will hear about one more person that’s been found dead as a result of falling through the cracks, the gaps.
Mr. Bouchard and I had a constituency meeting before returning to this House. We heard the Catholic priest from Hay River talking about the lack of emergency response to people in need. I know in Yellowknife…and kudos to the people in Yellowknife, the NGOs that have worked so hard and so many volunteer hours to get infrastructure in place for the residents of Yellowknife. But in our regional centres and in our communities there is a huge gap for emergency responses. If you need income support, you can go to an income support worker, but these are not quick and they’re more for long-term kind of planning. You can go to Housing and talk about social housing. You can go to family counseling and talking about needs. But we need some emergency crisis type infrastructure on the ground in Hay River.
The gentleman who shared this need with us said that people look to the churches, even, in Hay River to try and meet this need. They have enough trouble keeping their lights on themselves. They don’t have infrastructure to take in people. People see the church as a haven of help and benevolence, but in fact they struggle themselves and that’s not the answer.
The priest also shared a story of a person who came knocking on his door. When this gentleman went to the hospital, they said sorry, you’re not sick enough. They went to the RCMP and they said sorry, you’re not drunk enough. But that person that night had no place to go and was in crisis and was obviously affected by things such as addictions and mental health issues.
So, Mr. Speaker, I also reminded the constituents at that meeting about our government’s effort a number of years ago to put a homeless shelter for men in Hay River, which met with great opposition from the neighbours who were going to be surrounding it.
Later today I’m going to have questions again to see if we could revisit that concept to help out with the people that are falling between the cracks.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague Mr. Bouchard, today is an opportunity for me to say thank you to all the firefighters who kept us safe this summer, those who kept us safe during one of the worst fire seasons in over 30 years. I join many, many other NWT residents in thanking firefighters, firefighters from the NWT, from across Canada, and from our northern neighbours, Yukon and Alaska, who battled the hundreds of fires that burned in our territory this past summer, especially in the North and South Slave.
Firefighters are on call for us 24/7, ready and willing to do dangerous work if needed, and these men and women are trained and prepared for action, prepared for action at a moment’s notice. They have specialized skills and knowledge that enables them to do an outstanding job often in difficult weather and in treacherous locations. I know this summer it was extremely warm. They put life and limb at risk to keep us safe and to keep our communities, our homes and our businesses safe.
But not only were firefighters hard at work this summer fighting fires, but many other GNWT personnel were working hard, as well, dealing with the impacts of the fires. ENR, DOT, MACA, all three departments were especially involved in fighting the fires, keeping the public safe, monitoring road conditions and assisting communities when fires threatened.
This past fire season was a situation that could not be predicted and one that is, all being well, not the norm. Now that it’s over, like my colleague Mr. Nadli, I can only hope that a long, hard introspection takes place and evaluation of every action and non-action taken during the 2014 fire season. There were lessons to be learned by one and all, and we need to examine the circumstances and learn the lessons. If a comprehensive analysis is done, policies and processes adjusted, we will be better prepared should another disastrous fire season hit us again.
Today I recognize and honour all NWT emergency personnel as they go about their jobs. To each and every one I say thank you for protecting us, thank you for taking risks for us, thank you for the job you do every day. To my colleagues, as you return to your communities over the next few days and weeks, take the time to search out and visit your local firefighters, and if you haven’t done so already, please thank them personally.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
[English translation not provided.]
I’ve been practicing. Mr. Speaker, on February 5th of this year the Finance Minister proclaimed an aggressive yet ambitious target to attract 2,000 new residents to the NWT. Our most current publication from the Bureau of Stats says the NWT’s population fell by 218 persons. Now, that is a negative 10 percent shortfall on that particular number.
In the Finance Minister’s words on February 6th, again, it said our fiscal future is closely linked to economic prospects and healthy population growth. The Minister continues to go on by saying we are also aware the risk of low economic growth and declining population poses on the territorial financing grant. Furthermore, he continues by saying the most effective way we can grow our revenues is to grow our economy and our population.
I can continue to quote the Finance Minister at length, but the fact is we’re not growing our population. If this government was serious and committed to growing our population, it’s time to be bold yet responsible. I’d like the government to consider ideas like this.
If this government committed today by putting two teachers in every school across the NWT, what would that do? Well, that would do wonders for education. It would do wonders for population growth. It would do amazing things for community vitality, every single community.
Now, a fiscally responsible person would easily and quickly say, where’s the money going to come from? Well, that would be a very good question. I estimate that if we put about approximately 70 new teachers on the ground, that would cost us approximately $7 million. If each teacher brought a spouse, two children, as a matter of fact, the net federal transfer would cover that cost.
In comparison to the fires this summer at a million dollars a day, that $7 million cost to cover those teachers would equal seven days of firefighting. Let’s put money out there that really means something and does something, so if you have a school in Paulatuk, you have a school in Fort Good Hope, give them two new teachers, put money in that small community. It’s a real resource to help our kids, help our families, help our communities. Those people spend real money. That real money will help revitalize that community and it will continue and continue. This is called genuine investment. So, if we want to support our communities, it’s time to support the base, we support the foundation as we build a future for everyone.
I’ll have questions later for the Minister of Finance, who made those bold statements, to find out where we are on this prospect of attracting 2,000 new people, because I can tell you today we’re already behind on that target. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to pay tribute to the late Mary McKay of Fort Resolution. Mary was born August 9, 1938, and passed away on July 6, 2014, at age 75. Mary passed away from natural causes.
Mary was born and raised in Fort Resolution and lived in Pine Point for a number of years with her late husband, Louis McKay, who worked at the mines. After Pine Point shut down, Mary and her family relocated to Fort Resolution.
Mary was always a stay-at-home mother and enjoyed being there for her family. She liked to cook, bake, visit with family and friends and pass the time as she played bingo and cards. Mary had many friends all over the NWT and enjoyed keeping in contact with them. Her sudden passing shocked her family and friends.
Mary was predeceased by her husband Louis, children Vern and Louis, parents Johnny and Alice Beaulieu, siblings Therese, Doris, Gilbert, James, Rodney and Percy. Mary is survived by her daughter Margaret, Margaret’s husband Charles Larocque, Delores and her spouse Daren, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sisters Violet Bailey, Martha Beaulieu, Margaret Miersch, Velma Delorme, Elizabeth Beaulieu, brothers Tommy, Leonard, Howard, Robert and Wilfred, and numerous nieces and nephews. My sincere condolences go out to the late Mary McKay’s daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sisters, brothers, nephews and nieces. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of the Great Slave riding and the president of the UNW, Mr. Todd Parsons.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of Yellowknife South, Gayla Thunstrom, the first vice-president of the Union of Northern Workers; and also Jack Bourassa, regional executive vice-president north with the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Miltenberger.
