I’m certainly willing to complete the tour and even go back to the communities that the MLA and I travelled to already. Also, I agreed recently to start a bit of dialogue with the deputy minister to have a consultation with chiefs, the public administrator, the MLAs, and anybody else that would be impacted on any decisions that we make pertaining to Deh Cho Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier of the Northwest Territories. The Northwest Territories is very unique and our communities are very unique, so unique that the school in Colville Lake is so different than a school in any larger centres or regional centres. That’s uniqueness. Yet, we try to have policies that cover everybody on a fair basis.
I want to ask the Premier here, in the Northwest Territories, with the uniqueness, is it so that our programs, our structures, our infrastructure priorities, certainly, they are different. Are there policies in the government that show that we should be all equal in terms of where the funding goes in terms of the infrastructure based on the needs for that community?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a government we live in a very large territory and there are a lot of regional, geographical and environmental differences. We try to maintain standards so that we have some consistent delivery of programs, but we recognize that not every region is going to be exactly the same. We try to maintain certain standards and we try to deliver the same level of programs and services, but it’s not always achievable.
Thank you, Mr. Premier, for your responses. I certainly want to say to you and Minister Glen Abernethy, coming down to the Sahtu and enjoying the uniqueness of the moose skin boat in the region. That’s what I wanted to get to the uniqueness of the region and maintaining certain standards, and that’s a fair response from the Premier here, that the communities in the Sahtu know we want to look at some of our standards in the smaller communities.
So, from saying that, I want to ask the Premier, are there different classes of infrastructure or classes of community. Colville Lake, Trout Lake, Ulukhaktok and, say, Tsiigehtchic, because they’re small and there’s a certain number that are deemed as a certain class within the government operations, so this is where they get different types of funding for their health centres or their education schooling.
With the myriad of programs and services that we deliver, generally we take into account a number of different features. For example, population is a very important component of any program delivery. For example, Education, they tried to tie their funding to the number of students, parent/student ratios. The Department of Health has a compendium of care, and depending on the population, if we have very small communities we can’t always have a nurse in every community. Some programs are tied to each other. Generally we don’t send nurses where there are no RCMP officers. Those kinds of things.
We also, through the land claims, the negotiations, self-government negotiations, we’ve developed a directory of services and we’re trying to maintain a standard so that people can be mobile and can expect a certain level of care and access to programs.
Fair enough. Thank you, Premier, for the explanation of the different level of communities in the Northwest Territories. That’s probably one of our biggest challenges as legislators when we put together infrastructure or O and M budgets as to how do we maintain a certain level of standard to ensure that the communities are receiving just about the same levels or standards of care in different communities and larger centres. That’s where probably our biggest concern is.
I want to ask the Premier on that. Is there a point in the communities like Colville Lake where you know that a nurse comes in there once a month but they won’t stay very long because of the time factor, is there is a level of health care standards, education standards or any other type of services that could be stated, well, that’s similar to Inuvik, Hay River or Yellowknife or Fort Smith, saying that they’re receiving the same type of care even though it doesn’t seem that’s the way the people see it in these small communities?
For example, in education we have the same level of curriculum for all of the communities. Again, it’s affected by population and the number of students. With health, we have a similar level of care. The health boards provide for health professionals to travel to communities on a regular basis in how they deal with health care. There are also certain standards in terms of placement of nurses and other health professionals.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier is correct that we do have the same health curriculum in the Northwest Territories, and I certainly agree with him. However, the disagreement for me is it’s not taught in the same type of environment in teaching that health curriculum. Colville Lake has one room partitioned off by a paper-thin wall that has four different classes, five different classes in one building here. As to other schools, we don’t have that type of scenario here. That’s where I am getting at, that hopefully with the responsibility of new powers from Ottawa, we could make some of these changes to our smaller communities where they would feel that they are getting the same quality of learning environment in these small communities and that we would become a true partner in the Northwest Territories in its evolution of becoming, hopefully one day, a province.
I think we all aspire to that. We are obviously limited by the level of resources. We try to do the best we can for every community. I should point out that in our capital needs assessment, Colville Lake has been identified in there, that there will be some planning studies that will be done to make sure that the needs of Colville Lake are eventually addressed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the chair of the Social Envelope Committee of Cabinet.
How will the Anti-Poverty Action Plan specifically change the social safety net system so that people with a disabling credit rating are still able to gain timely access to income support from Education, Culture and Employment that also meets their housing needs?
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment currently requires that people with housing debt establish and honour a repayment plan with the Housing Corporation for six months before qualifying for income support. How will the Anti-Poverty Action Plan specifically change the system so that people in immediate need do not have to wait before they are able to access income support from Education, Culture and Employment?
Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I am in receipt of Return to Written Question 26-17(4) asked by Mr. Yakeleya on May 29, 2013, regarding the Sahtu regional training requirements.
Copy of Sahtu Regional Training Partnership five-year plan and milestones accomplished to date.
The Sahtu Regional Training Partnership Committee developed the five-year training plan for the Sahtu region in 2009-10, as a guiding document. The training plan is reviewed by the committee every six to 12 months to ensure that previously identified needs are being prioritized and adjustments made, as necessary. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the five-year training plan for the Sahtu region.
Statistics from the regional Sahtu ECE Service Centre show that through training delivery partnerships, approximately 456 people have been trained between 2009 and 2012 in a variety of courses and programs that include class 7 driver training, environmental monitoring, accounting software, and hospitality. There are also 18 registered apprentices in the region in carpentry, electrical and other trades. Training offered has addressed the employment needs of both industry and secondary industry. To the committee, every individual trained represents a milestone.
The committee will focus its efforts going forward on the identification, preparation and coordination of training geared toward the oil and gas industry, the trades, tourism and the health sector.
Details on how senior officials from the departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), Transportation, and Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) plan to work together to meet the people’s training needs in the Sahtu region.
The Sahtu Regional Training Partnership Committee is made up of senior officials and their representatives from Imperial Oil Resources, Husky Energy, ConocoPhillips, HRN Contracting (Hodgsons, Red Dog and Nuna Logistics), North Ridge Contracting, the Sahtu Business Development Centre, the K’asho Got’ine Charter Community Council, Tulita Land Corporation, Tulita Dene Band, Deline Land Corporation, Deline First Nation, the Charter Community of Deline, the Sahtu Dene Council, Behdzi Ahda First Nation, the Norman Wells Land Corporation, the Sahtu Divisional Education Council, Aurora College, ITI, ENR, ECE and Transportation. The committee aims to identify the training needs of the people in the Sahtu region and coordinate the courses and programs required to meet those training needs.
Two new term positions have been added in the Sahtu region for fiscal year 2013-14 to assist with the additional workload resulting from the oil and gas activity. One position, a Sahtu oil and gas training coordinator, is at Aurora College; the other is an additional career development officer at the regional Sahtu ECE Service Centre.
Final copy of the skilled workforce needs assessment in the Sahtu region.
The Sahtu Oil and Gas Needs Assessment is being conducted in two phases. The industry needs assessment that focuses on industry’s employment and training needs was completed in January 2013.
The second phase will build on the first and focus on the employment and training needs of businesses, agencies, organizations and all levels of governments.
The second phase is underway and will include an on-line survey and in-person interviews, all scheduled for completion in late 2013.
Once completed and approved, the Sahtu Oil and Gas Needs Assessment phases one and two will be posted on the ECE website in early 2014.
Plan to show how the departments of ECE and ITI are working together to effectively meet the training needs of Sahtu residents and industry.
The work of the regional training partnership committee is the foundation for planning in the region. ECE and ITI, along with other committee members, work together to identify the training needs of the people in the Sahtu region and to coordinate the courses and programs required to meet those training needs. This is achieved by communicating with representatives from the oil and gas industry, the communities in the Sahtu and the secondary industry and businesses who identify their labour force needs and expectations to the committee. Committee members work together to prepare and organize the training programs.
Planning is key to furthering the professional development of Sahtu residents. ECE, ITI and other GNWT departments have participated in the following meetings:
On September 25 to 26, 2012, ECE, ITI, and other departments and stakeholders participated in a larger planning session, the Sahtu Explorations Readiness Session “Getting Ready for a Productive, Healthy and Prosperous Work Season”. Attendees included representatives from nine companies in the oil and gas industry, as well as officials from local, Aboriginal and territorial governments.
On April 9 and 10, 2013, representatives from the GNWT, including ITI and ECE, met in Norman Wells to discuss the recent winter season, the coordination of information sharing, and joint planning to respond to training and related activities resulting from the increased oil and gas activity in the region.
On June 4 and 5, 2013, the Sahtu Regional Training Partnership Committee met to review its five-year training program and to identify local and regional training needs going forward.
As a part of the second Sahtu Readiness Session, a series of activities are taking place across the Sahtu. These activities, which are being coordinated by several GNWT departments including ECE, ITI and ENR, began in September 2013 and will last several months.
The number and types of training needs identified are currently estimates, pending completion of the Sahtu Oil and Gas Needs Assessment in early 2014.
ECE and ITI are committed to working together with other stakeholders to meet the training needs in the Sahtu. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 15, Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act; Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Justices of the Peace Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act; Bill 18, Apology Act; and Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Dental Profession Act, and wishes to report to the Assembly that Bills 15, 16, 17, 18 and 21 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
The Standing Committee on Social Programs has reviewed Bill 19, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2013, and wishes to report that Bill 19 as amended and reprinted is also ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 13, An Act to Repeal the Curfew Act; and Bill 14, An Act to Repeal the Pawnbrokers and Second-hand Dealers Act, and wishes to report that Bills 13 and 14 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure has reviewed Bill 3, Wildlife Act, and wishes to report that Bill 3 as amended and reprinted is also ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Nadli.
BILL 24:
AN ACT TO AMEND THE
LIQUOR ACT
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Liquor Act, and wishes to report that Bill 24 as amended and reprinted is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents, entitled NWT Capital Estimates 2014-2015; Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 4-17(4), Report on the Review of the Public Accounts; Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 20-17(4), Proposal for the Use of New Resource Revenues; and Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 21-17(4), Liquor Commission Profits to Prevention. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, entitled Department of Education, Culture and Employment Response to the Auditor General’s Report on the Northwest Territories Income Security Programs; Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 5-17(4), Report on the Review of the Auditor General of Canada on 2014 Northwest Territories Income Security Programs.
Further to my Return to Written Question 26-17(4), the Sahtu Five-Year Strategic Training Plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 3-17(4), Report on the Review of the 2011-2012 Annual Report of the Information Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
