Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to update Members and the public on our fiscal situation and discuss the ways we are addressing our challenges during the remaining life of this Assembly.
To date, 2014-15 has included a number of fiscal challenges. The most severe fire season in NWT history has cost $55 million, or 3 percent of this year’s budget. A record 64-year low water levels at Snare Hydro required the government to intervene with a $20 million contribution to the NWT Power Corporation to ensure higher electricity costs of 13 percent are not passed on to NWT residents and businesses. On the revenue side, total gross revenues forecast for the next number of years are expected to grow at less than 1 percent annually. Resource revenues are expected to be slightly lower than originally estimated last December, averaging approximately $113 million annually over the next five years, down from $120 million annually, and they are extremely volatile in that the expected revenue stream could fluctuate by as much $30 million from the expected annual average. Resource revenues are also finite in the sense that we cannot rely on receiving them from the same sources forever. These two facts are the reason why this government has decided to not include resource revenues in our operations and maintenance budget to fund programs and services.
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will only use resource revenues to fund infrastructure, pay down debt and invest in the NWT Heritage Fund.
As a government we will remain fiscally vigilant because average annual revenue growth over the next five years is expected to be significantly lower than historical growth rates. The fiscal reality is that we depend on the Territorial Formula Financing Grant to provide the majority of our revenues. Over the next five years, the grant is projected to grow about 2 percent annually due to a declining NWT population and reduced provincial and local government spending as provinces attempt to balance their budgets.
Next week I will be tabling the GNWT Public Accounts for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The annual report from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) on the Public Accounts is positive overall, a clean opinion, noting significant progress by GNWT over prior years. One such indicator of progress is the OAG cost of the audit has decreased approximately 20 percent from the prior year, which is a decrease from $929,000 to $756,000. This is mainly due to the fact that there were fewer errors and audit issues noted during the course of the audit, which resulted in improved efficiencies on the part of both GNWT management and the OAG audit team. Additionally, the GNWT has managed to shorten the public account time frames by continuously improving reporting and quality over the last three fiscal years. As the 17th Assembly prepares its final budget, the fiscal objective remains the same: hold the line on expenditure growth to allow us to make the investments necessary to protect our infrastructure and grow the economy. The achievements of this objective are reflected in the 2015-16 Capital Estimates tabled in the Legislative Assembly yesterday. Including the proposed housing investment, the total planned infrastructure investment in 2015-16 will be $314 million.
Being fiscally vigilant also means returning to a reduced capital plan after the 2015-16 Capital Estimates. This reduction will be difficult given the government’s current infrastructure deficit, the contribution public infrastructure spending makes to local economies and the fact that we need critical infrastructure to grow our economy.
NWT economic activity is only three-quarters of what it was eight years ago because resource production is declining and business capital investment is significantly lower. The lower levels of economic activity are one important reason why the NWT population is declining.
We are attempting to grow the NWT economy through a number of strategies that complement each other. As announced in this year’s budget, our target is to increase the NWT population by 2,000 people over the next five years, and we are taking steps to grow the NWT economy through important initiatives such as Industry, Tourism and Investment’s Economic Opportunities Strategy and Mineral Development Strategy and Education and Culture and Employment’s work to attract skilled immigrant workers along with providing training opportunities for NWT residents to take the jobs here in the NWT.
A robust economy combined with an increased population is key to our fiscal sustainability. The NWT population has not increased significantly since 2004 when the NWT was experiencing very strong economic growth while the rest of Canada was not. The NWT is competing with booming economies, especially in Western Canada. The Department of Human Resources is continuing to take steps to improve our internal recruitment and retention actions, and through Industry, Tourism and Investment’s Come Make Your Mark program, we are working with the private sector to support their recruitment and retention efforts. On October 8, 2014, I met the senior management of NWT’s three operating diamond mines, the NWT Chamber of Mines and the NWT Chamber of Commerce to continue our discussion on labour market challenges faced by the private sector, particularly the mining industry, and in doing so we are gaining a better understanding about what companies are doing to encourage more NWT resident labour and how the GNWT can work with the companies to make their actions in this regard more successful.
These economic development strategies will depend on transformational investments such as the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link, the Mackenzie Valley Highway and addressing our energy challenges. We need to focus on these strategic investments, and other investments, to lower costs for residents and businesses and open corridors to previously inaccessible markets and resources.
Funding these strategic investments require operating surpluses. Given the medium-term revenue outlook, these operating surpluses will only be achieved through making choices about what programs we fund and how much we fund them.
With respect to energy costs, we know that the GNWT cannot sustain its investment in subsidizing power rates. Since the beginning of the 17th Assembly, our government has provided $58 million in subsidies in order to shield NWT residents and businesses from ever-increasing electrical costs.
As you heard from the Premier yesterday, this level of subsidy cannot continue and the GNWT will be holding a second Energy Charrette November 3rd and 4th in Yellowknife where people from across the NWT will be invited to discuss their ideas on how best to address our energy challenges.
Going forward, the next Assembly will face the same difficult challenges we are currently addressing. That is why we will use the last annual public budget tour for the 17th Legislative Assembly this fall to discuss the GNWT fiscal situation, fiscal objectives and strategy with NWT residents. The information and feedback we collect will be a key piece in the transition to the 18th Legislative Assembly.
Since the first budget of this Assembly, we have successfully worked to maintain a stable fiscal environment while managing the fiscal risks of the many things outside of our control. Our prudent management of expenditure growth has meant that we have achieved the fiscal targets that permitted increased infrastructure investments for 201415 and 2015-16. Our commitment to fiscal discipline gives us the assurance that we will have the fiscal flexibility to address our challenges as they arise. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide this House with an update on the Med-Response system.
Med-Response is the first program of its kind in Canada – or anywhere else, as far as we know. Other jurisdictions have call centres to coordinate air ambulance triage and dispatch, or call centres to provide clinical consultation, but Med-Response is breaking new ground by combining these functions into one operation.
Mr. Speaker, Med-Response has the potential to transform how we provide care to patients who are injured or critically ill. Today we have a patchwork of protocols and processes that govern how we deal with urgent situations in communities outside Yellowknife. When a community health nurse wants to arrange an air ambulance, he or she may have to make five or six phone calls. They have to contact a regional nurse in charge, a medical director, the medical travel office and possibly other clinical experts. They do all this while trying to care for a patient who may well need urgent attention. They can be on hold for minutes or even an hour waiting to speak to a physician.
Med-Response will change all that. There will be one dedicated 1-800 number for all health care workers to call when they need an air ambulance or when they need advice or consultation that is beyond the capacity of local expertise. When a call is received, an emergency medical coordinator will immediately assess the urgency of the patient’s condition and then take the appropriate action. That might include getting a dispatcher to start arranging a medevac, or patching in an ER physician or specialist to provide advice and support. Both these things can happen at once. The phone system provides for up to nine callers to be involved, so that everyone with a role to play understands what is happening in real time.
Another benefit of Med-Response is that it provides an immediate support for new staff, casual staff and locum staff that may be dealing with an emergency situation but not be familiar with our system. In some cases, having immediate access to specialized clinical support may help to avoid having to medevac a patient.
Because all calls will be recorded, Med-Response will introduce a new level of quality assurance into our system. The data tracking capacity will allow us to monitor air ambulance usage and regional patterns, providing the basis for future program improvement.
I have heard concerns about the delayed implementation of this innovative system, but it’s more important to do it right than to do it right now. The team at Stanton Territorial Hospital is in place and has been working through looking at programs in other jurisdictions, customizing the phone system and dispatch software, training staff and developing operating procedures. We are now getting into the final stages of implementation, which involve reaching out to practitioners in every region to ensure that systems are thorough and accurate and that nothing has been forgotten in the design.
In the very near future, the team will kick off two weeks of intensive scenario testing as the final step before the system goes live early in the new calendar year.
Later today I will recognize in the gallery the dedicated team of professionals who are working to make Med-Response realize its potential. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, investing in the health and well-being of our people and our communities and building prosperity in the Northwest Territories is at the heart of this Assembly’s priorities, but it is not our priority alone. These goals are shared by many non-governmental organizations in our territory, by our citizens and by our employees.
The United Way NWT is one such organization and I am pleased today to stand as the United Way’s NWT Government of the Northwest Territories Workplace Campaign honourary chair to announce the kick-off of this year’s staff payroll campaign.
Mr. Speaker, the United Way NWT began about 14 years ago as United Way Yellowknife but has expanded to provide support across the territory. Over the past three years, more than $180,000 was allocated to various charities across the Northwest Territories.
Like this Assembly, the United Way NWT is committed to building strong and healthy communities through their three areas of focus:
From poverty to possibility – moving people out of poverty and meeting basic human needs.
All that kids can be – improving access to early childhood and development learning programs, helping kids to do well and complete high school and supporting the healthy transition into adulthood and post-secondary education.
Healthy people, strong communities – improving access to social and health-related support services, supporting resident and community engagement and supporting community integration and settlement.
Each year the Government of the Northwest Territories has a month-long United Way Workplace Campaign. During this month, employees and Members of the Legislative Assembly and Ministers can sign up for payroll deductions and hold fundraising events. Payroll deductions are an easy way to support the United Way and other registered non-profit organizations that are based in and focused on the Northwest Territories. A few dollars off each paycheque will go a long way towards supporting non-profits and probably will not even be missed. I challenge all my colleagues here in the Assembly who do not already participate to sign up.
This is the 12th year of the Government of the Northwest Territories Workplace Campaign. Many Members of this Assembly are donors or volunteers and our Government of the Northwest Territories staff have been generous contributors to the United Way. This year, Mr. Speaker, through the Workplace Campaign, we hope to increase the number of Government of the Northwest Territories staff who currently donate by payroll deduction to 10 percent of our employees. This would be a tremendous boost to the community and territorial organizations that United Way NWT supports.
I have said many times before that Northerners need to work together to create the kind of strong, prosperous and environmentally sustainable territory that we want. The United Way NWT has taken up that challenge and is an important partner with us in supporting beneficial programs and services across the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories payroll campaign begins today and will end on November 21st.
I understand departmental coordinators are organizing events that will occur throughout the month and that deputy ministers are leading a government-wide interdepartmental challenge that will feature a number of friendly fundraising events.
I want to thank the United Way NWT and its volunteer chair, Tracy St. Denis of Industry, Tourism and Investment, our Government of the Northwest Territories Workplace Campaign departmental coordinators and all the staff that are donating and signing up for payroll deductions. Your efforts make a real difference in the lives of our fellow Northerners, and I am very proud to be your honourary chair. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to congratulate the Town of Hay River on opening a new skate park this past August, one month before the town’s BMX and skateboarding competition. Mr. Speaker, this may not seem like a big thing, but I’ve got to tell you it’s something we talked about in Hay River for many, many years, so it was great to see it come to fruition.
Residents of Hay River have worked long and hard to build a bigger and better skate park for the community. Skate parks are a great way to keep youth healthy and engaged in outdoor, unstructured play. They can hone their skills and compete with other stunt artists in a safe, specially designated public area to practice their skills whenever they have free time.
Hay River’s skate park was designed with expertise from the Canadian Ramp Company, which recently finished work on the largest steel ramp park in Atlantic Canada.
Complete with rails, ramps and jumps, the skate park was host to the Hay River’s 4th Annual X-Games on September 13th, open to participants from across the territory to show off their tail whip, board slides, 360s and other tricks on two and four wheels.
This skate park is not only a valuable asset for youth across the NWT but a testament to what a group of dedicated, community-minded volunteers can accomplish. I especially want to recognize the hard work of the Hay River BMX Skate Park Committee that went above and beyond to bring this facility to life.
Volunteers spent the summer stripping copper off of waste wire donated by Diavik and selling it for profit. The committee also entered a contribution agreement with the Town of Hay River to raise funds for the skate park. They can be proud of what their hard work has achieved. The skate park has had lots of use before the snow started to fly this week and will be used for many seasons to come.
I’d like to thank all of the volunteers who made this year’s X-Games possible and once again commend the determination and community spirit that made this skate park a reality. I encourage the young people of Hay River to enjoy this new facility and not forget to wear their helmets. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For years we’ve been hearing about our sound fiscal strategy of surpluses, paying down our short-term debt and maintaining a $100 million cushion to our current $800 million borrowing limit. Yet for years there have been a number of pressures that have negatively impacted this fiscal framework. Such things as the personal and corporate income tax estimates for the 2014-15 season that created more than a $30 million void in tax revenues. Plus if you add on top of this fiscal pressure such things as the recent fire seasons of approximately $55 million and last week’s $20 million NTPC low water rate rider offset, and of course ongoing items such as the Inuvik-Tuk highway, that’s $300 million, Stanton Hospital at $400 million, the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project at around $80 million, the replacement of our fire suppression air fleet, which is price unknown at this time, continued pressures of our health and social services programs and more than $3 billion of infrastructure deficit, one has to truly wonder: where is the Finance department hiding this pot of gold?
Clearly, there is no pot of gold, yet this administration feels justified in spending us into a corner at every opportunity while we struggle to pay off our public Visa and MasterCard payments. But fret not, because although we hit the wall of worry some time ago, apparently all we have to do is fill out the Joe Oliver American Express Card application form and presto, we’re back inking those cheques.
Unfortunately, this is not the way to deal with debt management or insult the intelligence of the taxpayer. So how does this administration keep this incredible debt wall secret from escaping? What Jedi mind tricks are fogging the truth about our financial health?
Admittedly, over the years we are drilled repeatedly how our disciplined spending has produced better than average results and fiscal responsibility. On other occasions they toss around such terms as Moody’s ratings, debt to revenue or debt servicing matrix; all too impressive results by design, but by whose design? The Department of Finance? The Minister himself? Has anyone stopped to evaluate exactly what financial bill of goods the people have been getting?
Clearly, when this government talks about debt, they are focusing primarily on direct debt. However, this mirror approach misses a large portion of total government liability.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We fail to look at the complete picture of the state of this government’s debt load and must not only consider direct debt but also debt guarantees, contingent liabilities, contractual commitments and unplanned program obligations. Sadly, while most jurisdictions in North America are looking at ways of debt reduction or enacting laws for expenditure, this administration has been doing the exact opposite and is spending each and every one of us into a corner. The people deserve answers.
So, with the Finance Minister’s budget dialogues coming to a community near you, I challenge the people of the NWT to filter through this Department of Finance magic show and to please, please ask the tough questions, because ensuring our future starts with you knowing the truth. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you all know, the residents of the Northwest Territories this summer hit a wall, the wall of cost of living. They’re concerned with the rising cost of living in the Northwest Territories.
It saddened me this summer to hear a lot of long-term Northerners talking about leaving the Northwest Territories because of the cost of living. The low water rates and the potential 13 percent increase in the cost of power was one of those things that basically hit the wall and they said, that’s it, we have a crisis, we need to leave, we’re talking about leaving.
Yesterday the Premier announced, and last month they announced, that they were going to pay the $20 million to eliminate that 13 percent. But that’s only a quick fix.
Yesterday the Premier talked about an Energy Charrette, and we need to look at that energy cost because that’s one of the biggest factors. We need to look at alternative energies, biomass options, conservation of energy as well as the natural gas and LNG options out there for us in the Northwest Territories to lower the cost of living for the taxpayers.
But energy is only one situation. We need to look at our taxation. Our Cabinet wants to talk about increasing the population by 2,000 people over the next few years. It used to be that people came to the Northwest Territories as an opportunity. But the problem is that the cost of living is rising and the cost of taxation is rising, so the money that they’re taking home is decreasing.
We need to talk to the federal government about increasing northern residency deductions. We need to look at other options for taxation. We need to lower the cost of gas. We need to lower personal taxes. We need to lower small business taxes. The NWT needs to be the place of opportunity again. We need to take action on the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Unbeknown to newcomers to my riding, the sticks people carry are not broomsticks to fly upon; they are weapons to ward off dogs. Dogs running at large in the small communities are a major issue, and it’s time that the current Dog Act showed some teeth. We need to step up enforcement to make our communities safer for both people and animals.
Dogs are an integral part of the northern lifestyle. Some people feel their homes are not complete without an iconic husky. Municipalities, no matter how small, need tools to manage dogs and enforce the bylaws and legislation created in everyone’s best interests. We can’t just throw the problem a bone and hope it will go away.
Like wolves, dogs left running loose form packs that are known to attack people and other animals. Compassionate people across the NWT are constantly rescuing stray, neglected and abused dogs and finding homes for them or sending them to the SPCA shelter in Yellowknife. But that only happens to the lucky ones. Many dogs die or live terrible lives of abuse and neglect.
We need to do more to enforce the Dog Act in remote communities and more to manage dogs in remote places. In the past, Sahtu communities, in partnership with veterinarian medicine programs in the South, put on clinics and public education workshops for responsible care of dogs.
I encourage MACA to work with Health and Social Services to bring spay and neuter clinics to small communities throughout the North. We need more public education on caring for dogs, what to do as you encounter aggressive dogs and where to report cases of abuse.
We say dogs are man’s best friend, but they can be as much of a nuisance as any wild animal if they are not treated properly. We need to enforce legislation and enact bylaws to promote better dog control. As a government we need to find ways to work with municipalities to manage issues of dogs and harness solutions that really work for small communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, the recent release of the Bureau of Stats numbers would give most people an opportunity to celebrate. What they do say is the fact that unemployment rates have reached a new one-year low. This is normally a good thing. But normally this doesn’t always tell you the whole story when you take a look at the bigger picture of what all the stats say. When you look closely at them, you actually see what the true figures are.
Employment figures have actually dropped, and I mean in this case they’ve gone south, literally and figuratively.
Participation in the employment sector, trying to get a job out there, is seeing a new low. What this is really telling us is Northerners are giving up looking for work. So when you aggregate that together with the unemployment rate, it looks like more people are working.
The true question is: What are the employment figures? Have employment figures changed? Actually, employment figures are dropping as well.
The numbers tell the true story, not just half a story publicized about unemployment figures looking better. Yes, they are looking better, but the point being is, as made earlier, less people are looking for work because they just can’t find it.
When I was in Fort Smith this summer I talked to a lady named Betty, and she was telling me how challenging it is to find meaningful work in Fort Smith. Meaningful work means work she can afford to take care of herself and her children. I can’t imagine hearing more painful words when I hear that from somebody, because you know what? Every person wants to take care of their family.
When I was in Inuvik this spring, I talked to a guy named David. He told me how he has given up looking for work because he can’t find work to help pay for his rent, his gas bills, his cost of living is through the roof. What social assistance can offer him just can’t cut the mustard.
The true unemployment rates don’t tell the whole story as publicized by the NWT Bureau of Stats, because the figures, if they were actual figures, they would tell you that the actual unemployment rate in Yellowknife is about 3.4 percent, but the community rates are over 30 percent. Sure, when you average them, they look good, but the fact is, what it’s telling me here are job opportunities are few and far between in the communities, employment is tight in Yellowknife, and we’re doing very little to address this problem.
Minister Kenney has made some really serious changes to our EI program. He’s changed the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
My question for the Minister of ECE will be: How prepared are we as a government? How ready are we as a government to pick up the slack that the federal government has downloaded on us unfairly? Are we prepared?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, October 17th, marks International Day to Eradicate Poverty. Across Canada, food banks and anti-poverty advocates are joining together to call for a federal anti-poverty plan. The ask: that the federal government enact systemic change to eradicate poverty and hunger for the thousands of people, some 830,000 in Canada, who use food banks each month and for the millions of others struggling to get by. If food banks, soup kitchens and other front-line agencies across the country were to shut down tomorrow, poverty and hunger would become far more visible.
Food banks were started in Canada in the early ‘80s as a temporary way to address hunger. They were never intended to be a permanent measure, but now they are, and we do not have a national plan to address and eradicate poverty in spite of calls from committees of the House of Commons, the Senate and the United Nations, all who have said that Canada needs a federal anti-poverty plan. Today in Canada, one in eight people experience some level of food insecurity, but it’s a whole lot worse in Canada’s North. Hunger Count 2013 is last year’s edition of an annual publication of Food Bank Canada, and the Hunger Count 2013 report found that, “…many Northerners are not getting enough to eat. Food insecurity in the North, and particularly in the Arctic, is a dire public health emergency.”
Statistics in the report, which unfortunately list the three northern territories as one category, show that 38 percent of users across the North are children. From 2008 to 2012 there was a 163 percent increase in the number of residents using food banks in the three territories. From 2012 to 2013, one year, across the North there was an increase of 52 percent in food bank use. At the same time, seven provinces across the country reduced their food bank use.
It doesn’t have to be like this. The research shows that there are strategies that work, specifically anti-poverty strategies. When properly resourced and implemented, they can make a difference.
I believe this government is still committed to our own Anti-Poverty Strategy and Action Plan, that they are committed to reducing poverty wherever possible, but actions speak louder than words.
To that end, I will be asking the Minister responsible for our Anti-Poverty Strategy what we have done, what we’re doing and how we’re measuring any successes.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m going to speak about the Aurora Campus in Inuvik. On June 10th members of the Standing Committee on Social Programs had the opportunity to meet with the Board of Governors, the executive, as well as the Minister and his staff up in Inuvik. Along with those meetings we had the opportunity to go on some tours. We toured the college, the classrooms, the residences. We looked into the mobile trades unit as well as going over to the Aurora Research Institute. Great facilities, great staff, and I think the Members can agree with that, and great work that’s going on up there at the Research Institute.
However, when we were walking through the halls, they were pretty bare. You go into the facilities and there was hardly anybody that was around or utilizing them. The facilities are not being fully utilized to their potential. You heard it earlier in the Minister of Finance’s comments, the NWT economic activity is low and that we want to provide training opportunities for NWT residents to take jobs here in the NWT.
The realities for this campus are there’s a lack of programs that are being delivered, there are low enrolments and they’ve been getting lower every year, in fact our Office Admin Program is not being delivered this year because there is low enrolment.
As well, our single units as our family units are not all being used, and I do believe that the Aurora College does a have an agreement with one of the rental organizations for those family units, but because the enrolment is not there we’re paying for empty units.
Great facilities, great staff provide great opportunities. We have great opportunities here in the North. We’re looking at the satellite farm, you know, the fibre optic link. Early childhood development, we have a great facility that this government has contributed to within this government, the Children First Centre. The Aurora Research Institute has great opportunities with the research that they’re doing, as well as the mobile trades unit that we can get some of our workers in to help build these roads, infrastructure that we want to do in the years to come.
I seek unanimous consent to include my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
I just listed off a lot of great opportunities that this government has invested in, except investing in our people. Where are the programs, where are the education opportunities, the training opportunities for great facilities like this, and staff, in the northern region of the Northwest Territories? It’s just not there.
I’m going to ask the Minister later on, where are the plans for this campus? Where are the plans for the staff? What are the plans for residents of the Northwest Territories, our students and our families, for the northern region of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. GNWT labour relations recently informed the Union of Northern Workers that Stanton Territorial Hospital’s eight maintenance services workers are likely to face layoffs, possibly as early as June 2015. While Cabinet communications recently softened and confused this announcement, the writing is on the wall.
Stanton’s food services and housekeeping employees have already been privatized. With the public-private partnership approach to the Stanton rebuild project, this government is committing itself to yet more privatization of government jobs and long-term provision of formerly government services to profit-focused private enterprise.
Should the P3 rebuild of Stanton go ahead with these layoffs, Stanton Hospital will lose the knowledge, experience and demonstrated dedication these long-term employees provide.
Housekeeping and food service jobs were the beginning. Now it appears this approach is to be applied to facility maintenance, and what other services go remains to be seen.
We have little experience with P3 projects and for good reason. Our record of success, and that of many others, is poor. Seldom does outsourcing provide equivalent quality work or match the cost of public services. Outsourcing can have far more serious consequences than bland food or dirty floors. Lowest-bid contractors will not have the institutional memory or services background with Stanton that long-term employees now bring to work every day.
Current safety and maintenance standards will likely be compromised when dealing with the highly stringent requirements of ventilation and sterile environments hospitals require. Lives are often at stake if essential structural systems within the hospital fail. The first time the power goes out or the oxygen system fails or the boiler bursts, consequences will become clear.
The current maintenance staff at Stanton Territorial Hospital are considered by all who work there as an integral part of the health care team. They should be treated that way. Instead, the equivocal government communications on their future has destroyed the previously positive working atmosphere of the maintenance services workers currently at Stanton.
Workers want honesty and certainty and a clear option to continue on the job under a new employer with comparable compensation. This government apparently wins awards for how it employs people and treats employees. Let’s see a demonstration of this worthiness here. Provide the workers with clear information and ensure that any P3 partnership contract include a fair opportunity for them to continue their role and apply the experience they have gained under our watch.
I will have questions. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. News media in Canada and the world are talking about the decline in gasoline prices. The reason is because of the international glut of oil, which is causing the decline of global oil prices. The southern media reports that in New Brunswick a gas pump buyer said it’s just like winning the lottery, he was so happy gassing up.
The average price of gas across Canada has declined about 23 cents since the end of June. The decline is forecasted to continue well into Christmas, giving people an early Christmas present, so to speak. But closer to home in our small and remote communities, sadly there will be no lottery winning or Christmas present because government-delivered fuel prices are fixed.
Gasoline and heating oil prices are the single biggest driver of the cost of living there. The residents of my communities and all of the other smaller and remote communities across the NWT will suffer with the exceptional high cost of fuel while the world benefits. This is simply not right.
I will be calling upon this government to do something to help our people in small communities who depend on gasoline to make a living from the land and heating fuel for their homes. They should not be penalized by our outdated policies and procedures for delivery of fuel to their communities. We have seen this government come up with $20 million to help with the power costs. This government can once again be a champion by reducing the cost of fuel in our small communities to reflect the realities of lower oil prices in Canada and throughout this world. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently on a visit to Aklavik, constituents raised the need for more housing units in the community. This government has done a great job replacing units, but we now need to focus on adding units to our small communities.
We have a huge demand for both single units and duplex units in Aklavik because many people are moving back to their home community. I have constituents who have been waiting for up to two years for a unit and today they are still waiting. How can we expect to have healthy communities when we have a shortage of housing?
Thank you. I’ll have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to pay tribute to a young Rhoni Morgan Beaulieu of Fort Resolution. Rhoni was born February 24, 1998, and passed away on August 15, 2014, at the tender age of 16. Rhoni died of smoke inhalation in a house fire.
Rhoni was raised in Fort Resolution by her grandparents Ronnie and Cecile Beaulieu, and she referred to them as mom and dad.
Rhoni had completed Grade 10 and would be going to Grade 11 this fall. She was very active in all kinds of sports from a very young age and was considered a great team player. She had many friends from all over the NWT and other provinces. Rhoni was not shy. She was very outgoing, spoke her mind and was not afraid to express her feelings and thoughts. She was culturally strong and enjoyed going on spring and fall hunts with her father, Ronnie. She enjoyed learning and speaking Chipewyan language and impressed me by speaking Chipewyan to me each time she saw me. She used to walk up to me and say…[English translation not provided.]…which means how are you, for me things are beautiful. The young and old in the community were deeply touched and very saddened by Rhoni’s passing.
Rhoni was predeceased by her aunties Dolly Beaulieu and Annie Lafferty; uncles Tinker Delorme, Roland, Harry and Bruce Beaulieu; grandfather John Beckwith; great-grandparents August Beaulieu and Louis “Mickey” Lafferty.
Rhoni is survived by her biological parents, Melanie Beaulieu and Dave Beckwith; her sister Rhonda Beaulieu; her brother Kelly Betsina; grandparents Ronnie and Cecile Beaulieu and Margaret Beckwith; great-grandmothers Lizzie Beaulieu and Virginia Lafferty.
My condolences go out to the late Rhoni Beaulieu's parents, sister, brother, grandparents and great-grandparents, many uncles, aunts and friends. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in Inuvik Canadian North flight 444 landed in Inuvik like it does seven days a week, weather permitting. The significance of this flight was it was being piloted by Cece Hansen, who is retiring. It was his last flight and he wanted to fly into Inuvik.
Cece has been flying since 1967 and I believe he’s the first of our people to be flying commercial jets, so I think it’s important that we recognize and acknowledge the achievements of a lot of those who came before as they helped pave the way for lot of us in the Assembly and across the Northwest Territories.
I would ask the Legislative Assembly to join me in wishing Cece a happy retirement, thank him for being a role model to all those who came after him, and thank him for all the work that he’s done for the people in the Northwest Territories, getting us safely to and from. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Minister’s statement today I spoke about the Med-Response program, and I’m very pleased to have the team that are working on this innovative and exciting project in the House today. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize them and thank them all for their efforts. First, David Keselman, director of ambulatory care and medical affairs at Stanton; Janie Neudorf, the territorial emergency medical supervisor with Med-Response. We have a couple of emergency medical coordinators: Justin Davi, who is an RN; Carolyn Ridgley, who is an RN; and Vladislav Portnick, who is an RN. We have emergency medical dispatchers Lori MacMillan-Gallant, Kanina Clorey, Samantha Moynes, Justin Youzwa, and Ali Budgell. We have Melody Nikiforow Tkachuk, who is a senior medical travel officer; Carol Bucknor, who is the manager of medical travel; Kevin Taylor, who is director of system innovation; Ashley Geraghty, senior project manager for Med-Response; Amanda White, evaluation specialist; Dr. David Pontin, who is the clinical lead; and Dr. Kue Young, who is the dean of the School of Public Health at University of Alberta, who is helping lead our evaluation team on this important project. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for everything you’re doing.
