Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to welcome Dr. David Pontin into the House today, a constituent in the Weledeh riding, and any other constituents that I don’t know. Thank you. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although not technically in the gallery, just on the other side of that wall, I’d like to recognize my constituency assistant today, Wendy Morgan, who is celebrating a very special milestone birthday. So if you see her today – I don’t want to name the number, but you can guess. It’s a big one.
---Laughter
Wait a minute. I didn’t mean that. It’s an important one. It’s an important one.
Wendy has worked as my assistant for over 15 years. I just texted Mr. Miltenberger; his assistant, Denise, has been with him since he was elected, I believe. So I think these two ladies hold the record for constituency assistant. I could not do my job without her. I know she has helped others of you in this House as well. I just wanted to say happy birthday to her today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. I would like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here. Welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement, I’d like to ask the Minister, when will the department be adding units to the community of Aklavik?
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the construction of a new seniors centre counts as units, we’re doing that right now. See how quick the Member is? As soon as he asks, it happens. But we continue to try and identify a lot of needs across the Northwest Territories, and we’re working on that. We continue to try to identify all of our needs. We just had a new community survey done. We used a lot of the information from that to determine where some of our strategic investments are going to be. Again, we continue to replace a lot of public housing units. I have to add that since 2006 we’ve spent over $18 million in Aklavik.
As I mentioned in my statement, I applaud the department for all the replacing of units, but there’s a big demand for new units as we have many people moving back to the community in a lot of our small communities. But with waiting lists of over two years, some young people who want to start their lives need units. There’s a big demand for single units like the multiplex units that we’ve discussed in this Assembly.
I’d like to ask the Minister, are there plans for a multiplex unit for the community in the near future?
One of the challenges that we face with the declining funding from CMHC is the ability to add new units. A lot of our public housing units now are replacement units and we’re replacing units that are already there. We’re struggling with that. We’re fortunate that the Legislative Assembly stepped up last year and filled in some of the gap, but it’s going to be awfully costly for them to be doing that every year.
Again, I’m not sure of the exact capital allotment for Aklavik. I will find the information and I will share it with the Member. We just, I think, replaced 10 units in Aklavik here just a couple of years ago because the old units were failing, and we put in five duplexes. The Member is correct; we are going to more of a multi-unit type configuration to help with energy costs and keeping our costs down.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about how gasoline prices are, on average, being reduced across Canada. I am well aware that Public Works and Services runs our fuel delivery program. However, in general, I’d like to ask the Premier of the NWT some questions regarding this.
More specifically, I would like to ask the Premier, how can he address this inequity where fixed gasoline prices are in our small communities and will remain there until next year when the fuel is delivered this winter but prices will be fixed.
How can our government be involved to address the needs in the small communities when the rest of the world’s gasoline and heating fuel prices are declining?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The communities that the Member is referring to are those where we resupply once a year, and whatever the price is at that time we pass it on to the consumer. We have a revolving fund, and in a lot of the small communities when the revolving fund is in a surplus position, we reduce the costs, in a lot of cases, by 10 cents a litre. But, generally, we pass the cost on to the consumer. It’s very unusual for the gas prices to go down. Usually they go up. We’re still waiting here in Yellowknife for the gas prices to go down, so I think you’re referring to a temporary spike and it will probably go right back up.
Well, gasoline prices in Yellowknife are a whole different matter, and I challenge the leadership of Yellowknife to address that with those companies that keep them there. But in the small communities, it’s the government that keeps the prices there. So I’d like to ask the Premier again, will he consider the special exceptional circumstances of world prices declining and people benefiting from it?
How can this government affect change in the small communities, so that communities like Nahanni Butte aren’t paying $1.79 for the rest of the year, Tsiigehtchic paying $2.01 per litre for gasoline? Those are fixed costs in the rest of the world and at some point Yellowknife will benefit. How can small communities benefit from the changed realities in the world? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The prices in the small communities will not change until the next resupply. So a year from now, when we do the resupply, at that time hopefully there will be lower prices in place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m kind of saddened to hear the short-sightedness of that response here. But I believe our government can do better for our small communities and look at a solution for the interim to help reduce those prices in the communities because it is just so shameful. They are sitting there while the rest of the world’s gas prices, and heating fuel for that matter, that effects cost of living and poverty in our small communities.
I’d like this government and Mr. Premier to seriously consider the effects of gasoline and heating fuel prices in the small communities for this coming year. Thank you.
The government already has a Petroleum Products Stabilization Fund and it has a maximum value of $1 million. This Petroleum Products Stabilization Fund is intended to temporarily compensate for differences between the purchased cost and the sale price of petroleum products. There is always a delay between the day when new fuel products are delivered to communities and the date when prices to customers are changed. So, we already have a Stabilization Fund. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much. I know those are technical details that the Minister of Public Works and Services can certainly answer, but I’m asking, I know that the Stabilization Fund was used already and I’d like to ask Mr. Premier when can this government review that and also review a further reduction using this Stabilization Fund for this coming year, given that gasoline prices will continue to decline at this quarter. Mahsi.
Of course, we can always look at every situation, but generally the market determines the price and we pass the cost on to the consumer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my earlier statement today with questions I believe are probably most appropriately directed to the Minister of Finance on the P3 projects for the rebuild of Stanton Hospital that’s proposed, although there are certainly elements for Health, Public Works and Services, Human Resources and so on as well.
On September 30th the Union of Northern Workers received an alert that eight maintenance services workers at Stanton Territorial Hospital may be laid off next summer. At the recent Stanton Hospital AGM on October 7th, Minister of Health and Social Services gave what has been described as a confusing array of answers to questions posed. In particular, workers have heard that the timing of layoffs may be anywhere from June 2015, to once the project has been completed, to never.
My question is: Will the Minister provide the desired certainty to the workers and say what is the most likely time of layoff, given the government’s current schedule for this project? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There has been no final determination as to what is going to transpire or even if there is going to be any layoffs. There are some things being considered as part of the P3 process and what services and what requirements will be in the final agreed to RFP. So when we have that certainly, we will be sharing it with all affected parties as well as all the MLAs. Thank you.
Thanks for the response from the Minister. Members of the hospital medical staff describe the maintenance workers as critical components of the health care team.
Will the Minister give me his assurance that if the important functions performed by these long-term GNWT employees are to be lost from public service, the P3 contract will ensure that the provider must give these experienced employees an opportunity for continuation under the new employer with comparable compensation? Mahsi.
It’s a hypothetical situation posed by the Member, but we have very clear processes as an employer on how we deal with affected employees. We will use those procedures and policies to the full extent to ensure, should there be, if there is, maybe, that that eventuality occurs, we will ensure that every step is made to address the issues raised by the Member.
Thanks for that response. During the rebuild of Stanton Hospital when the hospital basically becomes a construction site, it will be difficult to maintain the level of service that patients expect and require. The changeover period will be critical, and maintenance of the systems will be very challenging.
Will the Minister reassure the people of the North that the workers who know the physical plant and systems of the hospital best, those with up to 33 years’ experience maintaining the building and its functions, will be there to ensure their safety? Mahsi.
On a go forward basis, the Member is correct, when you do a renovation as opposed to a new build, there has to be these extra, very critical steps taken to protect the quality of the air, infection control and those types of things. I know this personally, as well, because we just went through that situation at the health centre in Fort Smith. It requires that extra special step which will be done. We will ensure that, of course, we will use all the resources available, including all the human resources available. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s unfair to the long-time and loyal maintenance services employees at Stanton to have the uncertainty of the timing of their layoffs and whether they will be laid off at all hanging over their heads. Indeed, they reported a destroyed workplace atmosphere compared to conditions before the critical government pronouncements, and we heard the many equivalencies here today from the Minister.
When is the Minister prepared to provide some certainty to these employees, given that this Minister sets the schedule here, so that they can make appropriate plans based on clear information about their future and so that a healthy and positive workplace atmosphere returns to Stanton maintenance services, something I know the Minister and all of us desire. Mahsi.
The key focus I think we have to keep our eye on is we are going to invest something in the neighbourhood of $350 million to do a major retrofit, expand the footprint and service capacity of the Stanton Hospital by about 40 percent and modernize it into the 21st Century. It’s a big operation. There is going to be more staff coming on board.
As we move forward with this process, we will continue to inform everybody. The CEO has already met with staff. The process is not finalized. The final agreement, contract, hasn’t been signed. As those issues become clear, we will sort them out.
We are very sensitive to the concerns raised by the Member and that is being considered as we move forward as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member’s statement that I made earlier, I will be asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about some of those issues that arose with Aurora Campus.
Can the Minister let me know, and the people of the Beaufort-Delta and the Sahtu region, is there an action plan moving forward for the Aurora Campus, whether it’s a five-year or 10-year action plan, short term or long term? Can the Minister give us any indication if there’s an action plan and is it being implemented? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This is an area that Aurora College has been exploring, the Board of Governors, for some time now. They are currently in the process of developing a long-term plan, a five-year plan on how they can deal with the community deliverance of certain programming. So we are, as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, also working very closely with the college as part of their overall goals and objectives of what kinds of programs will be delivered, whether it is Inuvik, Fort Smith or Yellowknife and the surrounding communities. So those are some areas we are continually monitoring and working very closely with the Board of Governors.
We want to have our input into the system, as well, because we are currently in the preliminary stages of Skills for Success, where we are identifying and doing a needs assessment for communities and delivering that part of programming into the communities. Mahsi.
It is a growing concern that has been happening over the last two to three years about the programs being delivered, enrolments dropping, and there’s a reason we have a low enrolment. It’s because we don’t have the programs.
With the programs that are being delivered at Aurora Campus at the moment, what is the campaign strategy that Aurora College is doing to try to get students not only from the Beaufort-Delta and Sahtu regions to that campus but from all the Northwest Territories and other jurisdictions possibly? What is the department doing to increase the awareness of the programs to try to increase enrolment at the Aurora Campus? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is a wide range of marketing approaches happening within Aurora College. The Board of Governors is responsible for the three main campuses, including Inuvik. There are various programs delivered, whether it is trades and apprenticeship, education, health, arts, sciences and business. So we want to expand beyond that. There is the ALBE program as well.
As the Member alluded to, we need to attract more students into our programming. That is the ultimate target of the Board of Governors, and we as a department are responsible for training of those individuals. We have various federal programming, as well, and territorial programming which will be integrated into Aurora programming. Those are some areas we are tackling with the Board of Governors of the college. Mahsi.
I’m glad to hear that the Board of Governors is responsible for the programs and how they are delivered throughout the three campuses here in the Northwest Territories.
How is the Minister working with the Board of Governors? He is the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment in the Northwest Territories. How is he working with the Board of Governors to ensure that we have equally distributed programs in Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Inuvik? How is the Minister working with the Board of Governors to ensure we have equally distributed programs so that all regions can get the education that they deserve? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I agree with the Member that there should be equal deliverance of programs to the three main campuses and also the 23 community learning centres across the Northwest Territories out of 33 communities. Those are some of the areas that I have captured with the board chair and also the president. We meet on a frequent basis, highlighting the needs of the communities based on the needs assessments that we are currently developing through Skills for Success. We are at the preliminary stages, but we are currently re-evaluating our program deliverance and working, again, very closely with the college on this particular subject, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I mentioned a few great opportunities such as satellite farm, fibre optic link and early childhood development possibilities with the great facility that this government committed to with the Children First Centre.
Would the Minister, when he meets with the Board of Governors, look at increasing the programs in the Inuvik Campus and one specifically, especially with our Early Childhood Development Strategic Plan, creating an early childhood development program to train our employees in the Beaufort-Delta region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. Yes, most definitely. Those are programs that are currently being discussed by my department and perspective with the college. There’s also federal programing with respect to scientific research programming that we’ve been trying to access for a number of years now. So we are making progress along the way. So those are just some of the areas of innovative programming that we want to be delivered into the three main campuses that we have. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
