Debates of October 18, 2004 (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am pleased to provide an update on the status of the Northwest Territories Council of Sport and Recreation Partners. For some time now, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has been working in cooperation with stakeholders within the territorial sport and recreation system to find ways to improve the overall effectiveness of the system.

During consultation on this issue over the past few years, several key themes emerged. We heard that there needs to be a forum where all communities and partners can have a voice in planning and decision-making for the system. We heard that there is a need to streamline decision-making and to improve program coordination among all the partners. Most important of all, we heard that all the stakeholders agree that we need to expand the opportunities for all Northwest Territories residents to access sport, recreation and physical activity programs in order to improve personal health and community well-being. Not surprisingly, everyone agrees that we need to find ways to access new resources to support these activities.

To best address these issues, a facilitated process was set up involving all the Northwest Territories sport and recreation partners.

In March 2003, agreement was reached among the partners that these objectives could be met through the establishment of a Northwest Territories Council of Sport and Recreation Partners.

In the year following that decision, work was undertaken by the partners to develop a vision and mandate statement, propose an organization structure and complete some other steps necessary for the establishment of the council. My predecessors and I also worked with Members of the Legislative Assembly and partners to answer concerns and address issues raised by the council.

Originally, the council was to be established last April. Because some stakeholders continued to express

concerns, implementation was delayed to allow discussion to continue.

Over this past summer, I committed to a final round of consultations and also agreed to fund the final partners meeting so that stakeholders could discuss the work completed to date and provide recommendations on the establishment of the council. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to report that as a result of this detailed consultation process and the work of the Northwest Territories sport and recreation partners during their meeting in September, the next steps in establishing the council are now getting underway and it will be in operation effective April 2005. Full details will be made available to Members when I table the implementation plan in the Legislative Assembly later today.

At this time, I would like to extend my thanks to my predecessors and all of the partner organizations for their ongoing commitment to this initiative. It was not always easy, and there were certainly differences of opinion, but all individuals were professional in their approach and clearly were striving to achieve the best possible sport and recreation system in the Northwest Territories. Specifically, I wish to thank former Ministers Jim Antoine, Roger Allen, Vince Steen and Henry Zoe; Allan Landry of Kakisa and Roy Desjarlais of Yellowknife representing the Aboriginal Sport Circle of the Western Arctic; Clifford McLeod of Fort Providence and Todd Shafer of Hay River representing the Mackenzie Recreation Association; Janna Bulmer of Tuktoyaktuk and Victor Stewart of Fort McPherson representing the Beaufort-Delta/Sahtu Recreation Association; Theresa Ross of Inuvik and Julian Tomlinson of Inuvik representing the Northwest Territories Recreation and Parks Association; and, Abe Theil of Yellowknife, Richard Daitch of Fort Smith, Gary Hoffman of Hay River, and Ron Graf and Doug Rentmeister of Yellowknife representing the Sport North Federation.

Mr. Speaker, this is a pivotal time in the sport and recreation system. There has never been as much pressure to support our residents to lead healthy, active lives for their own benefit, and to consequently reduce the enormous stresses on our health care system.

The creation of the new Northwest Territories Council of Sport and Recreation Partners will provide the structure and the coordination necessary to develop a stronger and more efficient sport and recreation system, one that will consider the needs of all communities and all partners and lead the way in establishing healthier communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise my concerns regarding northern students who have received GNWT Student Financial Assistance to attend college and university. At present, we have a number of students who are suffering financially, and it is because of the policies of this government that these students are in jeopardy of not being able to afford to complete their education. It has recently come to my attention that verification of a student’s requirements for SFA is not being confirmed prior to disbursing funds for the second semester of the school year. Student transcripts are not requested between semesters nor are we receiving any kind of confirmation of completion of studies, which leaves many students at risk for being requested to refund their entire year.

If a student does not completely understand the impact of non-compliance, by withdrawing from a course or not obtaining their required percentage of a full course load to continue in the SFA program, the consequences are devastating. Some students have unknowingly deviated from regulations and are not aware that they have even caused an infraction in the first semester. They are not notified that they have breached the regulations until the end of the school year. I am aware of three students from Hay River who have been requested to return their full year of SFA funding prior to being able to reapply for assistance for the next school year. This demand for repayment was received only a few short weeks before they were scheduled to return to school.

These are full-time students, unemployed or working part-time to subsidize their living expenses while at school. Most students do not have sufficient funds to carry them through the school year without assistance from parents or a part-time job. How would we expect them to repay thousands of dollars within two or three weeks of starting their next school year? Without the option for applying for alternative student loans, which is not acceptable to SFA, these students must depend on their parents who are not always able to come up with thousands of dollars to repay this debt for them. This could mean the end of their education, Mr. Speaker. There must be a more efficient and effective way to monitor a student’s performance in the first semester, so that it isn’t necessary to present them with a bill for their full year of education at the end of the second semester if they deviated inadvertently from the regulations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays, Mrs. Groenewegen. You may conclude your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We ask our young people to return to their home here in the Northwest Territories to work, and we are in desperate need of these graduates and their educational experience to complement our northern workforce. It is unrealistic and unfair to be penalizing these students at the end of the year. There must be a mechanism put in place to prevent this type of nightmare from happening to any more students. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding this important subject. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Friday, I had some questions to the Minister of Public Works on the location of the new Family Law Legal Aid office in Yellowknife. I would like to use my Member’s statement today to again address this decision.

I am a very strong supporter of this new office being opened in Yellowknife and it is long overdue. One of the main reasons that it has taken so long to open this office is the fact that funding it on an ongoing basis was going to be problematic for the department. The space was sole-sourced after the RFP closed and it is to be located inside Centre Square Mall. This is prime retail space in a shopping mall, Mr. Speaker. This government is going to be spending more money than it has to to locate in this space. The clientele of this new office should not have to go through a busy shopping mall to access the service of legal aid lawyers.

Also, the leasehold improvements of what had been retail space to a full-fledged operating law office is too much money to pay. It only makes sense that the less money you spend on the operation and maintenance, the more that will flow through to the people who really need it and that is the clients. It also hurts retailers located in the mall, Mr. Speaker, as they need to work collectively to attract consumers to that mall.

Of course, the landlord is happy in that it has a deal with Public Works. It’s hard to beat the government as a solid tenant, and it is no fault of the landlord, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to reiterate that we are, over the life of this lease, going to be taking away valuable resources from the many clients out there who are in dire need of legal aid. It is a shame that no one stopped to think about the clients and the resources needed to meet their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the technology services centre, also referred to as the TSC, and their current voluntary compliance with that centre.

Mr. Speaker, since I was elected in the 15th Assembly last year, I have been quite vocal about my support for the TSC. I believe that this position is shared by many of my colleagues here in the House. Today, in this day and age, IT services are absolutely vital in running a government bureaucracy. As everyone knows, it takes up a big piece of our budget.

In the 2004-05 Main Estimates, Mr. Speaker, we spent about $5 million in IT service chargebacks. During times of fiscal restraint, it is absolutely essential that we spend our IT dollars wisely and we get optimum value for those dollars. We need to pool our resources using departments, boards, agencies and even corporations. To be more efficient, we have to do that. Mr. Speaker, it is all about a consistent and coordinated system and approach. That’s why the GNWT has created a centralized IT section called the TSC.

Mr. Speaker, during main estimates review in Committee of the Whole, the Minister responsible for FMBS advised committee that the 14th Assembly planned and created the TSC, but they created a system where people could voluntarily comply. Basically, boards and agencies, corporations and commissions either had the option to participate or they could opt out, so it was strictly based on their choice.

As most of us here know, most departments and agencies have opted in. I would like to point out the fact that this has created a centralized-wide process where we are able to share services where appropriate, and I have to stress it has to be where appropriate because not in all cases will it be an appropriate measure to consolidate.

Mr. Speaker, this brings me to my point. The NWT Housing Corporation has not opted in. In other words, they are being kept separate. It is my opinion, Mr. Speaker, that utilizing a centralized IT service should not be an option. Mr. Speaker, two other GNWT corporations, the WCB and the Power Corporation, are in this program. So I really see no reason why we should be treating the NWT Housing Corporation any differently.

Mr. Speaker, during the 14th Assembly, it was considered an option, but the 14th Assembly does not rule over the 15th Assembly, so it’s time to make this voluntary…

Mr. Hawkins, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues, especially the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, it is time that we move from a voluntary compliance to a mandatory policy. I would like to see the Minister responsible for FMBS work with the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation to create a mandatory policy where we bring the Housing Corporation into the fold with the rest of the government. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister later during oral question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, adequate and affordable housing continues to be a major problem across the territory and in smaller communities particularly. I refer to the 2004 survey of our community housing needs released by the NWT Housing Corporation. The report states that 29 percent of the territorial households have some form of housing problem. About half of those problems are identified as core need, meaning that the cost of repairs exceeds the ability of the homeowners to pay. The situation is more acute when we look at regional statistics. In my riding of Nahendeh, 42 percent of householders have housing problems of some sort. That is 319 households with problems, out of a total of 754. One-hundred-ninety-one have been identified as core need. According to my calculations, that means almost 60 percent of householders in Nahendeh have problems that they can’t afford to fix.

As disturbing as this situation is, the picture looks even bleaker when we examine the housing situation in specific communities. Of major concern in my riding is the community of Fort Liard. Here is what we are looking at in Fort Liard: 91 households have housing problems, that is exactly half, or 50 percent; of those 91 householders with problems, 59 of them have been identified as core need. That works out to 65 percent. What particularly concerns me in Fort Liard is the condition of housing for elders. I cannot say why exactly, but, for some reason, the provision of adequate housing for elders in this community has fallen short of what is provided elsewhere. We can also be certain that any elder with a housing problem would be core need, meaning that they are unable to effectively care for themselves.

The NWT Housing Corporation estimates that approximately $750,000 will be needed to address the problems in Fort Liard alone and bring housing conditions up to par. So far, the government has budgeted only $250,000. That is a start, Mr. Speaker, but it is only a start. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my honourable colleagues for allowing me to conclude my statement. There is still a long way to go, and I look forward to hearing from the government as to when we will be going the rest of the distance. I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, that the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation will be coming to Fort Liard in a few weeks' time to hear from the residents firsthand. This is a very positive gesture on his part, and I am looking forward to him coming and being ready to listen to the community, because people in this community most definitely will be prepared for the housing Minister. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I use my Member’s statement to talk about some of the problems our youth are being subjected to today, specifically on education. I am not talking about the costs families are faced with in relocating their children to the larger centres to receive a better education, but the negative societal impact we will be encountering in the future from the disruption of family stability as a consequence of geographical relocation in pursuit of the economic independence and benefits received when living in the larger commercial areas.

Mr. Speaker, the youth that were receiving education in the smaller remote communities who are now relocated to the larger centres, because of their parents having chosen to move, are opting to quit school because of peer pressure, pressure to keep up with classmates who have had better educational foundations and support mechanisms which enable them to keep pace with the growing demands of our school curriculum. Mr. Speaker, it is an admirable trait to seek better employment or educational opportunities to ensure the well-being of the family, but we need to take into account the effect this economic displacement has to our youth.

Mr. Speaker, I have received concerns from families faced with this dilemma. It seems that there is little or no information available, or very little directly focused counselling services for parents and children, and no proactive support programs to address this issue and bring kids back into the regular school programs that they should be in. Mr. Speaker, I feel that with the growing number of remote community families relocating to the larger centres, the number of youth dropping out or refraining from enrolment will increase proportionately, therefore leading to increased social costs in areas related to youth crimes, youth justice and also many other associated costs such as those related to family violence.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage this government to pay heed to these and other social indicators so that we can work towards addressing them promptly and possibly resolving and/or reducing these growing numbers before they become the norm of our social northern fabric. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize that today is the first day of Waste Reduction Week in Canada. The majority of the people here in the NWT would probably claim to be environmentally friendly. It is something that certainly fits our lifestyle and our image, but I am wondering, Mr. Speaker, if we really looked at ourselves, do we really demonstrate that our personal lifestyles and our choices and our habits prove this? I look around this Assembly, Mr. Speaker; there is a lot of horsepower here, but there is a lot of horsepower out in the parking lot, too. You should go and have a look at the number of SUVs and the big trucks that are parked out there that we use. These are choices that we have made. Are we really demonstrating that we are being environmentally friendly and responsible in these kinds of choices? It is something that we should all ask ourselves.

In greenhouse gases in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, the NWT produces 30 tons per person, compared to the national average of 21 tons. Energy consumption in the NWT on a per capita basis is the third highest in Canada, behind Alberta and Saskatchewan as a result of their agriculture and their energy sectors. It is kind of hard to turn this around. Perhaps if we take chances or take action to change our lifestyles and habits, we can make a difference. But we can’t continue to be in denial of the damage and waste that we cause.

One of the things that we could look at, one simple thing, but it makes a difference, is whether or not we choose to double-side our photocopies. We do a lot of that in this government, Mr. Speaker, and I have noticed that the reports and things that we get are getting better. We are doing more double-sided copying. If we looked at one other statistic here that said the average person working in an office discards 57 kilograms of waste paper a year, that is the equivalent in Canada of 80 million trees, Mr. Speaker. There are lots of opportunities to act in more responsible ways. We should all take a look at what our attitudes and our choices are in our lifestyles and in our offices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to speak about addictions treatment in the Sahtu. Over the course of the past 12 months since we have come together for the first time as an Assembly, Members have made a number of statements about the problems our communities face with respect to alcohol and drug addictions. In my opinion, Mr. Speaker, this problem on how we assemble tends to address it. It is perhaps the most pressing issue we are dealing with today. There are a number of changes to addictions counselling services in the Sahtu. Some of them are quite positive, and I would like to voice my support for these initiatives. I heard positive feedback from my constituents about the efforts of the Community Wellness workers in the Sahtu. We also look forward to two mental health addictions counsellors who are soon to begin work in the Sahtu as part of the role of the Sahtu regional health board. Some initial steps have been taken to improve the delivery of addictions treatment in the Sahtu, but more must be done. The report of the delivery of the addictions services in the NWT is quite…(inaudible)…A state of emergency was submitted to the Minister in May of 2002. In my view, Mr. Speaker, I do not think the government has done enough to respond to the recommendations contained in that report. What we have seen to date is a start, but more can be done. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today to the contract DPW has entered into to set up the second Legal Aid office at the Centre Square Mall. Mr. Speaker, going by Minister Roland's answers to Mr. Ramsay's questions last Friday, it appears that Minister Roland is completely content with the situation that the proprietor who did not even meet the deadline was rewarded with a sole-source or, at best, negotiated contract, for what amounts to a maximum of a 15-year lease, in one of the most expensive retail spaces in the city, to open a second Legal Aid office.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister further states in the unedited Hansard, page 1756, that, "we don't put a lot of weight on who the clientele might be going into that space." Mr. Speaker, I must say to you, this is absolutely scandalous and unacceptable…

Scandalous.

…and this decision has to be revisited and reversed, and I demand that this government does a better job.

Mr. Speaker, what kind of operation is the Minister running at DPW? Is the Minister telling us that the rules and regulations allow that the officials from his department can call up anybody and negotiate a sole-source contract for a 15-year lease with whatever business they want? I would like to know how I'd get into that kind of business, Mr. Speaker. How does a person at DPW decide which business he's going to give this 15-year contract to? If the criteria was only that it had to be a storefront or have easy disability access, I could give him at least five locations that I would have expected these officials to consider. I am most appalled at the Minister's suggestion that for government contracts they don't look at, when they're looking for space, what their use might be. Is the Minister saying that there's no difference between whether the government runs a motor vehicle office or a Legal Aid office? There are a lot of confidential issues involved in something like Legal Aid or other programs that the government offers. Should there not be due consideration -- the Minister being the Minister of Finance, as well -- that every dollar that we allocate for Legal Aid funding goes to legal services and not to the best, most lucrative, expensive, luxurious pad that you could find for a legal office?

---Laughter

I object to this and I expect…

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Ms. Lee, your time for your Member's statement is over.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize two of my employees in the gallery today, all the way from Fort McPherson from my constituency office: Liz Wright; and with her is Evan Walz who is my executive assistant.

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Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Mr. Everett McQueen; a friend of mine, a team mate; and his two beautiful daughters, Wynter and Montana. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

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Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome any members of the public we have in the gallery who haven't been recognized previously. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in keeping with my Member's statement today, I would like to address my question to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, with regard to Student Financial Assistance. I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what process is in place with SFA to confirm that a student has met the requirement of the regulations at the end of their first semester of school?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the expectation is that a student embarked on a post-secondary career will have read the application form, understand what the requirements are, and be aware that any changes in their situation may impact on whether or not they owe money back to the department, or whether they will be considered in the future. The department does not actively follow up to see whether or not somebody has been successful in the first semester. The expectation is that the student, as part of their process, will make sure that they stay in compliance with the rules and regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I imply from the Minister's response that he thinks if you're in post-secondary education you shouldn't be there unless you're smart enough to figure out the government's regulations. Anyway, I won't comment on that.

Mr. Speaker, I understand, from these regulations, that students are notified by letter at the beginning of the first semester. However, four months later can be a long time for a lot of students. Some of these kids are 18 years old. Does SFA notify the student at the end of the first semester of any changes to their program, or ask for any additional information regarding their first semester? Do they contact them at the end of the first semester, even by e-mail or fax or anything, and say did you stay in the program, did you change your course load, did you do anything which deviated from the regulations? Are there any reminders? Are there any requests for supplemental information between first and second semesters? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, the answer to the question is no. The expectation is, as I said, that students are made to understand very clearly. It's very, very clearly set out on the application form that any change may require them to pay back. So if they're not paying attention to that, yes, they could be in trouble. We're finding that for the most part students are having no trouble staying in compliance. In fact, since 2001, there haven't been that many appeals from people who feel that they have been treated incorrectly by the SFA program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have three students in Hay River, so I don't know if we're the exception here or what. I understand that requesting transcripts between semesters would delay funds being disbursed at the beginning of the second semester and would not be beneficial to students. However, would the Minister consider looking into a reminder notice, or an inquiry being sent to students a few weeks before the end of their semester; something that could be e-mailed, as I said, or faxed back to say that they are in compliance? Would the Minister consider sending out such communication to the students? After all, the whole intent of the SFA program is to see the students succeed, not to say we have regulations, you didn't meet them, pay us back the money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to look into whether or not we could accommodate that request. If it's something that could be done easily by e-mail, then certainly we could use it as an opportunity to contact students and remind them, for instance, that it's time to get their names in for employment in the summer. There are a number of reasons that we may want to contact students; but reminding them, too, that any change that they may have made to their program, if they haven't been successful, may impact on their qualification for funds, would also be a good idea. So, yes, Mr. Speaker, I will look into that.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 233-15(3): Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Dent, for that very positive response. That sounds like an excellent idea that could be bundled with other information. Now, as to the students who may not have been able to comply with the regulations and didn’t successfully complete their first year of studies; on the repayment right now you have to pay the entire amount, which could be thousands of dollars, before you can go on with your second year. So essentially it means drop out of school, get a job, pay the government back, then revisit the issue of your education. Could the Minister also look into any means that would be more lenient towards the students in terms of a way that they could repay this debt, but have it not send their education off the rails? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Requirements For The Continued Student Financial Assistance