Debates of October 18, 2006 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 129-15(5): Installation Of New Backup Generator At The Behchoko Seniors' Home

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, we have had a power outage with regard to the incident last winter because of the hydropower that caused the outage. Because of the old diesel generator backup system we had in the community, it was not functioning properly and we made the decision to replace the generator that is there, so we won’t have the situation we had last year. The idea of having two systems in the community is to ensure we have an adequate source of power, so that when the power does go out, you have a backup system. The system that is there now will serve the community for many years to come with the new generator that has been put in Behchoko to ensure that when the power does go out through an outage because of the hydro line, we do have the backup system that will take care of this problem. Because we made that investment in the community, that should allow us to provide the adequate power that will be needed for community residents along with the seniors.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 129-15(5): Installation Of New Backup Generator At The Behchoko Seniors' Home

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am still not satisfied with the answer I am getting or any answers I am getting from the Minister. This is a real fragile situation we are faced with today. The Minister is stating that this could avoid a power outage or there is a backup system in place, but I highly doubt that. Can the Minister commit to this House that in the future if there are incidents in the community where there is a power outage, there are costs associated, would he cover the cost of transporting individuals or elders to the community of Yellowknife or wherever the place may be? Will he cover the associated cost to that factor? Mahsi.

The question may be a bit of a hypothetical question; however, I will give the Minister an opportunity to answer. Mr. Krutko

Further Return To Question 129-15(5): Installation Of New Backup Generator At The Behchoko Seniors' Home

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, when there are emergencies or power outages or fires or power plants burn down, there is a backup plan in place in every community by way of the emergency measures that are in place through the municipalities, through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and other government agencies to ensure that we have evacuation plans in place, so when we have these instances, we are able to respond. So there is an emergency plan in place that will allow the transportation of the elders or seniors to the appropriate accommodation either here in Yellowknife or elsewhere to ensure that that situation doesn’t happen. Again, it is under those emergency situations that we will find ourselves having to enact that plan. There will be resources available to transport people out of the community at the appropriate time if we have to do so. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 129-15(5): Installation Of New Backup Generator At The Behchoko Seniors' Home

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have been approached on several occasions from the elders. I usually visit the elders in the seniors’ home and they are still concerned even though there is a backup generator. So just with respect to that, can the Minister and department make a commitment to meet with the Tlicho Community Services Agency if there is a current emergency plan in place? If not, can they establish one immediately before the winter comes? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 129-15(5): Installation Of New Backup Generator At The Behchoko Seniors' Home

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I commit to the Member that I will sit down with him and the community to review the emergency measures plan, what investment we made in the community by upgrading the existing power plant to ensure we avoid these situations. More importantly, we will assure the seniors that we do have a safe and secure power distribution system in the community so that we do not have the situation we had last year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier and it’s with regard to the Deh Cho Bridge and the loan guarantee to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. We just recently received a letter saying the loan guarantee was going to be again bumped up another $100,000. I distinctly remember saying the tap had been turned off on the Deh Cho Bridge project, so I was quite surprised to receive a letter like that. The project costs have gone from $50 million to $60 million to $140 million to $150 million. I am not sure why we continue to allow the tally to build up on this. I would like to ask the Premier if he didn’t mean the tap was really turned off, when is he going to turn it off? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Mr. Speaker, no further work is being done on the Deh Cho Bridge. The work has stopped. It’s on hold. Mr. Speaker, when I say there is nothing being done, we, though, still have the interest and bank fee costs of the outstanding loan that is made, loan guarantee. Mr. Speaker, that is the only cost we are bearing now. We have chosen to keep this on hold in light of Minister Cannon’s statement that he would be laying out a national infrastructure program and that we would be included in that. We have yet to find out what would be available to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know why we continue to put our dollars at risk while we wait for a decision from the federal government. That’s for certain.

The other thing I want to ask the Premier is what exactly are the other costs that are associated? If you are saying that it’s $100,000 in interest, I can see a loan guarantee of $3.55 million costing much, much more than $100,000. What is going to be the final tab on the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and what is it going to cost the residents of the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Mr. Speaker, all of the cost, the additional costs we have now for the time that this loan is extended to, are bank related. It’s interest, bank fees, bank charges. That’s all there is. There is nothing more going on. The loan is roughly $3.5 million. The work that has been done is not wasted. It doesn’t go in a wastebasket. It’s there and it’s work that’s been done and it’s ready to go. If we were to just fold up everything and say we don’t need to look at that project anymore, the heck with it, it would cost us roughly $3.5 million to pay off the loan and clean this up. Mr. Speaker, it’s our view that there is infrastructure money coming and we should not jump the gun here and be premature. Let’s wait to see what the federal government has to offer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think we would be jumping the gun by cutting off the risk of the territorial government in that loan guarantee. Why wouldn’t we just pay it out? We are going to get the information anyway. The decision from the federal government might be years away. Again, I don’t understand why we continue to bleed. What other costs is the government going to incur on this loan guarantee? There has to be other costs out there. What are they and will the Premier let us know what they are? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Mr. Speaker, we still anticipate that we will be successful in getting additional money to make this bridge possible. If the bridge goes ahead, if we get the money and the bridge goes ahead, then that money that we have loaned or guaranteed to the Bridge Corporation is rolled into the cost of the bridge. So there is no cost to the government at all. If we were to assume that the bridge is not going to go ahead and pay the $3.5 million, then in that scenario it costs us, as public government, $3.5 million. It’s our view that we are better to wait and not fold up the Bridge Corporation now. There may be money coming in. This money can be rolled into the price of the bridge and no cost to public government. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members have been asking, for some time, for a detailed costing on where this $3.5 million has gone and exactly what it’s been spent on. We haven’t received that level of detail yet on where this money has gone and what it’s been spent on. From what I hear, the Premier -- and I would like again to ask him this question -- is there going to be anymore money spent on the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation? Is it going to cost the residents here any more money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 130-15(5): Deh Cho Bridge Loan Guarantee

Mr. Speaker, again, I will say there is no activity at all, no additional cost to the Bridge Corporation. The only additional cost that we have accruing now are bank interest and other fees. There is no more activity with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and there won’t be until we have the revenues to be able to proceed with this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask questions to the Premier with regard to following up on the statements and questions I asked the Premier about yesterday. It’s with regard to a lack of progress this government and the Premier is making with regard to the resource revenue sharing. Yesterday the Premier committed to providing me with proof of the progress and this morning I appreciated the fact that there was a letter sitting on my desk that is supposed to be proof. I am going to table this letter in the House, but could I just ask the Premier exactly what part of this letter is supposed to be proof? I am telling you, nobody on this side of the table could see anything that could even be construed in any way as proof that the federal government is moving on this file. Thank you.

Thank you. I think you are referring to a document that is not before the House. I disallow the question.

---Ruled Out of Order

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask for an update on the Minister of Justice on this wilderness camp he has up in the Sahtu and also thinking about starting one in the Tlicho region. I would like to ask the Minister for a brief update. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have piloted a wilderness camp initiative in the Sahtu. It was very successful the last time around. We are preparing to do it again this year. In the Tlicho region we have also been working with the MLA in the region to talk about a model that would work there. I think we have discovered that exactly the same model can’t be transferred. We have to look at a slightly different approach, but we are talking to the region about that. So we are looking forward to the pilot again being rolled out in the Sahtu and we will have an evaluation after that’s done, but I think this has been a very effective program. That is my sense so far. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister inform the people in the Sahtu, maybe the community of Fort Good Hope because that’s where the pilot project is being initiated, is there a number or percentage of inmates who are going to participate in this year’s pilot project? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have that information. What we do is go through our facilities and see who would be eligible. First of all, we have to make sure the person is not a risk to the camp operators or to the general public before they are eligible to go out on the land, because it doesn’t have the same type of security that we have our facilities. Next, Mr. Speaker, they have to want to participate. I am sure that our staff and the facilities are going through measuring the people there based on those two criteria, but I can certainly provide the Member with more information when I have it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister inform me in the House, is there a good connecting program with the pilot project and the communities that these inmates are expected to return to in terms of an aftercare program in the jail if they have to go back? If they have to go back, are they going back to strengthen their families and children in terms of this pilot project? I think it’s one of the best projects that this government has started up in the last couple of years anyway. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his support of this program. It has been instrumental in helping us get this up and running in the Sahtu. Yes, there is programming available and we do work with the inmates to makes sure there is a plan upon their release to help them be reintegrated into their communities. We use the community justice groups locally to help us achieve this as well. So there is both programming in the institutions and upon release for the inmates and we think this corrections on-the-land camp model helps us deliver much of that program as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning on CBC, I heard that the aboriginal people were well overrepresented in the justice system and that a project like this that we start in the Northwest Territories, a lot of credit has to go to the Minister on this one in terms of listening to the people, and putting this project out on the land for the people, and people on the land are mostly aboriginal people. I want to ask the Minister, in the bigger picture, what type of programs does he have that will connect on-the-land programs that have institutions like the North Slave Correctional Centre, the centre in Hay River and Fort Smith? We have to get these programs into these institutions because that’s where it will work. I want to ask the Minister, what type of big picture initiatives are going to happen for people in institutions similar to on-the-land projects? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 132-15(5): Update On Wilderness Camp In The Sahtu Region

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would agree and it is troubling, obviously, that aboriginal people are overrepresented in our institutions. We have been working well with on-the-land programming. We continue to make efforts in our institutions. Members in committee will be aware that we have some what we believed to be culturally relevant programming at the institution. We made some change and improvements. We now have elders from many regions coming to the institution to work with inmates from those regions to talk about what went wrong, how they can make improvements, how they can make changes in their lives. We know these people are coming back to our communities. It makes sense to have them welcomed back to the communities after they’ve made amendments, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to work in the institutions to improve our programming and I will have more updates for the Members and for committee as we work in that fashion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier:

Provide a written assessment of the impacts on the NWT of the federal government cuts announced September 25, 2006, and actions to mitigate these impacts in the following areas:

jobs in NGO and government sectors

funding and court solution changes

economic impacts

social service impacts

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier:

Can the Premier provide the amount of royalties leaving the North and staying with the federal government, and our return from these resources in the last 10 years?

In terms of our financial fiscal imbalance, what does the North need to do to begin having our revenue from our resources managed by the North?

Will the GNWT provide an opportunity to discuss post-revenue sharing in the North? Who or when will the North sit down to discuss federal resources revenue management framework?

Can the Premier outline a strategic plan that demonstrates how northerners will react should we not get a satisfactory resource revenue or devolution agreement within the next year?

What will be the process to get the aboriginal governments a fair share of the resource revenue agreement and the devolution agreement?

Thank you.