Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. I welcome our guests in the gallery today. I take a moment to recognize a very special guest in the gallery, my lovely wife, Davida, is here visiting us today.
Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the past, northern residents have relied on community gardens to provide nutritious locally grown produce. Thanks to dedicated community gardeners, this practice is being revived. During our short but intense growing season this summer, Northwest Territories community gardeners harvested a bumper crop of produce ranging from potatoes and carrots to spinach and lettuce.
Mr. Speaker, reducing the cost of living is one of the five strategic initiatives of the 16th Legislative Assembly. One way to accomplish this is to increase the amount of food that is produced and available at the local level.
Gardens have been established in many Northwest Territories communities through the support of the Small Scale Foods Program under the Canada-Northwest Territories Growing Forward Agreement and the hard work of residents throughout the Territory. This is a key step in providing affordable, healthy food for Northwest Territories residents.
While it’s called the Small Scale Foods Program, there’s nothing small about the benefits this program is producing in our Territory. It is reducing the cost of living. It is also diversifying local economies and putting healthy, locally grown food on the table.
Mr. Speaker, there are many more opportunities for the Northwest Territories to increase local food production. The Government of the Northwest
Territories is working with communities to develop our capacity to harvest our own local resources.
We are aiming higher and we are looking to maximize the benefits of local food production for Northwest Territories residents.
In fact, with strategic investments of $700,000 being made this fiscal year, we can expand not only the production of food to include meat and fish, but also develop the ability to process food for markets throughout the Northwest Territories.
This work will have its challenges, but they are not insurmountable and our work can be successful.
By making these investments, we can have bigger impact at the local level, reducing the cost of living, creating jobs and developing more self-sufficient, vibrant communities. There is no reason why we can’t have food produced in the Northwest Territories sold in every grocery store, hotel and restaurant in the Northwest Territories.
Through initiatives like the Small Scale Foods Program, the Government of the Northwest Territories remains committed to a diversified economy, reducing the cost of living and supporting local residents in making healthy local choices.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to inform Members that results of the Community Justice Review will be available later this fall.
Our Community Justice Program has been in place for the last 15 years and it’s been one of the most successful in the country. For the past several years, almost all of our communities have entered into partnerships with our department to deliver local justice programs. They are committed to find ways to address their local justice issues with responses and solutions that they develop on their own. It’s a healthy and sustainable volunteer system of alternative justice.
Not all the committees are at the same level. Some are very successful. They keep kids and adults out of court, operate crime prevention programs, and get the whole community involved. Others are just starting to explore options on the best way to address local justice issues. We did this review because we wanted to find out what does and does not work. We want to do a better job of supporting all of our people and strengthening their role in prevention.
This review started in 2009. We did eight site visits and asked people from all over the Northwest Territories for their ideas. What’s working? What’s not working? What could be strengthened with our extra help? What do they see in other places that might work at home?
We heard that communities want consistent training and financial support to address their staffing issues. Some of our committees have constant turnover of their coordinators. That can make it tough to get and maintain a restorative justice program. They want standardized procedures and practices so that everyone is doing the same thing. They want enhanced communications so that they can learn from each other. They want more partnerships with the RCMP, local government and agencies. We think we can help with these things.
This is just the beginning. We are developing an action plan and will come to the Standing Committee on Social Programs with a proposal. We agree that we can do more through increasing connections with the RCMP and victim services. Community justice is a range of services, not just one thing. It supports local needs and reflects local priorities. I look forward to discussing this with the committee.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, October 18th to 24th is Waste Reduction Week in Canada. This week is an opportunity to provide residents with information about the environmental ramifications of wasteful practices and to encourage all of us to reduce, reuse and recycle.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has organized a number of activities to celebrate Waste Reduction Week. Random acts of greenness include a clothing swap, a cell phone and rechargeable battery recycling opportunity, a litterless lunch workshop and potluck, daily waste reduction tips, and ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
The GNWT is committed to conserving our natural resources and protecting our environment. Waste reduction and recovery are a key component of this commitment.
In the hierarchy of waste management, the gold medal goes to reducing the amount of waste that we produce. Reduction is the most important action in waste management. The silver medal is for reusing and the bronze medal is awarded for recycling.
The department is finalizing plans to implement phase II of the Single-Use Retail Bag Program on February 1, 2011. Phase II will extend the 25 cent environmental fee on single-use retail bags to all retail stores in the Northwest Territories. Each household will receive two highly compact reusable bags through the mail this weekend as part of this program implementation. Revenue generated from the Single-Use Retail Bag Program will go into the Environment Fund and will be used to fund the expansion of waste reduction and recovery activities in the NWT.
As Members are aware, this program is intended to reduce litter on the land. By limiting and ultimately eliminating our consumption of single-use retail bags, we are achieving the gold standard of waste reduction and management.
The Northwest Territories Liquor Commission is also introducing its own reusable bag program next month. Liquor stores will be offering reusable bags made of recyclable materials at an affordable price. The bags will feature northern scenes that will change as supplies are reordered. The existing paper bags will continue to be offered for a few months to allow customers time to transition to the new reusable bags.
Over the past five years, ENR has implemented a number of waste reduction and recovery programs. These include the Beverage Container Program, which was recently expanded to include milk containers, the Waste Paper Products Initiative and phase I of the Single-Use Retail Bag Program. The department will also be researching electronic waste programs this winter.
Mr. Speaker, Waste Reduction Week is an opportunity for all of us to remember the importance of reducing our consumption and protecting the environment for future generations. I invite all NWT residents to reduce, reuse and recycle this week and every week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Robert C. McLeod will be absent from the House today to attend to a personal family matter.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to recognize International Stuttering Awareness Day, which takes place tomorrow. In supporting this awareness, I’d also like to recognize a former constituent, Ms. Karen Hollett, who is with us in the gallery today, who recently published a book about a young girl who stutters. A heart-warming story, Hooray for Aiden, was written by Ms. Hollett, who knows firsthand how challenging life can be for a young person who stutters. It is an excellent book that shows how a young grade 2 student named Aiden overcomes her fear of speaking in class and about how people who stutter can be anything they want to be.
Mr. Speaker, stuttering affects 5 percent of young children during the years they’re learning to speak. Often this disability has negative consequences on a person’s self-confidence and self-acceptance. But there are effective treatments for both children and adults. Typically, the earlier a child gets help, the better the outcome. There are many resources out there, Mr. Speaker, for parents, educators and school counsellors who work with children or adults who stutter. The Canadian Stuttering Association has an excellent website at stutter.ca, and Ms. Hollett has a great website at hooraypublishing.com.
Stuttering, Mr. Speaker, is a disability that doesn’t get talked about very much, but it can have a devastating effect on school children who are teased by their peers. Hooray for Aiden is a book that belongs in all school libraries across our Territory. As a teaching tool it will inspire a child who stutters or perhaps has another disability, and will educate children who don’t.
Mr. Speaker, I highly recommend the book and encourage all Members to read it and to share it with young people in their communities, and that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment look at putting a copy of Hooray for Aiden in each and every school across our Territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send my condolences to the Bruce family of Old Crow on the passing of their mother, their grandmother and, more importantly, a very important figure in the Gwich’in region.
Mr. Speaker, the Gwich’in people from across the Northwest Territories will be gathering today in Old Crow for the passing of Reverend Ellen Bruce. Ellen was the first northern aboriginal woman to be ordained in the Anglican Church and also was a member of the Order of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, Reverend Bruce is well known for her work with the church, but more importantly, working with the Gwich’in people and retaining the Gwich’in culture and language. She also was very easy and approachable to share her wisdom and her knowledge with everyone who knew her.
Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity this summer to spend time in Aklavik with Ellen, her daughter Bella, and Freddy Greenland in Aklavik, where she’d spent a lot of time over the last couple of years visiting family, relatives, and mostly her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, Ms. Bruce will pass as one of those unique people that we meet in our lifetimes, who basically made you feel welcome every time you meet her, but more importantly, knowing that her beliefs in God, and more importantly, the importance of working together and retaining our culture and taking care of our fellowmen.
Mr. Speaker, with that, I would like to pass my condolences up to the people in Aklavik, for Old Crow and, more importantly, the Bruce family and for all the people who take their time to remember Ellen Bruce in her passing. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. My statement is about blood, sweat and good teamwork.
Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu is the most remarkable place. The largest lake, Bear Lake, in Canada, is the first ice hockey game in Canada, the CANOL Trail, and now due to the true grit and determination of a couple of northern farmers, Norman Wells has become the potato capital of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, it began with some discouraging results: a poor crop of small potatoes last year. Mr. Speaker, that didn’t stop Doug Whiteman, owner of Green Enterprises. With some advice from PEI potato farmers, and somehow from his friend Brian Likochas, he had a great harvest this year.
Mr. Whiteman and Mr. Likochas mixed cattle manure into a soil and improved their harvesting techniques. Their reward was more than 9,000 pounds of potatoes. These are big potatoes, Mr. Speaker, averaging about a pound each. They are 100 percent organic grown red potatoes. They are tasty and they can compete with the prices in the Northern Store.
People from Norman Wells are buying these northern spuds. People from Tulita and Fort Good Hope have been taking them home by boatloads. I think there is a song coming with that, Mr. Speaker; however, I will wait.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Whiteman received financial aid from the Government of the Northwest Territories through Industry, Tourism and Investment that helped to purchase a tractor and an industrial Rototiller. Mr. Speaker, with the success of this good news, Mr. Whiteman also has 70 turkeys --and, no, we are not the turkey capital of the Northwest Territories --
---Laughter
...and chickens. He had a good year growing carrots too. I hope his success will encourage others in the Sahtu and people in the Northwest Territories to start producing vegetables for their families and to have a cash crop. Perhaps others will get into the self-sufficiency attitude, and this way, Mr. Speaker, communities will become less reliant on imported produce, and produce more and become more self-reliant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be talking about Lutselk’e and their desire to have a winter road to the community from Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, here in the NWT we have many communities that are isolated with no road access in and out of their community. These communities know all too well the challenges of living in their isolated communities. Lutselk’e is one such community. However, Mr. Speaker, unlike many isolated communities, Lutselk’e does not have the benefit of a winter road.
While residents in other communities can drive in and out of their community anytime they wish to in the winter road season, Lutselk’e residents must continue to pay as much as $400 each time they leave the community and come to Yellowknife. Sometimes that is just the beginning of their journey, Mr. Speaker.
To put it another way, when it comes to Christmas shopping, a family of four coming from Lutselk’e will pay close to $1,600 just to get here and back. That doesn’t include meals and accommodation, so at the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, there is not much left for shopping. It is just one of many examples of the disadvantages of having no winter road access.
Mr. Speaker, I know the government did consider the idea of a winter road to Lutselk’e before and deemed it too costly when compared to the status quo of using barges. Mr. Speaker, just because the government thinks it is not feasible, that shouldn’t be the end of the idea. What about the needs of the people and communities? With that kind of thinking and to be really cost efficient, everybody could be living in Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, the government must revisit the matter at this time and exercise due diligence and fully engage the people of Lutselk’e to make this work.
For example, Mr. Speaker, they will tell you that there is some uncertainty with the barge this summer. We all know the water levels have dropped to record lows and if the water levels continue to drop over the coming summer, it will force the issue. To avoid the issue, we need to start working on this now.
Mr. Speaker, some winter roads in the NWT are as long as 300 kilometres. With a 125-kilometre road into Thor Lake on a regular basis, it would only take another 115 kilometres to reach Lutselk’e.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
So, Mr. Speaker, it is within reach, and with the cooperation of industry I believe we can finally get a winter road to Lutselk’e.
Later on today I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members already know now, tomorrow, October 22nd, is International Stuttering Awareness Day, and I’m going to use my statement today to talk about stuttering.
Statistics show that in the NWT alone approximately 500 children and adults could be affected by stuttering, but it’s a little known, little acknowledged condition, Mr. Speaker. We don’t often speak about it. Stuttering is a condition which we as a society are uncomfortable with. It’s a disability that’s kept in the shadows, one that nobody talks about.
For differing reasons, people with a stuttering disability tend to avoid being out in the public. They cut themselves off from the world to avoid speaking. But when humans remove themselves from society, it has devastating consequences for both the individual and for societies. That’s because we as human beings are social creatures, Mr. Speaker. We learn through socializing and personal interaction, and that means talking to each other. We preserve our history through oral stories, the spoken word passed down from generation to generation. Thankfully society has come a long way in our acceptance of people with disabilities. We now include them in our regular school classes. We welcome the diversity they bring to our communities and our workplaces.
Stuttering, however, is a disability that children still report being teased and bullied about and children can outgrow stuttering, but many do not. It’s a condition which can be helped, it can be modified, it can even be cured, and any child who stutters should be assessed by a speech language pathologist. The earlier a child gets help, the better he or she is.
So what can we do to accommodate stutterers? We can accept them as valued members of our society, just as they are. We can encourage them when conversing by making eye contact and not looking away. We can encourage them by not finishing their sentence, just be patient and give them time to say what they have to say.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to also honour Ms. Karen Hollett, who is here with us today. Karen recently published her first book Hooray for Aiden. She is the author and the publisher of the book and, again, it’s about a young girl who stutters. The book itself has received rave reviews from North American and British stuttering associations. Congratulations on your achievement, Karen, well done.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that this is Foster Family Awareness Week and I would like to use my Member’s statement today to recognize foster families in the Northwest Territories.
Ideally every child would be raised in their own home by their own parent or parents in a safe, secure and nurturing environment, but, Mr. Speaker, we know that circumstances in life do not always allow that to happen. In those situations, Mr. Speaker, it’s very important that we have parents and families that will come forward and take children into their home and treat them and raise them as if they are their own. Mr. Speaker, without this resource, we as a government would be very hard pressed to provide a solution or a suitable alternative to these homes that these children are able to be placed in.
Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand the rewards and challenges of fostering and I would like to, today, extend a heartfelt thank you to the homes, to the parents, to the families who open their hearts to children who need temporary families, whether it be for a short time or a long time, and for this really working together as partners with us as a government to ensure these children are taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is Foster Family Week and I’d like to follow my colleague’s direction and thank the foster families of the Northwest Territories.
Foster families provide children with love and support all year, every year. This is truly a gift to the children and to the future of our Territory.
We heard the compassion and dedication behind this gift from many of the foster parents during the Social Programs committee’s review of the Child and Family Services Act. Some foster parents take children into their homes for short stays, but some for much longer. Some foster parents are part of the children’s extended family. They are filling a great need in the Northwest Territories and new foster families are always in demand from a range of cultural backgrounds.
In Yellowknife there are more than 3 percent of children in foster care. That’s a shocking number when you think about it. That’s the 2009 figure from our local health and social services authority. In the Northwest Territories there are more than 600 children in care, including more than 200 in permanent custody. Not all are in foster care, but most are. This shows great needs and great problems that we face in all of our communities.
We are, indeed, lucky to have so many families who open their homes and their hearts to the children in need. We are lucky to have foster parents who help the kids with their schoolwork and get them involved in sports, take them hunting and show them healthy love and respect.
From all accounts, fostering is both rewarding and challenging, and I would like to once again take this opportunity to thank the many foster parents in the Northwest Territories for their continued dedication and support of our children.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I did a Member’s statement on the power disruption in Ulukhaktok and how people worked together to get through the problem. I heard on the radio last week, in Inuvik the power surge caused damage to people’s equipment, such as TVs, stereos, computers and other equipment.
There are probably not very many long-term Northerners who have not had equipment damaged in power surges, but you can only imagine my surprise when I heard the Power Corporation was paying compensation to the Inuvik residents for these damages. No one has ever made the offer to the residents of Ulukhaktok or Paulatuk or any other constituency I represent before. I need to learn how to get signed up for this program.
The radio announcer said the Power Corporation was apologizing for the surge and the damages that it caused and the Power Corporation will pay for the damages it has caused. I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words come from the Power Corporation before. In fact, advertisements in the paper told me that the Power Corporation would be making compensation for damages. I guess there’s a first time for everything.
I wonder if the residents in the communities could become eligible for this kind of program. I see many damaged TVs, computers and printers in the communities that I represent and handled many complaints against the Power Corporation, but nothing was ever resolved. I never knew that the residents in the Nunakput communities could get compensation.
I will have questions for the appropriate Minister at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Mr. Speaker, I phoned the community of Wrigley recently and told them the ferry services to Wrigley are very important to them. This is what I’m going to be talking about today. [Translation ends]
…closure of the Ndulee ferry. Tentatively, the Department of Transportation is looking at Monday, October 25th. The community has requested until October 31, 2010. The closure will have a big impact on the residents because they do not have a full-time store. They’re also awaiting shipment for their small concession store of staple items that they have need for. They’re also awaiting equipment for their business arm, and residents get faced with exceptional air charter costs because of the new rule of not allowing residents to land at a temporary airstrip on the highway.
The early closure will have the most impact on those with low income, pensioners and those on social assistance. They get their monthly stipend at the end of this month.
On behalf of the residents of the community of Wrigley, I request the Minister of Transportation request his department to seriously consider the request of the community.
In Minister Bob McLeod’s statement he confirms that reducing the cost of living is one of our five strategic initiatives of our government. We pride ourselves each time we do that. This small request for a one-week extension to the Ndulee ferry operation is consistent with our goal and at a very small cost.
Last year at this time the residents of Wrigley faced many challenges financially from an early closure. This time, will the Minister of Transportation ensure that the story is different and do anything he can in his power to hear the needs of the community of Wrigley?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s also Small Business Week and I want to join in saluting these local engines of our economies and communities.
As Members know from my many statements, small business is what it’s all about for a healthy and enduring economic future. Small businesses pour their benefits throughout our communities. They build the local tax base and grace our streets as a focus for not only our business but our social lives. Small businesses keep our dollars in the community to be spent again and multiply the benefits of local purchasing. Small businesses mean local jobs, providing opportunity, and allowing people to stay in their communities among their families and friends.
Small businesspeople are community-active people. They share their energy through volunteerism, contribution to local sports, cultural events and charities. Small businesses are contagious, providing customers and business partners for the growth of new firms to expand our economies.
As large projects come and go, small businesses provide the service base for the Northwest Territories workers we want living here at home and working on our major developments, not flying to their homes and provinces...
Mr. Bromley, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I don’t mind saying that the small business community in my riding is amongst the most vibrant in Canada, certainly in Yellowknife. Our nutritious and renewable fisheries products come to the dockside in Weledeh for everyone to enjoy. Weaver and Devore is an historical business centrepiece of the city, the oldest continually operating business in Yellowknife. The traditions of bush pilots live on in the float bases that are the transportation mainstay and a tourism charm. Deton’Cho, the economic development arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, is establishing its place as a significant player in well-capitalized enterprises. Lutra Associates encompasses the meaning of progressive socio-economic policy development.
I could go on and on. They are all run by local people paying their taxes in the NWT and building our human and community capacity through their efforts.
We owe a lot to our small business entrepreneurs. Please join with me in congratulating them on their achievements and vital contributions, and thank you for your consideration in allowing me to conclude my statement.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. My apologies for that. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to highlight on-line petitions in my Member’s statement.
I am very pleased that the Legislative Assembly will soon be accepting on-line petitions here. It’s a new form of democracy being created right before our eyes, and I intend to promote this option to all the residents of Yellowknife Centre as well as throughout the North to all our northern constituents. I certainly hope Northerners will consider using this site to submit their petitions and make sure their voice is heard in this Assembly.
I was in favour of this direction from the start of our deliberations and I think that on-line petitions are a great way to ensure that there’s broad participation on democratic issues that affect the North.
Take issues like supplementary health benefits. It’s polarized Northerners from tip to tip to tip of our northern territory. This way we can ensure we hear their voice collectively, in one petition.
In 2000 the Scottish Parliament became the first Legislature to accept on-line petitions and formally launched its system in 2004. As I understand it, many European Legislatures now offer the ability to submit on-line petitions. The National Assembly of Quebec has recently established an on-line petition service for its residents. And our very own, the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, will become the second Legislature in Canada and, as I understand it, in North America, to have this feature.
Mr. Speaker, this Assembly has taken a huge step forward in delivering democracy to its constituents and I have to assure you that even if it has low uptake, the fact is we are providing access to our constituents, which is one of the purposes of why we’re here.
So I hope that this on-line service will mean that more MLAs will receive more petitions from their concerned constituents, rather than having their voice of silence because they’re not sure what to do. It seems to me the likelihood is that there will be more frequent petitions come forward and hopefully this government will hear concerns of the people by the people.
All in all, I think on-line petitions are a great way to increase communication in that outreach to our constituents. I want to thank the Members of this Assembly for their support of this initiative, especially the Members of the Rules and Procedures committee.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Speaker, as you soon will be launching this new initiative formally here as an opportunity for Northerners to make sure they are fully in touch with their Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Members.
