Debates of October 28, 2004 (day 30)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for Mr. Miltenberger, the Minister of Health and Social Services. I have a number of outstanding issues with respect to commitments that have been made regarding delivery of Health and Social Services programs in Hay River. I’m going to try and cover them off within one set of questions. Mr. Speaker, there has been a plan for some time now to do some fairly significant renovations to the Hay River hospital which houses a lot of the Health and Social Services programs. There was information that had somehow ended up at a staff meeting there which lead some of the employees to be concerned that the schedule and time frame for the hospital renovations had somehow been changed to move some of them back. I wanted the Minister to provide clarification of that today for the benefit of the workers and the residents of Hay River. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the renovations in Hay River are slated to go ahead. We are just in the process of concluding a report that’s been looking at the facility review of all the facilities in the Northwest Territories on the acute care side, the long-term care side and the usage and anticipated needs in the future. Once that report is done, we will be moving ahead with the actual master planning for the mid-life renovations in Hay River. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so at this time then the Minister can confirm that there have been no alterations made to the renovation plans and the capital dollars that have been identified for future years for the Hay River hospital. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the project is in the capital plan and main estimates and it will be done.

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

Supplementary To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, then in keeping with other commitments that I’ve had issues and concerns raised to me about, that I have been in the presence of the Minister on visits to Hay River, which I thank him for, but there was an outstanding issue with respect to wage parity for the workers in health and social services in Hay River who are not UNW employees and have a separate collective bargaining union. I was wondering if the Minister could confirm for the House that this commitment has been delivered upon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue has been on the table for some time. There’s another round of collective bargaining that’s going to be underway here and that will continue to be discussed. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Minister could indicate for us, are the workers of the Hay River Health and Social Services Board at parity and equity for benefits and salaries as are the UNW employees who are employed in the other communities in the Northwest Territories at this time? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 326-15(3): Renovations To The Hay River Hospital

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is one of the key pieces in the negotiations that are going to be underway. One of the outstanding issues, let me put it this way, is the issue of pensions. That has yet to be resolved. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Minister of FMBS, the Honourable Mr. Roland. Mr. Speaker, my concern is we need an attitude change out there because of the high cost of fuel. What is our government doing to monitor the consumption of energy, referring to both power, as well as fuel oil with respect to GNWT assets? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the FMBS, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we have on a number of occasions through budget exercises, looked at the consumption of our resources, whether it be heating oil, electrical, water and sewer; we’ve looked at those in areas and targeted areas we think we could have some savings in. The Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development has done some work in the past. The Housing Corporation has done some work in the past in trying to save the precious resources we have out there. As the Government of the Northwest Territories, we do have a number of other things that we do to try to mitigate the costs to individuals in the Northwest Territories; through our Territorial Power Support Program or subsidy programs that we have in place for seniors, for example, on fuel. So we do a number of other things, as well. We’ve done some things during normal budget exercises and we’re hoping that departments, through those exercises, are looking at those on an annual basis. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his overview of an annual basis but, Mr. Speaker, I’m referring to the crisis of oil prices. We need an action plan, a new policy, that looks at everything from idling our cars and trucks, our buildings, by turning our lights off, by turning our fuel heat registers down a little bit. We’d be foolish to think that there wouldn’t be a rider on this year’s power bill due to the oil prices. What is the Minister doing to avert this potential crisis that we’ll be seeing in endless amounts of supplementary appropriation bills or special warrants to deal with this crisis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on an annual basis, we work with the departments to try to come up with their costs they will need to run the programs and services identified for that year. One of the things we do, again, is we do our work and look at the existing costs of services out there. The Member is right, though; we will be having to look at and address the issue of the increased price of fuel. That is something we have directed the departments to live within their means at this point because we knew that the prices were changing quite substantially; either on the high side or dropping. We’re going to have to wait for actual costs to come back and address them at that point. We haven’t tried to do things in the sense of providing departments with funding up front on an estimate basis, because the prices were fluctuating too much when we put our plans together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister knows I have a lot of respect for him but, Mr. Speaker, I think we’re losing the point and losing sight of this issue. When he talks about annual basis, we didn’t foresee this in March of this year. We didn’t foresee this when the business plans were being built a year ago that oil prices would practically double, Mr. Speaker. I need to hear that we’re doing this on a proactive rather reactive basis, Mr. Speaker. I need a commitment that this Minister will take a proactive position rather than paying the bills long after the energy has been spent. Can the Minister commit to that proactive approach? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I started out in response to the Member, the Government of the Northwest Territories has, on an annual basis, as well as targeted for future cost initiatives, looked at the way we do business, looked at what type of fixtures we use in our offices, lighting fixtures, for example, as well as looked at vehicle operations, and looked at the appliances that were being put into the Housing Corporation units to ensure that they were cost effective and knew that we would see a savings. So we have done a lot of those things on a daily basis, in a sense, to try to mitigate the cost of power and fuel in the Northwest Territories. It is difficult on a budget planning exercise on an annual basis to try to build something in there for an anticipated price. I know departments have raised the issue already that we’re going to be looking at increased costs that were not committed for at the time. There is difficulty there. We will, on an ongoing basis, continue to work around lowering the costs of government in whatever way it may be. One of those areas would be the cost of utilities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister talking about an annual basis, a global basis, but, Mr. Speaker, this crisis wasn’t here a year ago. This is why I’m stressing that we need action today to avert the crisis of the spending we’re going to need to do and make up and borrow in the new year. Mr. Speaker, bills are doubling, oil and fuel bills are doubling. Mr. Speaker, I need some type of commitment that we will do this up front before we get the bills. We’ll turn down those lights. The Legislative Assembly glows all night long. Let’s turn those lights down. This affects every school. This affects every power plant. This affects everything that we do. Mr. Speaker, can I get some type of commitment that we’re going to start dealing with this up front, now. We can do it now before these oil bills come in. We can do it now before these power bills come in. Let’s be proactive, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 327-15(3): Monitoring Energy Consumption

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess we can send a directive out that all light bulbs will be no brighter than 40 watts, but we are doing our work on a daily basis and trying to address the very issues the Member has raised. The problem is that we cannot build into a budget exercise anticipated costs where we might see some of those double. But on the ongoing basis of daily program services, how long a vehicle idles for, what type of fixtures we use in buildings, hours of operation, we’ve done those things. Departments have put those things in place. When we set targets for departments, hopefully they’re looking at those things before they decide to cut a program dollar and they’re looking at how they operate on a daily basis.

We have a number of programs, as well, as a government trying to assist residents across the North. RWED has a program around the environmental protection services where they do have an Energy Conservation Program. We’re trying to reach out in ways of that nature to try to help individuals across the North with the increasing prices. We realize that there are going to be some impacts and we’re doing what we can to try to mitigate those as we’re going forward. But we are going to be hit by them because of our process of planning. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, the Honourable Charles Dent. I go back to the Premier’s address of January 2001, where the government-of-the-day was intent on showing northern students that they were valued, and I’ll quote, “We intend to guarantee employment to every graduate from a recognized nursing or teaching program. In addition, by the end of March, we expect to have a program in place to guarantee a term position to every new NWT post-secondary graduate qualified in certain other priority occupations.” Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is, since the Premier’s address in 2001, what are the numbers of northern graduates from the Teacher Education Program with Aurora College that have gotten jobs within the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t say the exact number of teacher graduates since 2001 off the top of my head, I’m afraid, but I do believe we’ve had a very good success rate of finding positions for people who are interested in teaching the Northwest Territories once they’ve graduated from the program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m wondering if the Minister could supply the Regular Members with the statistics that back up the claim that all northern graduates from the TEP have gotten employment in the Northwest Territories and are gainfully employed in the teaching profession, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to provide all of that information to the Regular Members. I will do that within the next two or three days.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to hearing the response from the Minister on the statistics. I’m just wondering if the Minister is aware that there are graduates from the Teacher Education Program in the Northwest Territories that can’t find employment and that some of the larger district education authorities are still recruiting teachers from southern Canada in large numbers, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister aware of this fact? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I am aware of that fact. I know some teachers who have not been able to find employment. The Premier’s guarantee and the one that this government is standing by is one that a position will be offered; not necessarily in the community to which the person is interested in applying though. So we are convinced that the positions are available across the Northwest Territories, but not every graduate is prepared to go to every community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that, Mr. Minister. So I’m just wondering, and the Minister has spoken of the fact that they’re offered positions, but what is the Department of Education, Culture and Employment doing with the school boards in Yellowknife in terms of recruitment of teachers and why can’t some of these teachers that take the program that live in Yellowknife not get jobs in Yellowknife? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 328-15(3): Teacher Education Program Graduates

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have raised the issue with the chairs of the two Yellowknife boards, but the department does not get directly involved in deciding who should be hired by which board. We make sure that all of the boards are aware of people who are looking for positions and are interested and at this point we are confident that there are positions available if teachers are prepared to take them, but we can’t guarantee what community the positions will be available in. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the honourable Minister of Health and Social Services with respect to my Member’s statement on the absence of an alcohol and drug worker in the community of Fort Liard. I would just like to ask the Minister what the transition plan was and why there isn’t an alcohol and drug counsellor there today. Thank you.