Debates of October 29, 2004 (day 31)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Charles Dent will be absent from the House today to attend the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers of Culture and Heritage meeting in Halifax.

I would also like to advise Members that the Honourable Michael McLeod will be absent from the House today to attend to a personal matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday night while in Ottawa for the First Ministers’ meeting, I had the opportunity to attend the Energy Council of Canada’s annual dinner. I was pleased to attend this event as the highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the Canadian Energy Person of the Year for 2004, which I am thrilled to say is Ms. Nellie Cournoyea.

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The recognition of Ms. Cournoyea is a very deserving one. For most northerners, Nellie Cournoyea is no stranger. She is a former Premier of the Northwest Territories and current chair/CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

Born in Aklavik, Ms. Cournoyea was educated through the federal Aklavik Day School by Alberta correspondence courses. She worked at CBC Inuvik for nine years as an announcer and station manager, was a land claim fieldworker for the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and a founding member and later administrator and land rights worker of the Committee of Original Peoples’ Entitlement. She was the first managing director of the Inuvialuit Development Corporation after being part of the land rights negotiating team. She also held the position of implementation coordinator for the Inuvialuit Final Agreement for several years and served on the board of directors of the Inuvialuit Petroleum Arbitration Board. Having decided not to run in the 1995 NWT election, Ms.

Cournoyea returned to the Beaufort-Delta in January 1998. She was re-elected chair/CEO of IRC, a position she holds today.

She has received many other awards including:

Woman of the Year Award from the NWT Native Women’s Association, 1982;

Wallace Goose Award from the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, 1986;

National Aboriginal Achievement Award, 1994;

Honourary Doctorates in Law, Lakehead University, 1995, Carleton University, 1996 and the University of Toronto, 1996.

The Energy Council of Canada is the Canadian Member Committee of the World Energy Council. It is made up of over 100 members from Canada’s energy sector, dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of Canada’s national energy policy. The council seeks “to forge a better understanding of energy issues among the public and private sectors and the country at large, through discussion and exchange of information on all forms and aspects of energy.” The primary goal, as Canada’s pan-energy association, is to work with the sectoral energy associations to create a vigorous and effective energy strategy dialogue in Canada, engaging a broad range of players in industry and in governments.

Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislative Assembly, please join with me in congratulating Ms. Nellie Cournoyea for being the much deserving recipient of this national award. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, thank you and good morning, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this year on a family vacation to Europe, my family and I took the opportunity to visit one of the most remarkable and inspiring places I’ve seen and that was the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge in France, Mr. Speaker. The time allotted won’t allow me to go into a description of everything that we saw and felt, but it was a very calm and a very quite day in June when my family and I walked amongst the monuments. Those 30-metre-tall white marble spires dominating the landscape are indeed inspiring. The rows and rows of graves of Canadians and other allied service people who gave their lives in that remarkable First World War battle and the tours of the tunnels and the front lines and the remarkable damage and carnage that happened during that battle were very humbling. They made me feel very grateful for the sacrifices of Canadian and other service people over the three years of that campaign, and they gave me a great feeling of pride, Mr. Speaker, for what our Canadian nation has done since then and today around the world.

Mr. Speaker, there are still many veterans of World War II and the Korean War; 25, I understand, who live in the Northwest Territories. I salute them. I hope that we all do that on Remembrance Day on November 11th, and I want to express the gratitude that I have in a sense that I hope we never take for granted the sacrifices that they made to give us one of the most remarkable things and that is freedom to have our say, to speak our minds and for the democratic institution that we all work with and celebrate day after day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Hear! Hear!

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, leading an active lifestyle, getting outside in the fresh air and participating in sports improves peoples’ lives. For elders, leading an active lifestyle can prevent diseases like diabetes and being active can help you to better manage an illness. For youth, being active improves self-esteem, their coordination and even their performance in school. Benefits of an active lifestyle are…(inaudible)… and one of the answers to a lot of our social problems in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, that’s why I want to say that I’m glad that the implementation plan for the Northwest Territories Council of Sport and Recreation Partners is complete now and this is a very worthwhile initiative. Before this new council was created, a lot of small communities didn’t feel like they were involved with sports and recreation. Recreation in the communities suffered. Programs weren’t being coordinated very well, and there just wasn’t enough money for them.

Mr. Speaker, I’m particularly excited by the NWT Council of Sport and Recreation Partners proposed duties. The new council will have an advocacy role, and they promise to engage and involve every community while respecting their individuality. The NWT Council of Sport and Recreation Partners is also promising to listen and respond to the communities. The council is going to ensure community support, which I think is a good initiative, Mr. Speaker, and a long time coming.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the new council is supposed to make sure that all residents of the Northwest Territories have access to sports and recreation programs. Mr. Speaker, three years of consultation went into creating the council and it wasn’t an easy process, but I think it is a very worthwhile initiative. The new council is supposed to be appointed by February 2005 and they are going to have their first meeting in April. I just want to wish them the best of luck. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the need for a medical detox facility in Yellowknife. I’d like to talk about this subject because I don’t want Archie Tsetta and Vawn Ruthven, who are two of hundreds of northerners who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction problems, to have died in vain. Eighteen months ago, coroner's juries in both Ruthven’s and Tsetta’s case called for a medical detox facility, but the Minister of Health and Social Services has failed to respond to those recommendations. In response to a report calling again for a new addictions strategy, including medical detoxing, Minister Miltenberger’s response was, and I quote “we have to make a fundamental decision about whether we want to put money into bricks and mortar or do we want to put money into programs at the community level.”

Mr. Speaker, I think the money should go where the people need it most, and that is to a dedicated detox facility. That, to me, is fundamental, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. Speaker, for some addictions like the addiction to crack cocaine, you need to be able to medically detoxify. Your withdrawal has to be managed safely and medically. Twenty percent of addicts die while going through delirium treatments, or the DTs. Currently, Stanton and Hay River are the only places in the North that have detox beds and these services are inconsistent. Stanton is currently spending $5,000 per week to care for addicts. That’s $250,000 per year, Mr. Speaker. The time and resources used to deal with addictions takes away from the hospital’s ability to deal with other medical issues. We have a serious drug problem in the Territories and it’s only getting worse.

A while ago the RCMP found 541 grams of crack cocaine destined for Yellowknife in a truck that went off the road. At the beginning of this month police seized 193 grams of crack cocaine out of a hotel room in Hay River. One million dollars annually is spent on the drug trade in Hay River alone, and about $100,000 of that is for crack cocaine. Really, no one knows how much is spent in Yellowknife.

The RCMP have noticed a drastic increase in cocaine usage. The Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre, who two years ago used to only treat those addicted to alcohol and marijuana, is now starting to see a rise in those addicted to stimulants like crack cocaine. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Drugs are reaching the North from the highway system and the dealers are attracted by the high prices they can sell crack cocaine for in the North. The going rate is $120 per gram. That’s $40 to $50 more a gram than it sells for down south. Mr. Speaker, apparently we have become a Disneyland for drug dealers. Our drug use is going through the roof, but we have very little to offer those who are addicted and those who need help. We have to be able to help addicts when they need help and we need to do it safely, humanely and effectively. We need a medical detox facility and we need one now, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the last government and again recently there have been concerns raised about the cost of power in communities served by diesel generators. This is particularly of concern at this time because of the unprecedented high price of crude oil and the volatility of supply issues. I would like to see this government look at two things: first of all, a proactive and immediate response to anticipated riders in diesel communities. These communities need to be protected where the costs of other essential goods and services are already higher than other communities.

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For the longer term, a Territorial Power Support Program will go some ways towards addressing price increases, but the gaps in the Territorial Power Support Program, as related to small business, will be magnified by price increases and rate riders. This is why I believe the GNWT needs to take a serious look at the territorial support program now. Previous opinions and rulings of the Public Utilities Board have been quite categorical about the fact that their mandate is to regulate NTPC as a utility like any other, regardless of who the shareholder is. This is based on normal principles regarding allowable expenses and rates of return. It is then the mandate of this government to address the concerns of social and economic fairness to the regions and the constituents that we represent. This issue requires immediate attention. It will cost money, however, I consider it a priority of this government to mitigate the high cost of energy where that cost is prohibitive to economic growth or it denies residents a reasonable and affordable cost of living in our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, growing up in Fort Norman as a young boy I first began to notice that not all people are born the same. Mr. Speaker, it was my grandfather who taught me this. You see, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Noel Gladue, my grandfather, was in his latest stages of his life as being labelled “normal person” as I saw him as a young boy. Mr. Speaker, shortly after that, my grandfather was confined to his wheelchair until he passed away in the early '80s.

Mr. Speaker, I watched on CBC last night about a young boy who was born disabled, and yet he made great strides to live his life to the fullest in spite of the challenges he faced everyday. Mr. Speaker, what my grandfather taught me, my brothers and sisters, was patience, persistence, life is what you make of it, and count your blessings, just do things.

Mr. Speaker, there are people with disabilities in each of our communities and there are specific programs and services available to them offered by this government and the Government of Canada. However, at times these programs and services make it very difficult to make the most of these programs by our special people. We need to pay close attention to these issues. They often go unnoticed or are pushed aside as not being important. Mr. Speaker, some of these people who are labelled disabled have a hard time living in our small communities or even in larger centres. We, as government legislators, must really step up to the plate and hit a homerun for our special people. Mahsi.

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Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. Today I want to address the issue of business opportunities. Everywhere in the North right now people are beginning to look ahead to the construction of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. However, if we in the North are going to benefit from the opportunities the pipeline project is expected to bring, we need to be prepared, with businesses up and running for when the ball starts rolling. The opportunities that are expected to come will be diverse.

Construction of a pipeline will require a wide range of services, not all of them directly related to pipeline construction and engineering. One area that will see a significant increase in business opportunities is the airline business. Leaders in my riding have identified an opportunity there and are trying to take advantage of it. Chiefs from six communities have developed a proposal to consolidate existing local airlines into one large company that will be able to respond to the coming changes and take full advantage of them and profit thereby. The chiefs see the proposal as a way to take control of their own destiny.

I believe a proposal like this would be an efficient use of local resources and would contribute significantly to the economic independence of communities and would be a source of pride. As a government, we are supportive of such initiatives. In fact, one of our goals is self-reliant people and communities on the Northwest Territories. With this proposal, we must act quickly and efficiently or else there is a great danger we will lose out the opportunity that is being presented to us. Once again, established southern interests mainly move in, take over and our wealth will move out.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the government doesn’t seem to understand the urgency of this issue for the chiefs. The Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, upon receipt of this proposal, indicated that historically it will take a year to process and make this proposal a reality; a year, Mr. Speaker. There probably won’t be an opportunity a year from now. The opportunity will have been lost to some other investments somewhere else. I want to impress upon the Minister and the government the need to respond quickly to this proposal and treat it with the urgency it requires. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise again because I still have concerns about the rising oil prices. Mr. Speaker, I spoke yesterday to the Minister of FMBS about these concerns. Unfortunately, I felt that my answers were lacking any true lustre. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned again and I will have questions about the monitoring and consumption of fuel and power. I don’t believe that I got solid answers on how we are doing this. So, Mr. Speaker, attention needs to be looked at this issue. It’s a serious issue. We need direction. I’m not suggesting that we need to spend oodles of government money that we do not have. I’m talking about a directive. I’m talking about conscious steps that we could be taking. As I said yesterday, we could be suggesting turn down those lights, turn down those heating register dials. We could be doing things like that. Don’t let our cars idle as long. I’m not talking about well, we budgeted for this a year ago on an annual basis, we’ll readdress this. I’m not talking about costly renovations either. I’m talking about simple, conscious choices.

Mr. Speaker, it’s time this government gets running with those stone legs. Mr. Speaker, I think this government has lead feet on this issue. Unless this Finance Minister knows how to turn lead into gold, we’re in real trouble, Mr. Speaker.

Big trouble.

We need a directive that looks at this problem. This is a simple solution. We need to personalize this solution as a commitment to the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to also talk about the critical need for a drug treatment centre in the NWT. This grave concern I have is not because of the numerous calls I have received in regard to this issue, it has also developed into something more personal now. This epidemic is becoming increasingly more visible in our everyday lives with close friends, relatives and families becoming victims to this crisis in only a matter of a few days or weeks, Mr. Speaker.

We are all aware that the migration patterns reveal a distinct urbanization trend toward larger centres and more noticeably by aboriginals. With these changes, the communities are faced with increased pressure on health programs, education and our housing programs, but we cannot forget about the increase in violent crimes, Mr. Speaker, which is now five times our national average; and the property crimes going up every month it seems, is 40 percent higher than our national average.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage our government to initiate an action plan to address this public concern before we are faced with a full-blown epidemic, which gets totally out of our control. We need a plan which involves all governments and community organizations, a plan that encompasses goals on support programs and preventative activities for our youth and adolescents to treatment and aftercare of adults and families.

Mr. Speaker, I realize that this issue is not something that can be resolved overnight, but I do know that we have a responsibility to our northern residents, and especially our youth, to take immediate pro-action so that we are not left so far behind that we can no longer assist or provide the needed help that our residents require. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I rise to speak on the Tuktoyaktuk-Inuvik highway. The deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk and I invited a number of MLAs to meet with the Minister of Transportation recently, and I thank them for attending. I also thank the Minister for hearing us out.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, the Tuk-Inuvik committee are planning to revitalize the committee. There is strong support to make this road a reality, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a report by Ferguson Simek Clark in 1997, I know it is sort of outdated but, in the report, Mr. Speaker, a service road may be completed over time. The estimates of the annual cost of the road being done in five years, $7.2 million annually; 10 years, $3.6 million annually; and 20 years, $1.8 million annually; for a total of $40 million. However, this estimate may raise the cost of the amount in 2004. Mr. Speaker, this government has always put the onus on the federal government. I understand this is the case. However, we should take the lead role to make this service road a reality in order to travel from coast to coast to coast.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation should work with the Tuktoyaktuk-Inuvik committee, and together they may be able to put this partnership forward. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge the Minister of Transportation to immediately contact his federal counterpart to discuss this project about the Tuk-Inuvik service road. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are well aware the toll that addiction to alcohol, drugs and gambling is having on our people and our society. The problem is getting worse every day, Mr. Speaker. We are also aware that the toxicity of the new drugs, especially crack cocaine on the street, is getting more intense and very unforgiving to those who come in touch with it. There is almost no second chance, Mr. Speaker. I believe we are also aware, Mr. Speaker, that we need an agreement that so much needs to be done by this government if we are ever to make inroads into what we are facing. Otherwise, I don’t believe it will be too long before this monster destroys most of our social, political, educational, and correctional infrastructures at a cost that no government can bear.

Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, I attended an unveiling ceremony of the new drinking and driving legislation sponsored by the Minister of Transportation. One phrase that struck me there was coroner Percy Kinney’s description of alcohol addiction as a slow-motion, silent killer. Mr. Speaker, I believe we are now dealing with a bundle of slow-motion silent killers in addictions. We have a monstrous and multi-pronged addiction in alcohol, drugs, and gambling that our people are battling with. This government has to become a much stronger partner with the service providers and those who are suffering from these addictions.

Mr. Speaker, the third week of November is designated as National Addictions Awareness Week. The theme is to keep the circle strong. I have placed a beautiful hand-beaded ribbon on each Member’s desk this morning. These ribbons are made and designed by Nechi Institute in Edmonton. I am hoping that the Members will either wear it or keep it close to them to remind us of the task at hand that we need to deal with and to really wrestle the monster down for the good of our territory and for our people who are suffering. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to put out a challenge to the youth in the Mackenzie Delta. Mr. Speaker, as a young leader and a young man 14 years ago, I can recall the elders of the Mackenzie Delta put out a challenge to myself and the other leaders in the Mackenzie Delta to set the example and be sober and be an example to others.

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I took up that challenge some 14 years ago and have been sober since.

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I would like to challenge the youth of our communities to stop drinking, stop the abuse with regards to alcohol and drugs, but also take on the challenge to be our role models in our communities. By challenging your friend, your brother, your sister and set the example for your younger brothers and sisters, you can definitely make a difference like I did to set the example for who we serve. As young individuals, you can make a difference. You can show other people in your communities that it is okay to be sober. It is okay to live a healthy life. It is okay to set the challenges to people around you. You may not be speaking out in a public meeting, but by just taking on this challenge, you can show other people that they can also make a difference. Living in our small communities, we all have to be role models, and we realize that the challenges around us are vast in regards to alcohol, drugs and the abuse that happens in our communities. Again, I would like to put out the challenge to our younger people in our communities to be role models and not for yourself, but for your younger brothers and sisters, so that you can make a difference. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I talked about the people with disabilities in our small communities and larger centres. My question today is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. In larger centres, there are support groups and NGOs that provide services to disabled persons. The same cannot be said for small communities. Can the Minister of Health and Social Services tell me what services are available for disabled persons living in the smaller communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Health and Social Services, the Honourable Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a territorial organization for people with disabilities. In the communities, we have social workers and health care staff that work in the communities to assist people. We also have people in Income Support that work with people with disabilities. I know in housing-built units, they make them disabled-friendly where that is required in terms of ramps and such. I know when they designed the new seniors’ units, they are all designed to be disabled-useful and friendly. We have, across government, a number of services that are available for people with disabilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister listing off a number of services and programs available for people who are disabled in the smaller communities. Mr. Speaker, I understand that in some of the smaller communities, the staff is so limited and possibly so overworked that they have very little time to look after the needs of people who are disabled. Can the Minister tell me specifically as to how much time is given to the people who are disabled by the Health and Social Services staff? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the amount of time is obviously going to be dealt with on a case-by-case and need basis. There is no set formula that indicates an amount of time for specific concerns or issues or problems. So there are also the efforts that are going to continue on in terms of trying to expand the homecare services that are available to assist people to stay in their homes longer and more comfortably, but there is no set formula that dictates any given time. It is based on individual case need. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that the homecare services will be expanded and looked at in the small communities. Can the Minister tell me what funding is available to local governments and NGOs that deliver programs and services to disabled persons at the smaller community level? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is a fairly broad question. If it is to deal with house construction, if it is to deal with actual program delivery, if it is to deal with specific client concern in the school, all would have access to different funding arrangements, different funding pots that may exist. There is also federal government money that may be available to do with the disabled as well. So there is a range of funding agencies out there that could be accessed by the community depending on what the particular circumstance is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me whether the recent review of the disabled services in the Northwest Territories investigated the delivery of services at the community level? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 337-15(3): Community Services For Disabled Persons

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a strategy that was done, an action plan for persons with disabilities, and the response has been worked on by the government across departments that are involved in education, health, housing and MACA. That response has been built into the various business plans of the departments. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise again with questions to the Minister responsible for FMBS with regard to my Member’s statement today as well as my Member’s statement yesterday that was made with regards to my concerns of the consumption of fuels and power with the Northwest Territories government. Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear today in the context of reasonability, what is this government doing to monitor fuel and power consumption of our government assets; that would be buildings, cars, etcetera? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Return To Question 338-15(3): Government Consumption Of Fuels And Power