Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time this afternoon I will be tabling two documents detailing this government’s work to promote community gardens and the Small Scale Food Program in the Northwest Territories.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment began this initiative two years ago with financial support from the Canada–Northwest Territories Agriculture Policy Framework Agreement. Under the Canada–Northwest Territories Agriculture Policy Framework Agreement a total of $1.7 million was invested in agricultural projects in the NWT over five years, including programs in science and innovation; renewal, including the Small Scale Foods Initiative Program; environment; and food safety and quality.
While the small scale foods initiative may be relatively new, the concept of growing foods in the North is not. In fact, early settlers to our region had a proven history of growing and harvesting food to meet their dietary needs. For two decades our government has provided support to such efforts as required and as resources have permitted.
Most of our community garden programs begin with a group of very committed local residents who work with us to select small parcels of land for development into a community garden. With assistance and support these gardens are established, cultivated and maintained throughout the course of our short growing season, and the result is often shared within the community. For example, Mr. Speaker, in the community of Whati vegetables produced in the community garden were used in a community feast this fall. In total, 19 community gardens were planted and harvested in the NWT this summer.
These projects support diversification and healthy living and encompass representation from every age group. They require only basic tools and a little hard work. There are, of course, challenges like wandering bison, burrowing groundhogs, hungry rabbits, not enough water, too much water and variable temperatures. The outcome, however, is always worth the effort. Fresh potatoes, carrots, broccoli, turnips and onions are just a few of the nutritious rewards for the time that is invested.
One producer in Tulita advised that he planted six rows of carrots: two for him and four for the neighbourhood kids. This is a very effective method of attracting new volunteer gardeners.
Mr. Speaker, producing foods locally makes sense. It saves money and contributes to a healthier way of life. We are pleased to provide this program with continued support from the Government of Canada, and we look forward to building on our success to expand the program into each of the Northwest Territories’ 33 communities.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. October 5 to 11 is designated as Fire Prevention Week across Canada. Fire Prevention Week is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of fire safety. This year’s theme is Preventing Home Fires.
Northwest Territories firefighters provide an important service that is not always appreciated until an emergency arises and they are called to duty to protect people and property in our communities. Many community firefighters in the NWT are volunteers; however, they dedicate a significant amount of their time to assist their communities. We appreciate the risks all NWT firefighters take on our behalf.
Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Fire Prevention Week I wish to acknowledge the 2008 recipients of the NWT’s Fire Service Merit Awards. The Fire Service Merit Awards acknowledge the tremendous commitment and dedication of the men and women of the Northwest Territories Fire Service, who strive to keep our families, homes and communities safe. This year the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is pleased to honour three recipients, nominated by the public, for their extra efforts in keeping their communities fire safe.
Mr. Christopher Jack-Carson, an educator in Fort Providence, is receiving this year’s Individual Award for developing an introductory fire issues program for his school. Mr. Jack-Carson recognized the value of providing his students with important information on fire hazards, fire prevention, fire response services in their community and career opportunities in firefighting. The program has been highly successful and has resulted in a reduction of fires in Fort Providence.
Mr. Speaker, the Hamlet of Fort McPherson’s fire department is receiving a community award for their outstanding efforts in expanding their response capabilities. This progressive fire department has added new training modules for their crew, including highway rescue, first responder, urban interface and water rescue, while continuing to maintain and enhance core firefighting skills.
The Tlicho communities’ government of Behchoko fire department is receiving a community award with honours, Mr. Speaker. This fire department has shown tremendous initiative in revitalizing and enhancing their community fire service. The Behchoko fire department has acquired new equipment and uniforms and developed preventative maintenance programs. Under a pilot initiative the Behchoko fire department’s training efforts have been extended to other Tlicho communities, substantially improving fire protection in the North Slave region.
Mr. Speaker, the Fire Service Merit Award program is a tremendous opportunity for the Government of the Northwest Territories to recognize the contributions firefighters make every day and to highlight the importance of a skilled fire service. I invite my colleagues to join me in the Great Hall at 11 a.m. on October 9 to celebrate the achievements of this year’s award recipients.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this year the Government of the Northwest Territories increased funding to the arts through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in the amount of $500,000.
The $500,000 increase included in the 2008–2009 budget will benefit both existing and new programs, including those offered by the NWT Arts Council, the Support for Northern Performers program and the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. Community heritage centres, cultural organizations and various cultural projects around the territory will also receive increased funding in recognition of the important role they play in supporting and presenting the arts and culture.
Education, Culture and Employment has also introduced a new northern theatre arts funding program with a focus on NWT youth. The budget is $50,000 for this program.
The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the many benefits of the arts to our communities and also to our people. These benefits include economic benefits such as employment for technicians, craftspeople and other arts professionals. They also include social and cultural benefits such as allowing people of all ages to come together and celebrate their communities through performances or festivals.
Increasingly it is recognized that the arts also provide health, cognitive and attitudinal benefits to Northerners of all ages. Education, Culture and Employment will continue to work with Industry, Tourism and Investment to support the arts and ensure Northerners have access to these benefits through activities set out in the NWT Arts Strategy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise once again begging for an access road to the Aklavik gravel source. I believe that’s what it’s going to take to get this done.
A motion was passed unanimously in this House. Yet, Mr. Speaker, after meetings with the community and the Minister of MACA, along with the Minister of Finance, in the community of Aklavik where they discussed this issue last spring…. The community has done everything that we were asked to do: formulate a planning committee with people representing the hamlet, the band and the community; work with the departments of MACA, Transportation, and the Inuvik region. I notice nowhere is there any mention in any documents I have seen lately with regard to those expenditures.
I was promised in this House by the previous Minister of Transportation that there was some $500,000 in federal infrastructure funding that was announced for research and development. Those dollars were going to be forwarded to the community of Aklavik to look at developing a proposal so that they can have a similar arrangement to what they were able to accomplish in Tuk.
Again, I beg the Ministers across the hall. I can see some action on this matter. What is it going to take by way of a motion, a petition, or do I have to jump up and down? I’m not too sure.
I believe this issue is long outstanding. There are capital projects in the future budgets for the community of Aklavik by way of hiring for the extension of their airports. We’re talking about replacing the Moose Kerr School in the future. We are going to need gravel sources to do these projects. We’re looking at 2012–2014, which isn’t that far off.
I’d like to ask the Premier if he can possibly see some movement on this matter in regard to this item. I am again standing up here for the second time raising this issue from previous Assemblies.
With that, I will be asking the Premier questions on this matter in regard to what we can do.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of Canada contracted Neil McCrank to review the regulatory process for permitting of non-renewable resource development projects in the North. Mr. McCrank focused the report on the NWT process.
After reading the report and several responses to it, I am perplexed about why it was even done. In its essence the McCrank report simply duplicates the 2005 environmental audit — a much, much more thorough assessment conducted by Northerners and more solution oriented. Incidentally, the audit was also the legally required process for improving the integrated resource management system in the NWT.
The McCrank report repeats conclusions of the environmental audit and the MVEIRB and board forum self-assessments and states the obvious: we need comprehensive land use planning throughout the NWT, and we need to implement the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program. However, the report is essentially silent in grappling with the real issues of how to actually get this done.
McCrank’s call for a complete restructuring ignores the fact that the governance and regulatory system has evolved in the NWT as a result of constitutionally entrenched land claim agreements developed in response to Northerners’ concerns and desire for input on these processes. Restructuring this is not on.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the need for evaluation of new processes and procedures in order to learn from our experience. The MVEIRB and others have often highlighted the consequences of inadequate funding; for example, lack of opportunity to evaluate the implementation of measures arising from approved environmental assessment. Lack of funding for the participant process is also a significant capacity issue for aboriginal and community organizations and NGOs — one acknowledged by most reviews but again not noted in the McCrank report despite submissions on this.
Our Premier has called this report thorough, honest and accurate, but I cannot subscribe to this assessment, especially the thorough part. I understand a more critical review may be in the making. Along with many Northerners I await this assessment with interest. Let’s ensure that the GNWT supports an approach focused on consultation and community involvement — the uniquely northern approach outlined in the 2005 audit — rather than putting a rubber stamp of approval on a report that seems out of touch with northern values and institutions of governance.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of Finance tabled the Capital Estimates for the 2009–2010 fiscal year. I read through the document last night, and I’m looking forward to discussing and debating the document later this afternoon. However, during our review of the tabled document I came across something that I found disturbing; specifically, the disappearance of the Stanton Master Development Plan.
In the 2008–2009 Main Estimates the Stanton Master Development Plan was identified as the $17.5 million project commencing during the 2009–10 fiscal year with an initial investment of $500,000 in that fiscal year. In today’s Capital Estimates for 2009–10 there is zero reference to the Stanton Master Development Plan.
The main reason I’m disturbed by the exclusion of this is that during the May–June session there were significant amounts of dialogue between the Minister of Health and Social Services and Members on this side of the House concerning the Stanton Master Development Plan. At that time the Minister committed to following through on the development and finalization of the Stanton Master Development Plan and made it one of the priorities of the newly appointed public administrator for Stanton. The master development plan has been in the works for a very long time, and this Minister put a lot of weight on its importance.
With no plan what is the Minister planning now? Without a master development plan how does the Minister intend to address the ongoing physical challenges of that authority? Where will the solutions come from? Who will be making the decisions, decisions based on what research? During the last session the Regular Members made it very clear that we will have great difficulty in recommending future approvals of capital projects for Stanton in the absence of a master development plan, a plan that was promised.
It’s been less than four months since we last talked about this master development plan at Stanton in this House. Four months ago it was an important part of the solution for Stanton. Today it doesn’t exist at all. I find that incredibly interesting and incredibly frustrating.
Later this afternoon I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions on this deleted master development plan and the future of the Stanton Territorial Health Authority.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to raise my continued displeasure with the free-roaming herd in the community of Fort Liard and also to extend a welcome to the Minister of ENR to come to Fort Liard to continue his tour. I have raised this issue before on the promises of a bison management plan. My main concern is the safety of children, as the herd does freely roam through the town.
I would like to reiterate the concerns. A huge concern for the residents is damage that occurs to personal property such as fencing, gardens, automobiles and all terrain vehicles. As well, there’s the issue of reimbursement for damages; because government brought these buffalos there, they should be responsible for paying for the damages to private property. I support this. Yes, the government is responsible.
I think our government has to work with the community of Fort Liard to come up and work with them on this bison management plan that can address these concerns. I know some solutions may be expensive, but some solutions may also be very affordable, and they must be explored. This is what the community wants: dialogue and action.
I will ask the question to the Minister of Natural Resources for an update and actions to date. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to address the Minister of ITI’s statement from yesterday when he announced the arrival of the new Support to Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy, or SEED, which officially came into effect on September 2 of this year. He stated that it was in response to a major review of the department’s business programs, which was completed in 2006.
I would like to thank the Minister for acknowledging the work of the EDI committee. We were consulted and have allowed the policy to move forward. But what I want to tell you today is what the Minister didn’t say he heard during those consultations. There were concerns raised over the new policy, simply being that the old BDF was given a new paint job, topped up with some more money and called SEED.
At the end of the day will this new SEED policy take root? I highly doubt it, Mr. Speaker. There are no targets. There is no delivery mechanism, even though the last two governments have both tried to achieve the one delivery model for economic and business development in our territory. The fact is that this $2.5 million will start up some businesses, but how many will survive is the bigger question. Until the government comes up with a plan to address the high cost of operating a business in the small communities, especially utility and personnel costs, we might as well take the $2.5 million and throw it out of a plane.
Where is BDIC in all of this? What are the government’s intentions in dealing with BDIC? What is the ministerial direction today for BDIC? I was surprised to recently hear about the proposed ministerial advisory panel on economic development. At first glance it sounds like it would be nice, like it would work, but has the Minister forgotten about a duly formed and knowledgeable BDIC board and chairman, which to me would serve this purpose?
Today BDIC is losing staff. It lacks focus. It has no direction from ITI or this government. To me they’re simply propping up subsidiaries and managing bad accounts. Is this what the government really wants for its business development corporation?
The territory needs a meaningful, comprehensive and coordinated suite of services for economic and business development in our territory. Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleague Mr. Krutko I stand again in this House today begging. Mr. Krutko is begging for his gravel source; I’m begging for the renovation of our high school.
Anyone who has visited Hay River has seen our famous high school. The Diamond Jenness school was designed by Douglas Cardinal and constructed in 1972. That makes the school 36 years old, older than some Members of this Legislature. That makes it time for major renovations.
Major renovations to the school are very overdue. The renovation project first appeared in the capital plan in 2001. The capital plan indicated the renovation project would start in ’07–08 and finish in ’09–10. However, whenever this project gets within two years of its start date, the project slip-slides away. Last year the project was red flagged. We thought that was a good thing, but actually red flagging meant it showed up on the reduction list and disappeared again. This year the project shows up in the capital plan starting in 2010–11 with a small investment and really getting underway in ’11–12.
The government is proposing a very large capital budget this year. Hay River residents cannot understand why many other projects have been funded and this one gets delayed year after year. Tourism and parks projects get funded; huge numbers of transportation projects, highways and airports get funded. I do not understand why year after year the government rates these projects more important than renovating the Diamond Jenness Secondary School in my constituency.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue I wanted to raise today on behalf of my riding is the concern about the lack of public washrooms. People need to be people, and people need personal dignity, and they need to be normal just like you and I.
Mr. Speaker, the issue really is: has this become normalized? I certainly hope it hasn’t. We have to ask ourselves what we are elevating this issue with. Are we dealing with this, or are we ignoring it? The homeless, as well as some of the other street people who spend time at the Salvation Army and other places, need a place to be able to turn to. Businesses are not sharing this opportunity.
Our government needs to stand up to the pressure and all the silly little jokes of not realizing that this is a real issue. Those people should be ashamed of themselves. I believe this public government has a responsibility to develop an approach that will help people. Mr. Speaker, if we are truly the society we promise to be, we should start showing it.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, on numerous occasions I’ve talked about the impact of the high cost of living for residents of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. Today I would like to focus on the high cost of food in the packets, supplements, store bought foods or traditional foods for Tu Nedhe communities.
Mr. Speaker, in small communities like Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e little or no competition in the local economy results in higher food costs. Couple this with transportation costs and Tu Nedhe families are hit with a double whammy. In addition to this, over the last year gasoline prices have gone up. This has had a huge impact on the traditional harvesting practices of many of my constituents. Residents are now forced to think twice about making a trip out on the land to go hunting.
Mr. Speaker, with the high price of gas and limited household incomes families must now make a decision to buy meat from the store or to go for a hunt. For many families doing both is no longer an option. Add to this the high costs of fuel for heating their homes and higher power rates and people are in a real catch-22 when they are trying to put food on their tables.
Many of my constituents rely on traditional foods and have done so for generations. High gas prices are now threatening this important traditional practice. Something needs to be done. Assistance in some form to offset the high price of the gas for these subsistence hunters must be provided. We all know the health benefits to the whole community when families are able to include traditional food as part of their regular diet.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress enough the impact that the high cost of living is having on the Tu Nedhe constituents. It is having an immediate and negative impact on the harvesting of traditional foods by subsistence hunters. With an aboriginal population of almost 90 per cent in Fort Resolution and 95 per cent in Lutselk’e traditional foods and traditional harvesting provide all kinds of benefits for many families. This is being threatened. Help is needed now.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to use my Member’s statement to discuss the decision made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the importation of polar bear hides into their country.
In May 2008 the United States government listed the polar bear species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This action prevents importation of polar bear hides into their country. Because of this provision under the U.S. Marine Mammal Act, this decision will effectively wipe out the sport hunting industry in the communities in my riding.
U.S. groups are exploiting the polar bears as a symbol for climate change and a lightning rod to globalize lobbying efforts and opposition to the oil and gas industry in the U.S. and Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the public in the South believes that polar bear populations in the NWT are in grave danger. We have over 2,500 polar bears in the Northwest Territories, and they are a healthy population. This is why Canada does not have the polar bear listed on its species of concern.
In the Northwest Territories the management of polar bears is coordinated through the Government of the Northwest Territories with the Inuvialuit co-management boards. This arrangement was established under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. In the NWT hunting seasons, quotas and protection of family groups are enforced by law. Within the total quota, the hunters and trappers organizations decide how many tags will go to the allocated sport hunts and how many will be given to local hunters for subsistence hunting.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot make it any clearer: we manage our polar bear herds very well, because they are important to my people. An average of 37 guided sport hunts are conducted for polar bears in the Arctic region. U.S. hunters contribute about $1.6 million annually to our communities, where up to 40 per cent of families live on less than $25,000 per year. These are large numbers for my constituency of only 3,500 people.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. This decision made by the United States government will have serious impacts on my people.
I would like to thank Minister Bob McLeod for asking me to join him this summer in Washington with my colleague Mr. Krutko. In Washington we met with various senators and congressmen in order to share my people’s message that the polar bear populations in Canada are healthy.
I know that with the pending U.S. election we are unable to get any changes to the ruling, but I want to let my people know that I will continue to work with the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment to get this decision reversed. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, my aim is to persuade the U.S. government to introduce an amendment to allow import of polar bear hides into the U.S.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Communities are the backbone of our territory and our economy. With the New Deal that our Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has put in place over the last few years, some of our communities are struggling to manage their new — I hesitate to say it, but must — downloaded responsibilities. Small communities in particular lack the capacity to adequately handle this additional work. There are capacity gaps in human resources, skilled workers — like everywhere else across the country — and specialized knowledge. Dealing with contracts is a perfect example.
I must give credit to MACA, which has provided some assistance to date. But what MACA can offer is not enough to fill the gaps that communities are experiencing. The needs of our communities are great, Mr. Speaker. Not only are they responsible for the basics — roads, water and sewer and garbage — but they are expected to provide many other programs and services for their residents as well.
Municipalities see demands for social issues as well: housing, health, seniors and eldercare and so on. As any municipal councillor will tell you, there is a never ending list of things that could be done if only they had the money. Just like us here at the Legislative Assembly, councils struggle to meet the needs of their residents on limited funds. There is never enough to do it all.
Mr. Speaker, One Way This Government Can Assist Our Community Government Is To Establish A Revolving, Repayable Low Or No Interest Infrastructure Fund Which Communities Can Access For Assistance In Financing Their High Cost Infrastructure Needs. Things Such As Water Treatment Plants, Sewage Lagoons Or Sewage Treatment Plants, New Roads Or Road Replacements, Landfill Sites, Deferred Maintenance: the list can be endless. Yes, there are funds out there already, but these funds often have stringent guidelines, which don’t fit the projects that need doing in the community.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to host three elders from the Sahtu who were in Yellowknife for the Roman Catholic district celebration for the bishop.
In the time I spent with the elders and my family here, I had the opportunity to talk with the elders about living in the small communities. From time to time people come to Yellowknife and go back to the communities. They see the opportunities they have here in Yellowknife. They couldn’t believe the prices they pay at the OK Economy or the Co-op, or the gas, or the opportunities they have here.
They provided my wife and me with some dollars to go the store to buy some groceries for them. We did buy the groceries, and they couldn’t believe the amount of food they bought in terms of dollars. They said: if we had this in Tulita, we would have paid $400, but for the amount we have given you, we have a lot of food.
The elders were talking about that: how lucky we are in the larger centres to have support like this. They thought about this for a while, and I said: how it is back in the community? They said: we’re on fixed incomes or low incomes; we have support from the government, but it is very difficult for us.
In small communities their way of life of growing up on the land is completely different from today. Mr. Krutko talked about this in the recent Hansard, about the people wanting to stay in their communities, in their region, with home care. Their culture and their values are very different — very different — in the Sahtu. No different from the Gwich’in, the Inuvialuit or any other aboriginal community that has these beliefs. We want our people in our communities.
Mr. Speaker, in the Sahtu we have over 200 elders, and we are looking at the things we can do for them. We have to put them at the forefront. It is our obligation as people from the community to put our elders forward and give them respect, as they raised us in the past with their elders’ values.
I am going to be asking a question of the Minister responsible for Seniors on how our elders are taken care of in the Northwest Territories. It’s most important to the Sahtu people. They are paying the high price of living in the region without any roads and modes of transportation that would make it easier for us. In this day and age, Mr. Speaker, it’s a crying shame.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it is surprising to see one of my constituents, Mr. Ernest Pokiak, and his daughter Violet Noksana. Welcome to the House.
