Thanks to the Minister. What does that mean? What is the intent of this office? What would good results look like?
The position is intended to provide representation for youth and children in custody cases and similar types of situations to that. Make sure their voice is heard.
I know there are certainly lots of issues on the custody aspect of children across the Northwest Territories. There is very clear, new thinking that the emphasis needs to be in place to keep children associated with their families somehow.
In terms of a good result here, is this office helping children stay integrated in a healthy and safe way with their families, recognizing the issues that are being faced here? I think that’s the overall intent of our Child and Family Services Act review and so forth, in which Justice plays a big role.
There’s no question that children benefit from access to both of their parents where all safety issues and no risk of harm to a child is present. We have, in the Government of the Northwest Territories and Justice in particular, a mediation program that is available to parents going through divorce so that they can work through the challenges of separate homes, separate lives with children to make sure that everybody’s got access where safe and appropriate. I think we’re – once again anecdotally, I don’t have any numbers, but we’re hearing positive results from that program that it is working well to help children stay engaged with both parents. Once again, where all things are equal and the safety of the child is taken into consideration. I’m not sure if that’s what the Member is talking about, those types of situations, or is he talking specifically about apprehension under the Child and Family Services Act. Maybe I could get a little clarity.
Thanks for the Minister’s comments. I guess I have to say back at you because I’m not, I guess my question is which of those does this office deal with. I’ve also heard good things about the parent counselling during separation and divorce program, but I thought we were talking about custody issues related to family trauma and so on, other than separation. Maybe I could get clarity, if we know where the focus of this office is or if it deals with both of those situations.
The Member mentioned yet another program that’s available, and that’s Parenting After Separation, which is actually a course that’s available to help individuals who maybe haven’t gone through the mediation. There are a number of these programs available to help maintain family structure when living in separate homes. The children’s lawyer is available to make sure the interests of the child are heard and taken into consideration in all three of these situations. There are limitations when that service can be used as a result of a child apprehension but, where appropriate, they have been able to engage, but it isn’t with every case and not all cases under child apprehension is there necessarily a role for a children’s lawyer. Where appropriate they are being utilized.
That’s all I had. I guess I’ll be looking forward to when an appropriate time has gone by and there is enough substantial experience with this program to getting an update through committee. I appreciate the Minister’s remarks.
What I’ll do is commit to pulling together the statistics that we have to date and get some additional information for the Member and committee just on the activities, the types of activities of the children’s lawyer. Even though we have that little gap in the middle of the amount of time that they’ve been in place so far, so that they have a bit of information. I’ll do that.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Next on the list is Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have questions for the Minister on this page here. One has to do with the coroner’s office. If the coroner’s office takes into consideration the Aboriginal culture and tradition when they have to do their work in regard to dealing with people in the Aboriginal communities.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We have coroners in almost every community in the Northwest Territories and we have coroners who are Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal, male, female, young, old – I think all the old ones just rolled their eyes. Maybe so did the young ones. I apologize. We’ve got coroners all over the Territories in a significant number of our communities, as I’ve indicated. I feel comfortable saying that they try to take into consideration Aboriginal traditions and Aboriginal beliefs when they’re doing their reports. Does it always satisfy everybody? I would say no, but they try to do what they can.
The point I want to draw to is, New Zealand has very good coroner policies with regard to taking Aboriginal cultures and traditions into their system. I wonder if the Minister has looked at the New Zealand experience to see if that makes any sense in the Northwest Territories. Most of our communities are Aboriginal people. Fifty percent of the population is Aboriginal people. We’re certainly well versed on the people who have this very important role in the communities. That’s all. I’ll make a comment there to the Minister and he can come back later on to this issue here.
My last point is that service to the public. You know a lot of elders have lived in public housing or private housing, mostly private housing, in their communities and one of the issues that we looked at in the Sahtu was having a public service lawyer going to our communities to help write wills for the elders for the housing. They work really well in Fort Good Hope. The lawyer came into Fort Good Hope and sat down with the elders because this becomes an issue with housing, and the estate and stuff like that. I want to show this is a program that is on the fly or we’re going to request it, but that’s something that I know Housing has told me would be good to have all the elders and older people draw up wills for themselves because a lot of them don’t do it and it becomes a government issue later.
As the Member knows, we haven’t looked at the New Zealand model, but thank you for bringing it to our attention. We will look at the New Zealand model…(inaudible)... I’d love to, but I can’t remember what I was saying. I’m just kidding. I actually do remember this time. I do remember. The answer to the Member is no, we haven’t looked at the New Zealand model and thanks for bringing it to our attention. I will have the department look at the New Zealand model and see if there are any lessons in there that we can learn and apply here. We do know that the Coroners Act needs revision. The coroner herself has mentioned a number of things that need to be done to that act to improve what they can and can’t do here in the Northwest Territories. The timing might be perfect on that, and I will commit to looking at that legislation and seeing if we can learn any lessons.
With respect to lawyers providing advice in communities to elders with wills, we have a legal aid outreach lawyer position in our legal aid office. I’m going to use the title, we’re trying to get away from the title, but once upon a time we referred to them as poverty lawyers. We’re not going to call them the poverty lawyer because we want them to be available to provide assistance where possible. This position, this person is doing the exact thing that the Member is talking about, and it has been able to provide advice and guidance to people, not just elders, but elders included, on writing wills. That person travels out to communities as often as they can and is doing good work.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Yakeleya, your time is up. I can put you on the list if you need it again. Next on my list I have Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a couple of questions here on this page. The first area I’d like to reference is that of the rental office. The Minister knows I’ve asked a number of questions about the rental office and the Residential Tenancies Act over the years. Specifically, my recollection is that the Minister has advised committee that the department is undergoing a review of the rental officer’s recommendations from the last number of rental officer reports. I’d just like to know whether my recollection is correct and, if so, what the next steps are in terms of the review that the department has been doing.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Member is correct; we are doing that work. Consultation regarding the potential amendments to the legislation is expected to occur spring/summer 2013 and we expect an LP to come forward as early as fall 2013.
Thanks to the Minister for that. Is there any hope that the Minister might tell me what sorts of things are being looked at, what kinds of amendments might be coming forward?
I believe we have seven core areas that we’re looking at, eight, I think. Security of tenure in subsidized public housing, inclusion of transitional and other housing, enforcement of orders, unofficial occupants, conversion to subsidized public housing, retention of inspection reports, consistency with the Condominium Act and other potential amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act are already currently being considered and are scheduled for consultation this spring and summer will include that review. Domestic violence is also something that we’re considering.
Thanks to the Minister for that information. I look forward to seeing those amendments when they come forward.
My other question on this page had to do with legal registries. As we move forward in this electronic world of ours, I believe it is a goal of the department to do more and more on-line, and to provide greater access to documents and making applications on-line, et cetera. Where are things at with the department in terms of getting or allowing our residents to have greater access to information and to application forms on-line?
With land titles it’s already up on-line and available, but I’ll go to the deputy for a few specifics if the Member is interested in some specifics.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Ms. Haener.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Minister mentioned, land titles is on-line. As well, there is some property search capacity on-line. We are also looking at processes for payment in relation to those and ensuring that is available on-line as well.
Thank you, Ms. Haener. Ms. Bisaro.
Just one last question then, and I guess it goes to what the hopes are from the department for getting what stuff do you want to get on-line. What’s your end goal? Is it to have absolutely everything available electronically, or will there always be some stuff that has to be done in person?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Lots.
Perhaps the Minister could explain to me what things cannot be done on-line.
We want to get as much as we can on-line as possible. We’re even looking at going into the courts and see if we can do some of the fine payments and other things on-line so that people don’t have to come into the courthouse within the registries, as many filings as we can.
There are going to be some challenges. I couldn’t tell you a name of a document that we may not be able to do this on, but we’ve got lawyers in the land titles and legal registries office who are looking at the legality of this and what can and can’t be. I’m happy to bring more information to the Member on some specifics, and committee, but we’re trying to get as much of it on-line as we can.
Every once in a while, you’d have to worry about signatures and stuff like that to make sure that documents are properly certified, especially if they need to stamp or other things, so there are going to be some that we’re trying to figure out. We’re trying.
I think if you look at what’s happening in this government, there is… Like, motor vehicles, they’re trying to do the same thing. So we can learn together and try and find some ways to get as much on-line as we can, remembering that not all communities have access to some of those services, so we have to make sure that works for everybody.
Thank you to the Minister for that. I don’t necessarily need the specifics, but I was looking for what the end goal was. I think the more we can have things available to our residents on-line, it allows people from communities, for instance, who do have access to the Internet. Once we get the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link up and running, that should make life wonderful for far many more of our residents.
In my view, we need to be transparent and accessible as a government, and I think this is one way that we can show that. Just a comment, but I applaud the department for moving in this direction.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. We’ll take that as a comment. Committee, we’re on page 9-35, Justice, activity summary, services to public, operations expenditure summary, $5.028 million.
Agreed.
Page 9-37, Justice, activity summary, services to public, active positions.
Agreed.
Page 9-38, Justice, information item, lease commitments - infrastructure. Any questions?
Agreed.
Page 9-39, Justice, information item, work performed on behalf of others. We’ll include 9-39, 9-40 and 9-41. Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one question here on page 9-40. The Not Us! drug awareness campaign had money in 2011-12. Well, last year and the upcoming year there’s no money. I’m assuming that that’s federal money, but if the Minister could confirm that. I know the campaign is still running, so how are we funding it?
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Member is right. That was federal money, and that federal money is no longer available. But we had dollars that were in there, as well, and we’re continuing our dollars forward so that we can continue to run the program which is quite popular and quite effective.
What is the budgeted amount annually for the Not Us! drug awareness campaign?
It’s a hundred and something. I don’t remember the exact total, but we’ll get it here for you. Can we get back to the Member? It’s $100,000, around that mark. We’ll get the exact figure for the Member and committee.
Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Again, committee, 9-39, 9-40 and 9-41, Justice, information item, work performed on behalf of others. Any questions?
Agreed.
If I can get you to return to 9-7, Justice, department summary, operations expenditure summary, $116.759 million. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Does committee agree that consideration for the Department of Justice is completed?
Agreed.
Great. Thank you. I’d like to thank Ms. Haener, Ms. Schofield and Minister Abernethy for today. If I can get the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses out of the Chamber.
Committee, we’ll be moving on to the Department of Executive. That’s section 2 in your main estimates. Before we go on, I’ll ask Premier Bob McLeod if he has any opening comments.
