Good afternoon, colleagues. As this is the first time in 2014 that we have met in this Chamber, I would like to offer my belated but most sincere wishes to you and to all the residents of the Northwest Territories for a happy and healthy New Year.
Two thousand fourteen is a special year in many ways for our Assembly. Last August the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission approved a joint submission from the Legislative Assemblies of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, requesting mandatory distribution of Assembly proceedings. Today marks the first time that our proceedings will be carried through direct-to-home satellite providers, Bell Express Vu and Shaw Direct, giving Northerners and Canadians another option to view the proceedings of our Legislature. Our Assembly will share these dedicated channels with the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. I look forward to broadcasting not only the formal proceedings of the House but rebroadcasts in our Aboriginal languages, public meetings of our committees, special Assembly events, such as the 20th anniversary celebration, and archival materials.
One advantage of a six-week sitting, colleagues, is that we will have the opportunity to meet young people from 11 of our communities who are participating in our Page Program. We will have Pages from Yellowknife, Tuktoyaktuk, Behchoko, Fort Good Hope, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Hay River Reserve, Aklavik, Hay River, Wrigley and Fort Resolution. I look forward to meeting these young people, and I extend the thanks of the House to the parents, the chaperones, the schools, and our Assembly staff who organize this excellent program.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate and cheer on our Northwest Territories Olympians, Michael Gilday, Brendan Green and Jesse Cockney, as they head to the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Your accomplishments have already made this territory
proud. Travel safely with the very best wishes of this House to accompany you.
Members, I would also like to warmly welcome Mr. Michael Ball, our new Principal Clerk of Committees and Public Affairs. Mr. Ball joined the Clerk’s staff in December, and today he is with his colleagues at the table for the first time. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Ball.
---Applause
On a much sadder note, colleagues, our condolences go out to those families and communities who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of Fritz Fiechtinger and Doug McLeod, a good friend I grew up with in Tuktoyaktuk.
As the date for the implementation of the Devolution Agreement with the Government of Canada approaches, I know there is a great deal of work to be done and it will be a busy sitting. I remind Members that we work for the benefit of all Northerners. May I also remind you that our work here must be carried out with dignity and respect, the cornerstone of consensus government. My duty, as always, is to assist you in your important work and to safeguard the dignity and decorum of the Chamber, and I pledge to continue to do that.
It is now my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads:
“Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the passage of
Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), 2014-2015;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2012-2013;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2013-2014;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2013-2014;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-2015
during the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
Yours truly, George, L. Tuccaro, Commissioner.”
Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome Members back to the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
This is our final sitting before the transfer of responsibility for public land, water and resources from the Government of Canada on April 1, 2014. The next time we meet, the Legislative Assembly and its Members will have substantial new powers to make decisions on behalf of the people who elected us.
During this sitting, Members will be asked to consider and pass the 2014-15 budget. The budget will position the Government of the Northwest Territories to smoothly take on new responsibilities being transferred through devolution, while continuing our commitment to fiscal discipline and strategic infrastructure investments to grow our economy.
You will also hear during this sitting how the government will implement and pay for many of the plans and strategies that we have developed in response to the priorities of the Legislative Assembly.
These include plans for supporting our people by addressing poverty and mental health challenges, including addictions. We will invest in the long-term health and success of our children through a focus on early childhood development and education reform. We will support sustainable communities by continuing with decentralization and new recruitment initiatives. We will invest in the health of our environment by continuing to develop alternatives to diesel, implement the Water Stewardship Strategy and manage wildlife. You will also hear how we will continue our efforts to grow a strong, diversified economy and create a prosperous future for all our residents.
Passing the legislation required for devolution will be a significant achievement for this House. Devolution legislation makes up the bulk of our legislative agenda at this sitting and may be the most ambitious legislative project this government has undertaken since division. I would like to thank Members for their continued commitment and cooperation in moving this legislation forward in a timely manner.
Devolution is a goal we have pursued for many years now. On April 1st, NWT residents will have a greater voice in decisions about how land, water and resources are managed, how the economy is developed and the environment protected. It will be the first transfer of federal programs to the Government of the Northwest Territories that will generate substantial revenue for the territory.
Devolution will provide for more coordinated land stewardship in the Northwest Territories in partnership with Aboriginal governments. It will provide for more responsive resource management from a smaller, more efficient government closer to the people affected by its decisions. It will create new jobs and business opportunities as the Northwest Territories economy grows under the management of our government.
Supported by an efficient, effective and integrated regulatory regime, devolution will give Northerners the necessary tools and authorities to responsibly develop the territory's significant natural resource potential, promote investment and economic development, and manage the land and environment sustainably.
We could not have reached this point without the support of this Assembly and our Aboriginal government partners, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank Members for that support and thank our partners – the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, Gwich’in Tribal Council, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated and Tlicho Government – for their commitment and dedication to this goal. Their assistance in negotiating a deal that is in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories has been invaluable, and their ongoing participation will be critical to the successful implementation of devolution.
Devolution is about creating a strong Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, and we are stronger when we join together. I am pleased that so many Aboriginal governments have decided to join their strength with ours. We have been in discussions with the Acho Dene Koe First Nation for some time and they have been waiting patiently to sign on to devolution. Last week our partnership grew with the announcement that the Deninu Kue First Nation had voted in favour of signing on to devolution.
We continue our discussions with the Dehcho First Nations and the Akaitcho Territory Dene First Nations. There is a seat for each of them waiting at the table, and I remain hopeful that we will see all regional Aboriginal governments agreeing to participate in and enjoying the benefits of devolution.
Devolution will complete a process that began in 1967 and saw the people of this territory and their elected government take on responsibility for many former federal programs, including health, education, social services, airports, and forestry management.
Come April 1st, the Government of the Northwest Territories will assume responsibility for 26 federal acts and regulations governing the management of land, water and resources in our territory. The Legislative Assembly and its elected Members will gain new powers to make legislation that was formerly reserved for the Parliament of Canada. For the first time ever, Members will be debating their own legislation governing oil and gas operations, petroleum resources, water management, and regulation of activities on Commissioner’s land during this sitting.
New powers and responsibilities for environmental management and regulation will be delegated to our government under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. These will be added to the responsibilities we have already been exercising under the MVRMA for years.
The MVRMA will continue to be federal legislation for the time being, but this reflects its unique nature. The MVRMA is required by the land claims and provides for integrated environmental regulation on all lands in the Mackenzie Valley, including federal and territorial lands, settlement lands and private lands. Its continuation as federal law for the next five years reflects that, and we are satisfied with the provisions in the Devolution Agreement to review the status and potential transfer of these delegated powers to our government within five years. I’d also like to note that there is nothing to prevent us from initiating those discussions earlier.
We have been working closely with the Government of Canada and our Aboriginal partners to ensure that there will be a seamless transition on April 1, 2014. We have worked out our organizational design, identifying exactly which new responsibilities and programs our departments – including a new Department of Lands under Minister Robert C. McLeod – will be assuming on the effective date. We have made decisions about how we will manage project approvals, including a single-window approach to help support responsible and coordinated development in our territory.
We are putting our senior management teams into place and have already filled key positions. One hundred thirty-two job offers have been accepted by federal employees currently delivering the transferring programs in the Northwest Territories. That represents almost 100 percent acceptance, and I look forward to welcoming them to the Government of the Northwest Territories. With this level of continuity and experience, we will be more than ready to hit the ground running come April 1st.
Most critically, we have been working hard to clarify our thinking about our new authorities and what they mean in terms of our plans and priorities. Clear rules and expectations around environmental protection and resource management are critical for responsible resource development. Industry needs to know what the rules are, and our people need to know that their government is committed to managing and protecting the environment according to northern priorities and values.
Shortly, our government will be releasing its Land Use and Sustainability Framework. This framework will be a critical policy piece for us, establishing the foundation for all our departments as they take on new responsibilities for land use, resource development and environmental management. It will outline the principles and approach we will follow as we engage in decision-making around land in the Northwest Territories. Having a clear, consistent approach to how we make land use decisions will help ensure there are no surprises when it comes to dealing with our government and ensure we make sound decisions that are in the public interest as we begin to exercise our new authorities for land resources and water.
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework has been in development for several years and is grounded in our ongoing work and discussions with Aboriginal governments and other stakeholders. We have also benefited from the participation of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning and its development, and I thank Members for their involvement. Like much of the work this government has been doing, the framework will both position us to succeed after devolution and respond to the priorities of this Assembly.
The vision and priorities we established at the beginning of this term have helped us to be strategic and focus our efforts on those areas most important to us and the people of the Northwest Territories. That kind of focus and discipline will be necessary for the remainder of our term as we implement the plans we have worked so hard to develop in the first half of our term.
We are continuing this Assembly’s focus on building a strong, prosperous territory with a diversified economy, aided by new responsibilities acquired through devolution. We have a new Mineral Development Strategy that will guide our government as it works to support the responsible development of our mineral resources. We have an Economic Opportunities Strategy which takes a broader view to strategically growing a strong, diversified economy for our territory. We’ll continue to support and prepare for the responsible development of the Northwest Territories’ oil and gas potential. This potential is significant in both the Beaufort-Delta and in the Sahtu where we are seeing a world-class oil and gas play. Work has already begun with the federal government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to commence negotiations for a management agreement, respective oil and gas resources and the offshore portion of our territory.
We continue to address the high cost of energy by investing in alternatives to expensive diesel fuel, supporting sustainable communities and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We have a new Northwest Territories Power System Plan released late last year. We know that access to affordable, reliable energy is a significant factor affecting resource and economic development. This plan looks at how we can make best use of the Northwest Territories’ hydro resources and expand and extend the hydro transmission network to better serve consumers and industry. The companion Energy Plan, also released last December, will guide our government’s long-term approach to energy in the territory.
We continue to focus on strategic infrastructure investments that will help us support economic growth and development in the Northwest Territories. That includes projects like the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway, the first step towards completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway. I was pleased to join Prime Minister Harper in Inuvik last month, along with most of Cabinet and the Member for Yellowknife Centre, for a groundbreaking ceremony. Prime Minister Harper continues to make the North a priority for his government, and I thank him for his commitment and leadership.
We know that people need to be healthy and educated if they are to benefit from and participate in a strong, diversified economy. We have plans for investing in our people, including the Early Childhood Development Plan, Anti-Poverty Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Plan so our people have the support they need to take advantage of current and future opportunities.
Focusing on decentralization and a representative workforce will continue to be a priority for us. This reflects our commitment to Aboriginal people and small communities, while ensuring that all residents of the territory have an opportunity to share in the benefits of a strong, thriving economy.
We will continue to build our relationships and foster the partnerships we need to achieve our full potential as a territory, including with Canada, business and industry and Aboriginal governments. I am proud of the intergovernmental agreements we have signed with the Gwich’in, Tlicho, Northwest Territory Metis Nation and Akaitcho Territory Dene First Nation. With the establishment of the Intergovernmental Council called for by the Devolution Agreement, we will be more directly linked to Aboriginal governments, providing new opportunities for us to work together more closely to achieve the shared interests of all the people of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago few would have imagined a Northwest Territories with a fully-elected Legislative Assembly exercising province-like powers. Our resources and potential were largely unknown and mostly inaccessible. Today we are increasingly being recognized across Canada and around the world as a potential engine of economic growth and prosperity. We now stand poised to take the most significant step in our political evolution in decades. We have made great advances in little more than a single generation.
I have said before that the 21st Century belongs to the North, and we can make that a reality here. This is the session where all our preparations come together. We have laid the groundwork, developed the plans and secured the political and legislative authority we need. Now is the time to join together and create the strong, prosperous, environmentally sustainable territory we outlined in our vision. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Thursday, February 6, 2014. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is great to be back here, and I welcome all my colleagues back to the Legislative Assembly. We have a long six weeks ahead of us, and going into this type of thing there is anticipation, there is excitement, but there is also concern. It is just like getting together with your family. We know that we are going to have a long session together, and we know sometimes with that type of length we are going to get into some arguments and some debates, so I apologize for anything I say to them over the next six weeks.
I would also like to mention that you opened up this session talking about the fact that we’re going to be on national TV, Bell channel 513 and Shaw channel 289 or 489, depending on the type of system you have. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our staff who worked over the last couple of years to get us on this national platform, so it’s great for our Legislative Assembly.
In the next six weeks, devolution will definitely be a big factor in our discussions. We have a lot of work to do. There is a big question of how we are going to go forward and how the new budget is going to be affected by this session, by this devolution, what we are going to do with our Heritage Fund with those revenue resources that we have. I would also mention the fact that we’re going to be discussing electoral boundaries, the future of the Northwest Territories and how those electoral boundaries will be divided up and what the future of the Northwest Territories will look like.
I look forward over the next six weeks to looking at and getting updates on the Tuk to Inuvik highway, education renewal, decentralization in the GNWT and our regions, mining strategy, the Energy Plan and how that will save the people of the Northwest Territories money and make the cost of living reduced here in the Northwest Territories.
This is an exciting time for the Northwest Territories, and I look forward to the next six weeks. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, staff, I’d like to welcome you all back to the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly. I want to begin at this time by saying that moving forward in 2014, I look forward to making significant changes for the Mackenzie Delta. I have relayed this message to my constituents that in order for the Mackenzie-Delta to gain a brighter future, we must make positive changes.
My mandate is to work with all local organizations, companies and community governments in my riding to explore possible solutions and come up with ideas to better our communities.
At this time I want to send my condolences to the families in the Mackenzie Delta and throughout the North who have recently lost loved ones. Far too many times our people suffer with the tragic loss of friends and relatives, either through accidents or illness, and we are there to help them. We continue to offer support in various ways. Mr. Speaker, please send your prayers to those who are grieving at this time. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Blake. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, it is good to be back in this House and we have a good long stretch ahead of us here where we will get a chance to air all of our concerns and all of our issues. We have been away for a while, so I have a few of them that have built up, I guess, over the time that we have been away and I have a lot of things that I want to talk about in the next six weeks.
The Premier has delivered his address today for the opening of session, and it paints a very promising picture of our future here in the North, and I want to be the first one to applaud the efforts of this government on all that they have accomplished and where we are.
But it’s our job here in this House, and as Members too, to sometimes report not just the good news but some of the concerns. One concern I have, very seriously, is that no matter how bright our future is, we have to address the issue of our declining population.
If we do all of these wonderful things that we are talking about doing, who’s benefit are we doing them for if not for our own people who have built the North, who reside in the North? The fact is that the population of the Northwest Territories is declining. This affects us in many ways. It affects our capacity. It affects our transfer payment from the federal government. I think it’s up to now about $25,000 per person. So, over the next several days – I can’t squeeze it into two and a half minutes – I want to talk about some ideas I have for how we can stop the hole in the bucket, so to speak, of the loss of people, of resources, of capacity, of talent that seems to be going southward, which is not very good.
Just to touch on a few things that may be affecting people’s desire to stay in the North, I’m just going to list off a few of them: the cost of living, how we treat our seniors and keep them here in the Northwest Territories when they retire, the employment of our own people. We try and we have lots of policies, but there are lots of gaps, and I could tell many stories of how we have failed to employ our own people. We also do need to reach out to newcomers, and I know the government has had job fairs and Make Your Mark and so on.
We do have to knock on the doors of people we don’t know, but we need to pay attention to those who could be working in this territory at this time. Maybe we need to get creative, like we expect our diamond mines and large industry to offer inducements, incentives to bring people to live in the North. We need to bring a lot of people home. We’ve had people born, raised, educated – we’ve even contributed to their education – and they are currently not here because there have been gaps in the system. Thank you.
Thank you Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to provide this statement regarding Mr. Ted Grant’s contribution to NWT Tourism. Mr. Grant is a Fort Simpson businessman and bush pilot. He has spent 30 years promoting and developing the NWT tourism industry.
During my tenure as MLA for Nahendeh, I’ve had the pleasure of travelling with him and marvelled at his love for the Northwest Territories while marketing our vast potential in our territory. He has received many rewards to recognize his work, most recently the Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award from NWT Tourism. Other notable awards are the Northwest Territories Tourism Operator of the Year in 2006 and the prestigious Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
He is well travelled and spends much of his own time and efforts at trade shows throughout Canada and internationally. He specifically notes that he has been to China several times, championing the Northwest Territories.
While promoting the NWT, his prime focus is the Nahanni National Park Reserve in Fort Simpson’s own backyard.
Recently, the National Geographic – a famous scientific and educational magazine – listed the Nahanni National Park Reserve as one of the top 10 parks to see in Canada. I would credit Mr. Grant’s countless hours in promoting the park that has led to their interest in the park. “I think he sort of singlehandedly has been the biggest promoter of the Nahanni National Park,” said His Worship Sean Whelly of Fort Simpson. As MLA, I too am proud to have this gem in my constituency.
Mr. Grant has sponsored and worked with George Fischer, a well-known photographer, on projects that showcase the Nahanni National Park Reserve and the Northwest Territories. He has asked me to present to our Premier, Mr. Bob McLeod, and the Minister of ITI, Mr. Dave Ramsay, with copies of Mr. Fischer’s recent book “Canada in Colour,” which I will do later. This book contains many beautiful pictures of the Northwest Territories.
In closing, I must add that Mr. Ted Grant is a very strong advocate of Highway No. 7.
---Laughter
In fact, he encourages the chipsealing of the whole of Highway No. 7. He has raised this issue with Prime Minister Harper on a couple of occasions. Like the Inuvik-Tuk road project, the Prime Minister is well aware of Highway No. 7 and the integral part it plays in tourism in the NWT as it is a gateway to the North.
We have a great champion and ambassador for NWT tourism with Mr. Ted Grant. Well done, Ted Grant. Keep up the great work. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the opportunity last week to witness another step in the evolution of devolution. I am referring to the hearings held here in Yellowknife by the Parliament of Canada Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Northern Affairs on Bill C-15, a federal bill amending the NWT Act and the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, MVRMA. It was a long but most interesting day. In general, the presentations were thoughtful, well presented, and the passion and commitment of the organizations behind the words was evident.
It is well known that there is no unanimity here in the NWT about Bill C-15. At the hearings several organizations spoke against devolution, but the amendments to the NWT Act, which will enable devolution, are largely accepted and supported. Most presenters have no quarrel with the section of Bill C-15 that amends the NWT Act to allow devolution to occur on April 1st, not many weeks from today.
The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act is the federal legislation which sets out the regulatory regime for our territory. The parts of Bill C-15 which refer to and make amendments to the MVRMA are almost universally detested. Just this week the Tlicho Government indicated they will take the federal government to court over these amendments.
Some of the proposed MVRMA changes have merit, Mr. Speaker, but they are few. The most contentious is the proposal in Bill C-15 to do away with our well-established regional land and water boards to develop one large territorial board. I support those who oppose the one-board proposal. The NWT regional boards have been proven to be working well. They have been proven to have a good working relationship with industry. Why are we changing a system that is not broken?
Bill C-15 has combined two very different issues, two issues which should not be considered together. It’s a very divisive bill. You only had to listen to committee testimony last week to know that.
Bill C-15 needs to be split. The amendments to the NWT Act must be considered and debated separate from amendments to the MVRMA. The MVRMA changes require time to be fully considered, time for a workable solution acceptable to all parties to be found, and that will not happen if the Government of Canada continues on its current course.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Even though the Government of Canada has refused to take this action to split Bill C-15 once already, I urge the government and its Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Northern Affairs to reconsider and to take action to divide Bill C-15. As I often say, it’s the right thing to do. Let’s do the right thing. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to welcome everybody back into the House as well as welcome any NWT residents who may be viewing, especially through our new satellite option.
In our past O and M budget process, committee worked with government on committing funding for mental health prevention and promotion programs through the Department of Health and Social Services. Some of these funds were provided to the communities of Yellowknife and Inuvik and were to be allocated for day shelters.
In the community of Inuvik, however, the health authority had a meeting and worked with the local interagency committee to come up with a proposal for an emergency wet shelter that would operate in the evenings during the winter months. This shelter is now in operation and is being utilized on a daily basis. From what I hear, there are anywhere from 10 to 15 residents accessing the services nightly. Other informal discussions have also shown that there have been less alcohol-related disturbances in the community and less visits to the emergency room.
Although there are some good outcomes being presented, addictions continue to be an issue. More stable programming, more resources and more funding need to be provided to these organizations that do work on behalf of government. The initial success of this project can lay the framework for future emergency shelters, wet or dry, by utilizing and supporting the resources that are available even in our smallest communities.
I’d like to thank and recognize the hard work, compassion and dedication of all the partners on making this project happen at such a fast pace – the Town of Inuvik, the RCMP, the Anglican Church, the Inuvik Interagency Committee – and all of the numerous volunteers that provide their time to keep this shelter open during the nights.
This emergency shelter is not only providing cost savings in health authority and through the RCMP but it’s saving lives.
I will have questions later on for the Minister of Health and Social Services on how we can build on this project in Inuvik but also build these types of projects in communities across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Mahsi. I’m glad to talk to you. I’m also glad to speak on behalf of the Dehcho Process, and they have been working with the federal and territorial governments. Eventually there will be some political resolve to the Dehcho Process. [Translation ends]
It formally began in 1999 and the people of the Dehcho First Nations. It is really the continuation of a long process that started when Europeans first made contact with indigenous Aboriginal people. Once it is concluded, the final agreement will clearly set out the Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Dehcho First Nations, including the ownership and the title of the Dehcho lands and resources, harvesting rights, cash compensation and royalties from resource development.
The final agreement would provide an elected public Dehcho government with the power to make and enforce Dehcho laws, design and deliver programs and services for all residents living in the Deh Cho region and establish processes regarding the use, management and the conservation of land, water and resources in the Deh Cho.
In 2001 the parties, including the GNWT and federal government, along with the Dehcho First Nations, signed an interim measures agreement and a framework agreement. The IMA addresses how the conservation, development and use of Dehcho lands, waters and resources will be handled, pending the completion of the final agreement. The framework agreement sets out the subject areas to be negotiated in order to achieve an agreement-in-principle and conclude a final agreement. Right now the parties are in the process of negotiating an AIP and completing the Dehcho Land Use Plan.
While a great deal of work has been accomplished, a lot remains to be done. Main table negotiations are entrenched and proceeding very slowly on difficult issues relating to the size of the land quantum and no agreement on a legislative basis for a land and resource management regime. The lack of a federal representative at the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee also appears to be hurting the progress.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
On the other hand, progress is being made in bilateral discussions between the GNWT and the Dehcho First Nations on issues related to devolution, and I’m told the finish line is practically in sight. As the MLA for Deh Cho, I want to reiterate my support for the successful conclusion of the Dehcho Process.
The negotiations are complex and difficult. Negotiators must deal with challenging subjects and times when the positions of the parties seem very far apart. I want to stress to the parties the importance of taking an interest-based versus a positional approach to negotiations.
When the negotiations are at their most difficult, I want to encourage all of the parties at the table not to lose sight of the main goal for why these negotiations are happening, so that the Dehcho First Nations people can finally be in control of their own destiny and govern themselves on their own lands. This, I believe, is in the best interests of all Northerners and Canadians. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s great to be back in the House.
I want to bring everyone back to Sunday, December 29, 2013, when the lights went out in Yellowknife, Behchoko and Detah at approximately 3:40 p.m. Like many, I scrambled to light my fireplace, my gas stove, my kerosene emergency heaters, and light my candles while my thermometer outside showed minus 40 Celsius.
While social media was abuzz with emergency tips and suggestions and updates from stakeholders – but not from NTPC, I must add – many, including myself, could only wait patiently hoping for the power to be restored. For over three hours and in extreme cold temperatures, over 9,000 Northwest Territories Power Corporation and Northland Utilities clients waited for that flicker of light to be restored.
As of today, our communities are still dealing with the aftermath of frozen waterlines, damaged pipes and busted sprinklers. Many residents and businesses are angry and frustrated as to why it took so long to get power restored when we have a perfectly good diesel generator backup system. Why did it take over three hours to fire up generators when we are told that the process is no more than 30 minutes? Why is this at least a third occurrence in the past couple years at such extreme cold temperatures where NTPC power equipment failed? These are very real and valid questions that have not been answered.
In the aftermath of this incident, my office undertook to investigate the extent of damage caused by this recent power outage. Now, I know this exercise received wavering degrees of skepticism and motive to opinions of permitted reimbursements of regulated electric companies, but I can assure you my motives were purely analytical to truly evaluate the financial impact that this incident had on the taxpayer.
Here is what I was able to conservatively calculate. There were 231 residential and commercial clients that came forward. The average wait time for repair was between three to seven days. The total amount of repair bills was approximately $350,000, and the average repair cost was about $1,500 per client.
My office did reach out to collect as much data as possible, and I want to thank the many residents and Members of this House who shared their stories, but we all know there are many more costs out there, plus with the recent Yellowknifer article reporting that we may have burst pipes expecting to cost the City of Yellowknife upwards of $1.5 million makes us one of the first key issues of 2014.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I leave you with this: When does the act of God cease and when does faulty equipment start?
With that, I will have further questions today for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, a few short weeks ago, a number of MLAs went to the Yellowknife Aurora College campus, and we were there to hear from the students. As we expected, we heard a number of various concerns, and if I might rightly put them in different categories, I would call some of them city issues, ECE issues, and certainly Aurora College-specific issues.
While listening to these concerns it came to me: Has the college ever undertaken an opportunity to listen and certainly meet these students? So I posed the question, has anyone met their Board of Governors to talk about their concerns? Not surprisingly, but disappointingly I must admit, there was a resounding no. I was informed that they only have one student as student rep on the Board of Governors who yet has to still be appointed, and this one student rep to the Board of Governors represents all three campuses. An impossible task, if I may add.
I undertook to write a letter to the Board of Governors suggesting that they should meet with these students, they should talk to them and hear their concerns. As promised, I wrote the letter. So, what do you do with the letter? You try to send it. So I go to the Aurora college website and I looked for the e-mail of the Board of Governors. Impossible to find. I called the president’s office. What do you think they say? They say, well, there are no e-mail addresses for the Board of Governors, but if you have a letter to send us, send it to the president of Aurora College.
This is failing the public and certainly failing the students. When you have to send a letter of inquiry to the Board of Governors and it has to be vetted through the president’s office, the first question that came to mind to me was: What level of accountability is this? Are they screening letters? Who knows? Their intentions may be good, but they do look terrible up front.
If you’re a student at this college, if you’re a person of the public and you want to reach out to your Board of Governors, it’s impossible. As the stewards of this institution, an important institution to our territory, we must be able to endow these governors with an e-mail. There must be some level of accountability to these students. There must be some level of accessibility to these students to hear their concerns.
So, I would tell Cabinet and I would certainly tell the Minister of ECE, let’s start by appointing a student rep who is only appointed for one year, and let’s get these governors’ e-mails so they can communicate with these students, because right now they’re anonymous. This style of business may be everyday business in Ottawa, but I can tell you it doesn’t hold water here in the Northwest Territories. Stop failing our public and help our students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some time ago I sat down with an elder in Fort Good Hope and listened to the elder. One of the phrases I got from the elder, after listening to the elder, was “our land is holy.” I was trying to figure out what the elder was meaning.
Some time ago over the past several months, the Sahtu people have lost three dearly loved elders and a young mother and a young grandmother. These elders passed away some time ago, one last week and certainly the young mother from Deline, and they returned back to the land.
I recall when I was a young man in Tulita when the elder was talking to me, he knelt down and took the dirt from his hand and he said, “This is our blood.” I couldn’t understand what he was talking about, but now I can understand a little bit, I think, that our elders return back to the land. When our elders go back to the land, our land is holy.
In our small communities, especially in the Sahtu and other communities, we’re a family and family grieves together. So, back in our communities, I want to say to the families and all the volunteers, to help out the loved ones on the passing of their elders or their mother, grandmother. We need to support each other. The traditions that we had at one time were very strong, so now we need to remind ourselves and pray for each other.
Sometimes in this life we need to sit back and say, this is important, this can wait until tomorrow. I have a lot of issues for the Sahtu that I want to raise. That will happen tomorrow.
Today I want to pay respect to the elders, to the young mother and grandmother in Deline, Tulita and Fort Good Hope and say what they have done for us to be here, standing and talking freely is truly appreciated and I thank everybody in the Sahtu for helping these families through their hard times. I ask everybody to send prayers to the people in the Northwest Territories who also lost family members or friends since our last coming to this session. Mahsi.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. Joining us today is my constituency assistant, Weronica Murray from Inuvik. She’s going to be here for the first week understanding our consensus government style and participating in some of the work. Welcome, Weronica.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize all of the deputy ministers of the Government of the Northwest Territories that are here today. These are the people who help make all of our directions come into effect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. I’d like to welcome everyone in the gallery here today. Thank you for taking the time to take in our proceedings. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to address my questions today to the Minister of Transportation. I understand that we finally have a signed contract for the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk highway. Apparently it is a guaranteed price. I am very glad to hear that, but I am extremely skeptical that this project will be completed in the allotted budget.
I would like to ask the Minister of Transportation, first of all, knowing that any project endures changes to its original project description, what exists in this contract to protect the GNWT from cost overruns due to change orders as the project moves ahead? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
