A significant body of work was completed by Queen's University which provided the building blocks for the development of guidelines. There are draft guidelines currently under internal review and discussion, and we need to take into account the distribution of decision-making authorities in the NWT between resource management boards and various GNWT and federal departments. It will be incumbent on us to get these guidelines right so that they are accepted, endorsed, and found to be practical and useful by all parties. They must be grounded in operational realities and reflective of the GNWT's risk to all tolerance towards securities. We cannot afford to get these wrong and therefore, we’re taking measured incremental steps to get them right.
I just want to better understand the slow progress on the establishment of this division and the critical work that it's starting to get place. I believe the Minister may have partially answered the question here, but can the Minister of Lands describe what the barriers are for this work and what the Department of Lands is doing to get this important work back on track?
I take a different view of the progress of the liabilities and financial assurance division. In less than two years, within the department, we have successfully established a new unit that was not contemplated at the time of devolution. This unit has so far managed a significant body of work from Queen's University and commenced work on the policy foundation that will guide them through future operations; supported the GNWT in decision-making on an innovation form of $253-million security for Ekati; completed an initial scoping study of Cantung issues that prepared the GNWT on managing issues going on in North American Tungsten insolvency proceedings; and developed an internal tracking approach to ensure whole-project tracking of securities. These are just some of the accomplishments of this unit in a very short time period.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to again thank the Minister for his response. If he took the impression that I don’t believe the division's actually doing anything, I do understand that there is a lot of work that's underway, but we just had a $4.5 million special warrant that was necessary to deal with the closure and reclamation of the Cantung Mine, There's some unreconciled liabilities associated with the Prairie Creek property and other sites, so I just want to get some further assurances from the Minister of Lands that our financial security systems are working. I wonder whether there's a work plan that he could table in this House for the division.
The $4.5 million special warrant allowed the GNWT to take the necessary action to transfer responsibility for the closure and the reclamation of the Cantung Mine to the Government of Canada. Both Cantung and Prairie Creek are legacy sites that were not regulated under the modern regulatory and approval systems that we have in place today, and furthermore, they were managed by another level of government with a different level of risk tolerance than the GNWT. In the case of both Cantung and Prairie Creek, the GNWT has protection from liability through the Devolution Agreement. We can't change the past, but we can and have learned from it, which is why the GNWT is carrying out work on securities and the development of systems and guidelines.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To follow up on my Member’s statement here today, I have some questions for the Minster of Human Resources. In the past, government departments have identified potential summer student positions and the process has been started. Right now, there seems to be a delay, so I would like to ask, can the Minister tell us what the department's plans are in rolling out summer jobs this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ultimately the hiring of summer students is a responsibility of the individual departments. The Department of Human Resources helps facilitate the summer student process by actually getting students registered. The Department of Human Resources has been undertaking marketing and the intake of summer students since December 2015. We've been out advertising on the GNWT career website. Posters and advertising have been placed around Yellowknife and other locations, regional human resource offices. We've done a Student Financial Assistant blast to individual students saying, “Come on, let's get registered as a summer student,” and we've also been posting on Facebook. We're encouraging students to get registered so that when the departments do decide to actually hire some summer students, they can go to the registered students and select appropriate students based on our hiring practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'm a little bit confused. I guess. Do departments come to Human Resources and tell you exactly how many positions they're looking for? If they are, how many positions are looked for outside of Yellowknife?
The Department of Human Resources, as I've indicated, will actually go out and get students who are interested in getting summer student work with the government registered. At that point, if a department chooses to hire summer students, and ultimately the departments get to choose when, how long, and where, or those types of things, with respect to whether or not they hire summer students. They can come to the Department of Human Resources and review our database to make sure that they're selecting individuals that are suitable for the types of employment that they're looking for, apply an affirmative action and those types of things. There is no set number of students. Last year, we were able to hire 341 students in the Government of the Northwest Territories, but there is no set number. Obviously, we as a government want to employ as many students as we can and we want to employ as many students throughout the territories, not just in Yellowknife, but in regional centres, communities, but ultimately where, how long, and where they actually do the hiring is the decision of individual departments. Human Resources will help facilitate the process.
Is the Department of Human Resources willing to work with the departments to see if we can get some summer employment positions out to the smaller communities -- not the regional centres, but the smaller communities to help get employment for these students?
Absolutely. I mean if the departments indicate that they have some positions they'd like to fill in the communities, we're absolutely there to help support them to select the appropriate individuals to fill those positions and we do have a couple of different programs that are available through the Department of Human Resources to help the departments actually do some hiring. We have the Progressive Experience Program that actually provides a subsidy to the individual departments to help them offset the cost of hiring summer students. They could certainly use that type of funding in communities, regions, as well as centres throughout the Northwest Territories, but we're there to help the departments facilitate the process and hire the most appropriate students for the jobs that they wish to put in place.
MR. SPEAKER:
I thank the Minister again for the great information that we can share with the small communities. Can the Minister use summer employment strategies to help get these small communities employed with working with the departments for next year?
Through Building Our Future 20/20, we're actually always looking for ways to enhance the employment opportunities for students, as well as just residents of the Northwest Territories. I'd be interested in sitting down with the Member and getting a little bit more insight into what the Member means by a youth employment strategy and how he would see something like that rolling out, but I'd certainly be interested in having that conversation and getting more input and feedback from the Member and committee.
MR. SPEAKER:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when many people think of excluded or non-unionized employees they think of senior managers and higher ups in government, when in fact there are many who serve in regular positions such as secretaries, administrative assistants, and analysts. My question for the Minister of Finance is: How will this pay freeze affect non-management employees in the public service? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member is referring to those that are in the public service with Union of Northern Workers, there’s a process that we're going through right through negotiations, and whatever agreement they come up with we will adhere to that.
I actually was referring to members outside of collective bargaining who are excluded from the union and who have had their salaries frozen by the announcement we heard a couple of days ago, so if the Minister could clarify those employees.
The announcement that was made a few days ago freezing the salaries for all managers, excluded employees, and deputy ministers, I think the total was about 844 people. What we are doing is freezing the grids, so there is still an opportunity for them to progress through the grids that they're in right now, up to about, my understanding is, 2.5 per cent a year. If they haven't reached the top of their grid, there's still opportunity there for them. The grids are frozen, though.
Can the Minister of Finance provide the cost saving numbers that will result from this measure for both management level and non-management level excluded employees?
The total savings over the two years that we've enacted the freeze it will be approximately $3.8 million. That would include the excluded employees, senior managers, and the deputy ministers.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think we must be cautious in moving forward with these decisions and I would encourage the Minister to carefully evaluate whether non-management employees should be considered under this wage freeze. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We have taken that into consideration and we have to understand that we're facing some challenges fiscally, and with some of the asks from this Legislative Assembly going forward we're going to be having to manage our finances a lot closer. But I take the Member's point and we will have an opportunity to have a discussion concerning the savings that we need to realize during the business planning process and when we table the Main Estimates.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation in regards to the Bear River Bridge, a 470-metre span structure crossing the Great Bear River-Tulita junction. The leadership in Tulita -- the chief, mayor, and councillors -- recently concluded their meetings in support and preparation for this and they would like to undertake discussions to engage with the Minister and the department on a project-readiness approach. My question to the Minister is let's take advantage of that energy. Let's look at the need for it. It would also create confidence in the outside investors, as well as giving this one of five communities in the Sahtu better access to granular, which is on the north side of the Bear River. My question to the Minister is if he's willing to move towards setting up a 50/50 combination approach for a bridge committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Transportation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Bear River Bridge is a very important part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway application to the New Building Canada Plan. To single out Bear River Bridge as a standalone project is a little premature at this time. It's something that can be submitted, possibly, if the federal government comes back with a request for shovel-ready projects, but at this point it's submitted as part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway which is a bigger and larger process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question is really, probably not appropriate, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Considering we've got no project, so I suppose we're going to think about asking this question and hopefully the Minister will respond. Is there some preliminary resource dollars for a project introductory or a stakeholders' introductory meeting between his department and the hamlet leadership?
At this time, we don't have any money to put towards what the Member is asking, but we can sit down with the leadership. We are planning a trip into the Sahtu in the near future, so I would look forward to sitting down with the Member and discussing the possibilities of discussing that with the leadership.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in my statement, I highlighted the University of Waterloo and their work with communities, especially in regards to small communities that have a very traditional base economy and rely on it in terms of their consumption of traditional foods. Here in the Northwest Territories, I think there's been a particular focus on climate change, because, you know, we all understand and know some of the visible evidence that we're experiencing in terms of global warming and its impact on the environment, especially the wildlife. There are some studies that are attempting to understand the contaminants in the food chain. My question is to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Can the Minister update and reassure this House that the GNWT is involved and has a clear role in the contaminants monitoring programs? Mahsi.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a role in a number of areas. We have climate change. We have wildlife. We have other things that we're looking at, water, so I'm sure that would be something that we are looking into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The barren land caribou in NWT has been significantly reduced. In the communities, we have challenges. The costs of goods are fairly high. Right now we're seeing the heavy beat of the mantra that we are in very dark economic times. What efforts are the Minister and his department making to continue to ensure that the traditional economy and the harvest of the traditional foods are promoted and enhanced?
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is always willing to work with all Aboriginal governments and communities on the harvesting of traditional foods. We have a couple of programs that we use to assist the communities and the people and I'm sure we will continue to do that to assist the Members.
Earlier I asked my first question to the Minister, and again, I'll reiterate that question. Can the Minister reassure this House and the public that there are measurements and efforts being made by his department to ensure and reassure the public that the level of contaminants in the traditional foods that are consumed mostly by small communities is not at a level that the public should be alarmed about?
I'd like to reassure the Member that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will work with the Department of Health to make sure that the contaminants, if they're coming into the food system, will be addressed through both departments.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister to outline, for this side of the House and the public: how will his department lead in terms of the framework of ensuring that discussions on contaminants and work with communities? Mahsi.
I will definitely be talking to the departments I related to this issue and we can get back to the Member on how we're going to proceed on that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my statement today, agriculture has become a significant growth sector in the NWT economy in the last few years. It also has the added benefit of reducing food cost by substituting imported food. More growth is possible, but one of the limiting factors is the availability of the land. My question for the Minister of Lands is what plans the government has to make more land available in the NWT for agriculture and food production. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We see that as a valuable opportunity to produce a lot of locally grown food across Northwest Territories. One of the things we would have to do is see the land claims, all land claims settle, so land might be made available for that. Also, we do our land use planning and we need to identify that. We have the Agricultural Strategy, which would help us identify some of the issues that we have to deal with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
