What I heard is that land will not be available in some areas until all land claims are settled. I’m wondering how we can sustain the growth of the agriculture sector if there is going to be no additional land available for the production of food.
What I said was that we would like to see all the land claims settled. That way, there might be more land available that is within their claims area. If it's not in their claims area, there are still opportunities to access lands that they could potentially use for agriculture. We have a lot of communities that have community gardens. I believe all 33 communities have community gardens. We have to continue to look at the options and try and promote and endorse the locally grown foods, and that would help the cost of living across the Northwest Territories.
I am still a little unclear. If I wanted to begin…
I’d like to remind Members to direct their questions through the Speaker, please.
I beg your pardon, Mr. Speaker. My question for the Minister is: If somebody wanted to grow food that they would later sell at the successful Yellowknife Farmers Market, how would they obtain land outside of the city to do that?
Right now, we are doing some work on our land use sustainability. If there are lands that are identified outside city limits and it suits the purpose or it’s for the purpose, then I would assume that they would put in an application. Again, I will have to confirm the actual process, and share it with the Members and committee, the actual process that they would have to go through, the conditions they might have to meet. I will commit to the Member and all Members that I will confirm all that information. I will be pleased to share it with them.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you for that commitment, Mr. Minister. My final question for the Minister is how decisions will be made about who gets access to the land for growing.
It would be applicationbased, and then each application will be looked at. Based on its merit, it will determine whether the application is approved or not, and the application process will go through the Department of Lands.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my Member’s statement, I highlighted some of the problems we face in regards to apprenticeships in the regional centres, and I imagine they are much worse in the smaller communities. I have had business owners and journeymen comment to me that the system is better putting up roadblocks than helping Northerners achieve success. I ask the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment what his department is doing to specifically address the issues we face in regional centres and small communities, given that the current system is inadequate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are various ways that the department is working with our stakeholders to adjust the issue that the Member brought up. First of all, through Aurora College, we do offer trades technical training at Thebacha Campus. We also work with the Mobile Trades Training Unit in Aurora College up in Inuvik. As with Skills 4 Success Initiative that I mentioned in previous answers to questions earlier this week, through implementation programs, programs are being aligned with identified labour market needs. With that said, we also want to make sure that communities and regional centres and organizations also take some of the responsibility, and through that, we do have some regional training partnership committees that focus on some of these areas. We’re looking at what they are bringing forward, and seeing how we can implement those areas. Mind you, the department is working with Public Works and Services, and the NWT Housing Corporation with apprenticeship programs as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Given the frustrations that have been expressed by entrepreneurs and journeymen and the Chamber of Commerce, will the government commit to meaningfully consulting small- and mediumsized businesses in the regional centres as they improve existing programs and develop new programs?
The government is committed. We are a partner on the regional training committees that have a wide range of partners and key stakeholders that work with other GNWT departments, the Aurora College, divisional education committees, Aboriginal governments, business development corporations. So yes, we are committed because we do sit on these regional training partnerships, and almost every region in the Northwest Territories does have these regional training partnership committees, and we are still committed to working with them to address some of the issues that the Member has brought up.
Just a comment: I look forward to working with the Minister on solving some of these issues, and I will be following up on the progress they are making on the floor of this House in the future.
Masi. I will take that as a comment. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to know if the Minister has reviewed the employment rates across NWT communities. Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, this is my second term of the Legislative Assembly, and on a yearly basis we do review those unemployment rates. As I was answering questions earlier in the House, we are taking actions to address some of these unemployment rates throughout the Northwest Territories, in small communities, regional centres, and here in Yellowknife as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just to be clear, I am talking about employment rates, not unemployment rates. Is there any sort of plan to increase employment rates in communities in Northwest Territories?
Yes, we are working with, as I mentioned earlier, the regional training partnerships committees. The department has also created five new positions for Employment Transition Officers that work within the communities to help people transition from unemployment to employment opportunities. That is in some of the regional centres throughout the Northwest Territories, and we also have career development officers that we are trying to get more involved into the schools while they are working with Income Assistance clients.
I would like to ask the Minister if there is some sort of concentrated effort in communities that have the lowest employment rates.
At the current time, we don't have a concentrated effort where some of the lowest employment rates are. We do have some opportunities coming up with the possibility of some big infrastructure projects that this government might approve, and based on where those projects might be, we can focus on those areas, as well as support all regions in getting employment rates higher.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize the Minister is just starting on working with the employment rates, but I would like to just get a feel for the communities, what is coming, so I would like to ask the Minister what the next steps would be, in gauging people as it relates to the employment rates in small communities. Thank you.
We are going to be releasing a labour market information report next month. It’s going to give guidance and direction in where we need to go. We are also looking at programs within the Aurora College system to address some of these issues based on what that report says, but also, our Skills 4 Success Framework and some of the other work that we are doing with the regional centres. I think in the next little while, as we get our mandates from this government moving forward, we will know which direction we are going to have to move forward in, hopefully, and look at increasing our employment rates throughout the Northwest Territories.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Yesterday in the House the Minister said that there were a total of 259 individuals who would need long-term care beds in the next 10 years and he said that the cost of each bed was $130,000 per year. But his total figure for that investment was $200 million, so I didn't really follow the math on how he got to $200 million. I wonder if he could explain that figure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For clarity, we know we need 259 beds by 2026, and based on our traditional procurement method, that takes you anywhere from $800,000 to $1.5 million per bed to build using traditional procurement, which is around $200 million to build or provide those 259 beds. We do have an average of around $130,000 per bed to operate beds, which works out to about $33.5 million at today's dollar for providing services for 259 beds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank to the Minister for that clarification. My question is: could we save on the building costs by repurposing Stanton Territorial Hospital, for example, as a long-term care facility for elders?
That’s one of the suggestions that's been thrown out during the election and since the election. As I indicated yesterday, we're going to have to look outside of the box on this one. We're going to have to consider all opportunities for the construction and the provision of these 259 beds, so we're open to pretty much anything at this point. As I indicated yesterday, I'm in the process of writing a letter. I'll have it to committee this week to share that report with them. I'm also going to be seeking an opportunity to have a briefing with committee so that we can go through some of the details and we can start getting some input from Members, because this is a huge problem, in my mind, this is something we need to have a plan to deal with over the next 10 years, and given the sheer cost of this challenge in front of us, we're going to have to be creative, we're going to have to think outside the box. So absolutely, we're looking at all opportunities.
My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Regarding the co-management boards governing the Mackenzie Valley and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, what is the Government of the Northwest Territories doing to ensure that all vacancies on the co-management boards are filled? Could the Minister provide background information on the current state of vacancies, including:
the current number of vacant positions on each of these boards;
how long each of these currently vacant positions has remained vacant;
the nominating authority for each of these vacant positions; and
which, if any, of these boards lack quorum owing to the vacancy of positions?
I give notice that on Thursday, February 25, 2016 I will move the following motion: Now therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that this Assembly refer the issue of standing committee public engagement and transparency to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures to recommend a process that may be adopted by all standing committees of the 18th Legislative Assembly. And further, that the research and analysis include consultation with the public and a jurisdictional review. And furthermore, that the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures report back to the House with its recommendations during the fall 2016 sitting.
Masi. Notices of motion. Member for Yellowknife North.
I give notice that on Thursday, February 25, 2016 I will move the following motion: Now therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Mr. Adrian Wright be recommended to the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories for appointment as member of the Human Rights Adjudication Panel, effective immediately, for a term of four years.
Masi. Notices of motion. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 25, 2016 I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 25, 2016 it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 29, 2016. And further, that any time prior to February 29, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
