Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize Yellowknife North constituent Lois Little. She is also the chair of the Council for Canadians. I want to also take this opportunity to recognize a familiar face but that doesn't often come and sit in the gallery, and that is Yellowknife North resident and constituent assistant to Kevin O'Reilly and Julie Green, Craig Yeo.
I also want to take this opportunity to recognize fellow former City Councillor and of course executive director of the John Howard Society, Lydia Bardak. Also on a rare occasion but a familiar face, my own constituent assistant for the riding of Yellowknife North, Mr. Keith MacNeill. Thank you all for coming.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.
I am pleased to recognize a constituent from Yellowknife South, Mr. Lona Hegeman, who is accompanied by Mr. Amir Kassab. Mr. Kassab is originally from Paris, France, and is in the Northwest Territories on a two-year work visa. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and welcome.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize some students from the Tree of Peace Adult Education program. This program has been operating since 1974 and it has assisted hundreds of Aboriginal people, both access and achieve their academic goals. The students with us today are William Buggins, Annie Harry, Justin Donovan, Ernest Okian, and Marie Louise Abel. I'd like to welcome them to the gallery.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and welcome Steven Jackson, the executive director of Avens, and Kimberly Doyle, the executive director of the YK Seniors' Society. Welcome everybody to the Chamber today. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Kimberly Doyle. I can't see her, but she's a constituent. She helped me set up a constituency meeting last week. Also Lois Little, who is the chair of the local chapter of the Council of Canadians and is doing some important work on public education around the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, and Mr. Craig Yeo who is my constituency assistant, does a lot of work behind the scenes and doesn't often get the recognition he deserves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take a moment to recognize the students from Range Lake. It's always an honour when we have youth attending the Legislative Assembly. They will be our future leaders and it's really great to see them taking part in our meetings here. I also want to take a moment to recognize Anne Harry. Annie is a personal friend of mine. I really appreciate her, and I also want to recognize her daughter, who isn't here but who will be the coordinator of the Housing First project. So I just want to take a moment to recognize and say how much I really appreciate all that they've done. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my father, Rocky Simpson. It's always nice to have family in the gallery, so I'd like to thank him for coming. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to recognize some folks from the Beaufort-Delta. Jiri Raska from IDC, Denny Rodgers from IDC as well, and Ms. Judy McLeod and also Mr. Rocky Simpson. Welcome to them and everyone else in the gallery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I believe the Member for Yellowknife Centre missed an important person, so I'll allow that opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, I forgot to introduce my mom. My mom is not actually my constituent. She's Cory's constituent. But I'd ask you to help me in thanking her for being here and welcoming her, Ms. Anne Little. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier today about the rising cost of carbon and the need for us to establish a plan that is made in the North. My questions are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I would like to ask the Minister to explain how is the GNWT working with other territories to develop an approach to carbon pricing that works for Northerners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We work very closely with our northern counterparts because the carbon pricing mechanism that Ottawa came up with is going to have an effect on the three territories. We managed to get it into the architecture document that is going to be considered by the first ministers at their upcoming meeting and we also made it quite clear to our counterparts and the federal minister the effect that proposed carbon pricing is going to have on the Northwest Territories. They've committed to recognizing the uniqueness of the Northwest Territories as they move forward.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. Can the Minister tell us what the GNWT is doing to reach out to our residents to communicate with them about climate change and the potential for a forthcoming carbon tax?
We recognize that the proposed carbon pricing is going to have an effect on people across the Northwest Territories. Having said that, we are going to undertake our regional public engagements this fall to inform the development of both the new energy strategy, get some feedback from residents, and I believe it's starting on October 25th and 26th.
There will be a schedule that would be made public, if it's not already. Also we have an on-line survey on the Department of ENR's website to get some public feedback. But we are having five regional workshops, regional public engagements, and we will make the dates known.
I appreciate the reply from the Minister, and I also appreciate that the Minister has indicated that there is ongoing communication going on with the federal government with regard to the potential for some mechanism for carbon pricing or carbon tax. So I just wonder if the Minister can elaborate. Has Ottawa given any detail about the model that it plans to put in place if we don't have our own?
No, they haven't. They do have a technical team that's coming to the Northwest Territories within the next couple of weeks to meet with our technical folks to have some discussion, and as I stated earlier they have said to us that they recognize the uniqueness of the Northwest Territories and they will take that into consideration. As far as a mechanism, though, they are going to meet with our folks. Once they have some discussions with them and then we have our public engagement, then we will see what the pricing mechanism may look like.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. This will be my final question. Would the GNWT, if in fact we have to consider a carbon pricing, would the GNWT consider a carbon pricing approach that would reinvest revenues into renewable energy technology?
The federal government has given an indication that any carbon pricing mechanism used, the money would actually stay in the jurisdiction where it is generated. So there could be opportunities there for some investment in infrastructure, and in our meetings with the federal minister we talked about the fact that we have 22 of our 33 communities on diesel. We need to get them off diesel. There are opportunities there for some federal investments through the green infrastructure and any other pots of money that we may be able to access to help us reduce our emissions. So we are looking at all options, and I can guarantee to this House and to the public that's listening, whatever option that we can get for the Northwest Territories that's going to benefit the Northwest Territories, we will go after. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I talked about the growing problem of poor communications between Cabinet and Regular MLAs. My questions are for the Minister of the Executive. Does the Minister agree that there were several significant breaches of the process convention on communications between the Executive Council Ministers, standing committees and Regular Members this past summer, as outlined in my Member's statement?
Masi. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wouldn't go so far as to characterize it as serious breaches. I would just talk about the four instances that the Member raised on the Robertson Headframe with Newmont. The proponent wrote to all the Yellowknife MLAs indicating that he had talked to our government. I do have e-mails from the four Yellowknife MLAs outlining their positions with regards to the Robertson Headframe. So for him to say that it's a complete surprise that we were talking about the Robertson Headframe, I guess he considers that as very serious. Perhaps we should have communicated directly with the chair rather than asking the proponent to also bring it to their attention.
On the carbon tax, it's a question of interpretation. If I was totally against it, why would we agree in Montreal that there are different ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we are open to that? I raised the concerns that we have, not only ourselves, but the three territories, that a carbon tax, we already live in a very high-cost environment, and to add increased costs, you know, we were the only jurisdiction in Canada whose population was declining on an annual basis, and to add to the cost of living would only exacerbate that.
Also that our economy is still developing and also we're concerned about food security, recognizing that we were going to develop our own greenhouse gas strategy which we're rolling out now. On the Mackenzie, well I don't live in a perfect world, we have people that make mistakes. I wasn't aware that somebody was going to talk about Mackenzie Highway. My understanding is the federal government is still looking at the Mackenzie Highway.
On the Yellowknife Airport, we exchanged correspondence. We had requested to do a briefing on a number of occasions, had been refused, and the media briefing was only provided at the request of the media and we only presented information that was already shared with committee. We will continue to endeavour to work to make sure that we communicate with all of the committees, as appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the response from the Minister, but we obviously disagree on communications. I'd like to know, can the Minister tell us whether the current executive has accepted and abides by the process convention on communications between the Executive Council, Ministers, standing committees and Regular Members that he signed on September 8, 2014?
That protocol is in the process of being renegotiated. It'll be rolled out very shortly, and we stand by it. Communications is a standing item of all of our Cabinet meetings of every decision paper and we will continue to endeavour to fulfill those commitments that we've committed.
Can the Minister tell this House what the consequences are for breaching the process convention on communications between Executive Council, Ministers, standing committees and Regular Members?
The consequences are obviously it deteriorates the relationship we have with the standing committees, and so we endeavour to not have that happen. We follow up and work very closely with all of the Ministers and all of the departments. Certainly, deputy ministers are held to account for work that is being done by their departments, but certainly it's something that we are endeavoured to improve upon on every occasion.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Well, we could probably go on and debate this for quite some time, but clearly when I continue to find out things that are going on through the media there's a problem. But I'd like to know from the Minister, what is he prepared to do to prevent poor communications from happening again and again? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I don't see it happening again and again, but it's something, as I say, it's a constant process, we discuss it all the time. Every issue, every decision paper, every information item dealing, responding to the media, we endeavour to make sure that committees, especially the chairs of the appropriate committee and the MLAs are made aware of it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Mr. Speaker, a study for the Fort Simpson Health Centre was introduced in the 20-year needs assessment, targeted over the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2015-2016. On February 5, 2015 according to then Minister of Health and Social Services, the study was delayed so that the department can complete a plan study for the Norman Wells Health Centre replacement. Will the Minister confirm that the study for the Fort Simpson Health Centre will be completed by this fiscal year? Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, the phase 1 planning study for the development of a health centre at Fort Simpson is currently underway and we anticipate that it'll be concluded during the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Once it's done, phase 2 of the planning study, which is basically the schematic design and will take us to a Class E estimate, will be done. We're hoping too to bring that project forward for consideration in the capital, but the earliest that we anticipate that we'll see it in the capital plan would be 2018-2019. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his answer. He kind of answered question number two already, so I'll move on to question number three here. Mr. Speaker, on October 15, 2015 the then Minister cautioned that the health centre project in Fort Simpson will have to compete against a number of other priorities coming from several territorial departments such as Transportation, schools and Public Works.
Mr. Speaker, the then Minister quoted to CBC, it is based on needs, demands, programs, services, budgets and all these things. Again to address the concerns out there, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please explain why this project was delayed?
Mr. Speaker, there was a number of reasons that the project was delayed or rather the planning study was delayed. Part of that included our inability to obtain or secure a suitable parcel of land. Here was a significant amount of debate in the community about where the health centre should be and where it should not be, and it took us longer to get a set piece of land. That set piece of land was required before we could actually move forward with the planning study because the location helps us build the planning study.
When the parcel of land was actually approved we had to do an archaeological assessment on the property. That was something we committed to doing based on some understanding or historic knowledge that suggested there might be some graves on that site. We needed to make absolute certainty that there were no graves on the site we were proposing to build. So we had some delays to get us to the point where we can actually fully acquire that land and develop a planning study.
I will note, Mr. Speaker, that the Fort Simpson Health Centre is an aging facility. It was originally developed in 1973. But we have done a recent structural assessment on that property, which was completed in March 2016, which indicated that the facility is in stable condition. We need to modernize. Obviously there are new protocols, procedures in effect and control standards that we must meet. So we do need to move forward, but technically right now that building has a solid foundation, so it is a safe facility, which is a question that has been raised. I just wanted to address it while I had the opportunity.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. Is there any work being done right now on the site that involves fencing off areas? Because I've heard there's a fenced-off area there. I apologize; it was just a question that I've just come up with right now. Is the Minister aware of that and, Mr. Speaker, can he answer if it's been there and what's going on with that site?
Mr. Speaker, I was in Simpson I think about two weeks ago, and I don't recall seeing any activity on that site. However, I would not be the best person to ask. The best person to ask would be the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services who is ultimately responsible for the construction of the facility. Health and Social Services has put in a request, we need a building, Public Works and Services will be the contractor and the builder -- or the facilitator of the contracting and building.
Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank, again, the Minister for his answer. I will ask later on to the Minister of PW. Again, it seems to get cleared who's responsible for who, so I'm learning as the time goes on. Is there any way that the Minister can commit to the people or the residents of the region that this needed facility will be actually potentially moved up? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
