Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take that as a commitment that the Minister will explore each and every way to make this document public. On March 6th of this year, the Minister said in the House, and I quote, "The timeline for completion of this new foundational review is fall 2017, with an implementation target of 20182019 academic year." Can the Minister update the House when the foundational review will be completed? Thank you.
As the Member mentioned yesterday in her statement, we just signed a contract. Right now currently we're working on a work plan with the contractor and our department is working really hard to get that work plan developed. Once I have that work plan I will share it with Members and committee and get their input, as well as Cabinet to get their input into how we move forward. We're just waiting on that work plan, and I can't commit to anything until both the contractor and our department staff have worked on completing it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last February/March sitting I raised some questions in the House to the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation with regard to three generators that were being built by Virdi Power out of California that we had put a million dollar deposit on and they were at that time about two, two and a half years behind schedule. I would like to ask the Minister if he has an update for this House. Are these generators in place and doing the job that they're supposed to do or are we still waiting for these generators? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, the generators are not in place. As I understand it they are still in California. We are hoping that at least three of the five generators will be delivered in the near future. I will certainly keep this House advised as to progress in this matter. I believe we have retained or spoken to legal counsel in the State of California to determine our rights with respect to this matter, but we are hoping to get delivery, as I say, of three of the five generators. Thank you.
Here we go; we're still flying on a wing and a prayer and using the word "hope" quite often when it comes to questioning around these five particular pieces of equipment.
Mr. Speaker, at one point in time it was indicated to us that Virdi Power was going to be responsible for any costs that the Power Corporation had to undertake or incur while we were missing these generators beyond their due date. At the last sitting when I asked about this in February/March, that number was around $500,000. I don't care to know what that number is to date because it's probably exorbitant, but the question needs to be asked. At some point, Virdi Power is going to recognize that they're not making profit anymore and they might pull the string on this.
I mean, to the point that the Minister just raised, are we evaluating when is the right time to maybe cut our losses and look at maybe the other proponents that had bid on these generators? I'm sure that we would have almost had those in place by now. When are we going to stop fooling around waiting for generators that we're never going to receive and cut our losses and take legal action if we have to?
As I mentioned, we are hoping still to get delivery of the three of five generators. With respect to legal action, we understand from our counsel in California that that would be exceedingly complex if we had to take that route; there may be other parties that could have priority. We are still hoping to get delivery of these generators. As I say, we are hoping to get at least three of the five in the near future. If we don't get those and we cannot pursue legal action in the State of California, which as I say may be very, very difficult, we will have to re-tender.
I would have thought that this would have been some homework that we would have undertaken in advance of knowing who we were doing business with, but sadly we're learning the hard way. What reasoning is Virdi Power giving for not being able to provide these generators on the due date? I mean, we're pushing three years now; they have to be providing some legitimate reasoning as to why they're late. What is the reasoning that they're providing the Power Corporation?
Why?
I'm not sure of the financial situation or otherwise of Virdi Power. Clearly, we have made apparent to them our grave concerns about this matter and we also retained, apart from legal counsel which I mentioned earlier, an independent quality control inspector to provide progress reports. Progress is slow and, frankly, Virdi Power is way behind in delivery.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In there was no answer really as to why. They haven't provided us an answer as to why they're three years late, but this supports the reason as to why I continue to ask for the Power Corporation to come to MLAs during the annual business planning process to give its capital plan and its annual O and M operating plan.
I ask the Minister: will the Minister get the Power Corporation to come and provide annual operating and maintenance plans through the regular budget planning process to this government, to these MLAs, to representatives of the public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We're always pleased to appear in front of committee. Of course, Members will know that the Power Corporation doesn't fall under normal business plans as it's overseen by the Public Utilities Board, so that's where they appear in front of, but to provide more information with respect to these or other matters, I'd always be very happy to appear in front of committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Strategic planning is an essential management principle based on the published strategic plan for the health department caring for our people in the Northwest Territories. As part of this vision, can the Minister ensure, for example, H. pylori workshops through education in the Sahtu communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that we do have some resources out there when it comes to H. pylori and providing information. As far as workshops, I'm not sure that we've actually provided workshops in the past or that we actually have the information to provide workshops, but I will talk to the department to find out how best we can get that information out to residents of the Sahtu but also to the Northwest Territories where appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks to the Minister for that reply. Making residents aware of the strategic plan and sharing information is always very important for the remote communities, knowing that healthcare is behind them, with them, for them.
I was very happy to hear, reading the minutes of the Regional Wellness Council, that they had their Sahtu board meeting in the community of Tulita and they engaged with the public there. It was a meet-and-greet, which I thought was perfect in sharing that vision. Bringing health awareness to the remote community residents in that area, can the Minister also ensure health services for additional services provided by the Health Department through communication workshops in every community on a circulating basis?
With the move to a single authority in the Regional Wellness Councils, we are hoping that the Regional Wellness Councils do have an opportunity to travel throughout the regions that they represent. As the Member said, the Regional Wellness Council in the Sahtu did have a meeting in Tulita. They have a meeting scheduled in Colville Lake and they will over time get to all the communities that they represent.
As far as getting information, program information, out to the communities, one of the reasons that the Regional Wellness Councils are so important is they can help us tailor our message to the different regions and communities on what is the best way to get the information out. We do give a lot of responsibility to them to help us identify the best ways and we are constantly looking for that information from them so that we can tailor our delivery to the regions as appropriate.
Will the Minister schedule one of the quarterly board meetings in the town of Norman Wells as we approach closure to the transitional opening of the regional facility in Norman Wells which is scheduled to open later in these coming months?
I do not sit on one of the Regional Wellness Councils. The Regional Wellness Councils are the ones who, to some degree, determine when they are going to schedule their meetings. They are required to have one meeting, I think it is annually in public. All their meetings are supposed to be in public to some degree. They can go in camera. I am not prepared to, and I am not going to, dictate when and where they have their meetings. I think we need to leave that up to them. They know their regions best, and they know when they need to get together to have those conversations.
Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
My next question, Mr. Speaker, is that scheduling the upcoming regional council meeting here in Norman Wells would be a joint effort to have the regional authority there, as well as the opening session of the Sahtu Health Building when it does open. That is all I am asking, is if it can be scheduled and coordinated together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The opening of the new health centre and long-term care facility in Norman Wells will be a significant accomplishment for the region, for the delivery of services in Norman Wells and that region. We will definitely have an opening ceremony event. The Regional Wellness Council will absolutely, without question, be involved, as well as regional leadership and the MLA, of course. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank the Minister of Justice for moving forward on cannabis consultations, but I would like to ask him today: the discussions that he is having with Northerners, do they involve supply and do they involve production? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, as this House will know, public meetings have been held in I think nine communities. The last public hearing was today. I understand there is a wide variety of concerns being expressed. Of course, production of cannabis will be licensed by the federal government under the Cannabis Act. That is the proposed legislation. Thank you.
Well, given that reality, in New Brunswick they have negotiated for nine million grams of cannabis for their province. Does the Minister have an idea of what the supply demands would be in the Northwest Territories and is he working to secure a supply with the distributor?
No, I have no idea what the demand might be, but I have heard that it may be considerable. We have not yet entered into any sort of an agreement, or even contemplated agreements yet with possible suppliers who, of course, must be licensed by the federal government.
If anyone should know what the demands are, it should be the person responsible for this project, and it is pretty shocking that he has no clue whatsoever. I will ask him now: will he do some research, potentially with his colleagues in ITI, to identify what the supply demands are going to be and how we are going to regulate that? This is a significant issue for Northerners, and they expect to receive safe, legal product. It is not just about the issue of legalization and consumption, but it is about these broader issues of supply that he has got no answer for. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to doing this very important work before we go live with cannabis legislation in the Northwest Territories?
Well, it is rather hard to determine what the demand and supply is of an illegal product. I do not know how we will determine that, but I will say that Federal Minister Goodale in speaking to us at the FPT last week estimated that the illegal market in Canada was somewhere between $7 and $9 billion, so I think we can anticipate that the market is significant throughout the country and, perhaps, no less per capita here than elsewhere.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, again, New Brunswick seems to be able to do it. Ontario seems to be able to do it. They have fully informed plans, and they are already making the plans. We still do not have answers. Again, instead of suggesting what our demand may be and how some of these features are going to work that are not being contemplated by the round of consultations which we now concluded, will the Minister do some work on this area and report back to the House so people can have certainty about what the economic opportunities are going to be for this product, and how Northerners are going to access them? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as mentioned previously, there have been a series of public meetings and in addition to that as I mentioned yesterday approximately 1,100 online responses. We will soon be coming up with a "what we heard" document, so we will have some idea of what the public's opinion is with respect to this important issue. I look forward to working with all Members of this House with respect to moving forward with this change in our law and how we are going to be dealing with the retail and distribution end for this product. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. Even though this topic does include Infrastructure, but from previous commitments, I have questions for the Minister. I would like to ask the Minister: when did the Department of Public Works and Services, as it was previously known, advise that a major retrofit or a replacement of Moose Kerr School was not necessary? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. After every annual capital planning process, the department goes back and looks at its 20-year capital needs assessment. You have to understand that there are a lot of areas that we have to look into; colleges, museums, libraries, information technology, other infrastructure. Last year, in June of 2016, a review was done, it was looked at, and it was done by the Department of Infrastructure, and at that time it was considered to be in good condition. All the work that has gone into Moose Kerr School over the number of years, and the Member had made some mention of it, did extend its life by 20 years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When did the Department of Education, Culture and Employment accept this recommendation?
I do not have the exact date at this time. I am willing to get that information and get it to the Member so he knows at what time the department accepted the review and recommendations from the Department of Infrastructure.
A follow-up to my two previous questions, then: to what assessment was the Minister referring to on February 8, 2017, when he said, "Should the assessment determine that a renovation is required, a planning study will be launched in 2018-2019 to begin this process?"
As I mentioned, there has been a lot of work that was done to Moose Kerr School. I also mentioned that we have a lot of infrastructure within the Department of ECE. After every business, or every capital planning process, we do go back and look at our 20-year needs assessment. There are priorities in every community across the Northwest Territories. We also have 49 schools. We look at utilization rates when we take those into consideration, as well as our own needs assessment criteria, so those things come into play when we have to look at the whole scope of infrastructure needs within our department, but across all departments in the GNWT.
Mr. Speaker, what criteria indicated to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment that a major retrofit or replacement of Moose Kerr School was not necessary?
