Mr. Speaker, I'm not certain of the number of training officers, but I do know that there has not been any cut in training overall. While we're always looking into programs, there is no financial cutback that has reduced the amount of training or programs at the facility. Thank you.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a follow-up to my Member's statement, I, too, have questions for the Minister of Justice on the correction facilities.
Since my Member's statement on February 24, 2016, where I inquired about programs for corrections and the Minister at that time laid out the amount of programs that were available to the inmates at North Slave Correctional Complex, I'd like to ask the Minister: what programs have been added since that date, February 24, 2016, to date? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, I can advise that since 2016 the SAM, the Substance Abuse Management program, has been delivered in the various correctional facilities. Six deliveries of the SAM program have been delivered at the North Slave Correctional Complex and a seventh delivery was scheduled to begin in September 2017. There is also a similar program or identical program being offered at South Mackenzie, and two full deliveries have been completed in Fort Smith. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, again, my understanding is that recidivism is still a big issue at North Slave, or all the correctional facilities in the NWT for that matter. I'd like to ask if the Department of Justice tracks the inmates to see if recidivism is still a big issue in those facilities. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, of course the inmates' past histories will be known by the staff at the correctional facilities, and it is clear from what I know from my past that recidivism is a tremendous problem in all of our facilities, not only here, but throughout the country, so the issue is: are we providing the necessary programs to reduce recidivism?
As I mentioned a few minutes ago, there are some new programs that we are offering. We are hoping to reduce recidivism because there will not be much success in our overall system if the same people keep coming back. We are aware of the problem and we are attempting to address it.
Mr. Speaker, we see in our letters that we received, all of us in here, including the Members from the Executive Council, receiving letters from correction inmates. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would meet with the inmates in these various corrections facilities. Thank you.
No, I wasn't contemplating meeting personally with the inmates, although I have met with many of them before in my previous life. I think what's important is that the inmates and the Members of this House know that we are treating this matter very, very seriously. I have directed the department to respond to each of these letters without delay, and, in fact, the warden has already started to have direct conversations with the inmates who have raised the concerns set out in their letters.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that upwards of 90 per cent of the inmates are Indigenous, but I think maybe the number has been going down. That that percentage has been going down over the years, but that is my understanding that it's very high. I'd like to ask the Minister if the department, and specifically corrections, follows some sort of affirmative action type of policy. Not necessarily the affirmative action that we have and that we're using for recruitment of public service people, but some sort of program which will give inmates the representation at corrections. Some people who work with them from their cultures and their own tradition and so on, to see if that type of program is in place to maybe assist in a way so that the individual inmates are not returning to the correction facilities all the time. Thank you
The department is aware of the fuller representation of Aboriginal people amongst our inmates. Aboriginal counsellors are employed at both North Slave and the South Mackenzie Correctional Centres, so we are attempting to have culturally based programs that will hopefully assist the inmates to get back on the right path and avoid reappearing in our facility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice as well today with regard to the conditions at the North Slave Correctional Complex. Mr. Speaker, we know that the main yard at the centre has been closed for over a year now since the escape back in August of 2016. Can the Minister speak to the cultural programs that inmates receive since the yard has been closed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Yes, Mr. Speaker. We are hoping that area that the Member opposite spoke of can be soon reopened. We originally went out to contractors to provide some more security. Unfortunately, the bids came in at an amount way above the amount expected. We do, however, expect to have that rectified by the end of the year.
The facility does have three traditional areas for the delivery of programs to inmates; one located inside the facility and the other two outdoors within the secure perimeter. These areas are used for smudging, one-on-one counselling, and sharing circles. At present, unfortunately, the two outside yards are not accessible due to repairs; however, once the repairs are completed these outside areas will once again be utilized for traditional activities led by a traditional counsellor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to take a moment to maybe move off inmate concerns and, as my colleague from Kam Lake raised earlier, some aspect around concerns with corrections and potentially corrections staff. So I want to go down the line of questioning relevant to first of all are we adequately staffed.
Can the Minister describe maybe the minimum staffing numbers at the centre and confirm that there are enough, in fact, full-time staff assigned to each shift to meet the requirement?
Mr. Speaker, I don't have the numbers of staff or their shifts in front of me, but I am given to understand that there is adequate staffing at the facility.
Then I would like to ask the Minister, we know that obviously corrections is a very high-risk, and high-stress environment is probably a better term. Can the Minister explain what training corrections officers receive on an ongoing basis to equip them to deal with the challenges of this job?
Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak to the individual programs that corrections officers might take, but I believe that they are up to a Canadian standard. Clearly, ongoing training is required. I understand that there has been no cut in the training program.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then maybe what I will ask the Minister instead is: can the Minister then describe how training and skill levels are monitored? Not what training is being provided, but can he describe how training and skill levels are being monitored to ensure that each shift is staffed with an adequately trained corrections staff?
I am certain that the senior staff at the facility does monitor these things and does review the training and the training needed for all of the staff at the correctional facility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my statement on the principles of oversight and public interest and accountability, I support the actions taken by the Minister of MACA in placing an independent administrator to run the Town of Norman Wells. My first question is: what is the process going forward for the Town of Norman Wells? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to start by saying that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs really does honour our municipal and our Aboriginal governments, and we do the best we can to provide support to them. Sometimes it does come to a place, though, that we have to look at providing either additional support or actually taking over council. It was with regret that we actually stepped in and went into administration with the council. How we are moving forward, over the next couple of weeks I am going to be appointing a long-term administrator for the town. This person, there are quite a few bylaws and policies that they need to review and revise, policies around procurement, around code of conduct, around just how the governance of the council works, so that will be their main priority at this point.
The problem with this town council is that they have an election coming up in October 2018, which is a year away, so, once the temporary administrator goes in and deals with the policies and bylaws that we need to amend or put in place, then we will have to make an assessment on whether we do an interim council or if we actually hold off until the legislative requirement for an election in October of 2018.
I thank the Minister for that reply. People really want to know what is happening, what is the moving-forward plan. Communication is a vital instrument. Once the administrator is appointed, will the public be made aware through, say, a public meeting? Will there be a public meeting to show the schedule of events and timeframe with the general taxpayer public community?
We do want to engage the public, the community members of Norman Wells, as much as possible within this process, so, yes, as soon as the decision was made and we relayed it to the municipal council that we were going into administration, we did hold a public meeting. We will continue to hold public meetings ongoing to keep the public aware, also to get their feedback into how we should be proceeding. So, yes, we will do as much public consultation as possible throughout this term.
I thank the Minister for making that comment for the listeners out there in the community. My next question is: leading up to the events and the process leading to that conclusion on the decision, there was a municipal inspection report done. Is that report going to be made available to the public residents?
The municipal inspection report was actually done on my direction as the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. That report in its entirety will be held in confidentiality, although we do have a summary of the report that is available on the Municipal and Community Affairs website if Members are interested in accessing that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is: will the Minister make my office aware of the schedule of events and public meetings and so on so, if I am available in the community, I can attend also?
Yes, it is absolutely critical that we keep the MLA for the riding as informed as possible. He is the person who is on the ground. He is the person who will be getting the complaints and the questions from the public, so I will commit to keeping him as informed as possible throughout this process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to visitors in the gallery. With us is the chief of Detah, Edward Sangris. Welcome to our Assembly. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, the Minister previously mentioned that new, lighter equipment was on its way to the communities to support accelerated ice road construction. Can the Minister provide a status update, including where the equipment is going? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to get the details on where all the equipment is, I believe it is a new purchase, some of this stuff, and to which communities it will be allocated. I will get that to the Member.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister also previously stated that the number of propane trucks travelling the region had declined since 2013. Can the Minister provide some more detail on those numbers, including their source?
I will get the department to pull that information together and supply it to the Member.
It would be nice to have some answers here, but I will try again: how will the Department of Infrastructure monitor the impacts of its decision to end the shoulder season ferry services on the communities that have historically relied on those ferries?
I would not say it is historically. This has only been going on for a few years. We work very closely with all the energy companies and the food companies in the region to make sure the supplies are in in a timely manner and updating them on the closure coming this fall year on the ferry services, and we will continue to work closely with industry and the residents in the area on the ferry closure.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the closing of the ferry services during the winter was sort of to cut down on the budgeting here, and we are in the last two years of our mandate and our term. There is supposed to be a lot of spending going on, so will the Minister explain why he is still going ahead with his reduction plan?
If I remember correctly, this was passed in the House as part of our budget of last year. The Member is well aware that the winter ferry operations were put into place to help sustain the energy crisis that was possible with the Ikhil well. It's been proven now that this is not the case. Suppliers of energy, particularly propane, have been put into place to mitigate any possible shortage of this. We will continue on with what we promised to do in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
