Mr. Speaker, the social fabric of a small community is one of its strengths. Close family ties and a strong sense of community belonging are enduring characteristics and cannot be understated when residents make important life choices for their employment, education, and skills training.
This government made a commitment to support small communities by developing and implementing a strategy to increase training and employment in all communities. This is a part of our mandate, to enhance the Small Community Employment Support Program and develop and implement a strategy to increase employment and training in small communities that guides the delivery of territorial programming.
Last year, interim changes to benefit levels and greater flexibility were implemented to the existing Small Community Employment Support Program. Between April 1st and December 31, 2017, the creation of nearly 400 jobs was supported under this program, while Education, Culture and Employment developed a strategy to ensure the right mix of programs and supports are available to serve small communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Small Communities Employment Strategy is on schedule, and we intend to release it later this spring. In developing the strategy, Education, Culture and Employment conducted engagements that invited individuals, employers, community organizations, and other participants from across the Northwest Territories to share ideas, provide input, discuss issues, and suggest ways to support employment and training in small communities. There was an additional online survey posted to incorporate feedback from those who could not attend the in-person sessions. In total, input from 411 stakeholders from 31 communities informed the strategy. A first of its kind, Mr. Speaker, the forthcoming Small Communities Employment Strategy outlines how the Government of the Northwest Territories will enhance employment and training opportunities and outcomes in our smallest communities.
The strategy recognizes the need to support the foundational aspects of employment and employability as well as program delivery. It will consist of programming, supports, and services that extend beyond the scope of the existing Small Community Employment Support Program.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned from all of our partners across government, business, and industry, and built on the work that has been completed to date. Over the next six years, this strategy will direct our work with the vision that Northwest Territories residents in all small communities have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for employment success.
The strategy includes four goals that mirror those of our Skills 4 Success strategy and includes increasing skill levels, bridging education and employment gaps, growing the Northwest Territories workforce, and improving decision-making with relevant labour market information. We remain focused on creating training and job opportunities in small communities.
I would like to thank all of the people who took the time to attend the engagements and respond to the survey. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution from the Committee of Rural and Remote Communities. The input we received across the territory was invaluable and has informed a Small Communities Employment Strategy built by Northerners for the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed in the mandate to diversify the economy to create greater opportunities for our residents. Our investment in the agricultural sector is part of this important work, and we continue to make progress on this commitment.
Mr. Speaker, today is Canada’s Agriculture Day. It is a day established to increase awareness for, and encourage the relationship between, food consumers and food producers; a relationship that we, as a government, are growing in our territory in support of our mandate to increase economic development and diversification and stabilize the cost of living in our communities. For the first time, this year, we are joining Canadian farmers, harvesters and growers, and all those who enjoy their products in marking this day.
It is a milestone that also highlights our transition to a more commercially focused agriculture sector. With the new fiscal year, we will open a new chapter in our economy as we invest new money into the implementation of our Agriculture Strategy and its goal to advance the business of food in the Northwest Territories.
Meanwhile, we are also finalizing our participation in the new Canadian Agriculture Partnership, which will build on the Growing Forward Programs that preceded it, to sustain an annual investment of $1.2 million in the regional and community agriculture activities that have got us to where we are today.
While our first areas of strategy implementation must be in the processes and regulatory frameworks that will guide and protect our commercial food sector, the Canadian Agriculture Partnership will allow us to continue to support local agricultural training programs, courses, and workshops in areas such as greenhouse operations, new food growing techniques, food preservation, composting, and harvesting.
Mr. Speaker, while the seeds of a commercial agriculture sector in the NWT have been planted, its growth and success will depend on NWT growers and producers getting involved and embracing the potential that we have. I am happy to advise, Mr. Speaker, that they are doing just that, and more.
Our territory boasts commercial agricultural operations that range from egg and honey production to hydroponics and vegetables and a wide range of small and larger livestock. We have businesses that supply producers with seeds, local compost, feed, and other inputs. Every region has one or more commercial agricultural operations. People can shop for fresh produce at farmers' markets in Inuvik, Norman Wells, Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Fort Simpson. After taking root in the Northwest Territories’ first ever commercial food producers’ conference in Hay River last year, a new organization is being formalized to represent the interests of Northwest Territories growers and producers.
Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day, it is my pleasure to salute the hardworking individuals in our territory who are dedicated to growing fresh, nutritious food across the Northwest Territories. Our local food producers are not only leaders within their communities; they are forging a new economic path for our territory. We have made great strides in the advancement of our agriculture sector and will continue our investment and support for the growers, initiatives, and commercial entities that will help us realize the viability and potential of this important sector. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Glen Abernethy will be late arriving in the House today due to a personal matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I am starting to get that feeling. I love mining, as long as it is properly managed and we get our fair share. Unfortunately, that is not what we got yesterday from the Minister of mining when he tabled the "what we heard" report on the Mineral Resources Act. Rather than a good summary of what was submitted, it is a classic example of regulatory capture. Regulatory capture happens when a government agency, created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial concerns or interests of the industry or sector it is charged with regulating.
Most of the input provided to ITI during its public engagement is boiled down into almost unintelligible bullets that do not provide any detail. ITI has not posted the written submissions. Rather than a good summary of what many stakeholders submitted, the "what we heard" report seems to have been cherrypicked from submissions to suit the department's views as a promoter of mineral development. Many comments from stakeholders are categorized improperly, taken out of context, or the main points are not presented at all. Something as basic as moving the responsibility for mineral rights administration to the Department of Lands to avoid bias and conflict of interest is not even mentioned.
No further information is provided on best practices or lessons learned from other jurisdictions, despite a promise by the Minister to do so on October 19th in a public briefing to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment. ITI's "crossjurisdictional reviews and extensive policy research" should have easily allowed for this information to be made available to the public.
There is no clear indication in the report whether there will be any further public engagement as promised by the Minister at the public briefing and even yesterday here on the floor of this House.
An ITIcommissioned international benchmarking study and other research show GNWT is not collecting enough revenue from mining. While I have gone on record as asking the department to take the time to get it right, delaying the review of royalties and taxation from mining will cost our territory literally tens of millions of dollars of lost revenue. No details on this royalty review are provided in the document, and it was very disappointing to hear the Minister say yesterday that this important work is not likely to take place during this Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Merci, Monsieur le President. As I said, it was disappointing to hear the Minister say yesterday that this important work is not likely to take place during this Assembly. Why did we bother to get devolution when something as fundamental as how much money the public gets from resource extraction is not going to be reviewed? Why should Ottawa give us any more authority when we won't even exercise what we have? Needless to say, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the mining Minister later today. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Canada has taken steps to replace its northern strategy with a new Arctic Policy Framework. As part of this work, Mary Simon, former Ambassador to the Arctic Council, and Minister Bennett, Special Representative, developed a new Shared Arctic Leadership Model. In her report, Ms. Simon makes a series of recommendations for action in Canada's Arctic regions, including the Northwest Territories.
I appreciate the recommendations, and I know that they were made after engagement and consultation, but there still seems to be some uncertainty around federal policies relating to northern development. This makes me wonder about the role our government has played to make sure that our priorities are taken into consideration for this Arctic Policy Framework.
Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of devolution and respecting our existing comprehensive land rights agreements, as well as those currently being negotiated, the people of the NWT need to be in charge of our own future. We recognize that this will require collaboration and partnerships, and I appreciate the federal government working towards a vision for the Arctic. However, we cannot let Canada develop broad policies that affect us without ensuring that the priorities of our people are fully considered. The Premier has been clear on this message, and I agree with that position.
Mr. Speaker, climate change is changing Arctic lands and waters irreversibly. Commercial shipping is becoming a reality through the Northwest Passage. Our own Arctic communities are being visited by cruise ships. We have just completed the first road linking to the Arctic Ocean. Other nations, including China, Russia, and the United States, are all planning to have a major presence in the Arctic.
What is our government doing to guarantee that our needs are met in the development of Canada's Arctic Policy Framework? Has the GNWT, in fact, even determined our needs and priorities with respect to the new framework? Are Indigenous governments in the NWT able to have their say?
Mr. Speaker, now is the time to effect change and address many of our pressing challenges. It is essential for our government to step up and demonstrate strong leadership when it comes to the Arctic Policy Framework. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 15th of last month, the City of Yellowknife reported a sewage spill in my constituency of Kam Lake. An estimated 1 million to 2 million litres of sewage was spilled, entering Kam Lake at two different locations, migrating from Kam Lake Road through drainage infrastructure and into the lots of several property owners, while the rest flowed downstream near the City Garage.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the City of Yellowknife for their prompt action to clean up this sewage spill, quickly collecting liquid sewage from the ditches and transporting it out of Kam Lake for disposal. However, frozen sewage is a more difficult matter, and one of the excavators hired to complete the clean-up work near the city garage broke through the ice on Kam Lake, further complicating the clean-up effort.
Mr. Speaker, this issue is more than raw sewage, although I cannot imagine a more unpleasant situation for homeowners to have to deal with. It is about ensuring the environmental health of our residents and, in particular, the residents that I represent in this House. It is important that we communicate clearly and in an effective manner with the public on this spill and provide the confidence to my constituents that all levels of government are on the case working to ensure the neighbourhoods are clean, healthy, and safe.
That's why I am pleased to report that tonight an open house will be held at Yellowknife City Hall, and I urge all those affected and other interested parties to join me at this public information event. I applaud the city for also taking the lead for ensuring that this clean-up is being done in a transparent and open manner. Although we are well into the month of February, there is still much more work to be done to ensure this spill is taken care of, and given the overlapping mandates of various governments on environmental protections, clean-up is not solely the responsibility of the City of Yellowknife alone to resolve. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is responsible for the Government of the Northwest Territories' response to the sewage spill, and I will have questions to the Minister responsible on the role of the department in assisting the city to restore the environmental health of my constituency. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Power outages are all too common in our smallest communities, which generally depend on a diesel plant to generate electricity. In Kakisa, loss of electrical power has caused frozen pipes and septic lines, and other difficulties.
In fact, Kakisa does not even have a generator. Its power comes from the Dory Point generator operated by Northland Utilities near the Mackenzie River; and Northland itself is a small division of a big Alberta company. Some power outages are caused by the weight of accumulated snow on power lines. Some are caused by unexpected spikes in power consumption. Sometimes, it takes a while to find a cause.
Kakisa does not use a lot of power, but it is still very important to the community's residents. For example, when electricity is lost for an extended period, elders who rely on furnaces to heat their homes sometimes have to leave, or find some place where there's a wood stove. Leaving your home unattended for even a day can result in frozen water lines, and that has happened.
Mr. Speaker, as small as it is, Kakisa could become a model to showcase renewable energy products and sustainability. The community worked with the Arctic Energy Alliance on a very basic community energy plan completed in 2010.
Since then, the community has discussed a number of ideas, but it is not easy to find help, and then money, to turn the best ideas into reality. Maybe a central heating system fuelled by wood pellets could supply the entire community. Perhaps, the power line could be extended from Hay River, linking Kakisa to the Taltson River grid, or a local mini-hydro system might be built to supply the community's needs. Maybe the solution to frequent outages is as simple as a portable backup generator for each household.
The problem is, it seems to be no one's job to study these opportunities and come up with a working solution. Once again, I wonder: why doesn't the government help the small communities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, living wage calculations have been undertaken across the country, including here in Yellowknife. The premise of the living wage is that no one who is working full-time should be living in poverty, yet many do. Tax filer data says that one in three single-parent families, and one in eight two-parent families, don't earn enough money to meet their most basic needs.
The living wage is calculated for the most common family type. That's two parents who work full-time with one child in school and one in licensed childcare. It won't surprise anyone that this family's biggest expense is rent. Close behind is the cost of childcare, at almost $16,000 a year for full-time care for one child and after school care for the other. The cost of food rounds out the list of top three expenses.
Mr. Speaker, the living wage calculated for Yellowknife is $22.24 an hour. That's a useful measure of the cost of living here. The wage has increased by $1.56 an hour since 2015, driven by a 5 per cent cost increase in rent and 5 per cent in childcare, and 6 per cent in food in the last two years. The living wage calculation takes into account government benefits and transfers. The revamped NWT Child Benefit netted the family of four only $14 a year. The family was over the income threshold for the Housing Corporation's rent supplement program and had difficulty accessing a childcare subsidy. Income thresholds are too low for these programs to allow low-income families to benefit from them.
Employers who voluntarily pay the living wage see the benefits, including attracting and keeping qualified staff and increasing productivity. My hope is that more employers will consider joining this initiative. Government has a role to play, too, by increasing the income threshold for programs that takes into account the cost of living and by indexing benefits to inflation.
Mr. Speaker, the importance of paying a living wage is that it offers a systemic response to poverty. A living wage enables families to meet their basic needs without the help of public housing and food banks. It enables them to be independent, and to experience the satisfaction that comes with that. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, my Member's statement is about doctors in the NWT healthcare system. Currently, only 45 per cent of NWT residents have a regular doctor, which means that just over half the population goes from one doctor to another to another as they try to address their own personal health issues. The rest of Canada has not faced the same issue, as the national average sits at 83 per cent, according to the 2017 Statistics Canada report.
Mr. Speaker, the department started working on creating a territorial pool of doctors that would lessen the use of locum doctors, but today it seems as though we are no further along than we were when we started.
Mr. Speaker, our residents are lacking medical consistency, which leaves them vulnerable to shorter life expectancy, higher infant mortality rates, and fewer opportunities for cancer screening. Due to a lack of access to, and long-term relationships with, health professionals, our residents are getting less medical service than what is normal in the rest of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the idea of having our doctors living and practising in the NWT is very exciting and would have positive impact on the health of our residents, not to mention the benefits that we have in our communities and our housing markets. I'll give one example. Let's say that the new Hay River Health Centre has a full complement of six doctors, but could only find three doctors willing to live in Hay River. Under the territorial pool, the system could hire six doctors who would live in Yellowknife, and they would practise half-time at the new Stanton Hospital, and practise half-time in Hay River.
Mr. Speaker, another bonus of such a scenario would be patients from Hay River, if referred to Yellowknife, would have a very good chance of seeing their own regular doctor here at Stanton. Mr. Speaker, the government needs to hire more doctors to live in the North. With a lack of full-time doctors, I believe doctors are facing challenges with heavy workloads. I urge the Minister of Health to engage with the NWT Medical Association on working on a strategic plan to attract physicians to move to the North. We need to address this issue and work towards recruiting and retaining doctors for the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I regret to inform the House that early Sunday morning on November 19th in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Doris MacPherson passed away after a long battle with her sickness. Her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were by her bedside as she passed away in her sleep.
Doris was born on September 30, 1946, to Lucy and George MacPherson in Fort Simpson.
Doris enjoyed her life to the fullest and always had a smile and a good word for everybody that she met.
Doris adored her two children, Darrel and Nikki, and her grandson Brandon. When she came home, she made time with her loving sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, and extended family, first and foremost. She always loved coming home and was planning on moving back.
In the early 1960s, Doris moved to Yellowknife to work for the Commissioner of the NWT. Yes, she worked for Stuart Hodgson, and I have seen a copy of her ID with his signature on it. She was very proud to have been given that opportunity to work with him. In 1975, Doris and her son Darrel left the NWT for a job in Nanaimo, BC, with the federal government in the social work field.
In 1980, she met her late husband, Gordon Desroches. Together they traveled all over Canada and the US. When you talked to her about her husband and their travels, it was amazing to hear about all their adventures together. As Doris had said to her family, the years she spent with her husband were truly her happiest and most loving time in her life. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004.
When people spoke about Doris, they would say that she was the light in everyone's life. She was generous, kind, and known for her sense of humour, and could always be seen dancing.
The community of Fort Simpson and the family had a memorial service for her on Friday, December 1st, at the rec centre. The service was well attended and on Tuesday, June, 21st, she will have her ashes buried on her mother's grave in Fort Simpson. She will be sadly missed by all.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a longterm friend. We grew up together in Hay River and he now lives in Yellowknife. Sean Ivens, welcome to the Legislative Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member's statement earlier today, normally I like to share good news stories about my riding, but unfortunately, we had a rather large sewage spill, so I'd like to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources what role the department has played in assisting the City of Yellowknife in cleaning up this awful mess. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that they had called the spill line and ENR officers went to the site. ENR, we are the lead regulatory agency that ensures responsible parties like the city maintains operations. They meet departmental standards for the protection of people, property, and management, so our officers were on the scene right away. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Are there any concerns arising from the regulatory side related to the spill? Has it been well contained by the city? Are there any lasting environmental hazards to my constituents, and in particular, property owners in Kam Lake?
My understanding is the city responded very well to the site. They cleaned it up right away, they had a vacuum truck on site, and transported the sewage that was spilled. Unfortunately, the excavator that they were using also went through the ice, but our department reports that there was no petroleum contamination on site and they continued to work with the city to ensure that the site is well taken care of.
I'd like to thank the Minister for his answer and for the action the department has taken. Tonight, there is a public town hall. Will personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources be on hand to answer any questions members of the public might have as it relates to the spill?
I will give direction to the department to ensure that we have staff on hand to answer any questions that may come up during the meeting.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, throughout my term as an MLA for Nahendeh, we've heard about this great project at Colville Lake, with the solar there. I have some questions for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation in regards to the project in Colville Lake: who was involved to help fund this pilot project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories provided $1,150,000 for the hybrid solar, photovoltaic, diesel, and battery energy power plant project in Colville Lake. The federal government also contributed money in the amount of $150,000, so total government contributions amounted to $1.3 million. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his answer. In regards to this project, and it's a pilot project from my understanding from the different briefings I've received from the department and the Power Corporation, can the Minister tell us how long this pilot project is scheduled to last?
I can advise that monitoring will continue over the entire life of the project. Our experience with this type of project is that what we learn from the project can be used and applied to future projects under the energy strategy. Solar panels have a life of 25 years or more, but batteries have a lesser life of about 10 years. Battery technology, however, is improving, so that may enhance the project.
