Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier today I spoke about the need to create jobs in the communities and the need to support our youth so that they can become the true incubators and facilitators of opportunity in the small communities. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
We keep talking about the need to diversify our economy, and I think we are doing a lot of good things in different areas to do that, but the challenge as I see it is still: how are we going to get many of our young creative thinkers in the communities to bring forward their ideas and have them supported and nurtured? Can the Minister tell the House what programs or initiatives his department has that can help young entrepreneurs in small communities turn their ideas into reality? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm looking forward to what other questions the Member is going to have here on this as well, because this is something that has always been very important to me. Being a small business guy myself and how I got to where I am, this is a conversation that I am glad we are going to have in this House today.
The department has a number of things. We have our SEED program and these things as such, but to get young people involved in the business community and to become entrepreneurs in our society is not just my role as the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. I think a big part of it is with the Minister of Education and Employment.
I continue to harp and bring to the table around the SNAP program. I think that's one of the best programs that we have within our government to get young people involved in business and find a career that they might be interested in. I can say, as a Cabinet Member travelling around the Northwest Territories, I want to commend and thank the school of Fort Good Hope because, when we went there, they have a bagel program, which doesn't sound very complicated, but when you stand here and think about it for a second, a principal there took on a bagel program that takes them to the young students to that school right to the whole step from ordering their own flour, to buying their machines, to producing the product, to packaging it, to marketing it, to bringing it to the stores, and setting up deals to be able to sell these sorts of things. These are the types of programs, I think, as a government as a whole we need to promote as leaders in this Assembly, and leaders in the communities need to focus on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. Yes, concept to completion and getting it out to market is key, and it is well appreciated. I am happy to hear that this is going on in our communities. That is what the line of questioning is about today, and the old saying is that two minds are better than one. I would like to ask the Minister: how are we connecting youth in our communities with other like-minded people so that the collaboration can take place, and fostering of ideas can be grown upon? In other words, what types of networks are available for young entrepreneurs or young entrepreneurial-minded people?
A couple of examples that I just talked about. The SNAP program is very important, I feel, especially for young people who want to go into not just business but a career. We have the Future Entrepreneur Program within the BDIC that they do. The Member is well aware of that. I think he has actually spoken at some of those sessions, but that is focused more on people 18 to 39 years old, which is very important for entrepreneurs because that is the age that you are probably going to start thinking about, or go into business. My point being, though, today was: how are we going to get even younger people involved in this, and how do we get them thinking about that? One of the magazines, and most Members in this House don't know that I read, I read Success magazine all the time. It is something I just talked about recently with my wife that I want to talk to the Minister of Education about, they have under there, the Success Foundation. This is based on teens. It is an eight-principle pillar thing, and it gets the creative mind going for young people. What it takes to achieve goals, pursue a career, become a more productive citizen, and stuff, and I want to have a conversation with the Minister of Education of how we can maybe incorporate this into some of our schools in the Northwest Territories to create the next version of entrepreneurs for the Northwest Territories.
Yes, these are the kinds of answers that I'd like to hear. I appreciate the Minister giving that reply; building connections and building networks for young entrepreneurial-minded people to grow their ideas is very important.
Let's go back to the communities. If someone has an idea, what availability do they have in terms of access to those who might know a little bit better who can support them in development of safe business plans or for support for their financing the idea or that sort of thing? Are there any kind of mentors or programs of that nature that are accessible at the community level?
We have ITI staffing in most of the regional centres. Some of the smaller communities, that's going to be a little bit tougher. They are going to have to reach out to the regional centres to be able to do that, but we are willing to assist in any way we can. I know BDIC has their online programming, as well. Like I have said, though, future entrepreneur and these sorts of things tend to focus on 18 to 39 year-olds. Entrepreneurship is for everybody who wants to enter it. There are people who want to become entrepreneurs later in life. We are out there to help them, and my best suggestion is, depending on the age, you might want to reach out to the principal of your school, or your councillor, a local businessperson. Where do we go to help you to move this centre and find a mentor, possibly, to help you deal with that? It is a complicated maze of things that you have to do to become an entrepreneur, but the number one thing that I always promote to any youth who I'm talking to is always do something that you love doing and it will not be a job.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for his reply. Now, let's say somebody has the good idea of let's say they have done the plan. Let's say they have the funds. Now they were about ready to make the product, but they need a market for that product, Mr. Speaker. What are we going to do to help promote and market products that are coming out of the North? There is a lot of creativity. There are a lot of different ideas, but we need exposure. I'd like to know what our government has in terms of program services, any kinds of resources that a young mind in the community can take advantage of to expose their product to the market outside the borders of their community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Within the SEED program, there is a marketing component that the entrepreneurs can reach out to. I know it's one program that's not used widely across the Northwest Territories, because when I was in business, I know I used it and it was something that was very undersubscribed. There is an opportunity there for entrepreneurs within our territory to be able to reach out to the department to access this money. It's used for a number of things. You can go to conferences to learn about our trade shows, to learn about the product that you're moving, or equipment that you need to buy to produce a product. There is a program there and it is undersubscribed, and I would appreciate if people would use it a little more so they can get their markets to other markets. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to return to an issue that I brought up many, many times in this House: ground ambulance and highway rescue services. As we all know by now, the responsibility for the provision of these services is in a regulatory grey zone. Essentially, no one has been assigned responsibility. That's why we hear stories about people being injured in vehicle accidents who get transported to the nursing station on a quad.
When you consider that 27 communities, last I heard, don't have any type of ground ambulance and that the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highway recently opened and that there are more highways on the horizon, it's time that we have a plan, and one that is adequately funded. Luckily, I've heard that the department is taking these issues seriously and there is probably more work being done now than there has been in quite a while.
I have some questions for the Minister of MACA. I'll just start with a simple one: what work has been done on the plan to address this issue as of now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I concur with the MLA that highway rescue is an area that we need to put a lot of focus in. This government is actually focusing on it and looking at drafting a plan for the future. What have we done so far? We have done extensive consultation with key municipal bodies. We have done consultation with other governments of the Northwest Territories, with departments, with law enforcement stakeholders. We've research the standards and best practices throughout different jurisdictions. We've looked at comparative models that are being utilized throughout Canada. We've identified gaps that we notice are happening and we're now in the process of looking at possible solutions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It sounds like the department is doing a lot of work. When can we expect to see something either brought to this House or committee?
Right now, we're looking at hopefully the completion of a baseline report by the end of March or early April, we're shooting for. There was some difficulty in completing the research, so I'm going to state it here. We have had trouble determining the true costs of doing business on the highway rescues, and that's because, for some of the communities, not all of them, but some of the communities that we are funding to provide this service recently, or over the years, they haven't tracked the ambulance costs separately in their financial reporting, nor did they separate the costs for the equipment and the calls related to ground ambulance or the cost recovery. This made a little bit of a glitch in our research. We're trying to work with that, looking at different methods and trying to figure out calculating what that true cost would be. That is something that's a little bit of a difficulty, and it's really critical in actually ascertaining what the costs in the future will be. We're looking at different research models to be able to give a good estimate of what that will cost. Then, like I said, we're hoping that preliminary findings will be done by the end of March or the beginning of April.
The Minister was questioned on this at the recent NWT Association of Communities meeting in Hay River. She admitted that the funding that's currently provided is inadequate, and it's too late, I guess, going forward to change it for 2018-2019. What would the Minister suggest is adequate funding?
I want to start talking about the NWT Association of Communities. When I said that the funding was inadequate, I did also state that some municipalities were really good at getting the cost recovery back. The City of Yellowknife is a prime example. They have not experienced a shortfall. They are actually really good at getting their cost recovery back. The Municipality of Hay River, on the other hand, does have difficulties with that; they were the ones that brought it to my attention that we need to do some work on that.
When I talk about inadequate funding, that is because, I mean, we have a highway to Tuktoyaktuk now. We're building a highway to Whati. Those weren't considered, so those need to be considered with that.
What will be an adequate level of financial provision? That is to be ascertained when the findings come in. Like I said, it's been really difficult to find out what the financial costs have been because some communities haven't separated that. They've just put that into a general pot. We are in the process of trying to figure that out now. As soon as I find out, I'm hoping that I will release it to my colleague on this side, and we will hopefully present it to the standing committee as soon as possible, hopefully this spring.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up some questions with the Health and Social Services Minister in regard to the comment he said in regard to lawyers: does each child who is apprehended, do they get appointed a lawyer all the time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's too bad the red light didn't stay on as I was sitting down after I answered that last question. I said the child's lawyer in the last response, when I was actually meaning to say was the children's lawyer, which is actually a position that exists in the Department of Justice. It was created to provide support to youth so that their voices could be heard, whether it's through a family law case going through the courts, but also for Child and Family Services. To make sure the child's voice could be heard when necessary, they can access the child's lawyer. That wouldn't be a child's lawyer. A child could get a lawyer through other means if they choose, if they have the capacity to do so, but a children's lawyer is something that actually exists to make sure that their voices are heard through court proceedings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the Minister for that clarification. It does help a bit. In regard to this children's lawyer, are the youth able to communicate with this lawyer to say that they can share their story with their parents or their guardian?
For specifics on what the children's lawyer does in the Northwest Territories, I would suggest that you're best off asking the Minister of Justice, who is responsible for that position. It's not a Health and Social Services position. I do know from time to time, when there are Child and Family Services issues before the courts, the children's lawyer can be accessed to provide some support to the youth to help them make sure that their voice is heard in the court of proceedings.
When it comes to the question that the Member asked previously about the ability of a child to sign a third-party consent, if a child is deemed to have the capacity to understand what they're signing and the ramifications, they can sign. If there are some question about whether or not they have the capacity, we can engage the children's lawyer, who can work with the youth to help us determine whether the child has the capacity to understand what they're doing. If they do, they sign. If not, they wouldn't necessarily be able to sign consent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that answer. The question comes down to: when we are talking about "capacity," are we talking about mental capacity, or are we just talking about age capacity? Sometimes, you have to be 14, 16, or is it mental capacity we are talking about?
It is more focused on the ability of the child to understand exactly what they are signing. Sometimes, a young child will understand. Other times, they will not. The same is true for an older child. Sometimes an older child, depending on a number of issues, may understand, and others may not. It is a difficult area. You want to be careful. You want to make sure you are being fair to everybody. That is where the children's lawyer can really help out.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that explanation. It does help. It gets that information out there so people understand it better. I guess my last question is: if the youth's parent/legal guardian can't sign the consent form and they don't use the children's lawyer, can the department sign the consent form so the information can be shared with the guardians and their MLA? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The question is a little confusing insofar as, if the system is the guardian, the system is the guardian. If it is parents, if the parents or the legal guardians are the guardians, they would sign consent. If the system is the legal guardian, the director would be the individual who would be responsible for signing. There are times that the director can sign consent, but it really depends on the nature of the discussions or information that are being had.
For instance, there are lots of times the consent can be shared or signed or provided by the director to share information around things like treatments or trips or other general information. There are other times when it may not be appropriate. In the situation of a child who is under the care of the director, the director is in a sense their parent and guardian. There are different situations, different scenarios.
In Child and Family Services and Building Stronger Families, we are really trying to work with families and keep families united and try to keep them informed. There are some challenges and limitations there. Once again, I would encourage the Member to review sections 71 through 74 of the act, which outline some of this information. Once again, I would read it, but I see we only have 18 minutes left on the clock. I am pretty sure nobody wants me to do that, so I won't.
I am happy to meet with the standing committee to have some conversations about this type of stuff and the limitations that are on it, as well as provide an update at any time on Building Stronger Families. We will be tabling the director's report this session. It might be a great time for us to get together and have another conversation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Premier. I apologize that I didn't give him a heads-up, but we still have time on the clock. It is about his statement yesterday on reporting on the intergovernmental council meeting that was held in December. In his statement, he talked about a Northern Summit on Economic Development that is going to take place later this year. I am wondering if the Premier can tell us a little bit more about this summit on economic development, particularly the purpose of the summit. Can the Premier tell us about the purpose of this summit? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of the summit is to seek input into the writing of the NWT chapter of the Arctic Policy Framework. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to thank the Premier for that. Now I understand a little bit more about what this summit is going to be about. Can the Premier tell us anything about the date and location of this Northern Summit on Economic Development?
We have yet to confirm the date and location. Because of the fact that we are working to a timeline set by the federal government, the most recent timeline that we know we are working towards is they are looking for a draft by July of 2018. I expect within the next couple of months, somewhere in there, would give us enough time to organize. I would expect probably within the next couple of months.
I would like to thank the Premier again for that. I understand now that it is perhaps a tighter timeline than I thought it was. In the statement the Premier made yesterday, he says, "Invitations to the summit will be extended to a range of partners, including industry and representatives from the federal government." I am just wondering: can the Premier tell us whether those invitations will include civil society or other orders of government, say the Northwest Territories Association of Communities? Can the Premier confirm that this is going to be an inclusive approach that will include civil society and local governments?
We want to be very inclusive to the extent where I think we alluded to it when we were defending our budget for paying for experts in different economic sectors to participate, because we are realizing that to diversify our economy is not as easy as it looks or sounds. We need input from every sector or every possible source so that we can come up with a plan that will work. Just relying on our traditional sources to come up with a vision and a new economic diversification is not as easy as it sounds. We want to be as inclusive as possible.
Also, the Aboriginal governments that participated in the intergovernmental summit, some of them have also indicated that they want to have their own internal meetings so they can get their group's input worked out. That is the kind of environment we are working under.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to sincerely thank the Premier for that. It sounds like a good approach to me. I am very pleased to hear that response. Last question on this topic for now: would the Minister consider inviting MLAs from this side of the House to this conference? It sounds like an interesting event. I am sure we would be happy to provide some input. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
We would be pleased to discuss it with committees certainly, if it is appropriate. I am just wondering. Our experience has been that sometimes it affects the input from people who are there, but certainly, I have no problem with it. We should at least have a discussion on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. They follow on from my statement yesterday about the Office of the Public Guardian. The Minister received a report and a stack of recommendations about the office about 18 months ago. Regional and central audits of this office haven't taken place in 20 years. The report writers say this oversight may raise liability concerns. What is the Minister doing to reinstate audits in the office? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our priority is obviously stabilizing the Office of the Public Guardian, which includes rewriting the policies and procedures manual and ensuring that the office is adequately resourced, staffed. We are looking at different possible models based on the recommendations, which could be a decentralized model. That is our first priority, but the Member has a point, and I agree with the Member that audits are necessary and required. I have given the department direction that, moving forward, an audit plan will be developed and implemented once the foundational work is complete.
