Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. About a year ago, I stood up in this House and asked the Minister about the five generators that we had contracted Virdi Power out of California to build and what the status of those were. We know what that is all about now, so there are no further questions along those lines. There was an interesting piece of information that was provided back then. The Minister indicated to us that we had incurred costs of about half a million dollars, $500,000, at that point in time, which was about a year ago by not having those generators in place at that time.
Seven months later in the fall I asked a similar question: how much money is owed? The money was still oddly $500,000. We still hadn't received the generators at that time. We have received three of those now. We've re-contracted the other two out. I'd like to ask the Minister: what is the final number that the Power Corporation has had to pay extra for by not receiving these generators on time? Can he please confirm if Virdi Power is in fact going to be responsible for covering those costs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, in January, the corporation made the determination that they had to terminate the contract because of the non-delivery of the two generators. There was a set-off for some of the costs. I would expect that overall, however, our costs will be more than anticipated because of the necessity of re-contracting for the final two generators. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I didn't really get any clarification. A year ago, the number was $500,000. Can the Minister clarify what that number is today, that has cost the Power Corporation, ratepayers, quite frankly, what it has cost them extra to date by not receiving those generators, and are we collecting it from Virdi Power? How are we collecting it from Virdi Power?
Yes, there is set-off for some of the costs that we have incurred as a result of the late delivery, in fact, non-delivery of the last two generators. It is expected that overall, however, that the $8 million budget that was anticipated for this will be exceeded by about $500,000. I think the only way of collecting the extra money would be to commence litigation against Virdi. There was a set-off on some of the payments to Virdi, but I don't know whether it will be worthwhile to litigate this in California.
Well, it seems to me that this is probably going to be a line of questioning for another day, but I want to jump ahead because this is part of the problem. There is always this degree of openness and transparency that we don't seem to receive as it relates to the Power Corporation. I am wondering can the Minister, and I have asked him this before, commit the Power Corporation to providing its annual operating and maintenance budgets and its capital budget through similar processes that we already use for the Housing Corporation? It's a Crown corporation. It partakes in the annual business plans, and it presents its budgets to the Committee of the Whole. Can the Minister commit the Power Corporation to undertaking the same processes so that we can have a public, open, transparent conversation about the Power Corporation?
The Power Corporation, of course, is a publicly regulated utility, so there is the necessity of filing each year or each time there is an increase in front of the PUB, so the process is quite open and transparent. In addition to that, we file annual budgets, capital and operating annual financial performance, and a corporate plan, which will now include a 20-year strategic plan, so the corporation is quite open. We did appear in front of committee and would be prepared to do so again if required or if asked.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I appreciate that they have come and presented to committee. It was a PowerPoint presentation. I also appreciate that the some of the documentation the Minister spoke about is provided publicly. However, it's not put to public scrutiny through the similar processes that we already use to put the rest of the government's entire budget through scrutiny. That said, I would like to ask the Minister: we heard earlier the Minister of Infrastructure talk about federal infrastructure funding coming our way; can the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation indicate if there are any dollars from those funds coming to the Power Corporation to help it reduce its infrastructure gap? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Power Corporation participated actively in the drafting of the energy strategy, so I expect that our corporation, the Power Corporation, will be developing alternative renewable energy solutions for the communities of the Northwest Territories. If I could just outline some of the things that we are hoping to do, one of the things that clearly is a priority or a concern of the corporation and all of the communities is to reduce costs, so we are looking at LNG in Fort Simpson and Tuktoyaktuk; reducing emissions; wind, we are looking at possible wind projects in Inuvik, Norman Wells, and Sachs Harbour; possible transmission lines to Fort Providence and Whati; and hydro, small hydro projects in Lutselk'e and Gameti. We also are hoping to improve reliability, the Bluefish hydro redevelopment, hydro overhauls, and micro-solar. In addition to those things, we are attempting to increase our number of clients by growing the rate base, and that is why we are working with other departments, to look at possible Taltson expansion. So those are the things that we are doing. Clearly, we will need federal involvement and funds to advance those projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Since our last sitting, I have heard of individuals who had stroke symptoms and stuff like that, and there are different processes in the matter there, especially in our region, in our smaller communities. Can the Minister please explain what is the process when a person is diagnosed with stroke-like symptoms in the Nahendeh riding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can let the Member know that the department and the authority take stroke symptoms very seriously and want to make sure that residents who are presenting with stroke-like symptoms are dealt with appropriately. It is kind of a difficult question to answer because it is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that an individual can present for a large number of reasons and stroke-like symptoms do not always necessarily mean a stroke.
However, if a person does present in one of our smaller communities where there are no doctors, with stroke-like symptoms or a stroke, one of the first things that we would obviously do is work to stabilize them in their current location, at which point the staff would be getting in touch with our medical response team, who would put them directly in contact with doctors in the Northwest Territories who can help determine next steps. Those next steps may include a medevac out of the community they are in, depending on the severity of the stroke, to a place like Stanton, where they can receive a CT scan, which is an important piece of the diagnostic tools available in determining what next steps will be. That CT scan will often help determine what those next steps will be.
Having said all that, Mr. Speaker, I want to also make clear that the department and the authority are currently updating their clinical practice guidelines for primary care nursing throughout the Northwest Territories. This work is in process. This work will help put in some consistent standards for nurses across the Northwest Territories in health centres on how to deal with things like stroke and stroke-like symptoms. That work is currently being done.
I appreciate the Minister's answer. At no point in time am I saying that the staff are not doing the job. It's just there have been some different processes to it, and I thank the Minister and the staff for dealing with this in such a proactive way. My second question: does the department have a mandatory time that a patient needs to stay in a hospital or a health centre before being released to ensure the person is able to leave and the medication is working?
The answer is no, there is no mandatory time. Really, it is entirely dependent upon the severity of the stroke and the condition of the individual and what treatments have been provided in order to stabilize or treat the individual. That can be different for every person every time. I can say that the doctors and the nurses will obviously want to keep the patient in until they are confident that leaving the health or the hospital will not put them at adverse risk, but there is no set time because every case is unique.
I thank the Minister for that answer. It is a concern, though, with some. I have seen and heard of patients that have been let go and then we have had to bring them back in. It's no fault of the department and that. It's just the process, but it is a concern, so I hope the department will come up with some mandatory time, at least. Mr. Speaker, when releasing a stroke patient, do they need to have a family member or somebody with them to ensure that they are looked after properly after they have been released?
Going back to the previous question, I really cannot say that we will have a set mandatory time before an individual can be released. Like I said before, it really depends on the nature of the condition of the person presenting with. Everyone is different. If we were to set a mandatory time, we might end up keeping people there well beyond when they should. I think what is important is that we have some clinical standards in place that talk about what certain criteria an individual must reach before they can be released as opposed to setting a time. I think that gives us the same result but through a different mechanism. Those are what the clinical standards we are working on will help us determine, is when somebody is suitable for release, recognizing patients can leave if they want to. The physicians, doctors, and nurses will often encourage them not to if it's not appropriate, but, ultimately, as residents, as people, we do have the freedom of choice.
With respect to the last question and whether or not family must be there or should be there, a similar response, Mr. Speaker. It is really dependent on the individual patient and their capacity after their stroke and where they are as far as being stabilized in what they are presenting with and whether or not they are experiencing some level of disability or loss of neurological function that may impair their decisions and their mobility. So it really once again depends on their capacity at the time of release. If the person is still experiencing some mobility, they would be encouraged to have some family support there with them, but we do not require it in all cases because they may be fine to leave without it. Other cases, we would strongly encourage it. It really depends on the situation and the individual.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answer from the Minister and that clarification. As long as we are doing something to make sure that our patients are looked after properly, whether it is time or whatever process the department has come up with, I think it's great to hear. I am looking forward to sharing this information with the residents in my riding. My final question: does the department have a protocol for aftercare, especially for out-of-town patients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I know that I sound awfully repetitive here, but it is really dependent on the condition of the patient upon release and whether or not they require more rehabilitation before they return to their communities. In some case, absolutely. A patient may require a longer period of rehabilitation in the hospital as opposed to being discharged for rehabilitation in their community, depending on the nature of the mobility or other neurological function challenges that an individual has.
Rehabilitation services at Stanton Territorial Hospital are involved in working with communities and what is available in the communities. When an individual goes back to their community, it is part of their discharge planning. It really depends on what is available in the community as far as supports, things like homecare or other supports. We work with the patient. We try to determine whether or not they can be released. Do they have the ability to be released? Are they physically mobile, or do they have challenges? Going back to the community, we want to work on a discharge plan that takes into consideration what resources are available in communities, what resources may not be available in communities to help in the discharge planning so that they can be released appropriately. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. My statement outlined the recommendations of the Privacy Commissioner in the matter of the privacy of income information complaint on behalf of public housing tenants. The ruling called on the Housing Corporation and its LHOs to amend its practices to provide for an alternative to giving the information directly to the CRA. First of all, can the Minister tell us whether she has accepted the findings of the Information and Privacy Commissioner? Mahsi.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we have implemented the recommendations of the Privacy Commissioner. The recommendation to look at CRA assessments was actually based on good intent, as the Member has stated. I think it is actually a good practice. It took me a little while to get my head around it, as well, when I first took over the position.
Previous to that, people were presenting their incomes to the local housing organizations. That leads to more chances of private information on income actually getting leaked into the public, with staff turnover, et cetera. The Privacy Commissioner found that it was actually better for ensuring that people's private information was less accessible, but she did have a recommendation that people be provided alternatives to providing that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the Minister's answer. Can the Minister tell us what those alternatives look like? What kinds of things are accepted as an alternative to the linkage to the CRA?
I want to step back for a minute and talk about the process for accessing the information from the Canada Revenue Agency. It is really important to note that this is actually the most private way that people can share their income information. It is important to get income information, as these are tenants who are usually in public housing.
Only 10 people within the corporation have access to this information, excluding myself. I don't even have access as the Minister. It is really confidential. Although, some people, like I say, weren't comfortable with us doing that, so we provide the alternative that people can bring in their tax assessments on an annual basis. That tax assessment, which does provide their information, will also be utilized for the annual assessing of people's information. Some people, again, are not comfortable with it, only a handful. Not very many have complained about it. In those extreme cases, we are allowing them to still bring in their monthly paperwork to the local housing organization. Again, that has more risk of people's private information being leaked.
What I understand is the alternative to the electronic access to the CRA is to present the paper copy of the tax filing to the local housing authority and they will calculate the rent on that basis. That is my understanding. If the Minister could confirm that and also say that this is an option that could be followed at any LHO in the NWT?
Absolutely. The Member is correct. People can bring their paper copy of their tax assessment into any local housing organization within the Northwest Territories. That will be used to verify their annual income.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, finally, I know that there is a very high rate of tax filing in the NWT, yet not everybody files a tax return. In the case where a tenant hasn't filed a tax return or needs help filing a tax return, how can the LHO respond to them? Thank you.
Again, it is really important that we verify annual income to confirm that people are paying appropriate rent. It is not fair if somebody is not filing their taxes and paying a minimum charge and the neighbour who is paying their taxes is actually paying more. We need to verify that. These are usually public housing units. Market rent, of course, is different. They are paying the market rent.
Within the public housing, we do ask them to file their taxes. There are a number of supports within communities that will help them with that. We stress to them that it is important. A last resort would be to bring in, again, their monthly income. Again, that has to be verified, and it is the most insecure way of providing their income. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today I raised questions regarding leadership on post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories. There are a lot of people anxiously awaiting the Aurora College Foundational Review, including students, instructors, and even Regular MLAs. Can the Minister of Education tell us all when the foundational review will be released to the public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in support of the Government of the Northwest Territories' mandate, the department and Aurora College are embarking on an ambitious path to change that will lead to expanded opportunities right across the Northwest Territories for residents. They gave an update earlier this session on those. I am expecting this foundational review, the final report to be delivered to myself by March 31st.
Further to that, Mr. Speaker, once we do get the final report, we are going to develop a management response that will be prepared to support the implementations or the recommendations. Providing a management response just for all Members and residents to a report of this nature is a standard practice right across Canada. The management response is the government's opportunity to consider the feasibility of each of the recommendations and also compliments the report by making clear and transparent what will be implemented.
This analysis, Mr. Speaker, will take about several weeks to be completed. It will be made public, both the report and the management response once they have been completed, including time for input also from standing committee. We are looking at a time of the 2018-2019 academic year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I'd like to thank the Minister for that. Hopefully the report will come out earlier in the 2018-2019 academic year. I'll look forward to seeing that. The Minister has been on record as saying that the future of the social work and Teacher Education Program is tied to the Aurora College foundational review. There's actually money in the 2018-2019 budget for these programs. Can the Minister tell us whether this is still the case about the programs' future being determined by the foundational review and whether either of these programs will be offered again at Aurora College in the fall of this year?
As Members know, there are no enrolments into both the social work diploma program as well as the Bachelor of Education program. As we're going through this foundational review, we're going to be looking at things such as governance, operations, academic program process, accountability, student recruitment retention. This is not a program review itself, but the recommendations are expected to help guide us for the future of how the college is going to be conducting its business. Following this foundational review itself, Mr. Speaker, and drawing on other supporting documents such as the Skills4Success, the labour market development, the labour market forecast, and needs assessment, we will start working on the strategic plan. It's during that strategic plan that we will determine the future of the program of the Aurora College.
I'd like to thank the Minister for his response. The Minister has been promising a legislative framework for post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories almost since the beginning of our term. I'd like to know what's happening. Can the Minister tell us where the post-secondary legislation is and when we can expect the introduction of a bill?
I just want to update the Member. Once again, I did make a statement on this earlier in the session, but we are looking at possibly getting a draft bill in late 2018 or possibly early 2019. As the Members know, there is a discussion paper and an executive summary on our website currently. Once that bill is drafted and we get input and feedback on the discussion paper, we're going to see other institutions outside Aurora College, such as the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and College nordique francophone, are all going to benefit from such a legislation. Those are the timelines. I'm looking forward to getting feedback from residents, organizations, partners, and stakeholders across the Northwest Territories that have an invested interest in our post-secondary future here in the Northwest Territories.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I'd like to thank the Minister for that response. Yes, we really need to get that legislation before the end of our term. Last fall in the House we changed our mandate for the 18th Assembly and we included a new section around the knowledge economy. I'd like to know what the Minister can tell us about his department. What specific work are they doing on developing a knowledge economy? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
The Member in his opening remarks earlier talked about training and skill development. That is a focus of our department, but we work collaboratively not only within other departments within the GNWT but also business and other organizations on how we address that. I think it takes more than just the one department to look at addressing the knowledge economy.
One of the other mandates that has changed was working with the Department of ENR in terms of studying the feasibility of creating a Northern Centre of Excellence to support and promote such things as research, innovation, traditional Indigenous knowledge, and foster partnerships with other universities outside the Northwest Territories and other governments and other organizations. The GNWT departments are now working together to engage with external partners to study the feasibility of creating such a centre. I look forward to the outcomes of that study. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Mr. Speaker, I was looking in the main estimates and I've discovered what I assume must be a typo. The rental office is listed the activity services to the public, but last year two thirds of the applications to the office were filed by public housing agencies. Either the rental office should be listed under services to government, or the government is essentially monopolizing the public service for its own good and at the expense of small landlords, renters, and to the detriment of the public at large, as I note in my Member's statement.
Given that the length of time it takes the rental office to process applications has been identified by this government as a serious concern, I'd like to make sure the entire government is taking steps to solve it. That being said, I would like to ask the Housing Minister if the Housing Corporation monitors its applications to the rental officer so that it can take policy steps to help reduce the number of times that it makes applications to the office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
