Debates of May 25, 2018 (day 29)

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to discussing the Aurora College foundational review. I wonder if the Minister can give us a sense of how and when that is going to happen in public.

The Aurora College foundational review is one piece of the puzzle. The big thing is our post-secondary education. This is not something that should become political in he-said-she-said and what are you going to do about it. This is our future. This is critical, so I have made a commitment, and I would like to say, if I'm allowed, and I might get slapped on the hand after, but the Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development is onboard as well.

We need to work as a whole government on this one, so I am not going to be the Minister to stand up and say, "This is what I am doing." I am going to be the Minister that says, "Let's work together to make sure that these are the best post-secondary options for our youth for our future, for our grandchildren, and many to come." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am going to ask that question again because I didn't hear an answer in it. What I asked specifically about the review is if the Minister could give us a sense of how and when we are going to discuss that document.

I apologize. The Member is correct. I should have been a little more blunt. I'm excited about the possibilities.

The document, the Aurora College Foundational Report, will be tabled next week. We are already in the process, so it will become public next week. We are already in the process of working with the standing committee on the review and how we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Question 293-18(3):

Child and Youth Care Counsellor Positions

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the last budget process, we talked about new positions called the children and youth council position, and we are very excited about it. However, there seems to be some confusion about a person's qualifications. Can the Minister briefly describe what qualifications these positions need to do the job? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the qualifications for the child and youth care counsellors and clinical supervisors are an extension of the current structure of the Community Counselling Program, where the knowledge, skills, and abilities (which are really the key to the job) are typically acquired through a Master's level education. This has been the case from the early stages of this current initiative. We have taken timely action to actively recruit for these positions. Information packages have been sent to post-secondary institutions with applicable programs, as well as Northwest Territories students enrolled in those programs. I'm pleased to report that these efforts have already resulted in a high level of interest from individuals enrolled in Master's programs from across the country, including individuals from the North who are excited at the possibility of returning to provide these new services.

I thank the Minister for that answer. It's great to hear all these things. Good things are happening, but can he please explain how they come up with the requirement of having a Master's degree for these positions?

Mr. Speaker, the child and youth counsellor initiative was developed at the table of the Interdevelopmental Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action Planning Working Group, a group put together to help us lead this initiative. The work of this group was guided by the feedback of Northwest Territories youth, who expressed that they wanted access to specialized mental health supports to assist them in the very serious and very complex challenges they are facing. In addition, they spoke clearly and strongly about the challenges of living in small communities and feeling apprehensive about accessing services because of perceived lack of privacy and confidentiality. The youth also spoke of the need to have professionals to talk to who are not necessarily related to them and/or friends or partners of their families.

The job description of the counsellors has been drafted on the needs expressed by the youth during these discussions. The qualifications for the positions are based on the requirements of the job and the professional knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to fulfill those requirements. Following GNWT protocol for drafting job descriptions, it has been determined that a Master's level education in counselling-related fields, such as clinical social work or psychology or educational psychology or even art therapy and other related jobs, is a typical way of an incumbent entering the field in today's market. As such, in our job descriptions, we identified the knowledge, skills, and abilities which are key, as well as how these skills are typically acquired, which, if you're entering the field today, is often through Master's preparation

I thank the Minister for that answer. When looking at the requirements of all these positions, you need a Master's of Social Work degree. We are looking at 49 positions, so that has a huge impact on it. It also has caused a huge issue for staff presently in these counselling positions who have years of experience, know the youth, but they don't have a Master's degree. Then I'm hearing rumors through the grapevine that, you know, that they're not even going to be looking at these positions here. So, can the Minister ensure that these people are getting a fair opportunity to do the job? I'm not asking him to give the job, but I want him to give the fair opportunity to do that.

I truly appreciate the Member's concerns as well as the concerns of some of the staff out there. The department has taken action to actively recruit for these positions, as I've previously indicated. I anticipate that the positions will be posted in the very near future and am hopeful that we will receive applications from many qualified individuals. Mr. Speaker, while a Master's level education is identified within the job description, as is the case with all GNWT competitions, equivalencies will absolutely be considered. A Master's degree is one way that an individual may develop the knowledge, skills, and ability as outlined in the job description. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, we are looking for individuals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide the high-quality counselling services that the youth are demanding. Decisions will be made on competencies to perform the job, not just the educational qualifications that typically lead to these knowledge, skills, and abilities. So we will be working with our current employees, and, where appropriate, they will have opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer because we can reassure our staff out there and the people that are doing a great job. I mean, I know in my riding and my colleague's riding from Deh Cho, we have two really good people out there that are doing a great job and doing really good work with our youth, and so I appreciate that. Can the Minister explain, though, we have a Master's degree for both the supervisor and the counsellor's position. What's the difference? I would have assumed that, you know, you'd have a social work degree and then you'd have the Master's degree actually supervising that. So can the Minister explain what the different roles are with these two positions, and the qualifications?

Mr. Speaker, clinical supervisors are also professional counsellors requiring the same level of knowledge, skills, and abilities typically acquired through a Master's level education, as I've previously indicated, similar to the counsellors. However, they are also typically senior counsellors who, in addition to the counselling education and experience, have often undertaken additional training in management or supervisory areas that allow them to have the knowledge, skills, and ability to provide that supervisory responsibility and/or leadership responsibility. So, yes, they both need to have the Master's, typically have the Master's in counselling, but they also need additional skills in order to provide that supervisory and management responsibility. So it's the same plus, if you will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Question 294-18(3):

Status of Fort Mcpherson Elders Facility

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister: what were the reasons for the recent halt of work to the elders' home in Fort McPherson? Thank you.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of it is the building seasons that we have to do work up in the high Arctic. There were also some discovered structural design issues with that, and we had to do a new design, get a new consultant to develop a design, and then get that to us at the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, you know this is a serious issue, but it's kind of funny because these issues were identified during the negotiations with the new contractors, and I'm glad that the department woke up and smelled the coffee and realized that this work needed to be done. So I'd like to ask the Minister: when can we see construction starting up again for the summer months?

On Monday, the NWT Housing Corporation is going to be meeting with the current contractor as well as the structural engineers to look at the redesign, and, as soon as the ferry opens and the road opens, we'll start working on that building again.

Mr. Speaker, I know this put a little delay in the construction, but I'd like to ask the Minister: are we still on target to complete the elders' home for the fall?

Yes, we're still on target for this fall. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I lost Cabinet with my earlier statement, so I'll try and get them back with a compliment here. The Department of Infrastructure, at least the transportation portion of it, does a pretty good job of informing the public and stakeholders of fee increases, and they've had a lot of practice lately, so I'm sure they are getting better day by day. Maybe I lost them again. The Department of Lands hasn't been around as long as Transportation, and maybe that's why they're not quite as adept as Transportation in getting that type of information out. The recent changes to the cost of territorial land is one example where there could have been better communication, and that's received quite a bit of attention as of late. Another example is the doubling of the quarrying fees that occurred on April 1, 2018. I did some research, and I found that the increase was mentioned in the House by the Minister once in early 2017 and once in early 2016, but, beyond that, it wasn't conveyed to the public in any meaningful way.

When a business is bidding on a job and they use materials from quarries, it needs to know what its costs are, and, as a result of this change, some small businesses are out thousands of dollars. So now, what's done is done, but I'm sure the Department of Lands will increase fees again in the coming years, so my hope here is that we can improve their communication process to avoid these types of incidents in the future. So, first, I'd like to ask the Minister of Lands if he could explain how this 100 per cent increase in quarrying royalties was conveyed to the public and the stakeholders? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is important that we do communicate with the public as well as MLAs. There are several processes that we follow, which were also followed with respect to the changes in the lease fees. In this case, with respect to the specific question, the department in late 2016 engaged SCOPP with our intent and duty to consult Indigenous governments on the proposed fee changes. This consultation included changes to fees for administrative services, quarry royalties, and lease rent minimums. This was followed up in November 2016 with consultation letters to IGOs to inform them of the department's intent to change fees and royalties, as well as to hear any impacts that the proposed changes may have to their organizations. The NWT Chamber of Mines engaged the department in February 2017 specifically on the subject of the granular resource fee increases. There was concern with respect to the proposed change and impacts on the mining sector. Department officials advised the chamber that their concerns were noted and that there would be a pre-gazetting period when written submissions could be submitted. So we followed a similar process with respect to the changes in lease fees. So there has been consultation, therefore, with the IGOs, and there also has been direct communication with the mining industry through the Chamber of Mines.

So did the Minister say that they brought the information to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning in 2016, and they consulted with Indigenous governments, and the Chamber of Mines actually approached them regarding these fees? That's in contrast to the Department of Transportation, or now Infrastructure, which will put on Facebook and Twitter and the radio that there are changes to the fees to cross the Deh Cho bridge for commercial vehicles. So that's the type of communication that I'd like to see coming out of Lands to avoid these types of issues that I've been talking about. So will the Minister commit to reviewing their communication policy and updating it so it's something similar to what Infrastructure does?

Yes. Certainly, Infrastructure has set a very high standard. I would be prepared to look at their processes and see if they are applicable to our situation. Clearly, we want to communicate with the public when there are changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Question 296-18(3):

Ingraham Trail Maintenance Schedule

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I spoke positively about the Ingraham Trail. My questions today are for the Minister of Infrastructure. I have a few questions relevant to some of the maintenance issues with regard to the road.

First of all, we still have a section of the road here that has been maybe somewhat forgotten. It goes from the turnoff at Highway No. 3 out to the Old Giant Mine town site. It is still used quite regularly by those that use the boat dock there and go to the mine heritage exhibit as well as the city solid waste management facility and the skiing lodge.

I would like to ask the Minister if he has been down that road recently and seen the conditions of that road. It is really pitted with potholes. I am just wondering what the maintenance schedule would be for that section of road for this coming year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I have travelled that road as of a couple of nights ago with Member McNeely when we were out having a look around town. There are a number of potholes on that section of highway. I suspect that the maintenance crews that will be looking after and maintaining all highways across the Northwest Territories, as all Members know, have to wait until the road thaws out and get on these situations.

I believe this section of highway is ours at this point. I think we are having discussions with the City of Yellowknife in taking over that section of highway. We can keep the Members abreast on that. I will look into what the maintenance schedule is of fixing these potholes on that section of highway.

Thank you to the Minister for that commitment. I look forward to him getting back to me so that I can inform constituents. The department has done some really good work recently with regard to visibility on the Ingraham Trail. They have done significant brush clearing. However, this brush clearing has raised some concerns with residents and other users.

I am wondering if the Minister can maybe indicate to us what process it was that they undertook to do the brush clearing. Would there be improvements in the future? Specifically, could residents or others get access to some of the wood that was cut during the brush cutting so that it could be utilized in wood stoves and for other means, possibly?

I am not aware of the brush cutting that took place out there recently, but I can certainly have a look into it. If there is an opportunity for residents along the Ingraham Trail to access some of that wood, we will certainly consider that. I will get back to the Member.

Thanks again to the Minister for that commitment. I appreciate him looking into that and look forward to getting the feedback. Thirdly, I have been asking for a couple years now to make an investment with regard to some guardrails in a couple sections of road that still appear to be unsafe as it relates to the steepness of the road going into sharp corners. I won't reiterate where they are. The Minister knows where and what I am referring to. I would just like to ask the Minister what the update would be in terms of the work being done for those guardrails. Are they expected to come this construction season?

Last year, we replaced three guardrails at kilometre 33.8, 37.6, and 45.5. The department has here in my note that we are doing a planning and survey, and design work is underway for possible installation of guardrails at kilometre 13.5 and kilometre 18.7 for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that, I think that, it is in the main estimates that we are making this commitment to these guardrails, is my understanding. I will take "possible" as a soft commitment from the Minister for now. I will certainly keep on him.

Lastly, I did take a drive out on the road recently, all the way to the end. In fact, the paving of the road is almost done. It is already up to Cameron River, I believe. I would like to ask the Minister what other funds and investments are going to be made for the remainder of the Ingraham Trail. Can we look forward to it being completed up to Tibbitt Lake possibly in the next year or two? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

For Members who aren't aware, on Bundle 1 from the BCIP money, we spent $8 million, roughly, on the Ingraham Trail. I am glad to say that, on Bundle 3, the approval that we had from the federal government here recently, we will have an additional $10 million that we will be able to spend on Ingraham Trail between 2019 to 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Question 297-18(3):

Slave Geological Province Road

Merci, Monsieur le President. While we are on the subject of roads, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure, who is the proponent for the Slave Geological Province Road. A business case for the project has not been completed. There is no independent cost-benefit analysis, either. The federal government has denied funding in our most recent application. Can the Minister tell us what is the status of this project? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member stated, we were denied funding in the first round of the National Trade Corridors Fund. One thing I want to make light of that is there were over 300 applicants right across this country for this funding and a $2 billion fund, which I have always said at the FPT tables we could spend the whole $2 billion. We are competing against all of Canada for a small pot of money. That is not saying our project is any more or less desirable than any other one, just that there is a limited amount of funding.

We believe there is a second round of funding for this pot of money coming out this fall. It will be specific to the three northern corridors to carve out of the $400 million. We will be resubmitting our application to that when that call comes out. We believe that our application will have a very positive chance of being accepted through that process on the second round.

The other thing I think we need to be well aware of is that we have an opportunity now. I don’t know if all the Members have seen that as of yesterday, they have appointed a CEO to the Canadian Infrastructure Bank. This project has a revenue-generating potential. We believe it has a good fit in the Infrastructure Bank. We will continue to pursue those opportunities as things move forward.

Thanks to the Minister for that. Earlier today, I questioned our government's fiscal capacity to take on this $540 million project. Given our borrowing limit, competing infrastructure priorities, what evidence can the Minister provide that our government has the fiscal capacity to initiate the SGP road within the term of the 18th Assembly?

It is very unlikely that construction of the Slave Geological Province would happen in the life of this Assembly. The project is dependent on, as I have said, securing federal funding. It also needs to have fully considered the social and economic impacts through an appropriate environmental impact review and permitting process. We know that is going to be a very lengthy process. We will take advantage of funding opportunities that become available to us. As I have said, in the second round, we will submit our application.

With that said, though, the Government of the Northwest Territories' borrowing limit would have to be increased for our fiscal capacity to be able to do the Slave Geological Province. I believe the Minister of Finance has initiated some initial discussions around that.

I would like to thank the Minister for that new information. Earlier today, I referred to the incomplete and unfunded work on the Bathurst caribou herd, that there is no land use planned for this region. As the lead Minister on this project, can the Minister explain to the public how Cabinet applies the Land Use and Sustainability Framework to the Slave Geological Province road?

As most Members know, this Slave Geological Province access corridor is currently in the very early planning stages. The application of the Land Use and Sustainability Framework will be the key next step to advancing and planning of this project once federal funding has been secured.

As we move forward, we know that we have to have considerations for land use, protection of wildlife, economic opportunities for this project. We will provide involvement of Indigenous organizations and ongoing development of this project as we move forward on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.