Debates of May 30, 2018 (day 32)

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, also, would like to recognize Mr. Ernie Bernhardt and welcome him to the Legislative Assembly. He has given a lot of useful advice and encouragement over the last few year, so welcome to Ernie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I do want to recognize Ernie Bernhardt, on another note though, in terms of being a very strong advocate, a coach, a promoter, and helping us revitalize the Arctic sports not only here in the Northwest Territories, but through the circumpolar region, and just thank him for all the work that he does in that area. Thank you, quana.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the Gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a Page from my riding of Kam Lake, Rhuwina Javier. Thank you very much for your hard work this sitting. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the Grand Chief of the Dehcho First Nations, Herb Norwegian, who received the Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize on May 24, 2018. The World Wildlife Fund of Canada and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society awarded Mr. Norwegian for his decades of work on the Dehcho Land Use Plan. Mr. Norwegian takes pride in his work and is humbled by receiving this award. I would like to personally congratulate and thank the Grand Chief for all the work he does, and for the work he will continue to do in the future for our region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about the housing issues and noted that CMHC will no longer be providing O and M funds to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation by the year 2038. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us if there are any plans to restore this funding or otherwise mitigate this loss so that we can maintain our public housing programs across the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Most recently myself, along with my territorial, provincial and federal counterparts, have been working to endorse the Multi-lateral Housing Partnership Framework. We continue to negotiate with Canada, through the National Housing Strategy, and our current next step is to work on signing a bilateral agreement with the Government of Canada through the Northern Housing Fund. We didn't get our fair share of that funding, so we are negotiating with the Government of Canada to address those issues, and that agreement hopefully should be signed this fall so we'll be able to have a better understanding of how those dollars are going to be spent.

I can let you know at this time, however, that we have been successful in convincing the federal government to support the sustainability of social housing for the next 10 years, which is the life of the National Housing Strategy, and we will continue to work with the federal government and keep them apprised of the housing needs that we have in our communities, and how can we work together to address them. As you have heard me say in this House before, it's not only us as a government, but working with our Indigenous governments, our community governments, and our NGOs to address the core housing needs throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response. According to the federal budget, the Northwest Territories will receive $36 million over the next 10 years for housing-related matters. Mr. Speaker, how will these funds be used to address Northwest Territories housing needs?

In my previous response I did say that we're continuing to have bilateral negotiations with the Government of Canada, so we're hoping that we'll see an increase in the amount of funding that we can disperse out into the communities to address some of the housing needs. However, the current funding that the Member had asked about, it is a flexible fund that can be used for a number of social or affordable housing purposes. We're allocating the funding from the Northern Housing Fund toward the operations and maintenance costs of public housing, and toward the demolition of units slated for disposal, which will free up land for future development to address some of the aging infrastructure that we have. We'll also be using it to support the community housing support initiatives and working with our apprentices.

Although this funding is helpful, our government believes that the amount provided is nowhere enough to address the needs that we have throughout the Northwest Territories, and as I said previously, that's why we're negotiating with the Government of Canada, and hopefully we'll see a substantial increase in our housing funding to address some of the housing needs throughout the Northwest Territories.

That sounds promising, and I look forward to the Minister's work in the years to come. Mr. Speaker, there are NWT residents who have remained on waiting lists for public housing, sometimes for years at a time. It is essential that new units are built to meet these needs. Mr. Speaker, what plans are there to construct new units and expand housing options in Nunakput communities?

As you heard in my Minister's statement, one great project, that's a pilot project that we're rolling out in these four communities, is the Northern Pathways to Housing Program. It's not only going to be housing some of our homeless residents, but it's going to give them the opportunity to get the wrap-around services that they need. We also will be expanding our home ownership supports, which includes launching a new home program targeted at public housing tenants, which has been mentioned by the previous Minister, and how we can work with our tenants who are in good behavior, in good standing, and help them look to owning their new homes, which is also a very great program.

We're also exploring direct delivery, repair, and maintenance services so that we can get some of our housing units back up to code and standards, so we can get our residents and tenants in those programs, into those housing units, as well as other programs and initiatives that I've mentioned in terms of a Core Housing Needs Action Plan.

I know working in partnerships with our Indigenous governments, in particular in the Beaufort Delta and Nunakput region, we are working with invaluable regional corporations, where 12 new units are being constructed; four in Paulatuk, four in Ulukhaktok, two in Sachs Harbour, and two in Tuktoyaktuk. Additionally we have the community housing support initiative, where communities have come forward with innovative ideas on housing for single individuals, and we'll continue to support a lot of these programs, but it's going to take partnerships, Mr. Speaker, much like with IRC, and working to address these housing concerns.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on May 25, during our oral questions, I asked the Minster of Lands about lease increases and consultation with the communities, and he said: "I think the proper consultation was done, and the changes that we have made are reasonable." I find this very interesting, to say the least. After devolution, Lands actually increased rates from $100 to $150, which was a 50 per cent increase, but now the Minister and the department has raised leases up by 336 per cent to 560 per cent. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain how he feels this is reasonable, to see lease payments go up this high? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I had mentioned previously, these rates have not been changed for many years, and we wanted to have consistency with our leasing rates, so therefore these changes which the Member opposite is alluding to were felt to be reasonable. Costs have increased considerably over the last 15 or 20 years, and we thought that these increases, which are significant, are reasonable. Thank you.

I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess his definition of "reasonable" is not what my definition of "reasonable" is, so maybe we will have to get his dictionary and I will compare it with my dictionary. Can the Minister please explain how this huge increase is helping residents in my riding deal with the high cost of living when some find it very difficult to pay the lease payments as they are presently?

As mentioned previously, there had not been an increase in a considerable amount of time. Listening carefully to the concerns that had been raised in this House, we did implement a reduction of residential lease fees to 5 per cent of assessed value, down from 10 per cent, so we felt that that was assisting those residents, most of whom would be living in their own houses on those properties, so that was an actual reduction in fees.

I will probably have to follow up on what he was saying in his answer there. So, Mr. Speaker, when I compare both Commissioner's and NWT leases and the department trying to bring these two leases together, will the department be looking at a 50 per cent reduction for seniors and elders in regard to NWT land, similar to what they do with Commissioner's lands?

There is, of course, no seniors' discount currently on territorial lands, but the department is looking at implementing similar provisions for residential leases on territorial lands as is currently available on Commissioner's lands. So it's a question of, really, bringing together the two types of leases, and they should be similar, at least, so we certainly are looking at the change which the Member opposite has proposed. Certainly, there have been increases, but, as I mentioned, there was a reduction in residential lease fees on Commissioner's land from 10 per cent to 5 per cent of assessed value.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I understand we reduced Commissioner's land from 10 per cent to 5 per cent. Great, but the seniors still get a 50 per cent reduction in that, so I am hoping the department will actually look at that and start implementing it, as they are doing it right now for Commissioner's lands, for NWT lands. My next question, though, is in regard to the engagement. How did the department engage these people, the 170 lessees in the Nahendeh riding? How were they consulted about this change of fees?

As I mentioned previously, there had been, in questions asked by the Member opposite last week, considerable discussion about this issue and including, I believe, a story in the press. Each leaseholder was advised in writing by the department of the changes to lease fees, so they were advised on an individual basis. Now, the fees will be determined by the nature of your lease, so, if there is a lease for a period ending, let's say, in the year 2020 at the current rate before April 1st, that will still be in effect until the year 2020, so the increase in rates will not occur until that time.

Now, last week, in dealing with this question and dealing with questions from the Member opposite, I referred to a pre-gazetting period that had taken place and a period of consultation. I may have misunderstood the note I received from Lands on that. It appears that the pre-gazetting period and the items filed in the pre-gazette or noted in the gazette in the pre-gazette period did not refer to the increase in lease fees, but rather other fees. I am looking into this further and certainly will deal directly with the Member opposite if he has any questions concerning that. So, again, there has been considerable discussion in the House. There have been discussions in the press. Again, individual leaseholders were advised in writing by the department of the changes to lease fees. Thank you.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For over a decade, the NWT has had problems with student achievement. After five years of education renewal, there is still little improvement in student achievement. Can the Minister comment on the state of the situation for student achievement and whether or not she believes education renewal is working? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The education renewal was to take place over a 10-year span, from 2014 to 2024. Some of the initiatives have been implemented; some of them are just in pilot stages; and some of them are still in development. Are they working? I think that, yes, some of them are working. Do I think that it is acceptable that we have a low achievement in the territories, still? No. That is absolutely not acceptable. It breaks my heart when I hear that children are dropping out, that people are having to do upgrading, so, no, Mr. Speaker, I don't think it's acceptable that we have low achievement rates. I think we still have a long way to go.

You know, I appreciate the Minister is relatively new to this portfolio, and it's good to hear that she believes it's unacceptable. So what is she going to do? What kind of tangible, quantifiable changes can the Minister point to that have taken place, specifically in the way we approach student achievement, that the department has undertaken to date?

I did take note when the MLA did his opening comments and he said that success isn't only academic; it's also succeeding in life. He is absolutely right, Mr. Speaker. It's not just about whether you get an A, B, C, or a D, or if you drop out. It's about can you succeed in life, and so there are some things that we have done that I am really excited about.

We have done a Healthy Food for Learning. There is a direct link that says that children who are not fed properly do not learn well. Every school in the Northwest Territories now has food in it. That is incredible for me. The northern distance learning, I am going up to a graduation in Ulukhaktok, I think it's next month. I have lots of grads. It's one of the most exciting communities I am going to, not because it's a special community, but it's special because three of those students, through the distance education learning, are graduating and going to post-secondary education in the South without taking upgrading. Yes, it's incredible.

What else are we doing? The community mental health pilot project; we know that mental health is linked to student success. We are expanding that in partnership with Health and Social Services. We are getting counsellors into the schools to work with children. Great initiative; I could not ask for better.

Supporting teachers, the instructional practices, I mean, that is just new. We still have to wait for it to come out, but teachers cannot be overworked and expected to do everything in an eight-hour day. It does not work, so we need to give them space. I am excited to see what will happen with that.

The Northern Pathways, one of the most exciting things I have heard yet, we are working on it. We are expanding it. We need to reach children younger, before they drop out, to kind of see where they want to go in life and give them the tools to get there. So there are initiatives happening. I could go on all day, Mr. Speaker, but I know I have to wrap it up.

The Minister is very passionate about that file.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and, I agree, the Minister could go on all day, but let's get back to the business at hand. Another comment, you know, perhaps when the media is enquiring into the low achievement, the Minister could be the one to respond instead of her department, because that is a lot more optimistic than the message that the public is getting, which is things are not moving as far as they should. The action plan for education renewal is extremely ambitious. It has around 200 targets that were supposed to be met by this point in time. Of those 200 targets, how many targets have actually been met, Mr. Speaker?

I take that as a compliment, that I could go on all day. I am excited about this portfolio. How many of the targets have been met? As the Member stated, I am just new to the portfolio. I have talked about a few that I have heard about that I am totally passionate about and said, yes, let's go further with those. I have not yet gone through the whole 200 of them, but I am working diligently to go through them, and I promise, I will go through every one of those 200 ones and make sure that we are on target. Keep what's working, expand what's successful, and throw out what's showing not to be successful.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to getting an update on those results. On to the reporting of the action plan. There has been little to no reporting of this action plan that ended in 2016-2017. Will the Minister commit to providing Members of this House, and also the public, with an update that clearly articulates what education renewal has achieved and what the department is going to do moving forward? There are no updates on the website, which is where the public are going to get their information. Can the Minister commit to fixing that, and getting information out to the public? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, education in the Northwest Territories should be about best practices. Best practices does talk about transparency and accountability. I have already been working on them about accountability. Transparency, I will commit that, the next session, we will provide an update to standing committee. I will do a Minister's statement in the House to talk about where we are. Websites are not my strong point, but I will push the department to actually make sure that our website is updated before the next session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In my statement, I talked about my expectation that the sobering centre provide shelter of last resort to people who are intoxicated rather than another place for them to be kicked out of. Can the Minister tell me whether the contract with the NWT Disabilities Council enables them to turn people away from the sobering centre and, if so, under what conditions? Mahsi.

Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the sobering centre aims to ensure that those experiencing effects of alcohol or drugs have access to a safe place to sleep it off. By safe place, that means safe for both the clients as well as the staff of those facilities. While the staff of the centre are trained in first aid, CPR, non-violent crisis intervention, and trauma informed care, I understand that there are circumstances where good training alone cannot eliminate credible risk of real violence to clients, themselves, as well as staff.

Through the duty as an employer, and consistent with the arrangement we have with the provider through our contract, and in an effort to provide the level of safety that clients themselves are seeking, policies have been adopted to restrict access to the centre. The sobering centre consulted with their clients, and I think that's important to note, and they helped develop structured policies around unacceptable conduct and the related consequences. Restrictions are meant only for situations that are outside of the norm and may threaten the care, welfare, safety, and security of a person, as well as staff, as well as other clients. Restrictions to services are rare occurrences, and are used as a last resort.

Mr. Speaker, if the Member is aware of situations where clients are being banned that go beyond the established criteria, I am happy to learn what those are, and hear what those are, and work with the provider to address them.

I am aware of a number of people who have been banned, both in the short term, meaning a day or two, and over the long term. I do not have an accurate, current number, but my question for the Minister is this: when the Disabilities Council turns away a client from the sobering centre, where are they supposed to go? Are they supposed to go to the hospital, which you worked so hard to get them out of, or where exactly? If this isn't the last resort, what is it?

We want to have a sobering centre that is safe. We want to make sure that the clients in there are safe and aren't at risk at other clients. We also need to make sure the staff are safe. There are some guidelines that do restrict individuals on a short-term basis. Some individuals could be restricted for half a day, one evening. Some, depending on the nature of the incidents that have occurred, might be restricted for a longer period of time.

I do take the Member's point. If a client is under restricted access due to violence or aggressive behaviour, the NWT Disabilities Council works collaboratively with other shelters and agencies to ensure that they have a safe place to go. The Department of Health and Social Services and the NWT Health and Social Services Authority have hosted a touch point meeting every six weeks with different organizations to look at ways to collaborate, ensure a seamless access to services, and look at quality improvements. Partners in this are the authority, the RCMP, the city, Centre for Northern Families, the NWT Disabilities Council, which are one of our contractors, emergency room representatives, as well as department representatives. We get together on a regular basis to figure out how we can address those few individuals who may have been restricted on a temporary or a longer-term basis.