Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services in his role as the lead on the Rockhill fire.
The Rockhill apartments belong to the GNWT, and they were leased to the YWCA over the long term. Rent collected from the tenants paid for the housing staff to provide wraparound services for the families. Now, not only is the building gone, but revenue from the building is gone as well.
My first question is whether the Minister is committed to this housing program continuation? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I go into the answer, I just want to take an opportunity to thank the Member for her statement and, once again, applaud the YWCA, the executive director Lyda Fuller, and the amazing staff for the incredible work they did in responding to this fire, in addition to the residents of Yellowknife, the City of Yellowknife, and the team of GNWT staff that actually stepped up and provided some response as well. I think it was a great response. I think this community should be proud of everything they did.
Mr. Speaker, the Y has been a valuable partner with the GNWT and, on behalf of residents of the Northwest Territories, providing valuable programming. The lead team that we have established to work with the Y has met with the Y on one occasion. We are looking to find ways to support them moving forward.
We are waiting for an ask from the Y to figure out exactly what they are looking to us for in the interim as they rebuild and figure out what our next steps are, but we are working closely with the Y. We believe they are an incredibly valuable resource to the community, not just Yellowknife, but the entire Northwest Territories, and we are looking forward to continuing our working relationship with them. Thank you.
Could the Minister give us a sense of the options that are on the table? For example, does the GNWT have access to a building that could be leased to the Y, or is there access to bridge funding to help with the continuation of the housing staff services? What is the range of options the government is willing to consider?
It is still early days, but it is my understanding that we don't have a building that we could make available. We are certainly reaching out to other potential partners to see what might be available, and we are working with the Y as they are doing some of their outreach as well.
As far as the existing building, we do have to do some remediation on that site. We haven't figured out what rebuild plans, if any, there are for that particular site. We haven't, like I said, received an ask from the Y on some of their bridging plans or some of their other plans, but we are prepared to continue to work with them closely.
As I have already indicated, our group of deputies who took the lead on our response have reached out and have had some meetings with the Y, and we are looking forward to continuing that relationship as we work with them to find solutions that work for them, for their programming, for the residents of the Northwest Territories.
I appreciate the Minister's willingness to work with the Y. At the end of the day, the Y is going to have to have revenue to keep this housing program going, and if that revenue can't be generated from a building, then it is going to need to come from a contribution agreement. I am asking the Minister what resources he can bring to the table for the continuation of this program.
We understand the challenges that the Y is facing. We understand that they have really put themselves out there to backstop the placement of the individuals throughout the Northwest Territories that used to be in their building, and we do understand the financial risk that puts the Y in and the challenges that it puts on them.
I don't know what financial contribution we will be able to make at this point. We haven't received an ask. We don't know the magnitude. We are hoping and we expect that we will see something so that we can begin to have those very discussions, but, at this point, it would be premature to speculate or to assume what those assets might be.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Y needs to make a specific ask, and my understanding is that the leadership group there is considering that and will be making that known to the Minister.
My final question is about the takeaway, the Minister's takeaway, from the government response. I realize that only just happened, but are they going to do a debrief? Are they going to look at how the response went from their position to strengthen service delivery in the future? Not that there were any problems with the response last week.
Mr. Speaker, as the lead on our response in Health and Social Services, I have asked the deputy to actually do a debrief with the other departments to make sure that we have learned from this experience. I think it went quite well, but there's always opportunity to learn from experiences, also how we might be able to utilize this experience for other similar incidents that may occur in different communities throughout the Northwest Territories.
It's not just Health and Social Services. MACA has a responsibility to work with communities on emergency responses to different crises that may befall a community. You know, we don't want to see these things. We would hope never to see these things, but it's important for us to be ready. We will certainly learn from this experience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. We know that Fort McPherson ran out of gas in Tsiigehtchic and ran short of groceries during the last winter season. How is the department prepared to prevent these kinds of crises in our small communities this winter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I answered in my previous question, it's based around communication. We have to communicate with the people and the residents of Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic particularly. It's not up to us to tell the gas station how much gas they have in stock or the grocery store how much food they have in stock.
Our job as the government is to indicate that there could be an incoming situation in which there is significant probability that that may happen in the Member's region this year because of the coldness of the water. The department has informed me that it's well below the normal temperature of the water. We suspect, if conditions continue this way, that the ferry is going to close prematurely, maybe like up to two weeks earlier than normal.
Mr. Speaker, it's funny the Minister is saying we need to communicate. Last year, in this very House, I mentioned to the department that we will have extended hours because it is so warm, yet the department pulled out the ferry prematurely while the river was open another almost two weeks. It's funny that the department has that response.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure is responsible for the laws and policies that govern road, air, and marine transportation, not to mention the infrastructure itself. What actions is the department taking this winter to keep the costs of living down, especially when it comes to the transportation of goods to our small communities?
I'm glad to answer this question because this government has done a lot of stuff to help address the cost of living in the Northwest Territories, particularly infrastructure. We have our public highway system. We subsidize ferry operations. We have community airports. All of these things help support the delivery of goods to the communities.
You know, we have to keep our assets in check so we have the efficiency of resupply. Roads are particularly probably the cheapest way to get stuff to communities, depending on where you are. What this government has committed, as the Finance Minister said today, we're going to come out with the largest capital budget probably in the history of this government. A lot of it is around the road system and energy system, but it's going to help address the cost of living in many communities.
We have a lot of communities that don't have access 24-7 or 365 a year. We secured funding for the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We have secured funding for the Tlicho all-weather road. These things are proceeding. We have a number of energy projects that we have clearly laid out in our 2030 energy strategy. The Finance Minister clearly indicated the investment that we are making in these things. These things all go towards help to make the cost of living and our quality of life in the Northwest Territories better.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how is the department preparing for the end of the ferry season and the beginning of the ice-road season to ensure as smooth a transition as possible?
I want to remind the House of last year, this exact situation. We committed to having a newer, lighter equipment to facilitate the winter road system. We have that machine up and ready and we were training our staff again in the region.
Last year, if I remember the dates between, in the Member's riding, I think the river closed on the 4th and the 8th, and both rivers were open by the 18th. That's only 10 to 12 days of shutdown for access to light vehicles. I think the department did a great job, and I commend them on their efforts, and we will continue to do that and make sure that the impacts are negligible on the communities.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, now a million dollar question, if you will: when can we expect the ferry services to be extended through the winter extension like it has in the past?
This ain't a million dollar answer because I have answered this question a number of times in the House. The winter operations were due to around the Ikhil well and that situation. I have said in this House many a time that the winter operations weren’t effective. The Dempster was closed 40 per cent of the time during that operation. The reason we did that was to secure energy for the community of Inuvik, and that has been addressed through the contractors. We are not committed to putting any more money into the winter operations of that ferry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. I would like to remind Members that we haven't gone through all Members asking questions due to the fact that some of the questions and answer were a bit long. Just a reminder as we move forward to be cautious around the answering and the questioning. I will allow the Member from Kam Lake to ask the oral questions.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. The Snare Forks Hydroelectric Facility has been reported as having a bearing failure, and now the public reports on this say the unit will be offline for several months, which represents a loss of 4.3 megawatts of power, approximately 15 per cent of the hydro system's total generating capacity. My question to the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation is: what will be the impact of this technical failure on the cost of living of Northerners and the power rates that rate payers are paying? Thank you.
Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, looking after the best interests of people in the Northwest Territories is what this government is all about. The impact on electricity cost is not known at this time. Any impact on NTPC cost is expected to be mitigated by the insurance claim.
Thank you to the Minister for that reassurance. The estimate of these repairs, regardless of what that is going to be, the final of these repairs, the insurance claim is going to cover that? Is that the department's best estimation at this point?
Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that there is a team that is flying in to do an inspection and determine the next steps. I would assume that cost would be the next step and then, once the costs are determined, then I would assume they have a discussion with the insurance company as to see what would be covered.
Once we have that more detailed information, I will share it with committee if it is their wish.
That covers the mechanical aspects of repairing this issue, but there will be more costs required for the backup diesel system. Can the Minister speak to what the equivalent cost to generate the loss of 15 per cent of power through diesel is? Is he aware of those numbers now? Can he share them with the House?
Mr. Speaker, the insurance is expected to cover some of the costs associated with equipment failure, including the need to increase diesel consumption. We do have sufficient backup there, diesel and hydro backup to keep the unit operating.
Again, this just happened, I believe, Monday or just recently. Tuesday, October 9th, it just happened, so we are just in the process of doing an inspection and determining what associated costs might be tied to the failure. Again, as soon as we have those numbers or estimates of numbers and what it may cost, we will share that with committee.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for providing us with information. I know it's a live event, and I see there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but if he could just reassure taxpayers that, if there are costs not covered by the insurance, the government will carry the burden of that so that we are not putting the cost back onto our citizens. Thank you.
Although that is good brochure material, I can't make that commitment right now to have the government cover the cost. We will have to determine what the costs are going to be, and then we will make a determination then what it may cost the ratepayers, if any, but I can't make that commitment right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Report on the Staff Retention Policy for 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018." Pursuant to section 64(2) of the Liquor Act, I wish to table "Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board 64th Annual Report 2017-2018;" and pursuant to section 27(4) of the Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan, I wish to table "Northern Employee Benefits Services (NEBS) Pension Plan Annual Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following four documents: pursuant to section 32(2) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to table "Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board 2017-2018 Annual Report" and "Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories Annual Report 2017-2018;" pursuant to section 10(2) of the Victims of Crime Act, I wish to table "29th Annual Report, 2017-2018 - Victims Assistance Committee of the Northwest Territories;" and pursuant to section 74.2(2) of the Residential Tenancies Act, I wish to table "Annual Report on the Activities of the Rental Officer - April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.
