Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the problem here is that the City of Yellowknife feels that the current process set out by the Department of Lands is so difficult that they can't actually develop vacant land, and it has harmed economic development. They are asking for a solution because the process has become so difficult, which in turn means our other communities are also dealing with this process. Will the Minister commit to reviewing the current process for transitioning Commissioner's lands when a community wishes to use them? Thank you.
Can't make a commitment right now because right now, we are trying to work on our Public Lands Act. Part of it is our regulations right now. What I can tell the Member is that the city, MACA, and Lands are in the process of working together on this issue. Any other municipality that wishes to work on this issue, we are more than willing to work with them to address this. Again, we have to get our regulations in place. The Public Land Act was passed in the last sitting, but we now need the regulations in place to be able to deal with this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories, the RCMP enforces impaired driving laws. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice. I understand that the RCMP uses a combination of practical technologies, like mouth swabs, and subjective analysis, like driver inspection by an officer trained as a drug-recognition expert, to assess a driver's level of intoxication and that concerns have been raised about the accuracy of these tests. Can the Minister describe for the House what the experience has been for drivers in the NWT with respect to the detection of drug-impaired drivers since legislation? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At present, there certainly have been efforts made currently to expand the use of drug recognition, both in terms of the field sobriety testing and in terms of devices. At present, I can say that, as of the current year, there actually have not yet been any drug-impaired investigations that yielded results of being, in fact, drug-impaired. All of the impaired driving continues to be alcohol impairment here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In August, the federal government announced funding of just under $1.5 million to improve drug-impaired testing in the NWT. How, specifically, will this money be used, and are our smaller communities included in this plan?
Yes, the Department of Justice has had an opportunity to make use of funding from Public Safety Canada. There is currently $1.45 million in funding that is directed here over the next five years. That is going to be used to help expand standard field sobriety testing training and to ensure that the officers remain current with that training. There are also going to be efforts for drug recognition experts so that they can be ready to support impaired driving investigations.
As far as supporting smaller communities, Mr. Speaker, I can certainly confirm that there are officers trained in 11 of the 20 detachments here currently: 20 in Yellowknife alone and several more in our larger regions, all currently certified to conduct standardized field sobriety testing in the Northwest Territories.
Has the RCMP conveyed any concerns to the Department of Justice about enforcement related matters, and if so, what is being done to assist the RCMP to better do their enforcement work?
At present, there have not been any concerns raised to the Department of Justice. I have had the opportunity to meet with G Division's headquarters, as well as to attend several of the detachments already throughout the Northwest Territories, and I have not been privy to any concerns. Obviously, our office remains very alive and very welcoming. If there have been other concerns raised, I would certainly want to hear about that.
As I have said, though, at present, what I have been told is that, although the officers are becoming trained in drug recognition and increasing and improving their ability to detect roadside alcohol impairment, at present, there have been very little in terms of drugs and no concerns raised following the legalization of marijuana.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister of Justice confirm if reducing the levels of impaired driving is still on their business plan for the Department of Justice? Thank you very much.
Reducing impaired driving isn't a specific policing priority, but it certainly remains, obviously, a priority for the Department of Justice. I could certainly say that it would be ideal if every patrol vehicle in the Northwest Territories could be equipped with the relevant alcohol or drug screening devices and operating officers able to use them.
That may be a long-term goal. That is not a goal that is likely to be achieved in the short-term, but it is one that I believe the RCMP are alive to and working towards and one that the Department of Justice is alive to, and so we will be continuing to seek funding where it is available in order to realize a better goal of having better enforcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I previously made a statement regarding this. The government that works in our communities, when we look in the offices, there are a lot of employees. Looking at the Behchoko offices, I want to ask a MACA question. I have three questions for the Minister of MACA. [Translation ends]
To the Minister of MACA, Municipal and Community Affairs, as compared to other communities, as well, comparable to probably the size of the population as well, if she could provide a breakdown of the number of positions, whether it be in Hay River or Inuvik, in comparison to those allocated to my community of Behchoko. Masi.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our department has a significant amount of services that we provide at the community level. They are in comparison to what is offered in Behchoko, but Behchoko is two communities, Rae and Edzo together. We do have some of the employees in Behchoko and some of the employees in the North Slave office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That is another issue that stands on its own in Behchoko: Rae and Edzo. It's a separate community, but we provide funding to one community. That will be addressed in this House as well. It is a real challenge for the community of Behchoko, but that is another story that we'll talk about later on.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that accessing housing in Behchoko could be a challenge for staff coming from Yellowknife. It is great that I am talking to the Minister of Housing as well. There are a number of professions who commute to and from Behchoko every day. Carpooling is another option.
In the spirit of capacity-building, can the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs commit to having these seven positions moved to the community of Behchoko and plan or put in place to empower the people of the community to eventually take over these positions?
Thank you to the Member for your questions. I just wanted to give a little bit of the current status and current update for Behchoko, because it is a very unique community. It is one of the largest communities that we have in the Northwest Territories, with a significant growing population.
MACA was structured 20 years ago by so much change that has happened in this community. In 2005, the Tlicho Community Government Act was passed and implemented, giving all communities more authority and control over local decisions. Then, in 2007, MACA became an implementation of the new deal for the Northwest Territories communities, flowing a capital and gas tax fund to the community governments in order to plan and build their own infrastructure. MACA employees at the regional and headquarters level, in many ways, exercise more authority and control than they did 20 years ago.
MACA now supports community governments to complete strategic plans in their communities, develop and implement capital plans for infrastructure developments in the communities, and identify and build capacities of staff and elected officials in the communities.
MACA does support seven communities out of its North Slave office, and it is the only region that has an office that is divided between two communities, in Yellowknife and in Behchoko. In order to be able to hire and accommodate staff and facilitate their travels and support the communities in the regions, the superintendent does reside in Yellowknife, but the assistant superintendent is located in Behchoko and is a Tlicho citizen.
It's great that the Minister made a statement on the current situation, but I don't really see any capacity-building happening in Behchoko. Yes, we do have an assistant superintendent, but most senior staff are in Yellowknife headquarters making decisions for the community of Behchoko. Where is the empowerment? It's a top-down approach. It should be at the grassroots level.
Mr. Speaker, I disagree with what the Minister is saying today. I am a firm believer that we should have capacity-building in place, and I will be pushing that, not only today, but going forward. If I don't get answers today, then obviously, it will come up in this House again.
Next question would be: what are the short-term or long-term plans for the Behchoko MACA community regional office to build capacity within senior management?
Thank you, Member, for your comments. I always like to reflect that I do come from a regional level. I do understand and see the capacity-building in the smaller communities and in the smaller local areas. I am willing to work with the Member. I would like to travel into Behchoko and take an assessment of what our office also provides, but also look at the quality of service that we offer in that community. That would be my priority right now, to make sure we are meeting the needs of the residents of Behchoko. Then, in regard to looking at the community and looking at Municipal and Community Affairs and their staff who are located in the North Slave and, in comparison, can we actually accommodate then in Behchoko, I'm not too sure at this time, but I do commit to looking forward to getting into the community and doing an assessment.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, this is an area of interest for the community of Behchoko. There have been certain requests from community members, as well; seeing as the superintendent in the past hasn't really set foot in the community, it is a challenge in the community. Now, we have a new superintendent; I'm not sure if she's been in the community yet, but obviously I'd like to see more of that. Part of that would be community relations through Municipal and Community Affairs, working with the community government of Behchoko, so I'm glad the Minister is willing to work with me on this. I'd like to see a plan in place. When could we see the plan? We can talk all we want in this House, but I want to see an action-oriented plan going forward. I'm hoping it's early in the new year. Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member, for your comments. I'd just like to acknowledge that we do have the office that administers Behchoko for Municipal and Community Affairs. We do have to recognize that we do have additional communities that the North Slave office administers, and there are seven of them, including the two here in Yellowknife. Looking at if we were to relocate our North Slave Municipal and Community Affairs office to Behchoko, there are factors that we have to explore, but then I am wanting to work with the Member and look at how we are going to deal with this going forward so we know that each and every one of our communities are going to be fairly recognized, and that we continue services throughout the North Slave region, and that it's equally served. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Roles such as nursing and social work are demanding, physically and mentally, especially in small communities. I believe everyone in this House who is in here should give them all the support and tools they need to help them do a good job and be successful. That being said, my worry is that we are putting inexperienced staff, nursing staff specifically, to the detriment of those who need the care the most, i.e. special needs. My question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services: are there certain aptitudes or a minimum amount of experience that nursing staff must have before they are stationed in our small communities? If so, what are those requirements? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recruitment and retention of registered nurses and specialized training in rural and remote locations is a current challenge and a priority for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services. Nurses stationed in the communities are community health nurses, CHN; nurses in charge, NIC; and nurse practitioners, NP. All three categories are nurses with specialized and advanced education after graduating from the basic nursing program. Community health nurses for smaller communities require, at a minimum, two years' experience. Nurses in charge require more experience.
During the hiring process, we consider both skills and experience to screen candidates for interviewing. During the interview process, we ask questions to test their suitability for working in small communities. Before a job is offered, references are checked. At the reference check stage, we are again checking for suitability for smaller communities. All candidates, upon hire, go through the orientation to confirm their skills match the need in the work environment and, if a gap is identified, the employee works towards the required education. Ongoing performance of staff is evaluated through the performance evaluation process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I want to thank the Minister for her response. I want to just voice my frustration. I've been speaking with constituents, and this has happened several times, where they always say, "There is not enough training for nurses; we always have to go to another community, over to a bigger centre to get help." With that, my next question is: will the Minister committee to having an experienced nursing staff placed in communities such as Lutselk'e and Deninu Kue?
Previous experience is a key hiring criteria in our community health centres. The nurse in charge or the nurse practitioner positions require a certain amount of experience in order to successfully carry out the responsibilities and mentor new nursing staff.
I have another question for the Minister: is there a job shadowing program in place for recent post-secondary graduates for nurses and social workers in the NWT?
We offer placements for students through the Summer Employment Program, where students from the nursing program can gain on-the-job experience. New graduate nurses are hired into entry-level positions where they have an opportunity to work with more experienced colleagues, while having lesser workload, a development plan, and education plan.
Social work students have an opportunity to work as summer students, family preservation workers, and case aides, which allows them to develop the skills and experience as part of their education. Newly graduated social workers are also hired into entry-level positions, which support them to get comfortable with the role while they get experience. They will have smaller workload, an education plan, and mentors.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the response from the Minister. My last question: will the Minister commit to having a homecare nurse in Deninu Kue? Mahsi cho.
The homecare nurse position was posted last summer in the Member's community, with no successful candidate. The department will continue to recruit. In the interim, we have a relief nurse who will be working in the community starting in January. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Hay River, we are in dire need of an emergency warming shelter for the homeless, so the questions I have are for the Minister of Housing and the Minister of Homelessness, which is the same person. I would like to ask the Minister if her department is prepared to provide assistance to a group in Hay River, a non-profit group, to assist setting up a temporary emergency warming shelter? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your comment. Right now, I'm not in a place to make a commitment to look at, I guess, the homeless shelter. I don't know; I'd have to look at what our plans are for Hay River, what money we have committed, do we have infrastructure that actually exists in that community, and what is the program development. I'm not familiar with what are the non-profit organizations that actually exist in Hay River, but I am wanting to work with the Member to find solutions to address this concern. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Well, I guess it's an emergency warming shelter because what's going to happen here is we've got people on the street and, with these temperatures, we're going to end up having somebody freeze, here. I guess what we are looking for, or the group is looking for, is some assistance. I don't think they are looking for anything too much, and we just need some, or they will need some, assistance from the Department, if possible. Thank you.
Thank you, Member. The time for oral questions has expired, but I will let the Member continue. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Member, for your comment. I will have to identify funding sources that are available through the Housing Corporation, that would meet the needs for the homeless shelter that wants to be established in Hay River. I do understand the needs throughout the Northwest Territories, and one of the ideas that I had, I am not going to commit to it, but I wanted to establish or have a homeless shelter in each of the regional centres because it is becoming a growing issue in our Northwest Territories. I am willing to work with the Member, but I need to find funding or available programs that would meet the need for the shelter in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the "Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 from April 1 to September 30, 2019." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.
