Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak to revising the Business Incentive Policy.
The GNWT spends over $260 million annually on products and services. The GNWT alone can be a primary driver of economic recovery in the NWT through purchasing power. The purpose of the Business Incentive Policy is to give preference to businesses that are owned and operated within the NWT. It is designed to promote economic growth and capacity within NWT businesses and the economy. Yet Members hear from constituents territory-wide of the challenges accessing government procurement opportunities.
Members have heard of the success stories in other circumpolar regions that level the playing field for small businesses competing for government contracts. Small business agencies provide financial and contractual assistance, as well as business development advice.
Committee is urging the GNWT to implement more forward-thinking policies and services that more effectively support and develop capacity among NWT businesses to compete for government contracts. Specifically, increasing client services and support to compete for GNWT contracting opportunities beyond the anticipated workshops and online one-stop-shop would be valuable.
50.7 percent of the total population is Indigenous, and yet there is no specific policy in the NWT that supports the development of Indigenous businesses. At the national level, and across the country, governments have established Indigenous business policies and strategies, with incentives such as advance communication, set-asides, and sole-source contracts to build capacity and competitive edge within the Indigenous private sector.
Revising the GNWT Business Incentive Policy to strengthen Indigenous participation in the NWT supports the economic measures laid out under the Tlicho Agreement, the Sahtu Dene Metis Comprehensive Land Claims, the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, and the NWT Metis Nation Land and Resources Agreement-in-Principle.
Specifically, the committee is recommending the GNWT:
review and revise criteria for eligibility under Schedule 3: Majority Non-Resident Owned Businesses (grandfathered businesses);
revise eligibility requirements to include NWT labour force requirements;
revise the 'lowest bidder' evaluation process to provide weight to other aspects of the bid, such as NWT and Indigenous labour development;
review bid adjustment percentages for contracts over $1,000,000; and
expand provisions for monitoring and compliance of BIP companies.
In addition to the revisions of policy, the GNWT needs to improve interdepartmental awareness, training, and procedures that enable large contracts to be broken down to sizes where NWT businesses can successfully compete. GNWT staff must understand NWT business capabilities better. Processes need to be established to ensure staff persons are seeking out, engaging, and working collaboratively with NWT businesses, especially Indigenous businesses, in all competitive processes.
The committee further recommends that the GNWT increase awareness of tools that can be used in procurement to encourage northern manufacturing. Committee notes the proactive actions from government to communicate with, support, and promote manufacturers of COVID-19 related supplies and would like to see this continue and be expanded upon.
Committee recognizes the commitment under the mandate to strengthen procurement policies and practices and improving participation in the Business Incentive Policy by NWT companies. Committee is recommending tangible action on this in a shorter term. Committee stresses the urgency to have an amended Business Incentive Policy integrated into government services as soon as possible.
A key pillar of the NWT economy is the private sector. The business decisions of the GNWT will directly impact the ability of businesses to grow, expand, diversify, and innovate. Building capacity and encouraging innovation within the private sector needs to be top priority for all contracts and business opportunities by all GNWT departments. The effective participation of the private sector is not only integral to community resilience but has been demonstrated to greatly assist in the recovery phases of a crisis.
SCEDE recommends the GNWT review and revise the Business Incentive Policy in collaboration with the business community as well as Members of the Legislative Assembly. SCEDE recommends this work commence immediately, and notwithstanding Recommendation 5, report to committee on the status of work by September 1, 2020, including a comprehensive work plan and a projected implementation date for the updated Business Incentive Policy.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the MLA for Thebacha to read the report next. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Strategic investments in energy infrastructure will contribute to higher standards of living for Northerners, lower the territory's high-energy costs, and improve private-sector business cases for future investments. Investing in infrastructure today sets up tomorrow's economic growth.
Moving forward through COVID-19, the need to be resilient and self-sufficient is increasingly apparent to all NWT residents. Sustainable energy (for residents, business, and industry) is a priority item for committee.
The Energy Action Plan 2019-2022 has identified the expansion of transmission line development to Fort Providence and Whati. Longer term goals include: hydropower expansion; connecting the transmission line south to the North American electrical grid; as well as north to potential future mining projects. The total capital investment required for this project is over $1 billion.
The committee recognizes Indigenous ownership in this project is critical and acknowledges the federal funding provided in 2019 to support Indigenous engagement of the Taltson Hydro Expansion project. Committee would like to know the results of this funding. Committee also acknowledges the mandate of the GNWT to establish collaborative partnerships with Indigenous governments for the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project.
The committee is additionally concerned of the capacity for northern businesses to maximize benefits in the construction phase. The GNWT can engage stakeholders and work interdepartmentally to lead efforts that advance NWT business capacity for the purposes of maximizing northern benefits from the construction, operations, and maintenance phases.
Committee also recognizes the GNWT is making efforts to modernize GNWT procurement to reflect best practices, and notes that these practices should be formalized prior to future construction of major projects.
SCEDE recommends the GNWT work with Indigenous stakeholders and define the Indigenous ownership of the Taltson Hydro Expansion. Committee further recommends the GNWT lead interdepartmental efforts with project stakeholders to develop a plan that builds capacity among northern businesses to maximize benefits from the construction of this project.
The next to come up is the MLA for Frame Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. In today's digital world, the Internet is integrated into every aspect of our lives, and we increasingly rely upon it for ever-expanding uses, including social, recreational, educational, health, employment, financial, business, and innovation opportunities. While all communities in the NWT have access to the Internet, the northern part of the territory is still largely connected on outdated, slow, intermittent infrastructure. The southern part of the territory, while connected to the fibre link, lacks redundancy and is subject to outages.
While the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project has been completed, the distribution system in northern communities is still lacking and the residents remain disconnected from the benefits of high-speed Internet access. The user price for northern communication services remains the highest in the country.
Furthermore, 20.3 percent of NWT households do not have Internet access. When looking at households without Internet connection across the territory, the regions with lowest access are the Tlicho and Dehcho, at nearly half of households not connected, followed by the Sahtu and Beaufort-Delta, at 30 percent not connected. Most major highways in the NWT have intermittent cellular service at best. COVID-19 has highlighted the critical importance of ensuring all NWT residents have consistent, reliable, and faster access to information from their homes.
Canada's Connectivity Strategy features two main objectives: that all Canadian have access to broadband at speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 10Mbps upload; and that mobile wireless services coverage is available where Canadians live and work, and along major road corridors.
Included in the new Universal Broadband fund, the Government of Canada will look to secure advanced, new low-latency Low Earth Orbit Satellite capacity. A process was launched in the spring of 2019 to bring reliable high-speed Internet access to even the most challenging-to-reach rural and remote homes and communities in Canada.
Northwestel's vision aligns with Canada's to bring 50/10Mbps Internet with unlimited data options to every community in the NWT. The company has submitted an application to Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to invest in Fiber-to-the-Home and LEO satellites to deliver on these objectives.
Improving the Internet connection in the NWT must be done in collaboration with industry, and supported through GNWT and Government of Canada investments. Committee acknowledges the GNWT mandate to advance work to support fast and reliable broadband Internet services in all NWT communities and would like to see this work prioritized in response to COVID-19. In support of the efforts to secure funding and produce community business cases, committee is looking for initial costed plans for the development of community distribution systems off the Mackenzie Valley Fiber Link, as well as LEO satellites to the most remote communities.
SCEDE recommends the GNWT complete a costed plan to provide broadband Internet connectivity across the territory comparable to the rest of Canada. In addition to the financial costs of extending broadband distribution into all communities, the plan should identify ownership model options, such as public, private, or partnership, for the delivery of broadband services. Notwithstanding Recommendation 5, committee recommends the costed plan be provided to committee by September 1, 2020.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to turn the final part of the report over to the chair of the committee, the honourable Member for Nunakput. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment recommends the Government provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories, and commends it to the House.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations has developed the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories concerning the Northwest Territories long-term, post-pandemic recovery, with a specific focus on the departments for which the standing committee has oversight: Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Finance, and Municipal and Community Affairs.
Committee is generally satisfied with the government's response to COVID-19, but feels that lessons can be learned to improve the Government of the Northwest Territories' response to future pandemics, including a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections requiring the Northwest Territories to return to a containment phase, as described in the Government of the Northwest Territories' plan for safely easing pandemic restrictions, Emerging Wisely: Continued Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the Northwest Territories.
With respect to the Government of the Northwest Territories' overall response to the pandemic, the standing committee feels that the Government of the Northwest Territories must build on the lessons learned from this experience to ensure that future emergency responses are as prompt as possible. Committee also feels that strong, visible leadership on the part of the Premier and her Cabinet Ministers is essential to ensuring a successful emergency response. With respect to the overall government response to future emergencies, committee makes recommendations in the following areas: the emergency response legislative framework; public communications; and enforcement.
I will now turn the reading over to Ms. Green. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic and to protect public health in the Northwest Territories, the Minister of Health and Social Services declared a territory-wide public health emergency on March 18, 2020, pursuant to the Northwest Territories Public Health Act. This declaration invested the Chief Public Health Officer with expanded powers, including the power to:
Authorize qualified people to provide additional aid and services, as needed;
Expedite emergency licensing of additional healthcare providers;
Make orders and provide directions restricting or prohibiting travel to or from any area within the Northwest Territories;
Coordinate and provide for the delivery of medical services; and
Procure and provide for the distribution of medical supplies and equipment across the NWT.
On March 24, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs declared a territorial state of emergency, pursuant to the Emergency Management Act. Similar to the declaration made under the Public Health Act, this declaration has also allowed for expanded powers, in this instance to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Emergency Management Organization (EMO) under MACA's administration. This enabled the GNWT to control and direct the actions of the government and its agencies to support the orders of the Chief Public Health Officer.
Committee supports the Premier's decision to take steps to assume clear authority for the overall government response, but notes that it can be destabilizing to replace a Cabinet Minister in the midst of an emergency and that such a move would not have been necessary had the appropriate legislative structure been in place to allow the Premier to take overall control of the emergency response without also having to assume the role of Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT undertake a review of the legislative framework supporting the GNWT's emergency response, with a view to determining what amendments are necessary to ensure that the Premier has overall administrative control whenever a public health emergency and a territorial state of emergency are declared under their respective acts at the same time. Committee further recommends that the GNWT bring forward a legislative proposal to make the necessary amendments to the GNWT's emergency response legislative framework during the life of the 19th Legislative Assembly.
I will now turn the report over to the honourable Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you.
Centralized, clear, and consistent communications to the public are important during an emergency. Such communications can ensure that people understand what is expected of them and that they know where to turn for help and further information. This is most important at the outset, when an emergency is called, because that is the time when public fears and uncertainty are at their highest. Again, committee is generally satisfied with the GNWT's communications response to the COVID-19 pandemic but feels that more should have been done, sooner, to put the government's emergency communications response in place.
During the earliest days of the GNWT's response, around the time that staff were instructed to begin working from home, Premier Cochrane found it necessary to self-isolate as a result of having travelled. Lack of visibility by the Premier, while understandable, reflected the lack of a clear communications plan for the Premier and her Cabinet to lead the public through this emergency.
Committee members appreciate the briefings that came to be held by the Premier and the Chief Medical Health Officer but notes that these could have been more effective if they had been scheduled to occur on a regular basis at a fixed time and if they had been clearly publicized through a variety of media channels. Committee believes the example set by the Prime Minister, who held regular daily briefings for the nation, should be emulated by the GNWT during any future emergency response.
Committee believes that the implementation of the 811 NWT COVID Support Hotline was a positive move but notes that it was not opened to the public until April 17, more than a month after GNWT employees were instructed to begin working from home. Committee encourages the GNWT to prioritize the opening of such a hotline in future so that the public has a number to call from the outset of a declaration of emergency. Committee further suggests that the GNWT should not move to close the existing hotline until well after the final pandemic response measures are lifted pursuant to Emerging Wisely.
Committee feels that, if ever there is a time when the GNWT should strive to speak as one government, with one voice, it is during an emergency such as that created by COVID-19. Members strongly encourage the GNWT to design and execute a public communications approach with this overarching objective in mind. Members note that multiple government websites and channels of communication created uncertainty for their constituents, who looked to their MLAs to confirm facts and quell misinformation. This uncertainty was exacerbated by the fact that information was not always kept current in all locations at the same time, leading to a lack of consistency in the information being made available to the public.
Committee was pleased to see the GNWT launch a definitive single COVID-19 website on May 9, 2020 but again notes that this was not done until almost two months after the onset of the pandemic. In future, the GNWT should strive to make such a website available from the outset of an emergency. Members also note constituent complaints about the lack of information in languages other than English and therefore feel that more effort must be made to provide information in as many of the NWT's official languages as possible.
Members also feel strongly that, particularly in the smaller communities, the availability of information by electronic means should not supplant the need for the GNWT to provide visible leadership to assist residents. In future emergencies, committee would like to see the GNWT keep a single office open in each of the smaller communities, where people can go to ask questions and seek clarity. Committee notes that the government service officers in the department of executive's single-window service centres might be best positioned to fulfil this role, provided they are equipped with the appropriate social distancing measures and personal protective equipment necessary to ensure their safety and that of their clients.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn it over to the honourable Member for Yellowknife North at this time.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee further believes that the GNWT needs to do more to communicate with its most vulnerable populations, many of whom do not have access to computers or who found their access limited as a result of the closure of schools and libraries. Such communications should focus on pamphlets, mail-outs, radio, and cable messaging designed specifically to reach residents who do not have access to computers.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT develop an emergency response communications protocol that ensures regularly scheduled updates to the public by the Premier and the appropriate emergency authorities whenever an emergency is declared under either or both the Public Health Act and the Emergency Measures Act. This protocol should also ensure that the GNWT's public response via electronic means is supplemented by non-electronic communications mechanisms.
The standing committee acknowledges the importance of ensuring that the public complies with the orders of the Chief Public Health Officer and supports the GNWT's efforts to mobilize and deploy an enforcement task force. Again, however, committee notes that the government's response was not as prompt as it could have been, pointing out that the announcement of the task force on April 8 did not come until a full three weeks after the declaration of a public emergency. It is committee's hope that gaps in existing enforcement efforts can be corrected now and that planning for future enforcement will include the identification of individuals and positions that can be seconded to work on enforcement, thereby allowing earlier deployment of an enforcement task force.
A number of issues arose with respect to enforcement that will need to be better addressed in future emergencies, including a possible second wave of COVID-19. The GNWT will need to work in collaboration with Indigenous and municipal governments to clarify the authority for establishing highway check stops outside of border crossings and to ensure that, where they are established, there are guidelines for their operation and consistency in how they are managed. The committee encourages the GNWT to obtain input from community representatives about how their issues and concerns were addressed in the COVID-19 response and to determine how to improve collaboration and make changes to any future response. This should include obtaining feedback about the efficiency and effectiveness of the isolation centres established in Inuvik, Yellowknife, Hay River, and Fort Smith.
Members have heard complaints from constituents who arrived at the border to discover that the GNWT did not have handouts containing information, or copies of forms that travellers were expected to complete. In some cases, the information that was disseminated did not include contact information for authorities.
There also appeared to be little consistency in follow-up with respect to ensuring that those in isolation are complying with orders. Committee believes that better enforcement would be supported by the development of a policy framework that, among other things, distinguishes between discretionary self-isolation, mandatory self-isolation, and mandatory isolation ordered by authorities; specifies how these differ with respect to enforcement; and which provides enforcement officers with guidance when verbal or written warnings are advisable, compared with fines or other punitive measures.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT undertake steps now to address the public concerns about gaps in enforcement so that remedies are put in place before the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 this autumn. Committee further recommends the planning necessary to ensure that an enforcement task force can be mobilized within 48 hours of a future declaration of emergency. The committee also recommends that the GNWT undertakes a dialogue with municipal and Indigenous governments to obtain their input on enforcement measures and to use this information to guide the development of a policy framework for the future enforcement of orders issued during a public health or territorial emergency.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask MLA Semmler to read the rest of the report. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The global response to the COVID pandemic has illustrated the vital importance of digital communications for both human interaction and business continuity. The ability of individuals and families to connect online has been critical to ensuring that people can work and study from home, stay abreast of the changing global situation, and nurture vital family and community networks to support community cohesion and individual mental health.
In 2017, the GNWT completed construction of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link project, a 1,200-kilometre fibre-optic line from Alberta to Inuvik. This public-private partnership project cost the GNWT $95 million in capital costs and will cost an additional $64 million in operational costs over the 23-year duration of the contract. The GNWT claimed to have "connected" six communities with a high speed, fibre optic, digital internet connection. However, the Finance Minister later stated, "Linking this backbone to the community is what's called the 'last mile.' This service is provided by the local service provider as GNWT is not in the business of providing local Internet service...We own Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line. I think we're responsible for getting it out to pop-out, as it's called in the community, and then their service provider would go from there." This has left it unclear which communities are directly linked to the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link and which are still waiting for local service providers to make the connection a reality.
There is also no clear plan for connecting those outlying communities that could have access to the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link, but which are not located directly on the path of the fibre link.
Lack of access to the NWT's digital infrastructure can put businesses, students, and vulnerable populations at a greater disadvantage during a pandemic. The GNWT must do all it can to ensure not only that the NWT has a robust digital infrastructure, but that all NWT communities are able to benefit from its existence. Committee takes note of initiatives such as the Yukon Government's decision to provide prepaid cell phones to at-risk populations during the COVID-19 emergency, and the provision of Wi-Fi in low-cost housing by some community housing associations. Committee encourages the GNWT to investigate some of the initiatives used in other jurisdictions and consider how they could be adapted for use in the Northwest Territories.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT develop digital communications plan for the Northwest Territories, that: assesses the state of telecommunications infrastructure serving each NWT community; identifies the costs and timelines associated with ensuring that all NWT communities have access to high-speed, digital telecommunications; and identifies who will be responsible for the work and how it will be achieved. The GNWT's long-term pandemic response must also include provisions ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to the Internet during a pandemic lockdown, by developing plans on a community-by-community basis for ensuring Internet access for individuals when libraries and community centres are ordered closed during a lockdown.
In the middle of March, the GNWT took the unprecedented step, as did many governments and businesses around the world, of directing its employees to begin working from home. This extreme but necessary decision allowed the GNWT to best protect the health and safety of its employees, while allowing for business continuity. It will, undoubtedly, yield lessons that can benefit the GNWT in preparing for future emergencies and help shape future business operations.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn it over to the Member for Thebacha. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Committee Members have heard a variety of concerns raised by their constituents about the experience of working from home. Front-line workers have expressed frustration that they are being required to risk their lives and put in long hours, while other GNWT employees are collecting their full paycheques while working from home, where they may or may not be working a full work week. Some constituents feel that the GNWT could be providing better support to employees to assist them to be productive while working from home.
The committee would like to see the GNWT undertake some analysis of employees' experiences while working from home, with a view to developing a "Working from Home Policy" to guide employees, should it become necessary for large numbers of employees to work from home in future. This policy should address the unique circumstances of front-line workers, should include accountability measures for all employees working from home, should identify the supports that will be provided by the GNWT to employees working from home, and should identify circumstances under which employees may be eligible to work from home during non-emergency periods, including circumstances necessitated by the GNWT's duty to accommodate ill or injured employees.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT prepare a "lessons learned" report, based on employee input, which can be used to inform the development of a "Working from Home Policy" designed to identify the circumstances under which employees will be authorized or directed to work from home, what supports are available to employees, and what expectations the GNWT has with respect to the accountability of staff members who are working from home. The committee further recommends that this work be completed by August 31, 2020, and shared with the standing committee for input, consistent with the 19th Legislative Assembly's Process Convention on the Standing Committee Review of Proposed Policy Initiatives and Implementation Plans.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Government Operations' Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the GNWT provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
The report has been moved into Committee of the Whole. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Committee Report 1-19(2), Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment's Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
The report has been moved into Committee of the Whole. Colleagues, before we continue, I would like to draw your attention to Mr. James Thomas, our new intern to the Clerk's Office. Today is his first day in this House. Welcome.
Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on long-term post-pandemic recovery recommendations to the GNWT and commends it to the House.
The Standing Committee on Social Development developed the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories concerning the Northwest Territories long-term, post-pandemic recovery, with a specific focus on the departments for which the Standing Committee has oversight: NWT Housing Corporation, Education Culture and Employment, Department of Health and Social Services, and the Department of Justice.
Overall, committee appreciates the work of the GNWT to integrate and align systems and resources to address the needs of NWT during COVID. Committee is especially supportive of coordinated efforts taken to make available housing, income, health, and addictions supports to residents most in need. Committee will be focusing on these areas in more detail as longer-term work undertaken over the four years of the 19th Assembly.
Limited access to programs and services in small communities is a long-standing concern. Throughout the government's COVID response, committee Members observed differences between the resources and planning made available to address the needs of residents in communities and those made available to address the needs of residents in Yellowknife. To improve the GNWT's response to future pandemics, including a potential second wave of COVID, committee would like to see an increased focus in the coordination of social development resources, policies, and programming to support emergency management planning with Indigenous and community governments.
At this time Committee recommends the following important resources and policies remain in place to support NWT residents during the GNWT's post COVID recovery efforts. Committee acknowledges that additional research and cost analysis may be needed by the GNWT in order to fully investigate and advance the following recommendations.
Committee appreciates ECE's recognition and responsiveness throughout the pandemic to support clients by making key policy changes to the territory's Income Assistance Program. Committee fully supports the department's use of client-focused policy and programming to address immediate financial needs. Preventative measures that have been put in place by all levels of government to cope with the pandemic and slow its spread appear to have succeeded in fending off worst-case scenarios. Preventative measures include ensuring vulnerable populations have access to stable and consistent income.
Stable income is one of the most important socioeconomic factors to positively influence all aspects of life and reduce downstream costs on other areas of social systems. The lack of adequate income underlies poverty and contributes to nutritional vulnerability, inadequate shelter, and compromised health and well-being. Committee recognizes economic recovery planning may increase the use of the Income Assistance Program as many NWT residents were ordered to reduce their hours, stop going to work, and have lost jobs. Many private businesses have been ordered to shut down or reduce operations and are now struggling financially to reopen. Committee feels continued support from ECE is required to support NWT residents to access a stable and reliable source of income.
Standing Committee on Social Development recommends ECE make permanent the policy changes made to support clients in response to COVID:
to continue to reduce the amount of verification information required to apply for Income Assistance, to ensure clients are registered as quickly as possible, and automatically assessed for both basic needs and enhanced benefits;
to continue with the allowable income exemptions and to increase the annual income limit for unearned income per year, on top of the money received from Impact Benefit Agreements, Treaty, or Land Claim agreements;
to continue to allow for clients to select self-care as a productive choice option, and reduce the requirement for face-to-face monthly reporting; and
to continue to payroll long-term, vulnerable IA clients, to increase consistent payments to a three-month reporting.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to turn it over to the honourable Member for the Deh Cho at this time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Committee appreciates the concerted efforts made by the GNWT to prevent the spread of COVID in the NWT. While the GNWT has done a remarkable job in preventing the spread of COVID, committee is concerned about the supply of standard and rapid testing kits available to the NWT residents, both currently and for future waves of the COVID. Testing units assist in diagnosing at a more rapid rate for situations where contact tracing is critical and actions to contain transmission can be put in place faster. With global shortages in the supply chain, the DHSS reports that the number of tests received weekly may fluctuate and is expected to continue to fluctuate going forward. Committee understands all COVID tests need to be validated through an accredited lab. For the NWT, the closest accredited lab is in Alberta. Committee shares concerns about potential delays in receiving test results, given the NWT's remote geographic area spread across 33 communities.
Standing Committee on Social Development recommends DHSS continue to work with national partners to increase testing supplies, materials, and Personal Protective Equipment to maintain a robust inventory for the anticipated second wave of COVID-19.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn it over to the Member for Yellowknife Centre. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee supports the changes in policy and processes made to the Transitional Rent Supplement Program, or the TRSP, to create greater accessibility for those renting in the private market. In Yellowknife and Inuvik, where most private market rentals are located, many renters experience challenges with affordable housing as a result of the high rent and shelter costs. In 2016, CMHC's Market Rental Report states Yellowknife has the highest rent in Canada. In 2020, results from the Energy Hub on energy rates across Canada also report that Northwest Territories residents are paying the most for electricity in Canada, contributing to the high cost of living in the territory. Recently, CMHC has reported on the potential for a new affordability measure. The current affordability measure, known as the 30 percent shelter cost-to-income ratio, or STIR, is a similar metric used to calculate the NWT subsidy rate under the TRSP. The Housing as a Hardship measure considers both housing and non-housing expenses when assessing affordability and is more sensitive to family size and location than the commonly used 30 percent standard. Committee recognizes COVID has brought many social issues front and centre, including the lack of housing and housing affordability in the NWT. As the GNWT begins the Emerging Wisely process, committee is interested in resilient action from government to ensure residents struggling with housing affordability issues are stabilized and for residents who do not have housing to receive financial support to access healthy affordable housing.
Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the NWTHC retain the policy changes made to the TRSP during the pandemic and to continue to improve access and affordability within private market housing until such a time that the Canadian Housing Benefit is operational.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to turn the reading of the report over to the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee supports the additional financial resources provided by ECE to licensed childcare programs and services to address costs associated with the pandemic and measures to sustain programming. Committee understands the continued need for affordable childcare and recognizes the fiscal and organizational challenges in the developing and maintaining childcare organizations in the NWT. Some of the challenges noted within ECE's review of administrative funding processes under Early Childhood Programs include the need to revise the funding allocations to meet the needs of child daycare facilities. This includes improving and increasing funding models to address challenges with fixed operating costs. Issues childcare organizations face include attendance-based funding. Problems occur when attendance drops and operation costs remain the same, leaving childcare organizations without enough funds to continue to pay for fixed overhead costs. Other issues for childcare programs include having enough funding for staffing costs, which represent approximately 80 percent of childcare programming costs. Subsidy rates vary depending on community, location, age of children, and full- or part-time status. In communities, the barriers to establishing a non-profit society and oversight board for childcare programs is particularly difficult, including locating safe, adequate, and affordable spaces, and the high maintenance costs and lack of funding to support necessary renovations.
Committee recommends the GNWT advance universal childcare by maintaining the additional funding provided during the pandemic to support operational, cleaning costs, employee wage subsidies, and food insecurity issues anticipated to be more severe post-COVID.
Committee supports ECE in efforts to provide home-based schooling during the pandemic, including the District Education Councils' approach to provide learning opportunities for JK to 12 students with flexible, home-based resources. Some examples from DECs' home-based supports include supplying jump drives, turbo sticks, devices and modems for digital learning, and distributing paper learning packages to students and families. DECs provide support to families to address food security and financial challenges through the distribution of gift cards. DECs also support mental health initiatives, like wellness checks and online or phone-in counselling services. Committee recognizes there are socioeconomic and geographical factors that contribute the limited access to technology and Internet in the NWT and that this can interfere with home-based learning. Approximately 20 percent of homes in the NWT are without Internet access, and in regions like the Deh Cho and Tlicho, 50 percent of homes are without Internet access. In a recent international review of children without access to Internet or digital technology, educators and policymakers have been called to expand their education strategies beyond online learning to include community-based resources, like radio and television broadcasts.
Another important area committee felt was necessary to make school systems stronger is the need for family outreach and engagement in education. Committee is aware students often do better when parents are engaged in their child's education, particularly when they ask questions about what they are learning at school.
Children of low-income families in the smaller communities are of interest to committee, as Members observe and have been informed schools frequently struggle to build meaningful connections with parents. To reduce any further inequalities caused by school closures during COVID, committee believes that, for students living in vulnerable homes, greater financial and peer support and outreach is needed to help parents work with their children to complete school work. To do this, committee feels it is important for schools to build meaningful and non-judgemental relationships with families deemed "high risk" to ensure families feel they can accept supports or reach out for help from schools.
Committee recommends ECE to direct the district education councils to keep technology to support student home-based learning during COVID. Committee also recommends ECE focus on positive interventions and outreach to improve relationships between families of high-risk or vulnerable students.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn it over to the Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Committee appreciates the work of the Department of Finance to increase support to low-income workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The GNWT made it possible for businesses to increase wages for employees 15 years and older earning less than $18 per hour through a temporary wage top-up. NWT minimum wage legislation states that employers must pay workers a minimum of $13.46 per hour. In contrast to the minimum wage, living wage is what full-time workers must earn to afford basic living expenses, based as closely as possible on the actual cost of goods and services within their community. In this way, community living wage rates can be an indicator of affordability.
In 2019, Alternatives North released living wage estimates for Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Hay River. All three communities came in at more than $23 an hour. A living wage is what it takes for a household to cover its basic expenses without severe financial stress. The calculation is based on a household with two full-time working adults and two young children. It accounts for government benefits and deductions, such as the Canada Child Benefit and income taxes. It doesn't factor in things like debt payments, home ownership, saving for children's future education, or the costs associated with caring for a disabled or elderly family member.
In the NWT there are approximately 2,999 households who report they had difficulties paying for living expenses, including transportation, housing, food, clothing, and other necessary expenses. Committee believes a wage top-up program can assist with economic recovery by supporting service-sector workers providing key programs and services to continue to employ NWT residents.
Committee recommends the GNWT continue to offer the wage top-up as a permanent program to businesses, providing financial assistance to NWT workers aged 15 or over and earning less than $18 per hour.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to turn it over to the Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Social Development, Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT.
The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the GNWT provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Committee Report 13-19(2), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on Long-Term Post-Pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Any abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
The report will be moved into Committee of the Whole. Colleagues, we will take a short recess. Thank you.
---SHORT RECESS
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In previous private statements to the Justice Minister, I made statements regarding Indigenous staff members within corrections not having a neutral mechanism to air grievances. Staff are sometimes terminated before the issue is even dealt with by the Union of Northern Workers. My question is: how is the Minister and her department going to deal with this type of injustice to our Indigenous public employees? Is this what accountability and transparency in the Department of Justice looks like? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
