Thank you, Member for Nunakput. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I feel obligated to say something about where we went with some of this stuff as a committee. Committees started to meet during the pandemic electronically. Of course, we were quite preoccupied by what was happening during the pandemic. We were trying to find ways to provide advice, recommendations to our Cabinet colleagues. Each of the standing committees has come up with its own report.
With this particular recommendation, I was a Member of the last Assembly, and towards the end, the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment did bring forward a report on procurement that was based on a survey of small businesses. One of the main recommendations was that there should be a review of the Business Incentive Policy and, more generally, procurement practises. That hasn't happened. I know it came towards the end of the life of the last Assembly, and perhaps we have been overtaken by the pandemic. I think we have heard numerous complaints as individual MLAs about the Business Incentive Policy, and thus, again, we are making this recommendation to move forward with a review. I certainly support this recommendation and timely action from our colleagues on the opposite side. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories work with Indigenous stakeholders and define the Indigenous ownership of the Taltson Hydro Expansion; and further, that the government of the Northwest Territories lead interdepartmental efforts with project stakeholders to develop a plan that builds capacity among northern businesses to maximize the benefits from the construction project. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I will not be supporting this recommendation for a variety of reasons. I tried to work within committee to broaden the scope of the recommendation beyond the Taltson Hydro Expansion to look at building Indigenous capacity and partnerships in general to maximize benefits, which I certainly support. The work proposed in this motion is already underway, so I don't really see the need to make this recommendation.
Natural Resources Canada and Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are providing $619,950 to "support Indigenous engagement" in the Taltson Hydro Expansion as announced in January of 2019. Committee did not seek information on the status of this work. I raised this issue when we were reviewing the supplementary estimates yesterday, and I look forward to receiving that information. I am also of the view that, in terms of critical infrastructure for post-pandemic recovery, Taltson expansion is not a priority and should not be a priority. It is not anywhere near shovel-ready and it will take years of planning, environmental assessment, and permitting before it is ready, if ever. The top priority for critical infrastructure should be improving the broadband Internet connectivity in all NWT communities to Canadian standards, and that is something that I believe the federal government is ready to invest in.
To be clear, I have always supported the use of currently available power from Taltson to build the South Slave regional economy, including use for space heating, electric vehicles, small-scale transmission lines to adjacent communities, and possibly even a submarine line to Yellowknife, depending on the outcome of ongoing studies. However, the full extent of Taltson expansion, we have not yet seen a business case for it. We haven't seen a full project description. There are no confirmed buyers, and I have serious doubts about the financial viability of the full expansion. The most recent cost estimates are over $2 billion, and a recent study showed that the Taltson hydro expansion is also the most expensive option per unit of greenhouse gas emissions saved.
There was a previous attempt at Taltson hydro expansion by Deze Energy. That corporation was one-third owned by NWT Energy Corporation, or the GNWT, essentially, and two-thirds by Indigenous development corporations. There was an environmental assessment of that project that started in 2007, and it was withdrawn in 2013. It's my understanding that about $17 million was spent on that project before it was withdrawn.
In any event, I believe that there are better ways to build energy self-sufficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create more jobs and benefits for Northerners than through the Taltson expansion project. So, Madam Chair, for all of those reasons, I will not be supporting this recommendation from the committee and this motion. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I do agree with many of the sentiments expressed by my colleague from Frame Lake. One of the issues I struggle with is that expanding strategic infrastructure projects, including Taltson, was made a priority of this Assembly, it's in our mandate, and then therefore the government is working on it, and to me it is committee's direction to provide that direction on how to do that. I still think there are a lot of questions to be answered about Taltson, and whether we actually build it or find a buyer, I think, is the biggest one, but to me, what this recommendation really gets to is we've seen other large P3s built. We've even seen the Tlicho all-season road, an Indigenous P3, built, and we still don't get the northern labour numbers. We still don't get the Indigenous ownership that we should see from these P3s. To me, that is the specific wording that this recommendation really gets to; that, if we're going to be building these massive infrastructure projects, let's make sure we get them built by northern companies and employing Northerners. Ultimately, I will be supporting this recommendation coming out of committee, in support of it being a priority and a mandate item. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Thebacha.
I will be supporting this recommendation because I think it's the only way to go. Laying the groundwork for the future economy is extremely important to not only the South Slave but the entire Northwest Territories, and the larger piece of the whole puzzle is that Yellowknife will get power from the Taltson, and all along the way, that they don't have now. Green energy is extremely important. Cutting the power bills so that there are going to be lower bills is extremely important. Setting the groundwork for future large proponents is extremely important. I'm very positive about the economy. I think this is a P3, and it is going to be owned by Indigenous people, and it doesn't necessarily have to be 25 percent. It might be 50 percent. Who knows the plan? I was part of the initial plans from the start, in the earlier years, and it's something that could be done, and I know will be done, and the people of the Northwest Territories support it. I think that it is extremely important that the expansion of the Taltson hydro move forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I support this recommendation. What we have to do is we've got to look to working with Indigenous groups. We need to look at Indigenous ownership on some of these major projects. The other thing is we do need access to green energy and, in the South Slave, or even in the North, if we're going to promote manufacturing, we need access to cheap power, and right now we don't have that. This would provide opportunities in training, capacity building, business opportunities, contracting, a number of areas, so I think that it is okay to dream big. It's moving ahead, slowly, but we have to keep pushing, just like anything else. If we want more houses in the Northwest Territories, we have Members who keep pushing for that. At the same time, we have to continue pushing for the economy and building the economy, as well, so for that, I do support it. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories complete a costed plan to provide broadband Internet connectivity across the Northwest Territories comparable to the rest of Canada; and further, 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; and furthermore, that the costed plan be provided to committee by September 1, 2020. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days. Thank you, Madam Chair.
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? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Does committee agree that this concludes consideration of Committee Report 1-19(2)?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. That concludes consideration of Committee Report 1-19(2). I would like to thank the chair of the committee, the Member for Nunakput.
Members, committee has agreed to consider Committee Report 3-19(2), Standing Committee on Social Development Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the GNWT. Does the chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development have any opening remarks? Ms. Cleveland.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As noted by the Member for Nunakput, the GNWT's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the long-term recovery of our economy and territory have been the focus of all committees' discussions. The Standing Committee on Social Development focused its work on the response of the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment, Health and Social Services, Justice, and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. As chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development, I am pleased to introduce this report and would like to take this opportunity thank committee members for their hard work and contributions to both the development and finalization of this report. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Cleveland, Member for Kam Lake. Committee, we've agreed to forgo general comments on the report and proceed directly to the recommendations. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment make permanent the policy changes made to support clients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 benefits 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 Income Assistance clients to increase consistent payments to a three-month reporting. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Madam Chair. For more than 10 years in the time that I've been here and the time that I worked with the YWCA, there have been repeated calls to revamp the Income Assistance Program, which is well known to be onerous to comply with if you're a client and onerous to deliver if you're staff. One of the great things about COVID is that it jump-started the reform of the Income Assistance Program in ways that are very helpful to clients by giving them additional money and less paperwork to complete. This has been a change that's been very well received and is very important to me, personally, that these changes which have started us on the road to revamping Income Assistance continue in place and that we continue the conversation about how this program can be strengthened so that it not only keeps people in poverty, which it is well known to do, but it actually helps them get out of poverty. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. To the motion. Member for Frame Lake.
Thanks, Madam Chair. I want to thank the social development committee for allowing me to sit in on some of their discussions. I support these changes that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment made, and I want to commend the Minister and his department for these creative changes made during the pandemic. We have to make sure that they actually stay in place. That's the purpose of this motion.
We had the release of the integrated case management program recently the Minister tabled a report in the House. It's a very good report that says a lot of good things about integrated case management. What I took away from that is that we need to find a way to transition our system from, as I think it's been characterized, the punitive nature of Income Assistance to much more of an enabling, empowering system. That's what integrated case management actually does. We need to expand that outside Yellowknife. We need to expand it across the NWT and the way to do that is to transition our Income Assistance program to providing a guaranteed basic income. Integrated case management makes the case for doing it in that way. If we're able to get Income Assistance workers and transition them into guaranteed basic income pathfinders and pathfinders through integrated case management, we're almost there.
With the federal government supports offered through CERB, we're almost there at a guaranteed basic income. I'm happy to support this, but what we really need is a precise roadmap from where we are to where we need to be in terms of universal basic income. That's a challenge to my colleagues on the Cabinet side and perhaps the colleagues on this side with social development. We need that roadmap. Step by step, how are we going to a guaranteed basic income so that we enable all of our residents to become full citizens in our economy and exercise all their rights and meet their potential. That's what we really need is a guaranteed basic income. This is a step in the right direction, so I'm happy to support it. Thanks, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services 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. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Madam Chair. This recommendation has taken on particular importance today now that the Minister of Health and Social Services has shared modelling numbers of the number of potential hospitalizations, the number of potential cases, the number of potential deaths. We obviously need to be on top of our testing and contact tracing game. I know there has been a lot of testing to date, but that's based on five cases. If we end up with a hundred cases, a thousand cases, we need to be ready. The purpose of this recommendation is really to encourage the Minister to continue working with the national partners to make sure that our stockpile is equal to the task of a second wave. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Kam Lake.
