Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was already some time ago that there were conversations happening within the BDIC around what to do with the loan deferral program, and the option that we took was one of reaching out, in fact, to every single one of the 139 loan clients who had their loan payments deferred. In doing that, they were better able to tailor their response such that quite a number have actually begun to resume their regular payments. Of the remaining 76, in fact, who had requested some further reductions or deferrals, they were able to tailor-make the program to either defer or to reduce payments or to essentially otherwise be able to be really business-specific and client-specific in their response rather than a blanket deferral. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That is good news for businesses. Businesses are also concerned that the interested rates charged by the BDIC are higher than those currently charged by the banks, and a good reason for it. Can the Minister confirm if the BDIC would consider reviewing current interest rates charged to clients and potentially reducing it retroactive to the beginning of the pandemic and at least for the duration of the pandemic?
Interest rate reductions certainly are a little bit more complicated, and that is really a lot of the way in which the BDIC generates the funds on which it relies to actually run the programs that it provides and to provide the loan portfolio that it currently has. It's a fairly delicate balance. That is not something that is right now being looked at. That said, obviously, as we move into a recovery stage and continue to go through the recovery stage, BDIC, as I just said in my last response, continues to be quite client-oriented in looking at specific ways of solving issues and solving problems, so I am confident that, if that is an option that is available to them, they will look at it but again with the caveat that that is an area that is one that has to be fairly delicately balanced.
Some of the BDIC clients have had limited or no revenue over the last year due to the pandemic. Yet, they are required to pay interest and principal amounts on equipment that is not generating any revenue or assets that are sitting idle. Considering that the BDIC is a developmental lender, will the Minister consider having the BDIC waive some of the interest accrued on BDIC loans as a supportive initiative for those businesses impacted by the pandemic? This would allow them to, hopefully, the ones who require the help, survive this probably another year of slow business.
As I said at the beginning, my understanding is that BDIC has contacted all of their clients. There were some whom they were unable to get a hold of, and certainly, there are no doubt some whose situations may continue to change. I cannot say strongly enough that, anyone who is a client of BDIC or who might benefit as a client of BDIC, that they please get in touch with the loans officers. There are a number of different options. For example, although some businesses have restarted on their regular payments, some have renegotiated to actually have lower payments than what they had before, some are paying only principal or only interest, and some are seeking to continue to defer entirely. BDIC is really trying to be client-oriented here, so what I would say, again, is: rather than a blanket tool, we are trying to be client-specific and client-responsive, so if there are businesses out there which need that support, please contact the BDIC. They are going to work with them to try to continue to provide the supports that they have been providing.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is some concern whether or not all or most existing business supports put in place at the outset of the pandemic will continue or end at March 31st or sometime thereafter. Can the Minister give us some idea what business supports will continue in place and which ones will be eliminated? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There is actually quite a complex network of supports, I would say, both from the federal government, some from the GNWT, and many through the support of both levels of government. Right now, it's really only the GRIT program that is certainly sunsetting. A lot of the other programs were filling in of gaps or topping up of programs. It is certainly our effort and our intention to continue to do that into the new fiscal year. A lot of things became available in the latter part of this fiscal year, when there was an awareness that, for example, some businesses needed bookkeeping support, so running that program up so that those who needed it could get those supports to apply for further funding. As much as can remain in place will remain in place, and as the new year gets off and as we receive a federal budget later this month and find out what is coming out there, I am very confident we are going to continue to do what we have done over the last year, which is to fill gaps and to top up and to find areas that are not otherwise being addressed and to continue to address them. Again, there is no intention to stop supports. It's a matter of figuring out, as the pandemic progresses, what we need to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. I have talked about Whati, the transmission line, the power generators in the community, the lack thereof, power to the community. The community of Whati is somewhat confused now. For the last 10 or 15 years, they have been talking about the Whati Nailii project, and then, just recently, they are starting to talk about a Snare hydro transmission line, and now we are talking about a new generator going into the community. I would like to ask the Minister of Infrastructure: what is the latest status? Where are we at with the community's transmission line, either from the hydro perspective, from Snare Hydro, or the transmission line directly to the community? What is the status on that? Masi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Whati transmission line, where we're at right now, we're advancing, planning, consulting, and engaging the activities, which involves the construction of the 60-kilometre transmission line to be able to replace the diesel electricity generation. I do want to note that we are actively working with the Tlicho government on this project and are meeting this week to be able to discuss the creation of a working group. That's where we're at, Mr. Speaker.
When I speak in this House, I represent my people, as their voice. It's the community of Whati today I'm speaking of, and they are tired of the talks under way, the consultation that the Minister alluded to. There needs to be an action-oriented process. This has been a long wait, well over 20 years since we talked about the mini-hydro initiative. Now, a transmission line. We're still talking today, 20 years versus 20 hours of a power outage. I, for one, would like for this government to act on what is in the best interest of the community, and that is the power hook-up. The next question I have is: how much would it cost to hook up Whati onto the Snare power grid and what portion of that would be the federal government's perspective?
We are currently hoping to finalize the routing for the project with the Tlicho Government, as it is on their lands, as the Member mentioned. It is an important aspect of this project, once the route is selected, to be able to undertake a technical and routing work to be able to cost and support the funding application to Canada. We're not there yet in terms of what the actual costs may be, other than we are planning, we're engaging, we are doing some of the working group stuff that needs to be done to be able to go forward with the project.
It's important that we highlight the proposals that are going forward with the GNWT and the federal government, talking about the technical work that the Minister alluded to. I would like to ask more specifically: regarding the hydro hook-up for Whati, what technical work needs to be completed for this government to finalize its application for the Investing in Canada infrastructure program?
I may have to get back to update the technical work regarding the route. It is at the early stage of where we're at with the planning, so it's hard for me to be able to speak technically about this issue without understanding a little bit more on what it would take.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister touched on the formation of a working group to deal more specifically with the Whati transmission line project. I would like to know whether that will be established during the life of the 19th Assembly? We still have two and a half years. Obviously, I would like for this to be expedited because the community wants to prevent this from happening, the 20-plus-hour power outage, so could we expedite the process of establishing the working group and, during the life of this Assembly, a proposal be submitted to the federal government? Is that possible, Mr. Speaker? Masi.
The Member will be happy to know that we hope to have a funding application to Canada within the next 12 months. I do want to make note that, on April 17th, I'll be meeting with the Tlicho Government in Behchoko, and we have five subject matters on the menu: the Whati access road off Highway No. 9, Highway No. 3 safety concerns, the Slave Geological Province Corridor, the Whati transmission line, and Gameti mini-hydro. Those are some of the subject matters that I will be speaking to the Tlicho Government about on April 17th. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the Minister's recent visit along with her senior management to the Taltson Dam site, does the Minister agree that this expansion project is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for the future of the NWT economy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I agree. This is a priority of the 19th Legislative Assembly because it's a critical piece of infrastructure. The Taltson expansions is critical to the future of the economy of the Northwest Territories and also to be able to meet some of our greenhouse gas reduction targets. We remain committed to advancing this project and also working with Indigenous partners to explore some economic development and job creation opportunities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I know the Minister has seen the trends within the automobile industry regarding electric vehicles and the future. Does the Minister consider this economic trend as a key indicator for the importance of this expansion project?
Yes; another yes. Growth in electric vehicles has been considered in the business case. We all know that we need to be able to head towards electrification of the economy to be able to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions but also to stay competitive. The best way to be able to do this is through renewable hydro power such as the Taltson expansion.
Does the Minister agree with the need to supply energy to the information technology and digital economies of the future? Does the Minister consider these as essential factors for the business case for this project?
While the information technology and digital economies were not specifically considered in this business case, as I said, we need renewable power to green industry and electrify our economy. We also need to be able to attract green investment in mining and also reduce some of our greenhouse gas emissions.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope I get a yes on the last one, too. I want the Minister to understand that, to prepare for the Taltson expansion, the superintendent must be reinstated in a central office in Fort Smith with proper office support and the lines must be under that superintendent. Would the Minister consider this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Taltson expansion project is in the business case, like I just said, development phase. This work is led by the Department of Finance with support from the Department of Infrastructure. The GNWT and the Indigenous government partners have established a working group and have actively engaged in the scoping and the development of the proposed Taltson hydro expansion project and also exploring options for a business partnership. I think the Member will be happy to hear that. I also relayed to the community members that, should the expansion project proceed through the business development phase, NTPC will consider what impact this will have on staffing for the region. Further to this, with my NTPC and Infrastructure hat on, NTPC regional offices are staffed by employees from a cross-section of divisions, with some reporting to supervisors who may not be based in their communities. The crew line is one example where safety, efficiency, and availability of resources uses this structure, which is considered best practice in the utility industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first answer, I am hoping for a yes. Presently, right now, if you want to access the law resource centre, it is behind a locked door. Is the Minister willing to unlock the door? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I love it when I can say "yes," so I wish the Member would have asked me a different question.
---Laughter
In this case, Mr. Speaker, having access to the library through a FOB allows there to be 24-7 access for lawyers in the territory, which is valuable for small law firms and independent lawyers who have the ability to go to the courthouse any time of the day, after hours, and get into the legal resource centre. During the day, members of the public can access that resource, as well. They just have to talk to staff, and they will let them in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was really hoping that we could free the books there. I think there is a larger question here about, since the cut was made to the law library, whether there are any plans in this area. That would begin with reinstating a law librarian position. Does the department have any plans to reinstate a law librarian?
No. I want to thank the Member for bringing this up because, really, what the issue is, as I see it, is access to justice. A law librarian in Yellowknife is a way to increase that access to justice. Primarily, though, it is a tool for lawyers. I think that we share the same ideal of increasing access to justice, and there are other ways to do it. If we were to put resources into something, I don't think that a law librarian in the downtown Yellowknife courthouse is necessarily the best way to do it and the best way to reach the most citizens of the territory.
I tend to agree with the Minister, but my concern here is that we seem to have no plans in this area to increase access to justice. Right now, I know that we have done some good work. We have one outreach lawyer. They run a Legal Aid clinic that does some of this work in poverty law, but I think there is definitely much more that can be done in that area. I think it starts by having it be a more public-facing law centre, one where people can find access to resources. Are there any plans to expand our current Legal Aid outreach clinic so that, perhaps, people looking for information can start there?
We just went through a lengthy budget process, and as the Member is aware, there are no additional resources in that budget for the Legal Aid outreach clinic. That being said, I think that it is a very valuable area, and it is one area that I am pushing for and trying to figure out how we can expand it. I think that it is one of those areas that we could have even located outside of Yellowknife. We could have a position somewhere else and expand the access to residents across the territory. There are opportunities for outreach lawyers to create educational materials for residents to give them better access to justice.
This is one area that I am definitely looking into. We are gathering the statistics. We are making the cases. Hopefully, we will be able to add something in the future. We are lobbying the federal government. I will note that the Northwest Territories probably has, maybe next to Nunavut, the most generous Legal Aid services in Canada by a long shot. The budget is already stretched pretty tight, but I think that it is a place that we really should be looking at making more investments.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear that this is something that the Minister is looking into. I think that one of the concerns that I have in this area is that the resources seem to be in a lot of different places. I know that Legal Aid does good work, and I know that the court workers do good work. The law resource centre could use a little work. There seems to be a lot of resources in different places. I think the solution here is really bringing them together into some sort of arm's-length law centre, a place that could take on articling students. I know there is talk in this territory of starting a law school similar to Nunavut, a place that you could actually go and have access to a multitude of services. In reviewing this, is the Minister willing to look into how we are currently setting out resources between the Legal Aid commission, the law resource centre, or the Department of Justice, and perhaps there is some room to put them all in one, more public-facing body? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Member raises great points. This legal resource centre was initially supposed to be more open to the public on the first floor of the courthouse, but things came up during renovations. It moved up to the fourth floor. He is correct that it is separate from a lot of our other resources. I think that is the type of work that we need to be doing, looking at how we can have more of a storefront, how we can make these services more accessible. As we move forward, I am having those conversations with the department. There is nothing in the works right now, given that we don't have the new offices lined up, and there are costs associated with it and a lot of work that needs to be done. I think these are the kinds of things that we need to be doing as a government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In my statement, I outlined some of the good work her department is doing on suicide prevention, but I also pointed out some issues around after-care as highlighted by a constituent with personal experience. Can the Minister tell us whether it is normal practice to develop an after-care plan for individuals who have attempted suicide, how such plans are monitored, and what support is available for affected families? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member for Frame Lake for the question. Once a suicide attempt has taken place, the first step is to assess whether the person requires medical treatment and, as part of the medical treatment, whether the person would benefit from being certified under the Mental Health Act. That would be hospital route. The non-hospital route is to speak with the individual, determine that admission to the hospital is not necessary, and then do a risk assessment with them.
When it is deemed safe for the person to leave the hospital, they take with them a safety plan that includes community-based supports as well as a referral to follow-up services, such as the Community Counselling Program and/or psychiatry. Psychiatry wait times for urgent cases are one to two weeks.
These plans are individualized based on need, but it is important to know that it is up to the person to follow through with these plans and access the supports and services. If the person has not been assessed and in need of hospitalization, then there isn't a way for the Department of Health and Social Services to impose treatment on that person. It needs to be driven by them, and our role is to make sure that they have a full understanding of the supports that are available to them. Thank you.
I want to thank the Minister for that. I am just not sure that someone who has attempted suicide is always in a place where they can accept that kind of advice. There doesn't seem to be, I think, enough support for families, and that is what my constituent has said. Regarding the implementation of the stepped care element of the mental wellness and addictions recovery plan, can the Minister say how the proposed measures will emphasize follow-up on suicide attempts to really improve after-care and support for families?
