Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ECE. And first I'd just like that thank my colleague for raising her concerns around this process. And I'm really glad to hear that the Minister's been having lots of ongoing conversations with Fort Smith and with the city. However, Mr. Speaker, I would have to wonder where my consideration was as the first time I heard about this was through the rumour mill and found out along with the rest of the public.
So Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of questions around this.
First off, can the Minister explain what other locations within the city of Yellowknife have been considered and why were they not selected and Tin Can Hill was? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I understand the Member's frustration. Sometimes the rumour mill gets ahead of government and before there are decisions made, before all of the steps are followed, that information can be shared. Information gets leaked and so that was the situation. It came as a surprise to a number of people and so it wasn't by design that things were out there in the public before the MLAs were informed.
Really, the team looked at everywhere in Yellowknife. There were some requirements that, you know, were needed. So the space needed to be large enough for future expansion. There's a desire to have a site that would allow for ontheland learning, for cultural spaces, a place that was close to the downtown core, somewhere where all of the, you know, facilities could be located together. So these are some of the requirements that we wanted to have as part of this. And, you know, for perhaps many of the reasons that there's a long history of proponents trying to develop Tin Can Hill, it's because it's a great site. It's because it has all of those aspects. And so it is clearly the most preferable place for a polytechnic university. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That could have been answered in just as an everywhere answer, so I would just ask that the Minister please speed up his responses.
Can the Minister please tell me when the public consultation began?
Mr. Speaker, it seems to be a bit of a habit that things become a done deal before we're ever asked about them. Clearly, my residents were also, my constituents were also very surprised by this decision and now many are worried that they will not have an input and it will all just be lip service. So can the Minister speak a bit to the public consultation process and when is that going to begin? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a City of Yellowknife consultation process. From what I understand, it's already began. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So what I hear, then, is that the GNWT and ECE itself did no public consultation before they made their decision to go with this site so I'm really glad to know that our inputs are being considered here.
How much consideration has been given to the fact that the access to this location will be through residential areas that cannot sustain the traffic patterns that a university or college would require? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part of the facilities master planning, students were engaged, staff were engaged, Indigenous governments were engaged, the city was engaged, and now we are in the public portion that is being run by the city. It's a city process. There will be plenty of opportunity for public input in this zoning process. And the types of things that the Member is talking about right now traffic access. Those are exactly the types of things that this established public process is going to consider. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we're done here, I will forward the email that I received and referred to in my statement about the numerous times that Tin Can Hill has been proposed for development, and it has been shot down by residents. I'm, again, concerned about the waste of money on this project going forward as I can tell you, from what I'm gauging from listening to residents, they do not want it. And for them to not have been asked, for my constituents to not have been asked, is unacceptable. And, again, it's just a matter of this government doing whatever they would like to do. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't hear a question there but the asking is happening now. There's actually a process being administered by the City of Yellowknife where public input will be solicited. So that's what's happening. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recognizing that global gas price increases due to the UkraineRussian war are creating staggering impacts for our communities, what steps, if any, can the GNWT take to soften the tremendous blow of these increases on our citizens? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, this government is alive to some of the issues in terms of, you know, the rising prices. And we, as a government, have done a number of things to be able to help the residents in the communities. You know, Education, Culture has some subsidies. ENR has some subsidies. So we are helping the residents in the communities. Thank you.
Thank you. Can the Minister commit to looking at all potential actions, including a potential shortterm reduction in gas taxes, to offset the impact of global price increases when carrying out the next gas price adjustment? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Petroleum Products Revolving Fund Act requires the GNWT to recover all operating costs from the sale of petroleum products. In other words, we are not permitted to undercharge or overcharge our customers for what it costs to provide petroleum products to each community that participates in the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Will the Minister commit to look in to further subsidies to stabilize the rising costs of living in small communities or programs to ensure people can get out on the land? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we can definitely have a discussion with Cabinet on how this government can be able to provide subsidies or programs out there. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Monfwi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In yesterday's auditor general report, it became clear that we have to make sure there is coordination in our response to the substance abuse issues in this territory. And I think one of the clear lines of coordination is of the RCMP's role. But I think before we even have that conversation, we have to make sure we're on the same page.
So my question for the Minister of Health and Social Services is does she believe that our response to substance abuse issues is first and foremost a health issue and not a criminal one? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for the question.
There's obviously an overlapping responsibility here where Justice is primarily responsible for what's criminal and how to enforce that, and Health and Social Services is responsible for what is a health issue and how to respond to that. So the change yesterday doesn't address the primary concern of health which safe supply of illicit drugs, the amount of drugs, and whether they qualify as possession or should be seized is really a Justice issue. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I have asked these questions of Justice before. Today I directed them to Health because the decision ultimately made was by the BC public health asking for an exemption to the federal Minister of Health.
And so my question for our Minister of Health is does she agree with the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs, 60 percent of the Canadian public, the overwhelming amount of public health officials, the federal Minister of Health, the BC Minister of Health, and really anyone who has worked on the front lines, that decriminalization is a step that saves lives and is a tool we need to use in our fight against substance abuse? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't offer an opinion on that. This is a first in Canada, the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. We're very interested in seeing what comes of this in BC. And of course because the toll of overdose deaths has been so huge in BC, we are hoping that it is successful in helping people to address the stigma of receiving treatment for illicit drug use. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I heard the Minister of Health say in her first response that one of the key things to a health response is safe supply. And this was fundamental and essential to BC being granted this. I know Yukon has implemented similar safe supply work. I'm wondering if the Department of Health has any plans to address safe supply here in our territory? Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the situation is very different in the Yukon. They have declared a public health emergency around overdose deaths following a series of deaths right after the New Year. We had three overdose deaths in the NWT in the first three quarters of last year. And three is too many. But compared to the toll that alcohol takes on people in the NWT, alcohol is a much more significant problem, and it's the one that we are addressing with the development of the territorial alcohol strategy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am well aware that alcohol is of a primary concern and issue to our substance abuse issues. But I think absent action now, we will find ourselves in a similar situation to the Yukon in the years to come. We have seen increasing drug use and many people on the front lines speak to that regularly.
But my question for the Minister of Health is BC in granting this or in receiving this application, the federal Minister of Health said this is really a template for how to respond to substance abuse issues. So I'm wondering if the Minister of Health will commit to looking at that application and looking at the federal guidelines that they put on BC in regards to reporting into tracking this. I want to at least make sure we are aware of what's going on in this area, because much of the data that BC was required to track is similar to what our own auditor general has asked us to track. So if the Minister of Health could at least commit to look at the application and see what we could learn from that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the suggestion and I'm prepared to take it. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure, I got your message there that you didn't get my comments clear as when I was reading it out so I do apologize for the bad internet services here in the community of N'dilo and my other constituent riding of Lutselk'e.
Mr. Speaker, the fuel service division buys fuel once a year and stores it in the tanks throughout the Northwest Territories. Each summer, the division resupplies its fuel storage. Why are customers being charged more in April and May in the community of Lutselk'e when the prices for the Government of the Northwest Territories has not been increased and is selling fuel bought in 2021? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned to the Member from Monfwi about the rising prices in fuel here in the Northwest Territories, we do have a Petroleum Products Revolving Fund Act that again requires us to recover some of the costs. The wholesale price of petroleum products has increased dramatically, as have transportation costs to be able to get that fuel to the communities as a result of the price of diesel. So the wholesale pricing, petroleum pricing was volatile during the resupply program, and the GNWT made reasonable efforts not to purchase petroleum products when the prices spiked. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister explain why increases for community government customers, social assistance and senior heating subsidy has increased more than for nonprofit customers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I could ask my colleague why his costs have increased but we can get back to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister. Can the Minister explain why this increase was necessary despite the existence of the fuel service division revolving fund? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, retail fuel prices are adjusted periodically to reflect the recovery of full laden costs of fuel, including the product costs, the transportation costs, commissions from sales, operation and maintenance expenses, evaporation loss, and taxes. Those are the reasons, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister. My next and final question will be what can we do this fiscal year to help reduce the fuel prices for the community of Lutselk'e? We just don't want to have another price increase midway through or three quarters of this next fiscal year. So normally when these fuel prices go to tender, it's all inclusive. But then this year, it increased. So I want to know what we could do for next year so that the community's not caught off guard again for another fuel increase increases of fuel prices. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The capital costs and the financing charges are not recovered from the consumers. So I mean that's another reason. And what can we do to, you know whether we increase or, you know, the fuel costs, the adjustments are made by commodity and by community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the importance in ease of access to goods and services is something many Canadians take for granted, but not so much for small communities in the NWT and more so when there's no highway access south.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Infrastructure confirm what progress is being made on completing that portion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you will recall that back in 2018 the GNWT secured $140 million under the transportation Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund to be able to continue to advance the Mackenzie Valley Highway. This is also a priority of this government.
In the time since, extensive work has been done on a desktop and a field studies to gather environmental and engineering baseline data to be able to support the regulatory applications and the environmental assessment.
The focus this year is on collection of outstanding and environmental engineering baseline data. We will also continue to focus heavily on engagement to gather public input on the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway corridor alignment and anticipated construction activities.
We have continued to work with SSI through an establishment of an MOU for the project. We've had discussions with PKFN in regards to how best we can work together to advance these important projects.
All this work will inform the developer's assessment report, which we expect to submit to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Review Board this fall.
With regards to the bridges, Mr. Speaker, over the past few years, extensive work has been done to replace most of the existing water crossings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. I think it might have just about answered everything here. But I'm going to ask anyway.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm what is the expected cost to complete that portion of the highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells and what are the factors driving any increase in cost? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
