Thank you, Madam Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
No, that's it, thank you
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is part of my question, okay. We all know Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories are struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, grief, loss, violence, and intergenerational trauma from colonization, residential school and systemic racism. Many want to go to treatment but are turning to alcohol and drugs to cope because the NWT does not have a territorialbased treatment facility. The overwhelming majority of the NWT residents want, a territorialbased treatment facility. Why doesn't the territory have a treatment facility located in the territory? Thank you
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
The simple reason that we don't have a treatment centre is because they don't work. We have tried four times. The effort to provide one treatment centre for all the regions, languages, and cultures hasn't been successful; people don't attend. And what we found is by giving people options, they attend in greater numbers than they ever have when we had a facility in the NWT. Thank you.
Okay, thank you for that. Why doesn't the Minister listen to the will of the people and develop a plan to open a traditional Indigenous healing territorial addiction treatment program? Can the Minister provide data on the number of injuries or death related to drugs and alcohol since 2013, since the treatment centre was closed in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Yeah, thank you. I am not exactly sure what the Member is asking for. If she's asking for how many people have been to treatment in that time, I can provide that information.
Why doesn't the Minister listen to the will of the people, is what I said. This is what the people want. And at the same time, can she provide the data on the number of injuries and death related to drugs and alcohol since 2013. So this is all related to the territorial treatment facility in the Northwest Territories. So that's what I was asking for, thank you and that is not my second question, so I am just replying to her. I still have two more questions, thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I don't have the detail at hand that the Member is looking for so I will have to return to her. Thank you
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
Will the Minister of Health commit to reopening an addictionbased facility and treatment and wellness centre in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you Member for Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. No.
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am not actually really sure who is the lead on transferring the land to the City of Yellowknife. I think that MACA kind of writes the process but then lands at the end of the day, you know, has to do the work of getting it over there. So my question is for I guess the Minister of Lands on when we can expect the bulk land transfer to the City of Yellowknife to be complete? Thank you
Thank you, Minister of MACA.
Well, MACA doesn't deal with that, Madam Speaker, but the Minister of Lands, I guess that comes with me here.
I can tell this House that the department has been working with the City of Yellowknife to discuss potential land transfers. We have also worked, as MACA has worked with the city, to come up with a bulk land transfer agreement there. We are also in the process of finalizing and MOU which outlines which lands the city wants. So the city, when we first talked about was the big chunk of bulk land and then they realized it wasn't the bulk land that they were looking, the big chunk, they were looking for specifics to start out and so we got that process going on. Again, it's also about location of the land and what's available and while this work continues, the Member must be advised that the process for the application to the city also involves our consultation, which are obligations, which we need to work with our Indigenous governments to work with them on that. So we are working with the city. We are trying to get them to identify the locations and pieces of land that they want, and the application process is in place and we start going through that process. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have reviewed the Minister's department has kind of created a process that any community can look to if they want to go through a similar process, and I appreciate that. I am just wondering if we can get a bit more of a detailed timeline for the remaining process, you know, and the stages to transfer land. I understand there is this land selection, we need the City of Yellowknife to go and do that, we need them to get back to us on an MOU, and then there's a number of processes, surveying and then ultimately transfer. But I am just wondering if somewhere there could be provided a detailed kind of timeline on the steps that need to occur. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. As the MOU will include specific parcels, we need to work with Indigenous governments, as I said, to undertake our consultation obligations, as I said previously. And the House has heard me say this, is we just need to do it right. We need to make sure that we do everything right, so we get the process done so we don't have any challenges later on. After consultation, hearing from Indigenous governments, we can then finalize the MOU. I can say that we are hoping to get the draft and consultation done by the end of this year, not fiscal year but this year. Calendar year. But I don’t want to preempt the results of the consultation so unfortunately, I can't give you a firm timeline to finalize the MOU.
During this time that I mentioned, the city could still apply for pieces of land, certain parcels, and then we will go through that process to make sure that it is done properly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. My understanding is that the YKDFN is in support of this, in fact it is one of the steps that is part of the boundary change where the city of Yellowknife is actually agreed to take land out of their municipal boundary and give it to the YKDFN, because right now the City of Yellowknife actually has quite a bit of their land in their land withdrawal in their boundaries, which I don't think is wanted or appropriate.
But I guess my question to the Minister is, you know, we have a new council coming in and they, this was very much an election issue as it has been an election I think every single city council for many years now. And I am just wondering if the department can reach out and give either the city or the new council, or the Minister can, a bit of briefing about what has been done so far, where the department's at and where the city's at, because it is clear that there is some misunderstanding and there is probably some work to be done both by their administration and our administration. But if the Minister's department could just reach out and make sure that this council is updated on what the actual facts are, I think that would help all of us. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you the preamble to the Member's question saying well, Yellowknife Dene is supportive of it, it's a little bit more complicated than that and I don't want to get into the House and have we have to recognize the consultation process of it and we are working with that. And the Member is right there, there some land withdrawals within the municipal boundaries that Yellowknife Dene have interest in. But in regards to his question, the department is more than willing to meet with council. We are more than willing to have that conversation but we just need this new elected council to reach out to us. We are more than willing to meet with them, have that conversation and if, even if the committee of SCEDE wishes to ask that, have an update, we could have a technical brief with them as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ITI and, again, I want to thank her for having that meeting. I know it was a tough one to schedule. So, around the conversation of airships with proper support and prototype testing for airships could begin here in the Northwest Territories in as little to two to five years. So, can the Minister give us her thoughts around the viability of the airships in the North given our meeting. Thank you
DEPUTY SPEAKER:
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I don't know that my thoughts are necessarily the ones that matter the most. I am not going to be the expert in the area but I was fortunate to be joined at this meeting, staff, technical staff from the Department of Infrastructure, technical staff from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it certainly was an interesting opportunity to learn about all of the tremendous possibility that could exist within the use of airships in the North or other remote sites.
So, you know, as far as the viability, I think there is a probably a number of challenges not the least of which would be the infrastructure to switch over to allow them to land for instance. But, certainly, we’re grateful to have the conversation. The ideas can't get anywhere if the conversations don't start. So I am also going to extend my appreciation for having the opportunity to meet with the folks who are the experts in that area. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. And yes, I know I have not given the Minister a long time to mull over the possibilities of airships so I do appreciate that the department and the Minister is open to this. And I guess where I come from there's sort of twofold here, is that the airships could provide some transportation solutions for us but they are also an economic potential piece. And so can the Minister speak around whether or not she found that the applicability or the ability to attract this type of work as an economic arm or in the cold weather testing area, did she see that as being something that was viable from the conversation? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it is a conversation that I will have to have more with Minister Archie and my counterparts, her and her counterparts, over in the Department of Infrastructure, and then more importantly with our colleagues over in the federal government and the Department of Transport. They are responsible for regulating the airship industry and that will be certainly a first point of call before we are ever likely to get far head.
But to the extent that cold weather testing of various aviation products is out and is of interest to them, so once this idea does get to the federal table, well, then, the Northwest Territories has been a place where we have had cold weather testing. Recent Korean military helicopter testing brought I think over 60 people to the Northwest Territories for a period of time and a fairly significant economic investment. So, certainly share the interest in being a place, that if it is going to be some viability testing, then we would certainly want to be at the top of that list. So, again, don't want to miss opportunities and I am glad to make sure that that conversation is had. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Minister kind of answered one of my questions there so I am just going to go out a little bit further here. Given that, you know, we are really, and I get that this crosses two departments so I am just going to ask the Minister to bear with me, given that we are in the phase now of talking about the airport expansion at the Yellowknife Airport and given that, you know, cold weather testing is an area that we do want to be expanding, not only for the airships but for others, does the Minister see an option to have a cold weather sort of testing area in the new airport? So I am not saying just for this particular one but maybe rather than having people just randomly come and having to interfere with our regular airport or have the airport work around them, we could actually incorporate this into the design. Is that something that the Minister sees as feasible, or are we talking about land issues and it's just not going to happen? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, that is something that would involve probably not just one or two departments, probably multiple departments. So, you know, I can certainly commit to having a more detailed conversation about that prospect with all relevant colleagues over here and, you know, just noting that it was clear in our conversations when we had this meeting last week, there are some particular infrastructure requirements that are different for a dirigible than what there might to accommodate a regular or more traditional airplane. You know, but that's again, that in and of itself isn't a reason to not start having the conversation. So, you know, the idea that this could be a cold weather testing place, again, I'd be happy to bring that back and bring it back to the Member or to this House. It certainly is one that we had some good success in thus far. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister commit to working with me to try and get the Aviation Innovations Conference to come here sometime in the next couple of years? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think NWT Tourism, who has a funding portfolio for bringing up conferences, would probably love to have that conversation. So let's commit to having the conversation and seeing where that can go. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madam la Presidente. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, and I'm not above giving compliments. So my statement detailed the September 11th experience of Yellowknifers beset with a daylong series of six electrical outages. So can the Minister say whether a detailed investigation can underway into this major collapse of electrical supply in our largest community? Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I could just say "yes" and sit down, but I want to take this opportunity to apologize to those impacted by the outages that occurred. And I want to also take this time, Madam Speaker, to go over a brief summary of the investigation of the power outages that happened here in Yellowknife in September.
So the first full system outage occurred at about 5:30 on Saturday, September 10th. This was caused to be high winds in the area that brought a tree in contact with the transmission line. The second outage occurred Sunday, September the 11th at 11:30, and with the system restoration began with a full diesel backup. So high winds caused a tree to contact with the transmission line. The third full outage system occurred at 4:28. So the electrical stability issues again made it difficult to restore the power using diesel. Workers identified a transformer at the Jackfish generating station was responsible for the stability issues. And if was taken off line. Madam Speaker, I think everyone realizes the high winds that weekend were unprecedented.
I would like to thank the Northwest Territories Power Corporation personnel that responded to removing the trees on the power line and finding the fault at the Jack Fish. I have more detailed information on the investigation. I am not going to go through it in full; I'm sure people are pointing at the clock right now. But thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for her Minister's statement. And, of course, she's free to table more information about those outages if she wants. But winter's coming on, and electrical outages can become a threat to public safety and property. So can the Minister tell us what steps have been put in place to make sure that the events of September 11th are not going to be repeated where both the hydro grid and backup systems failed at the same time? Merci, Madam la Presidente.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can advise that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation conducts testing and continually completes preventative maintenance to ensure equipment is ready for the cold winters that we experience every year. Supplying electricity is complex, and it's becoming more and more challenging with the climate change. Like the high winds experienced that weekend, Northwest Territories Power Corporation is adapting to this new environment. Changes have been made to ensure backup diesel generation is available if there is a disruption from hydro generation. The Power Corporation also has a vegetation management plan to be able to remove any dangerous trees and complete some brushing on the transmission and distribution lines. Planned brushing on the snare transmission line is currently being completed. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for that. For some years now, we've been in this interesting situation where the board of directors of the NWT Power Corp are made up of deputy ministers from our government. So can the Minister tell us whether there are any plans to return the utility to a publiclyrun entity, maybe before the end of this century. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Having deputy ministers serve as members of the board has helped to ensure alignments with the NTPC's work and planning as the utility with broader energy priorities for the Northwest Territories. While some cost savings to repairs may be achieved by having this board of volunteers, there is a cost in terms of deputy ministers' time and focus. And there are also other options that might be preferred to keep work aligned where it makes sense to be. Northwest Territories Power Corporation, for example, should continue to work with the GNWT on maximizing opportunities for investment in capital, particularly where this can help avoid costs passed on to the ratepayers, Madam Speaker. While I'm not going to commit to the outcome of the questions, I have committed to engaging with Regular MLAs and having questions around the board of directors answered by the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. I want to thank the Minister for that. There was a lot to unpack. I'm not going to take her on with much about what she said there but I know I can't really talk about the Public Utilities Board here with regard to the outages, but can the Minister tell us whether the NWT Power Corporation is required to provide any information on outages, their causes, and actions to prevent further outages to the Public Utilities Board, and how can that information be compiled and communicated better to the public as well? Merci, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, utilities are required to report on reliability and quality of service to the Public Utilities Board through the general rate application process. So this information is readily available on the Public Utility Board website on the Public Utility Board's website. While the information required by the Public Utility Board categorizes outages caused by location, duration, frequency, through the open and transparent GRA process, customers, along with the Public Utility Board ask questions on historical outages and what actions are being done to be able to reduce the duration and frequency of future power outages. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation informs customers and the general public of any planned outages, also does the same for any unplanned outages through our social media platforms, also through news releases, media interviews. So we do respond back. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I'm wondering if NTHSSA will consider funding Aurora College nursing student tuition for southern students who want to study and work in the NWT as a means to attract new nursing students? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. This year, the health and social services system is offering a Health and Social Services bursary program which will provide bursary funding to Indigenous and northern students to help support them as they pursue a career in health and social services. We are targeting that group of students because we believe there is greater opportunity for retention.
It's just worth noting that the Aurora College currently has an intake in the nursing program of 30 seats a year. The majority of them are, in fact, from the NWT, or have lived here for some period of time before that. So what I take away from this is that we are set up to do exactly what the Member is asking. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. So Madam Speaker, I agree with the Minister 100 percent. There is much more retention for people raised in the North to stay and to work as nurses in the Northwest Territories. Given that there are 30 seats a year within Aurora College for nursing students, does the Minister know or are they currently lobbying Aurora College to increase the number of seats that are available to nursing students a year, and does Health and Social Services plan to expand the bursary program that they're currently offering to northern students to southern students as well, given that we are in such a national shortage of nurses? Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I don't have any information that the nursing program is oversubscribed and that people are being turned away. What I can say about the bursary program is it hasn't been offered before so we have no information on the uptake. So I think the idea is to, first of all, work with Indigenous and northern students and then expand given the results of the initial offering. Thank you.
