Debates of February 14, 2023 (day 138)

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. By June 2024, a lot of the work is already going to be done and then the plan will actually kind of be almost meaningless. But, you know, I've raised the repeated failure of our government to prevent public liabilities and I'm not aware of any new legislative regulatory policy work to prevent this from happening again and again. I called on the Auditor General of Canada to examine these devolution failures.

Can the Minister tell us whether there will be any new legislative regulatory or policy work to prevent public liabilities before the end of this Assembly? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the Member for the question. This site did go through a modern regulatory process, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, the funds held transferred to the GNWT and OROGO at devolution were insufficient to cover the liabilities. The GNWT is currently carrying out the regulatory and policy work set out in the work plan to implement the GNWT's approach to contaminated sites and management. Some of this work has been completed and the remaining work is ongoing. So, Mr. Speaker, we're going through a process. We're trying to get it done. And, again, we don't know what the true costs are going to be until all the work is done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frank Channel Bridge Replacement. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Infrastructure. The Frank Channel Bridge is a critical piece of infrastructure for the Northwest Territories, providing access to the Tlicho communities, Yellowknife, and the mines in the Slave Geological Province region.

I have four questions:

Can the Minister provide a detailed breakdown of the additional costs identified for the Frank Channel Bridge Replacement Project?

Can the Minister provide a detailed breakdown of funding already committed or budgeted by the Government of the Northwest Territories, and/or committed budgeted by the federal government?

Can the Minister provide a copy of the last structural assessment completed on the Frank Channel Bridge?

Can the Minister provide a detailed contingency plan for continued operation and maintenance of the Frank Channel Bridge if construction of the replacement is delayed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Report on the Staff Retention Policy for 20192020, 20202021, and 20212022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Followup letter for Oral Question 127419(2): Aurora College University Campus Accessibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to table the following two documents: One, "Conservatives eye Arctic Reindeer Reserve for Oil and Gas" by the Canadian Press posted February 20th, 2014; and number two, Mr. Speaker, Yukon Government Carbon Rebate Act. Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 16th, 2023, I will move the following motion:

Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that the Legislative Assembly recommends the appointment of Mr. Glen Rutland as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Board of Management of the Legislative Assembly;

And further, that this appointment take effect on April 1st, 2023.

And, Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Notices of motion. Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February the 16th, 2023, I will move the following motion:

I move, second by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 16th, 2023, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 27th, 2023;

And furthermore, that at any time prior to February 27th, 2023, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at that time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with a motion put forward today. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may continue. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Appointment of the Clerk of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

WHEREAS the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, after 20 years of dedicated service to the last six Legislative Assemblies, has indicated his intention to retire on March 31st, 2023;

AND WHEREAS it is desirable to recommend the appointment of an individual as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS Section 54(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides that the clerk shall be appointed by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories on the recommendation of the Board of Management approved by motion of the Legislative Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management has recommended the appointment of Mr. Glen Rutland of Yellowknife as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that the Legislative Assembly recommend the appointment of Mr. Glen Rutland as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Board of Management of the Legislative Assembly;

AND FURTHER, that this appointment take effect on April 1st, 2023. 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

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Madam la Presidente. Committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 81319(2), 20232024 Main Estimates, Housing Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Does committee agree?

Agreed.

Thank you, committee. We will take a short recess and resume with NWT Housing.

SHORT RECESS

I now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Minister, do you wish bring witnesses into the Chamber?

Sergeantatarms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister Chinna, could you please introduce your witnesses again.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have with me Ms. Eleanor Young, president of Housing NWT and CEO. And Jim Martin, vicepresident. Thank you.

Thank you. Members, we are continuing on with Tabled Document 81319(2), 20232024 Main Estimates. And we are considering the estimates for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. And we are on the page 379 to 381, and it's the NWT Housing Corporation executive. Is there any questions? Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, earlier last week, I had the opportunity to speak on the floor of the House with the Minister of housing in regards to strategic data collection and analysis by the department of housing. And both in terms of their clientele but also in terms of homelessness in conjunction with the homelessness prevention strategy and being able to use data collection as a means for further prevention. And so I'm wondering if that work would come out of the executive or where the funding for the hardware and software to be able to do this would come from? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin respond. Thank you.

Thank you. Vicepresident Martin.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Housing NWT participates in the annual capital IT capital process each year. And we have identified a number of areas for system enhancements and system replacements. So as part of the work that we're doing there, we'll be sure to consider this enhanced data collection opportunities going forward. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Martin. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much. So that process is something that we just went through in the October/November sitting doing the capital acquisition plan. So would this then not happen until the next capital acquisition plan, or would this happen in the form of a supplemental appropriation from housing? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister Chinna.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have vicepresident Jim Martin speak or respond.

Vicepresident Martin.

Thank you, Madam Chair. What I spoke to was probably more of some larger investment opportunities that we're considering, but certainly doesn't prevent Housing NWT continuing to invest through our contract service dollars that we do have available in this budget to advance system improvement initiatives for the coming year. Thank you, Madam Chair.