Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to confirm that these policies will enable tenants to be able to adjust their rent. A lot of places in the territory, including in small communities, use seasonal work that might be part of this homebased business, and I want to make sure that people can adjust their rent even through a homebased business so that their income or sorry, their rent is properly reflective of their income as they move throughout the year and throughout the seasons. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once this criteria is established, I would like to it to identify how are we going to be charging rent within public housing as well too. Currently we do have an income threshold. And I'm looking at the fairness throughout the Northwest Territories. If we have businesses that are established in the public housing units I'm just trying to slow down. I kind of feel for the interpreters as well, my apologies. And how we could fairly look at the calculation of rent compared to what those businesses and those operations are like. But then also considering that we do have an income threshold. But I would like to work with our tenants. I would like to see success in our smaller communities and to be more innovative and be working with our people throughout the territory. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm wondering if the Minister of Finance can commit that when the current Yellowknife liquor store licenses expire that she can commit that they will go out to public tender? I know it's been quite a few years since that process has occurred. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, when the current existing contracts expire, they will go out for a public procurement process.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear that. I know some people who have been interested in trying to get their hands on those contracts as they are quite generous and make quite a lot of money. And I'm wondering when those go out, would the Minister look at and seeing whether the market or the profitability of the license would justify a third liquor store in Yellowknife? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I may or may not be the Minister by the time that is occurring. I don't have the dates of the contracts in front of me. But I think perhaps we should also just mention that there's the existing act and regulations are also under review, as Members may recall, and there may be reason to consider that as well before and I say that, Mr. Speaker, because before there's going to be additions of liquor stores or changes in where liquor is purchased, there are currently there are other considerations, including consultation with relevant communities. So just wanting to put all those placeholders in before giving too resounding of a yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm wondering when those licenses are renewed, right now they are limited, their hours and the department sets their hours. Is it possible to get some beer on Sunday, Mr. Speaker?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot of wonderful restaurants that the Member may want to attend on a Sunday and see what he can do. But as far as going on his own right now, that is not an option. But, Mr. Speaker, the rules, again, that are contained within legislation, within the regulations, are under review and, indeed, I appreciate the support and assistance from committee in terms of getting us forward to a point where I expect that that legislation will be introduced soon, and that may see some changes depending on how that proceeds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, my questions are for the Premier.
Mr. Speaker, each of the Crown corporations in the NWT has a very different governance model. So has the Premier and Cabinet reviewed the governance models of each of the NWT Crown corporations since we've raised concerns in this House on all three that I mentioned in my statement throughout this whole 19th Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Madam Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can say that no, not all of the Crown corporations' governance models have been reviewed. However, I can say because of the issues that we're having with Marine Transportation Services, that one is being reviewed. And we're also looking at the NTPC. But not all Crown corporations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the three Crown corporations I mentioned in my statement are wildly inconsistent and I want to know if this is something that's being reviewed. And as the Premier mentioned, two of them have been looked at but not necessarily said that they're being reviewed. If not, will they commit to reviewing to see if we can create a consistent and transparent governance model so residents of the Northwest Territories can clearly understand the relationship between GNWT and our Crown corporations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that the Member has a point. I think there is some confusion in the public. And even myself when I came into government, understanding how Crown corporations are different from government departments. So I do think that there needs to be an effort on perhaps clarity to the public and maybe looking at the structures of those Crown corporations. Although, Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that in the life of this government, I don't see this happening. It might be something we put in the recommendations for the next government. But at this time, we're looking at clearing off the priorities and the mandates that we already have so I'm not looking to take this on as a new task in this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently without government supports we know that these programs would fail as why MTS has now come under GNWT as a Crown corporation. But what is the Premier and Cabinet doing to ensure that these Crown corporations have the ability to provide independent recommendations or advice and not be directed by government? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think, and that is that question kind of goes back to my statement in that it's going to take longer to review that. It's not something that should be done in a rushed fashion, for example in the life of this Assembly. I think that it needs to be really a comprehensive review. Each of the corporations have different needs, different goals, different purposes. So I'm not even sure if you could have one governance for all. So like I said, Mr. Speaker, I don't think it's a bad idea; I just think that the timing is not correct at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, NWT Housing is very engaged with our Indigenous governments, and I think that's due to the Council of Leaders table that they've become they've had this internal working group to look at their policies. And so is this something that the GNWT sees advancing for all Crown corporations, or is that a model looking you know, when we look at UNDRIP and we look at all these other things, is this something that we could look at with our Crown corporations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I do know that within this session that we will be putting forward a proposed bill for the United Nations Declaration for Indigenous People. Part of that work is actually to be it's not just putting out a bill and saying it's done. If we really take the United Nations Declaration to heart, then it means ongoing work. So I think that in fairness to the Member, that every single program and service within the GNWT, including our Crown corporations, should be looking at the United Nations Declaration for Indigenous People and seeing how that fits within all of the work that we do as government and corporations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You caught me off guard.
Mr. Speaker, residents of Hay River and surrounding communities rely on the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority to provide them with timely and quality health care. Due to an ongoing and continued shortage of physicians at the facility, residents' personal health is now at risk. My questions are for the Minister for Health and Social Services and are as follows:
What is the current number of physicians at Stanton Territorial Hospital, Inuvik Regional Hospital, Fort Smith Health Centre, and the Hay River Regional Health Centre, and on a per capita basis, what are the number and types of physicians needed to provide an acceptable level of healthcare service at each facility;
The department of health has the responsibility of providing timely and quality health care to all residents of the Northwest Territories. Is there a policy that requires the department to commit a minimum number of physicians to each of Stanton Territorial Hospital, Inuvik Regional Hospital, Fort Smith Health Centre, and the Hay River Regional Health Centre, and if so, can you please provide a copy of the policy;
Due to a lack of physicians at Hay River Regional Health Centre, have assessments been conducted to confirm the impact on the quality of health care provided to residents and staff satisfaction in the workplace, and if so, what were the assessment outcomes and recommendations;
For the community of Hay River, will the department of health consider turning over responsibility for physician recruitment to the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority along with the financial resources and provide access to the database of physicians and outline a process to move this forward; and,
Has the department of health undertaken an assessment of whether health care services for Hay River and area residents would be better served if the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority was incorporated into the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, and are there any barriers that would make this unfeasible?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Written Question 5719(2) asked by the Member for Yellowknife North on February 9th, 2023, to the Minister of Infrastructure regarding the Payments for Leased Space. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure maintains a portfolio of general office space in accordance with the Government of the Northwest Territories' Leasing of Improved Real Property Policy. This policy is publicly available online and includes more detailed information regarding some of the exclusions and inclusions on the types of leases administered by the GNWT. Leasing of improved real property is excluded from the business incentive policy.
In addition, the Department of Infrastructure is not able to provide details on individual leases, including costs and lease terms. If this information were to be made public, it may impact the commercial real estate market and influence pricing for future leases. Infrastructure and the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs intend to work together to review the Leasing of Improved Real Property Policy once the review of the GNWT procurement review is complete.
I would also like to answer the specific questions raised by the Member, including providing lease fees paid by the GNWT to the following companies, broken down by individual lease and building space, for the last ten years as follows:
The GNWT has six commercial office space leases with Northview, which are administered by the Department of Infrastructure for a total annual lease cost of $8.9 million. This includes the base rent plus operations and maintenance.
The GNWT has four commercial office space leases with KingSett Capital, which are administered by the Department of Infrastructure for a total of $6.5 million. This includes base rent plus operations and maintenance.
In relation to these first two questions, the Department of Infrastructure is not responsible for GNWT residential leases and is therefore not able to provide information related to residential leases.
The total future lease commitments for leases related to Northview is $20.1 million, which includes base rent plus operations and maintenance. The total future lease commitments for leases related to Kingsett Capital is $26.855 million, which includes base rent plus operations and maintenance.
The GNWT is required to initially obtain new office space by public tender or request for proposals, except where Executive Council has authorized negotiations. The Department of Infrastructure cannot influence which businesses choose to pursue these opportunities.
The following information can be disclosed for the last 10 years of commercial office space leases held by the GNWT:
47 leases were transferred to the Department of Infrastructure by other GNWT departments;
9 federal leases were transferred to the GNWT during devolution;
28 current leases were acquired via public procurement; and,
9 leases were negotiated, with approval from the Executive Council.
Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table additional information to the Member’s questions regarding payments for commercial leased space administered by the Department of Infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child Daycare Act.
Bill 68 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 3rd, 2022 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review.
On March 1st, 2023, the standing committee held a public hearing and clausebyclause review of the bill with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Six motions to amend the bill were carried by committee and concurred with by the Minister. The committee thanks the Minister and department for their hard work and collaboration to improve this bill.
Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 68, An Act to Amend the Child Daycare Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have got three pages for you today.
Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on Bill 67, An Act to Amend the Fire Prevention Act, and commends it to the House.
Bill 67: An Act to Amend the Fire Prevention Act received second reading on November. 3, 2022 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review.
Bill 67 makes changes to the Fire Prevention (Act) that has not been comprehensively reviewed since it was first passed in 1988. Bill 67 is intended to improve regulatory functions of the Act, create an authoritative plan review process, and a formal avenue of appeal for plan reviews, as well as provide protection against personal liability that is comparable to other jurisdictions.
The new act specifically changes the following:
adds a liability exclusion for fire officials.
authorizes the fire marshal to delegate duties.
requirements made in a plan review report are binding.
establishes a plan review appeal board.
modernizes language.
Committee sought public feedback on Bill 67 with a public notice and targeted engagement letters. Committee received written submissions from the Northwest Territories Association of Communities which is included as an appendix to this report.
On January 12, 2023, committee held a public hearing to review Bill 67. At that meeting, committee heard remarks from Minister of MACA, asked questions to departmental officials, and received oral comments from the NWTAC. Committee thanks the NWTAC for their engagement.
One area that NWTAC identified was the need to provide clarity and certainty with respect to the timelines of the appeal board process. Committee agreed with this concern.
Committee also held concerns regarding the composition of the board and wanted to ensure the appeal board would consist of industry professionals from across the NWT and not be filled with public servants.
Committee was initially concerned about the exclusion of liability clause for the Minister or others carrying out a power or duty by the Act, but committee recognizes this is necessary to provide protection against personal liability for those performing statutory functions and that the clause is consistent with other jurisdictions across Canada.
Committee recognizes the NWT lacks standalone building standards legislation, as most other jurisdictions across Canada have. Committee has expressed concern that without building standards legislation the fire marshal is becoming the authority for both fire and buildings. The NWT is currently the only Canadian jurisdiction that has not adopted a building standards framework to support the National Building Code and the National Fire Code. The GNWT has identified this legislation needs to be developed and is targeting for the 20th Assembly.
While committee welcomes the establishment of an appeal board to deal with appeals on decisions of the fire marshal, committee was concerned the legislation did not provide enough clarity on timelines for the process. The NWTAC also requested the timeline for appeal board processes be clarified in legislation.
A motion was drafted to ensure a clear timeline was established for the appeal board to make a decision on the appeal board hearing. Clause 14 of Bill 67 is amended to establish a 30day period for the board to "affirm, modify or revoke the order."
Committee is satisfied this motion provides a clear timeline for the appeal board process to be carried out and that the motion to amend clause 14.1(3) was passed at the clausebyclause review.
While committee supports the establishment of an appeal board there was concern about the composition of the board. Committee specifically wanted to ensure that the GNWT would not create another board that is filled by public servants. Committee refers specifically to the composition of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation board held by deputy ministers and views this as highly inefficient and ineffective. Committee also wanted to ensure that clear provisions were in place to ensure industry professionals from across the NWT filled the composition of the appeal board.
A motion was drafted to ensure the "Minister shall make reasonable efforts to appoint members who are representative of the industries and communities of the Northwest Territories."
This motion was passed at the clausebyclause review.
A motion was drafted to ensure public servants refrain from participation in the appeal board. The motion provided certainty that "the Minister shall not appoint a member of the public service to the board."
This motion was passed at the clausebyclause review.
On February 13th, 2023, committee held a clausebyclause review. Committee passed the motions to report Bill 67, as amended, to the Legislative Assembly as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
This concludes the Standing Committee on Government Operations' review of Bill 67. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Yellowknife North.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Bill 67, An Act to Amend the Fire Prevention Act, be received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. 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. It will be received and adopted by the Assembly.
Carried
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Information for Return to Written Question 5719(2): Payments for Leased Space. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a publication from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addictions entitled "Canada's Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I wish to table the following two documents: The first one, Environment and Climate Change Canada Guidance for Using Climate Pollution Pricing Proceeds; the second one, November 2022 GNWT Mineral Royalties Presentation to Yellowknife Geoscience Forum: "Financial Modeling in Support of Revising the Royalty Regime of Mining in the NWT" by Michael Doggett, Nick Dennahower, and Hendrik Falck. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
