Debates of October 30, 2024 (day 35)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are going to be about exploring the options of what can be done. And the reason I put that in context, first, Mr. Speaker, because I don't want it to be thought it perceived in any other way. So that said, Mr. Speaker, I'm in possession of a letter from the Thebacha Leadership Council addressed to the Premier and/or Minister of Justice, and the question really comes down to is their concerns about their due diligence on the transition from an operational jail that has no inmates to the 32 jobs that may be forcing -- being forced through in the context of layoffs.

So I'm asking the Premier first, or I should say Minister of Justice, is what type of due diligence has been done on this initiative to say this is the right course of path and how have they worked with the community regarding this?

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So earlier this year, this Assembly considered the main estimates which is the budget document for the Government of the Northwest Territories. One of the items in there was the Fort Smith Correctional Centre, the men's unit, and there were deliberations in this House and ultimately that budget was passed. And so the work that went in to the lead up to that is that we had a look at all of the programs and services we deliver across the Department of Justice, looked at what was legally required to be done, what programs and services were legally required to deliver, what programs are federally funded, so there would be no cost savings if we -- if we -- I don't know, removed those, and we looked at what services or programs are costing us more than we can justify. And so if we look across the entire correctional system in the Northwest Territories, we have a very low utilization rate, about around 50 percent it hovers, and we looked at all of the facilities and it was determined that the greatest cost savings would be if that facility was closed.

Now, this was not an easy decision. I lost many nights of sleep over this, had very, you know, spirited discussions at Cabinet but, ultimately, that's where we landed because it was -- we could no longer justify having that facility open for the few number of inmates that we in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to recognize the tone the Premier brought to that. I think it was certainly appropriate. I'm not trying to do jabby or clever questions. This is very important, and it's a very important subject for our -- Mr. Speaker, I just want to make absolutely clear. 32 jobs in a region matter to a Yellowknife MLA because it affects us all in one way or another. That said, Mr. Speaker, the letter, including the phone calls I received, talked about finding a solution or a course of path for these jobs and this potential facility. Again, written from the direction and point of view of these people from the Thebacha Leadership Council feel that they -- the solution was dumped on them.

Has the department or the -- or the Premier, given this council any resources and time to be able to come up with an alternative solution to save the impacts and how this will radiate through the town of Fort Smith? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I recognize the impact that this will have on the community. I did travel to Fort Smith. I met with the leadership council, and I toured some of the facilities they have in the community. Some of those are GNWT facilities that they would like to operate out of. And the reason that, you know, we took those tours is I wanted to get the lay of the land of Fort Smith, see what resources that we had that could be provided to the community to assist in any sort of endeavour that they might want to embark on. The Department of Infrastructure has shared information with the leadership council about the operating costs of facilities in the community, and we're open to having discussions. So as soon as we hear from the community on what they would like to do moving forward, we're very willing and looking forward to working with them on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to put on the record that the meeting -- in the letter, it says the Premier was very cordial, it was a cordial meeting, again so I just want to emphasize his tone is appropriate in my opinion for this important discussion. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice has had years to study this particular problem. I'm assuming they didn't make this decision overnight, and I'm certainly recognizing that.

Mr. Speaker, the Thebacha Leadership Council feels they've been given days or weeks to come up with a solution to counter or provide other options without resources. Is the Minister willing to find some resources to help the Thebacha Leadership Council find an alternative use, either for the facility, or an alternative path for these types of employees who want to remain in Fort Smith, who are valued members of not only Fort Smith but the region and our territory at large? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the leadership council has some specific requests, I'm happy to hear those. We're happy to help however we can. If it's assistance looking for, you know, federal programs that could help operate a facility run by the leadership council or by an Indigenous government, we can assist with that. If there's information about the existing facilities in the community that they may be able to use, we're happy to assist with that. So I look forward to hearing directly from them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.