Debates of February 18, 2005 (day 39)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members on the implementation of the action plan for human resources in the corrections service, which I released last December.

A review began in August and the final report, prepared by corporate human resources, identified 35 items to be considered.

The action plan was prepared in response to this review. To implement this plan, a team was established, including an independent evaluator, human resources and information technology staff, and corrections staff.

I’m pleased to report that of the 35 recommendations we received in November, 16 have already been addressed. We expect to have dealt with all of the remaining recommendations by April 30th.

A proposed reorganization of corrections headquarters and North Slave Correctional Centre is being considered. We are working on a request for proposals to develop a training and personal development databank. We’ve also improved communications between management and staff, set clear requirements for hiring and established occupational health and safety committees in all our facilities.

As the Members of this Assembly know, some of this work will continue for years after the project is completed. Some of the long-term actions include a three-year training plan, recruitment strategies and more effective training and performance reviews.

I’m pleased to see this project progressing and I will table a status report for the action plan later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 21st, we will celebrate

Heritage Day. This is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the diversity of heritage and culture that all Canadians enjoy. In the NWT, we are especially blessed with an exciting history and a strong sense of heritage.

While our communities and residents have many opportunities every year to celebrate culture and heritage, today I would like to recognize a number of community-based projects in the Northwest Territories that are part of a national program called the Historical Places Initiative. Under this initiative, communities, heritage organizations and government institutions are working together to document, preserve and make better known those places across this country that are important reminders of our heritage and traditions.

This year:

In the community of Enterprise, heritage sites in the community are being researched as part of a heritage plan to guide future planning work.

The Sambaa K’e Dene Band is involving the elders of Trout Lake in an inventory of sensitive cultural places important to the community’s heritage.

In Yellowknife, the City Heritage Committee is publishing an updated walking tour brochure and a heritage map to promote city of Yellowknife’s heritage sites.

The Yellowknives Dene First Nations is continuing a vital archaeological heritage inventory of Drybones Bay, Wool Bay and McKay Lake.

The Gameti First Nations is documenting the heritage buildings and traditional architecture of the Rae Lakes community so that traditional knowledge is not lost.

In Fort McPherson, the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute is putting its expertise to work at documenting cultural places for recognition as territorial heritage sites and is also publishing a guidebook on the community’s historic Trading Post.

In an innovative move, the people of Tsiigehtchic are researching the history of the Roman Catholic Church and Church Hill as part of the community action plan and they intend to nominate the site as a territorial historic site.

The Inuvik Nihtat Gwich’in Council have targeted the sensitive and historically important Campbell Lake area for a cultural sites inventory.

Mr. Speaker, community-based projects such as these are important for preserving our knowledge about previous generations, those who have left their gentle marks on our northern landscape. I would like to congratulate and thank all who have been involved in these important projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Brendan Bell will be absent from the House today to attend the Western Energy Ministers meeting in Calgary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A few days ago, the Department of Health and Social Services circulated a document entitled Sexually-Transmitted Infections, the Naked Truth – A Strategic Directions Document. It might just be coincidental, Mr. Speaker, but that document was circulated to Members on Valentine’s Day, February 14th. I don’t know if that’s a suggestion to us or not. The content of the document is quite disturbing. I salute the department for putting the information out. When we see things or indications in the transmission of sexual diseases, the rate of gonorrhea infection has gone up 300 percent in two years, Mr. Speaker. There is a 30 percent overall increase in the rate of infection in the 15 to 22-year age bracket. Some of these diseases in the North, we have an incident rate that is seven times that of Canada.

The initiative taken by the department to bring this to everybody’s attention is admirable but, Mr. Speaker, when I look at a document like this and I see five different objectives outlined and more than 30 different action positions, but, Mr. Speaker, there are practically no measurable targets set out in this strategy. There is no budget and there is only the most general of timelines. In fact, the only real outline that I could see in this document, Mr. Speaker, of where we want to go and when we want to get there is, and I quote: “…we could entertain the possibility of bringing our rates down below the national average before the end of this decade.” That’s all this document says. I would hardly call it a strategy. It is certainly a good collection of thoughts and things that are possible and that we could and should do, but it falls far short of a real working document. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about multi-year funding for municipalities in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, we know here within our work and our jobs it’s very difficult for the GNWT to plan very far in the future, because of the uncertainties in the year-to-year tax revenues and funding from Canada. Mr. Speaker, we are also taking that problem and we are turning it around and we are putting that pressure on municipal governments. Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s time to look at multi-year funding for municipalities to ensure that they have certainty when they put forward their budgets at the end of the calendar year.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT negotiates multi-year agreements with these municipalities through our Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Mr. Speaker, tax-based communities use the normal calendar that ends on December 31st, but in the Assembly, we pass our budget on March 31st. There is a three-month difference between our fiscal year and the municipality’s fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, I know that this is a problem. Not just in the administrative process -- how it’s created -- but it’s entrenched in our Financial Administration Act and I think it needs to be amended so we can approve a two-year rolling calendar fiscal funding program. That would allow municipal governments to pass budgets with some certainty.

Mr. Speaker, we could always have the proviso of saying if unforeseen circumstances change the GNWT’s revenues, any major change in the world, we will work together to make the financial arrangements work.

Mr. Speaker, as the biggest government on the land at this time, we should be able to help stabilize uncertain funding for municipalities that struggle very hard to provide services to our community people. Mr. Speaker, later today I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the FMBS about addressing the FAA and the lack of multi-year agreement possibilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I have stated many times in this Legislature before, the historic contribution and the future potential of the Great Slave Lake commercial fisheries is very important to the renewable resource economy of the North and particularly Hay River.

Since my last Member's statement on October 19th on the commercial fishery on the Great Slave Lake, the NWT Fishermen’s Federation has been working to develop a recovery strategy for their fishery. The task force group is made up of fishermen and is assisted by the guidance of Beatrice Lepine, who has been seconded from RWED to help develop this strategy. The objectives of the task force group include working toward the establishment of a new fish plant in Hay River and the processing and marketing of value-added fish products from our lake. They are also pursuing research with the Marine Stewardship Council -- an international seafood and fish certification body -- with the intention of certifying our fishery as a sustainable fishery.

This is a very interesting and unique opportunity, Mr. Speaker. Great Slave Lake does have sustainable fish stocks and is well managed. Certification of the Great Slave Lake Fishery would allow the sale of our fish into equal markets to consumers who want to purchase only those products which come from sustainable fisheries. These large markets exist in Europe and the U.S. and this certification may also allow the fishery to access other niche markets where the unique features of our NWT fish, which come from cold and clear water, would be a selling point.

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation is not able to access those markets because of the pooling of all fish, whether from Great Slave Lake or from other unsustainable and less desirable fisheries in southern jurisdictions. Great Slave Lake fish is export ready when it leaves Hay River, meaning that it has such a low parasite count in its flesh that it does not have to go through the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation biological sampling program in the Winnipeg plant, and can actually go directly to market. No other freshwater lake in freshwater country has this unique quality.

Mr. Speaker the fishermen presented Minister Bell with requests for assistance on exploring the benefits of this fishery certification and for changing the relationship they have with the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, fishermen need better prices for their fish. Allowing NWT fishermen to opt out of the marketing pool and participate in the marketplace on their own may be the only way to achieve this. Fishermen have asked Minister Bell to begin exploring with his federal counterpart, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, this option. The fishermen have committed to working on this, as well.

I believe that the fishery is getting the attention it deserves from this government at this time and I look forward to working with the Minister and the Fishermen’s Taskforce Group to keep this positive momentum moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Mr. Stephen Kakfwi on his recent appointment to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, which was announced by the Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Martin.

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Mr. Speaker, upon reading the mandate of the roundtable, Mr. Kakfwi's appointment is timely in that he has proven through his leadership ability that he will bring the northern issues to the roundtable as we expect of our other colleagues who are working on our behalf.

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to working with Mr. Kakfwi in this new role of taking our valuable input to the panel on the various issues settled by the roundtable. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be speaking on a subject that is near and dear to the hearts of many residents of the Beaufort-Delta region. Sir Alexander Mackenzie School is 45 years old, almost as old as Inuvik itself. It is a central part of our community, full of memories for its alumni. Many students met future husbands and wives on its playground and saw their own children walk through its door on their first day of school. Three Members of this Legislative Assembly, myself included, are former SAMS students.

Mr. Speaker, a school is so much more than just a building and classrooms. Because of its emotional value to many residents and former residents of the Inuvik region, the rumours that SAMS may be torn down are concerning a lot of people. If it is not feasible to renovate the existing school and a new building is needed, then that may be the way we have to go. But I hope the decision will not be made without community consultation. At the appropriate time I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and will be asking him for an update on the plans for this school. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is on a topic that I have raised in the House on previous occasions, and that issue is the Kam Lake access road and public safety. As the government is well aware, I have certain, let’s say, sensitivity over what happens adjacent to Highway No. 3, to an area known as the sandpits. As the controversy lingers as to what is going to happen on the parcel of land, I think it is timely that we keep in mind the fact that the city of Yellowknife is in great need of this access road into the Kam Lake Industrial Park.

I have had two meetings with representatives of the Northwest Territories Motor Transport Association. This is a group that represents motor transportation companies throughout the entire Northwest Territories. Our discussions centre around the need for this access road into the Kam Lake Industrial Park. The issue of public safety was, of course, our primary focus. The need is even more evident during the winter road season, when the city has up to 200 trucks per day of which two-thirds are fuel trucks heading north on the ice road.

Last summer there were two incidents at the Yellowknife Airport that brought some attention to the fact that there was only one route out of the city of Yellowknife. A missile dropped on the Yellowknife Golf Course and a CF-18 fighter jet skidded off the runway. Highway No. 3 was closed; there was no entry or exit into the city. With all of the industrial activity in the Kam Lake Industrial Park we have been fortunate not to have an accident, especially a fuel truck accident at the top of Kam Lake Road which would cut off access to the entire industrial park.

Mr. Speaker, the time has come to get this vital piece of roadwork started. The road is estimated to cost in the neighbourhood of $5.5 million. We must ensure that the GNWT is willing to work as closely as possible with the City of Yellowknife to make this access road a reality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate the Department of Transportation on their efforts to build an airport in Trout Lake. During the week of February 7th to 11th, the department’s senior officials visited the community to discuss the possibility of this great opportunity. It is well known that the current location of the airstrip does not align with the prevailing winds. As it stands, many trips are cancelled because pilots are unable to manoeuvre with the crosswinds. It is dangerous for everybody, Mr. Speaker, when pilots -- on the best of days -- have to cut through trees to land the plane.

Boo.

I realize this is the preliminary consultation period involving several components and stakeholders, and that other consultations, meetings will be scheduled in the community this spring.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Minister will keep me updated and will inform me of any potential problems through the developmental stage of this project. I support the much-needed airstrip in Trout Lake and would like to see it go through successfully. This is important to the community of Trout Lake and a long time coming.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the Minister and his officials on listening to the needs of the communities. I would like to encourage the Minister to do all he can to ensure the community of Trout Lake can take flight safely. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the Bathurst Caribou Management Plan, tabled in the House this week. Mr. Speaker, my riding of Range Lake is most noticeable as the home of national chain stores like Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire. But what many may not know is that it is also home to many avid hunters, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you, I was quite surprised at how often the issues of rights and privileges of game hunting came up during my door-to-door campaign. This is an intense passion for many of them, not just for recreation but for subsistence.

Many of my constituents love living in the North because they can hunt, and many of them love to hunt because they live in the North. My experiences have shown also, Mr. Speaker, that avid hunters have very strong respect for wildlife and they are very much committed to conservation of wildlife, whether they are aboriginal or non-aboriginal.

In light of the recommendations made in this plan, I believe it is incumbent on the government to bring all of the expertise and players together to work out a way to conserve wildlife for the benefit of all.

Mr. Speaker, this plan speaks to the importance of conservation, as well as how to avoid reducing or eliminating the quota for anyone. I would like to remind the government that the implementation of the recommendations of this plan has to include all stakeholders and consultation with all stakeholders, if the plan is to be accepted and to be ultimately successful for the benefit of everyone.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to remind the government of the lack of movement the government has shown in introducing the new wildlife legislation, which has been in the books, in the works, and has been in the consultation process for at least a decade. This legislation is supposed to address the issue of hunting rights and privileges, as well as conservation and management. At the appropriate time I will be asking the government as to where they are with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a minute I will be talking about the NWT Council of Sport and Recreation Partners’ implementation plan, but first I just wanted to congratulate the Minister, his department and all their partners in putting together the first ever NWT Games program in Fort Smith for March 18th to 21st. Having a sport event just for the NWT has been a goal of the sport community for a long time.

Mr. Speaker, the last time we were here I spoke a little about my support for the NWT Council of Sport and Recreation Partners and I just want to say a little bit more on this topic. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has been working for years, in consultation with their stakeholders in sport and recreation, to find ways to improve the system. All communities and partners wanted an opportunity to participate in planning and decision-making for this system. There needed to be improved coordination and a simplified quorum for decision-making. Also, all communities wanted greater access to sport and recreation programs and more resources with which to accomplish all of this.

Mr. Speaker, according to the implementation plan in 2005, the council will be working on a resource management plan which includes support for the lottery in order to maximize revenue flow, streamlining administrative expenses, and creating volunteer and staff support initiatives. The council will be working on a communication and marketing plan, a plan to consolidate partner’s offices and a plan to establish system-wide priorities and operating principles. The council will provide periodic updates to their sport partners to keep them informed of the council's progress.

In January 2006, the Minister will make a final decision on council’s budget request and in April 2006, the council will begin their first year of operation under a new fiscal arrangement.

Mr. Speaker, the council will have a lot of work to do in a very short time. Nominations close for the new council on March 7, 2005. I wish them well with their objectives. Mahsi.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to inform and to set the record straight with my constituents of Lutselk’e, on the latest media reports over the radio with regard to an interview I had about the proposed changes to the Lutselk’e First Nations leadership, which is underway and hopefully will be resolved next week when the band elections take place.

Mr. Speaker, I could stand here for the next two-and-a-half minutes and criticize the local media for their misuse of information and sensationalizing issues, that often result in the obstruction and deterioration of this government's efforts for stronger community-government relations, better co-management regimes, and better working relationships that we, as MLAs, work hard to improve and build on daily.

Hear! Hear!

But I won’t, Mr. Speaker. Instead…

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…I would like to inform my constituents that, no where in my statements to the media about the removal of the chief and council, did I say the word “glad.” I did not mention anybody's name, and I definitely did not say anything about being happy with the upcoming changes in the leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I am not happy about the sudden changes to this leadership. For this past year I had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with the chief and council and I thought they were doing a really good job. They were working diligently and were relentless in forging better communication and cooperation practices with this government and the community, which I feel has improved because of this work done by the former chief and council. Unfortunately there were some problems at the community level that may not have been adequately addressed by the leadership over the past year or two, which ultimately resulted in the community members' loss in confidence in their former chief and council. That is it, Mr. Speaker; no more, no less.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to inform the residents of Lutselk’e and the First Nations members to exercise their democratic rights next week by going out and voting. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the new leaders in the next election. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, seeing that the NHL is officially off for the rest of the year, I would like to give an update of some of our own home-grown talent in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, back in December, December 17th to the 19th, the First Nations Cup was held here in Yellowknife and Inuvik sent down a team into the masters division, which is I think a better name than old timers. I must say that the Inuvik Ice Devils showed remarkable gamesmanship and won the masters division and took home a fair bit of hardware as well, Mr. Speaker. I feel even better saying this because it’s good that the fact that Inuvik can come into a larger centre and compete at that level. It was an excellent tournament put on by a whole lot of groups here in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to reference the team that came down to take part. It had players Mervin Jacobson, Gordie Kasook, Joe Corigal -- who is also called Baby Joe -- Kenny Jacobson, Dan Carmichael, Tom Williams, Duane Smith, Donald Kuptana, James Day, Davy Krengatuk and, of course, myself.

Hey!

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---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, just to highlight some of the hardware we took home; besides taking home the championship trophy for the masters division we had the most valuable player, who was also the top goalie, our goalie, Mr. Tom Williams.

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He happens to be with us today. I shared the top defenseman with another player from a team locally.

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So, Mr. Speaker, again congratulations to those boys, and we’re looking forward again to coming back and making a trip down to Yellowknife for the Balsillie Cup. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland, and I’m sure you appreciate the fact that they came up with the new name of "masters" because I’m sure nobody would consider you a senior by looking at you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s my pleasure today to welcome, in the visitors’ gallery, Mr. Lionel Rundle, the president of the Northwest Territories Fishermen’s Federation;

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Alex Maurice, long-time fisherman in Hay River and a member of the board of directors of the NWT Fishermen's Federation.

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Three members of the new Great Slave Lake Task Force Group: Jerry Morin, Douglas Buckley and Bert Buckley.

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Also with them today from Hay River -- no stranger to the Renewable Resources in the Northwest Territories, seconded from RWED to do work with the fishermen, Beatrice Lepine.

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And, my constituency assistant, Wendy Morgan.

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Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to introduce today in the gallery Mr. Tom Williams who is not only a top goaltender for the Inuvik Ice Devils, but he’s also the chief operating officer for the Gwich’in Tribal Council.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

I, too, Mr. Speaker, would like to recognize Mr. Tom Williams who is a former classmate of mine back in SAMS in 1971, I believe. Thank you.

---Laughter

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Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I as well would like to say a special welcome to the fishermen’s taskforce who are here today. Many of them are my constituents. Welcome to the Legislature. I hope you enjoy your day here in Yellowknife.

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I also want to again recognize my oldest daughter, Michelle, her husband, Brent, and their kids, Lane and Tori Hartwell. Welcome to the Legislature.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will take this opportunity to withdraw my remarks. If I came close to the line yesterday with those remarks, I apologize to the Premier and to the government for doing that and I guess I will leave it at that. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, Inuvik residents are unsure as to the status of SAM School. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if a decision has been made regarding SAM School. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 420-15(3): Status Of Sir Alexander Mackenzie School

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last fall a process was started that included the DEA, the DEC, the town, the Gwich’in and the Inuvialuit in Inuvik, to work with consultants from Education, Culture and Employment to examine the options. We also brought in the experts from Public Works and Services and we have decided that it would not be economically feasible to renovate SAM School and that has been passed on in writing to the DEA. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.