Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. It gives me great pleasure to welcome our colleague back; Mr. Abernethy is back with us today.
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Mr. Speaker, many Northwest Territories residents are watching with great interest as our Canadian athletes, including Hay River’s own Brendan Green, strive to “Own the Podium” at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
It is important to note that the Olympics are more than just a sporting event. These Olympics are not just Vancouver’s games, but Canada’s games and, more importantly, have been the first Olympics to fully partner with aboriginal people. The 2010 Olympics are also a celebration of arts and culture, which we witnessed when our performing artists put on a tremendous show during the Victory Day celebrations held at B.C. Place on NWT Day last Friday. Today I’d like to highlight the Northwest Territories visual artists we have at the games.
Mr. Speaker, the 10 visual artists representing our Territory at the games are from all five regions of the Northwest Territories. They represent various genres of our arts and fine crafts sector and produce work that ranges from moose hair tufting to beadwork.
The Olympics experience will be an invaluable one for these artists. They will be able to expose their work to a large audience during the games. This audience encompasses not just Canada, but the world. They will also collaborate with other artists, acquire marketing skills and meet art gallery owners.
But it’s not just these 10 artists that will benefit from the government’s Olympics presence. Our Territory and its arts and fine crafts sector will also gain much exposure from this initiative. That’s because the artists are not just there to showcase their work, but to act as ambassadors of the Northwest Territories. While they are in Vancouver, they are taking part in workshops, telling stories about our land and culture, providing hands-on demonstrations of their work and promoting the Northwest Territories as a place to visit, live, work and invest in.
Mr. Speaker, we believe the investments we are making in our artists during the 2010 Winter Olympics will strengthen national and international awareness of Northwest Territories art and highlight our traditional arts and fine crafts. In turn, this will potentially open up new markets for our arts and fine crafts sector and create awareness of the Territory in general, of our land, our people and our enormous potential.
Mr. Speaker, these 10 artists are examples of the depth of talent we have in the arts and fine crafts sector and I’d like to publicly acknowledge these talented individuals at this time.
The artists are Brandy Wilson from Fort Smith; Cecile Deneyoua from Hay River; Mary Okheena from Ulukhaktok; Elizabeth Drescher from Inuvik; Janet Grandjambe and Lucy Yakeleya from Fort Good Hope; Jennifer Walden and Jamie Look from Yellowknife; Karen Cumberland from Fort Liard and John Sabourin from Fort Simpson.
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I would encourage the Members of this Legislative Assembly and all Northwest Territories residents, to visit the government’s Olympics website to learn more about these artists, who they are, the work they do and where they are from. This website contains detailed biographies of all 10 artists and a wealth of information about the government’s other activities to promote the Northwest Territories at the Olympics.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the rest of the Members of this Legislative Assembly to join me now in saluting our Northwest Territories artists, as a sign of support for these individuals who are doing so much to help the government achieve its goals of promoting this great land of ours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the Northwest Territories Biomass Energy Strategy.
Biomass energy is renewable energy derived from organic plant materials produced by photosynthesis. Essentially, it is solar energy stored in the mass of trees and plants. Biomass energy is available in the NWT in the form of wood and wood pellets.
An increased use of wood and wood pellets as an alternative source of energy supports the Government of the Northwest Territories goal of an environment that will sustain present and future generations.
Given the increasing cost of heating our homes and businesses, our growing concern about the impacts of climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, wood and wood pellet heating is an economically and environmentally friendly alternative.
Mr. Speaker, climate change remains a serious issue for the people of the Northwest Territories. Our government continues to support, investigate and implement initiatives that will assist in adapting to and mitigate the impacts of climate change in the NWT. The sustainable and wise development of forest resources will help us achieve this.
The Biomass Energy Strategy is an integral part of the Greenhouse Gas Strategy as any progress away from fossil fuel consumption towards a carbon-neutral fuel will dramatically reduce emissions. By using carbon sources that already exist in the ecological system, we use energy without adding new carbon into the system, which has been the largest factor leading climate change.
We hope this strategy will lead to an increase in the use of biomass products, such as wood and wood pellets, by promoting the use of local and important biomass products and reducing our dependency on diesel fuel.
Mr. Speaker, more than 33 hectares of land in the NWT is covered by forests. With careful planning, our forests have the potential for the sustainable harvest of biomass energy because the forest industry currently operates at very low levels. As advances in new technology bring new furnaces and boilers to market to replace or augment oil as a fuel source, wood and wood pellet heating is becoming more and more popular.
Wood pellets are a Canadian renewable resource made from forest industry waste-wood and are used in wood pellet stoves, boilers and furnaces.
Burning at a very high temperature, wood pellets eliminate the waste product often associated with wood heat.
Biomass is also available in the NWT from: wood resident in the form of woodchips from forest fire burn areas; forest thinning for community protection; road building and maintenance and pipeline or seismic line cutting; cardboard, paper or construction and demolition waste; and fast growing willow or poplar.
When a tree is harvested and burned as biomass energy, it is considered carbon neutral as long as the forest is regenerated, both naturally and with silviculture. This cycle results in tree replacement and greenhouse gases neutrality. The department is currently drafting an implementation plan for forest renewal in the Norwest Territories to ensure the sustainable use of our forest resources. It will focus on planning processes and harvesting guidelines that are created to promote natural regeneration and minimize site disturbance.
Timber harvesting continues in the NWT and may expand with recent interest in the potential of harvesting for biomass crops. While ENR will continue to actively reforest harvested lands, the management methods incorporating natural regeneration are expected to become even more important.
By adapting our usages of energy and carbon, we are beginning to reduce the negative effects on the overall world climate and the NWT. The strategy will guide our actions to reduce emissions, and the costs associated with home and business heating, through the increased use of wood and wood pellets. It also established the conditions necessary to enable biomass energy to become an integral part of the energy is in the NWT.
We will continue to work very closely with the NWT communities in both the implementation and planning of biomass initiatives. Mr. Speaker, the NWT is working to become a leader within Canada on alternative, sustainable energy. The Biomass Energy Strategy should help us achieve this goal. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, Education Week, February 22nd to the 26th, is a time to thank educators across the Northwest Territories for the difference they make in the lives of northern students and families. It’s because of their hard work that students are able to graduate and pursue a post-secondary education and fulfilling employment opportunities.
Each year, the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association honours our northern educators with the Thank You for Making a Difference campaign. They continually received nominations from students all over the Northwest Territories who want their teachers recognized for the difference they make in their lives. Our teachers are on the frontlines of our education system, teaching our young people the skills they need to reach their full potential and achieve success. They invest a great deal of their time, both in and out of the classroom, tutoring students, coaching teams and, of course, preparing class material.
I think it is safe to say making a difference in the lives of students is why most people become teachers. It’s great that they have opportunities like this to hear these words of appreciation. All our teachers deserve our gratitude for everything they do. I want to congratulate everybody who received nominations, and those who are receiving Thank You for Making a Difference awards.
One issue our teachers face is the need to improve student attendance. When a student is away from school, they miss valuable lessons and fall behind in their work. It is important to remember that education is a collective responsibility shared not only by teachers, but by parents, students and other members in our communities. We all have roles to play to help our young people achieve success. The department recently launched a campaign to improve attendance. Look for our ads and other promotional items that address this important issue.
Programs like the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative are bringing healthy meals into schools so kids are ready for class in the morning. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative also provides laptops to high school kids and money for school libraries to purchase much needed books for literacy. Schools across the Northwest Territories are also developing mentorship opportunities that bring students together with elders and there are rewards and incentives for improved attendance. By working together, we can help our students receive the education they deserve.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the teachers and educators across our Territory who commit so much of themselves so their students can be successful. I also want to thank our partners in the communities, aboriginal government, industry and at Aurora College, who continually work to improve education and training opportunities for our people. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the demolition of the Deh Cho Hall in Fort Simpson. This is slated to be done in the summer and completed by the fall time. I have been advised that nothing can be salvaged from the building for community use. Residents of Fort Simpson find that very hard to believe. Why would our government not allow residents and/or organizations an opportunity to use salvageable material for the benefit of residents or their organizations?
Mr. Speaker, I am in favour of coming to some kind of solution that will benefit the community. We have had previous buildings of the same age and construction completely retrofitted and the material was used in the community. The benefits are many. In fact, members of the Catholic Church are looking for a cost-saving solution to replace their existing church. I see that lumber and framing material from the Deh Cho Hall can go a long ways in assisting them. I also see that constructively taking down the building will provide many man hours of work. I will, once again, ask the Minister of Public Works and Services to consider this request before the work begins this coming season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m informed that the percentage of NWT aboriginal high school graduates has increased significantly since 2000. In 2008 approximately 50 percent of graduates were aboriginal; in 2000 only 30 percent of the graduates were aboriginal. In the same period the total number of graduates in smaller communities nearly doubled. Fifty-five percent of those 18 years and older in the NWT are now graduated from high school.
That all sounds like good news to me, but I’m still discouraged. Many of the Sahtu high school graduates don’t have a real high school graduation. They don’t have the right courses and credits to move into post-secondary programs. I don’t think this is a problem that is unique to the Sahtu students or schools, I think this is an issue for Northerners throughout the Northwest Territories. But I will talk about my Sahtu people and their perspectives.
It seems that the higher the grade that you get to, the more likely that you are really far behind in that grade. Evidently students in Yellowknife perform better than students in the small communities and are least successful in their tests.
I know the Minister wants to blame much of this on students and their parents, but let’s be fair here. There’s a lack of success everywhere. Take some responsibility: the department, the school boards, the DEAs, the teachers and the principals. The Minister receives funding to improve education services in small communities.
The Minister says he’s doing new things to support education in small communities. What are these activities that he’s supporting? How many students are taking the 30-level courses and succeeding? The Minister received new funding to launch the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative to reduce the gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students’ performances. What is being done in the Sahtu communities? What results should I expect to see? I hope it is more than empty stomachs make empty brains, the newspaper advertisement. I hope it is more than new government employees in Yellowknife. What are the initiatives in the Sahtu communities? What difference are they making?
Young Northerners need good education so the young people can be what they want to be. Education is an investment. We will see the results from that investment when our young people return to the Sahtu as teachers, doctors, nurses, pilots and carpenters, even politicians.
I believe the GNWT’s department of education can work with our boards and DEAs, and our teachers and principals, with our parents and students, to ensure that they have quality education in the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Members will know by now, this is Education Week. Today I also want to recognize and salute educators.
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NWT educators come in many forms. Most are in our formal education system -- kindergarten to grade 12 and college programs -- but there are many who are not. NWT educators include daycare and child care staff, non-government organizations’ educators, English as a second language teachers, playschool and preschool teachers, elders, coaches and parents. We have a huge number of informal educators who work with NWT residents of all ages to promote and enhance lifelong learning.
Teachers and mentors impact our children most particularly and we’re blessed to have many excellent, dedicated teachers in this Territory. They love their job, they love their students, and they work hard to help every one of them to excel. All students don’t, of course, but many do and it’s because of the teachers in their lives.
I’m sure most of us can name at least one teacher who influenced us when we were young. For me it was my Grade 11 History teacher. He taught me to think beyond my reach and try to achieve beyond my capabilities. He taught me that teachers are human and that learning can be fun, even if you think you don’t like the subject.
So this week, Education Week, take the time to tell someone in education that you appreciate their efforts, that they make a positive difference in their students’ lives. If you have a child in the school system, think about how you can become more involved in their schooling, how you can better support their learning efforts through taking part in school activities or helping with school programs.
We don’t recognize the contributions of teachers often enough and kudos must go to both the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT Teachers’ Association for their programs which salute teaching excellence. The NWTTA Thank You for Making a Difference campaign has grown significantly over the years and now draws in students and parents from across the NWT to nominate an educator for recognition.
Because it’s Education Week, I want to formally say thank you for making a difference to all NWT teachers and to the teachers in Yellowknife schools in particular. But I especially want to single out the staff of Ecole William McDonald School and Ecole Allain St-Cyr, both in the riding of Frame Lake. Thanks to all for your ongoing hard work and dedication to our children. We often say you’re preparing tomorrow’s leaders. I know our future leaders will be great because of the teachers in their lives today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the mini-hydro project on the Snowdrift River near Lutselk'e. Mr. Speaker, this project has many positive implications. The completion of the mini-hydro project will have positive impacts for the cost of living for the Lutselk'e residents and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
I know the government is taking the environmental impact very seriously and the people of Lutselk'e realize the economic benefits of paying less for power and other opportunities of the project such as short-term construction employment and ongoing operational employment.
Mr. Speaker, in order for this project to move ahead as planned, the GNWT must ensure its responsibility to conduct proper and effective consultation for the people of Lutselk'e. In fact, the project planning on the mini-hydro should be well underway now. Mr. Speaker, according to the leadership of Lutselk'e, this project seems to be proceeding along at a very slow pace and they are wondering why.
It is imperative that a consultation process is started immediately. The construction of an all-winter road to the mini-hydro site must start this summer. The project looks like it can be a real win-win project for all parties, with all kinds of favourable outlook for the project. The GNWT should do everything in its power to expedite the project.
Mr. Speaker, concerns were expressed by the community of Lutselk'e on how slow the process is and a fear that when the time for construction comes, the money may not be there. According to the community, this project has been in discussion for years and it’s time the government sits down with the community and get on the same page as when the community can celebrate the transmission power to the community of Lutselk'e. Late today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I stated my perspectives on fighting down the high cost of living through poverty reduction and reduced energy costs. This government owns the public utility providing the bulk of electrical energy to NWT customers. Through the decades, government has jiggled and tweaked, studied and reviewed, and we are not one centimetre closer to meeting our energy needs.
What are our energy needs? The cheapest possible power at the lowest environmental cost with the greatest local business and employment benefits. I can hear the reaction now: that’s easy for me to say. Well, it is and here’s why: in Nordic Europe, I and my colleague Mr. Krutko saw biomass-based energy systems owned by communities the size of ours using fuel we have in abundance here; communities earning the dividends of local investments and flourishing with local employment and new businesses. We saw proven technology in millions of homes and businesses that had slashed greenhouse gas production dramatically, cut energy costs and stopped the export of wealth into volatile foreign oil markets. Yet, here we remain stuck at square minus one.
NTPC review, rates and regulations review, the same old shell games. Millions of dollars of dithering, producing nothing but places to hide the pea. This isn’t some far-fetched dream I’m talking about, Mr. Speaker. Energy is our single largest controllable expense, and there are ways to cut these costs staring us in the face at huge greenhouse gas benefits, as many of us have stressed repeatedly. If our biggest priorities are an end to personal poverty and progress in fighting climate change, and I can’t think of any greater priorities, we have to stop studying, stop playing card tricks to hide the cost of power, and actually do something on the ground, do something about it.
I couldn’t be more disappointed in the latest of the endless rounds of reviews and I’m calling on this government to get serious on the solution the world is using: green energy. Let’s really reduce real costs. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This winter the Northwest Territories has received a great amount of promotion and attention as a place to visit for tourism. For the first week of the Olympics, over 70,000 people had the pleasure of visiting Canada’s Northern House, which, as many Members in this House will know, was a joint effort between the Government of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. This gives people the chance to learn about northern culture, crafts, tourism, and opportunities to travel to the Northwest Territories and Canada’s North.
Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of visiting this facility and I’ll tell you it’s certainly a top-notch or first-class presentation of what the North has to offer. Mr. Speaker, over the winter the Globe and Mail had featured colour, full-page photos promoting the Northwest Territories beauty, its romance, and certainly a place to visit for opportunity and adventure. We must make sure that we live up to this promise to people we’re trying to attract.
Tourism comes in many forms, and as I’ve said many times before, one of the forms is recreational vehicles. RV parks can be found just about everywhere across North America and it continues to be a very popular activity even though the fuel prices have certainly gone up, and up. In the quest of bragging rights across this country, RV'ers like to take their creature comforts off the beaten path and I think the Northwest Territories offers that experience that they’re looking for.
Often Yellowknife in the summer will find these large vehicles parked in places not necessarily suited for them. Sometimes you see them at the boat launch, the Rotary Park down by Great Slave Lake, or in rest stops along the highway and picnic sites along the Ingraham Trail. We need to increase our capacity to offer services to these types of tourists, our RV'er community. They are looking for good scenery, shopping, arts and music festivals, museums and other special interests that the North presently offers. So, Mr. Speaker, where are the discussions of the RV park here in the Northwest Territories and certainly just outside of Yellowknife?
There once was a site being picked by the Folk on the Rocks, but for various reasons it didn’t work out. It’s time for ITI to find ways to make sure that we build incentives into the developing RV facilities here in the Northwest Territories and definitely here in Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, without this type of opportunity, our small business community has a difficult time meeting the challenges, because tourism dollars are a serious investment into our northern economy. Later today I’ll have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment about what we can do to help further support the RV community with parks to meet their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This being Education Week, I also would like to take this opportunity to recognize the educators in the Northwest Territories in our formal education institutions and Ms. Bisaro listed off a number of areas that people could serve in this capacity.
Mr. Speaker, it’s a challenging task that lies ahead of our educators in our communities here in the North. In any community anywhere, it is a challenging task. It’s something that I admire greatly in those who choose that profession, something that I know I could not succeed in just by virtue of the amount of discipline it takes to stay on course.
Mr. Speaker, I went to school many years ago and I just want to say that I am grateful to the people who educated me for the basics. I wasn’t a good student, but the basics of arithmetic and grammar and spelling and the very basic essentials of education, in spite of my lack of enthusiastic participation has stood me in fairly good stead going forward in my life. I would have liked to have more formal education, but I came from a home where there was not a high priority put on formal education. My parents were not formally educated and so they did not, in turn, convey to us the importance of that. You’ll notice a lot of times teachers’ kids are the best students because they have that strong parental influence in the home, that getting a good education is a really important thing.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to also recognize some of the outside of the box kind of thinking that’s taking place in education. I think of the storefront high school program that’s in Hay River, that’s located in the downtown, where we did take students that were not doing well in the routine and regular process, and we found a place where they could participate perhaps in a different way, in a different place, but we did not discard them because they could not accomplish the same amount as kids in the academic program. So I do thank the Department of Education for that kind of creativity, thinking outside the box and trying to make sure that as much as is reasonably possible we meet the education needs of children in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to be back. I read with interest a Northern News Services story on colon cancer prevention several weeks ago. I was pleased to hear, given the high rate of colon cancer in the Northwest Territories, that the Department of Health and Social Services is taking a proactive position and directing family physicians and other health care providers to encourage residents over 50 to get screened every one or two years.
Although I support this direction, I do have one concern. I have talked to a number of people on the list for screening, as well as a couple of the physicians, who have indicated that the waiting list for this procedure is anywhere from 12 months to 18 months. According to the newspaper article, the department indicated that if blood is detected, the department tries to have a colonoscopy scheduled within three months, which is the Canadian standard.
Unfortunately, I have learned that there are still a number of high-risk clients throughout the Northwest Territories who have been waiting for far longer than the standard three months. Given that the department is encouraging a large number of Northerners to get this procedure, the demand on the system will only increase and wait times will only continue to grow.
I fully agree that this is something that needs to be done. However, I’m not sure delivering a service like this without adequate space and staff and resources will prove to be successful. There is a good chance that it will actually cause significant frustration for our residents. I’m aware of some of the challenges. Space is at a premium at Stanton. Staff is limited. Colonoscopy equipment is also limited.
Fortunately there are, in my opinion, organizations and passionate people in the Northwest Territories who I believe can really help us overcome these challenges; for example, the Stanton Foundation. Over the years this foundation has proven they can mobilize and raise significant funds for specific projects. If given a concrete ask, they will be able to raise significant funds for colon cancer prevention that will help us overcome our challenges to timely screening.
I encourage the Minister to meet with the foundation and work with them to raise the funds required to pay for leasehold improvements to create or modify existing space at Stanton or off-site, purchase additional colonoscopy machines, and cover the cost of additional staff so that additional screening can be facilitated. This could be a win-win for the foundation, Stanton, the Department of Health and Social Services, and for all residents of the Northwest Territories.
I believe that a lot of good is being done and that the direction being taken to increase the number of colon cancer screenings is appropriate. Let’s take the next step and ensure that our system can handle these increased loads without causing undue frustration and stress on the residents of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement to again draw attention to this Cabinet’s increasing practice of awarding lucrative contracts to former senior public servants without any competitive process.
In a reply to a written question asked by Mr. Bromley and tabled in this House earlier this session, the government highlighted an alarming number of contracts that have been awarded to former senior bureaucrats on a sole-sourced basis. The Premier told us in the House that such contracts are justified because they are a way to ensure that our most talented people earn a living and stay in the North.
Many of the contracts in question have been awarded to former senior bureaucrats who no longer live in the North. Many have been awarded to former deputy ministers who were terminated by this government shortly after coming into office. In one case it would appear that a contract was awarded to an accounting firm to teach a basic accounting course to the Department of Finance. The principal of that firm that the contract was sole sourced to is the partner of a current deputy minister.
What exactly is going on here? There is a sense of entitlement that seems to have come over this Cabinet and the bureaucracy that does nothing but erode public confidence in how our money is spent. We’re not talking about negotiated contracts with legitimate companies here. We’re talking about individual service contracts that any number of northern companies are qualified to bid on.
I’m not suggesting that the people who have received these contracts are not competent. I’m not suggesting that they’re not offering a fair price. What I’m saying is that there’s no way to be sure of either of these things if we do not use a competitive process like a tender or an RFP. This is particularly true when we are sole sourcing contracts to individuals with very close ties to government. If you look closely behind some of the more controversial issues surrounding this government, be it the Deh Cho Bridge Project or behind-closed-doors loans to Discovery Air, former senior bureaucrats with close ties to the government are always seen to be lurking in the background.
The time has come to end this sense of entitlement and restore public confidence in our contracting processes. I call on this Premier and this government to put an end to this practice. In the meantime, they can rest assured that I will be paying very close attention to the contracting reports that will be tabled in this House for the remainder of this Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to recognize Chief Edward Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Soon some of the staff at Stanton will be vacating the hospital to move to a new mall here in Yellowknife. This may free up some space that can be modified to allow for additional colon cancer screening. This may be a great opportunity for Stanton and the Stanton Foundation to mobilize to raise funds for increased screening which may help reduce wait times in the Northwest Territories.
Would the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to meeting with representatives from the Stanton Foundation and work with them to help address these challenges, specifically space, equipment, and staff, facing colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m always willing to meet with any group or organization to hear them out and see what we can do in terms of working together. I can tell the Member that I have met with the Stanton Territorial Foundation executive director and chair quite early in my mandate. We have also learned that in fact the deputy minister of Health and Social Services is a member of that board, which has not been exercised in a while. We are certainly willing to work with the foundation and see what projects we can work on together.
I’m happy to hear that. I was wondering if the Minister could tell me when she might actually have an opportunity to meet on this particular issue about finding ways to reduce wait times for colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories.
If we were to, well, I mean, I know that the deputy minister is planning on meeting with the foundation as a member of the board or invited member of the board. With respect to cancer screening, that’s a service issue and it involves... The wait list is not necessarily because of the spacing issue but is because of the lack of specialists. Part of the work we are doing is we’re looking to see if we can offer that service not only in Yellowknife at Stanton but also in Hay River and possibly Inuvik. That’s part of the Territory-wide service plan that we’re working on. We would certainly be happy to work with the foundation on capital projects that they want to have to raise funds.
Once again I’d like to thank the Minister for that. I hear what the Minister is saying, but at the same time there are a large number of residents in Yellowknife, a large number of people who are going through or scheduled on the waiting list, waiting 12 months or 18 months or often longer for colon cancer screening in the Northwest Territories. The foundation has an opportunity to help raise money, not cost the government money but help the government raise money to actually facilitate some of this screening. I’d like to hear the Minister tell me today that she is going to meet with the foundation and work with them to help identify ways or help them target money and fundraising that could help us help our residents get the screening that is required in the Northwest Territories, specifically at Stanton.
As I’ve indicated, the deputy minister will be participating in that board and any proposals they may have for raising money for capital, obviously we’re willing to work with that and see how we can work together. I think we should be careful that raising money for capital equipment is for capital equipment. Often it’s the O and M and the ongoing funding that is a lot bigger than the capital funding itself. We should be mindful of that when we are talking about fundraising projects. Obviously, I appreciate and value the work that the foundation does and any idea they may have that they want us to look at, we’ll be happy to do that.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
