Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. A key component in evaluating our Ledge Safety Policy is the Safe Advantage program administered by WSCC. The GNWT is no different than any other organization or company in the Northwest Territories. That is it must abide by the same rules and laws. On October 27, 2014, I spoke about this government lacking a safety culture. So I’d like to pick up where I left off to the Minister of Human Resources for some follow-up questions.
As we are aware, this government in the last couple of years faced some very stiff fines in failing a WSCC Safe Advantage evaluation. These fines and double fines exceeded well over $750,000 to which the taxpayers have to pick up the tab.
Sadly, the GNWT appears to have failed once again a questionnaire portion of the WSCC Safe Advantage program.
Can the Minister confirm this failing grade and inform the House what will be our fine this time for the taxpayers? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The Member has better intel than me. I have been advised by the department that a questionnaire submitted for October 31st has not received a score from the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission at this time. The 2013-14 claims, if there was any penalty calculated in that questionnaire, we will be advised by Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission in June 2015. Thank you.
Thank you. Clearly, WSCC fines and the court fines all point to a lack of proper occupational health and safety programs. We clearly demonstrate a pattern of failure to provide a culture of safety for employees.
Can the Minister again inform the House how many safety officer positions do we have on payroll for our 5,000 employee base? Thank you.
Thank you. The departments have developed occupational health and safety committees in the various departments and headquarters and also in some of the regions in the departments that are the main contracting departments, such as Public Works and Transportation. However, I don’t have the information on how many safety officers, which are titled safety officers and are employed as safety officers, but rather people that work in the departments and scheduled as occupational health and safety officers and work with the committees. Thank you.
Thank you. I can provide that to the Minister if he’d like. The Minister, on October 27th, indicated that contractors that work with the GNWT have a safety program when on site, yet we do not have a contractor management system to support this. In fact, when I asked around, it appears that the main contractor questionnaire we most often use refers that if one is in good standing with WSCC. To be honest, this really only means that you don’t owe any money to the WSCC.
So again, can the Minister inform the House, is being in good standing with WSCC the default safety requirement to work for the GNWT under contract? Thank you
Thank you. Having paid WSCC premiums is one of the mandatory things that contractors have to have. My understanding, from and discussing this with the departments that are doing a lot of contracting with industry, is that they have to have a safety plan when they bid on jobs. I’m not sure that the safety plans are filed with anyone except with the department and the departments questioning whether or not the contractor has a safety plan in place when they contract with us. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question for the Minister should be a very easy and simple one.
Can the Minister produce and table a copy of the GNWT Safety Manual? Thank you.
Thank you. The GNWT employs lots of contractors. Many contractors, even to people who do our janitorial services and so on. We have, like the Member indicates, 5,000 employees doing various types of work. We have people that do nursing, 24/7 operations such as correctional facilities. I’m not sure that one safety plan could ever encompass all of the GNWT, so I don’t think I can actually table a safety plan for the GNWT per say. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
