Mr. Speaker, tourism brings over $100 million in new spending into our Territory each year. Today I will highlight the development of two key marketing activities that will strengthen the Northwest Territories tourism sector and attract even more visitors to enjoy this beautiful land we call home.
Supporting the tourism industry is one of the key activities the Government of the Northwest Territories is pursuing as part of its Maximizing Opportunities Strategic Initiative. Through these efforts, we continue to work towards the Assembly’s goal of diversifying our economy and supporting the development of sustainable local economies through community-based industries like tourism.
The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes tourism as a valuable renewable resource. It is critical that we market the Northwest Territories outstanding range of tourism products and that we continue to invest in research, products, training and infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, with these goals in mind, I am extremely pleased with the development of Tourism 2015: New Directions for a Spectacular Future. This plan will guide investment by the Government of the Northwest Territories in the tourism industry over the next five years. The second plan is the Northwest Territories Tourism’s 2011-12 Marketing Plan, which outlines marketing initiatives for this fiscal year. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table these documents.
Mr. Speaker, while the recent global recession drove down travel numbers throughout the world, there is some good news to relate. Travel from Canada’s international markets is up significantly in this past year following the Winter Olympics and Paralymic Games in Vancouver. Our own campground numbers were up over 5 percent and current reports from our aurora operators indicate a significant increase in Japanese visitors over last winter.
However, the tourism industry is extremely competitive and we need to continually position ourselves as a travel destination of choice. The Northwest Territories Tourism’s 2011-12 Marketing Plan and Tourism 2015 will help us accomplish this. Both the marketing plan and the investment plan are about building on our achievements to realize our growth potential by targeting markets and products for increasing tourism revenues within the Northwest Territories.
We are also excited about the recent announcement of an investment of almost $3.5 million by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency for “Canada’s North Marketing Campaign,” a pan-territorial tourism marketing initiative to promote and position Canada’s North as a unique and dynamic place to visit. We have already had great success working in partnership with the territories on Canada’s Northern House, and we anticipate this funding will continue to help us bring more tourists north.
Partnerships continue to be the cornerstone of our tourism marketing efforts and I would like to thank all of the tourism operators who provided input, for their invaluable contribution to drafting Tourism 2015 and to Northwest Territories Tourism and the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee for the leadership they have shown in developing the 2011-12 Marketing Plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My riding has the highest percentage of households in core need in the Northwest Territories. There have been some wins, but we are losing ground in other areas like an independent appeals mechanism, maintenance program for elders, mould. One of my constituents finally got access to a home repair program after fighting for seven years, Mr. Speaker, and that’s great news. But after seven years of fighting, others still don’t have access. My constituents are frustrated. There is no appeal process. They appeal to the person who told them no in the first place. It’s hard on the clients and it’s particularly hard on the staff. We need to create a way for clients who are not happy with the program or arrears to plead their case and have somebody review it.
The Minister has announced that the Housing Corporation would launch an appeals process on April 1, 2011. I would like to see some program detail on how it would work, especially to address program eligibility and appealing old arrears. A lot of constituents are refused the program because of arrears, so sometimes they run into serious immediate maintenance issues but no support is available to them because of this.
Last week I talked about how an elder found himself in such a situation. We need to reinstate a seniors maintenance care program to stop these situations from happening. A seniors maintenance care program would go a long way to improving the condition of our public housing units. We’re still short housing units in many communities. Many units in my riding are inadequate because of black mould. People come to me saying they have respiratory problems caused by mould in their units. We could look at ways to address this issue through our Small Communities Employment Program to get workers into these homes to do some cleaning.
The Housing Corporation should also consider mould-free construction techniques in their designs. I’m pleased with the front-line workers in my region, but I think we can make progress in Nahendeh. If we address these issues, I think we’ll see a drop in the number of households in core need. Our people are worth it, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister of Tourism, Bob McLeod, for his opening remarks today because it works well with my Member’s statement.
As the Minister has said, on April 1, 2011, the GNWT and NWT Tourism are set to launch their Tourism 2015: A New Direction for a Spectacular Future. Tourism 2015 builds on the Tourism 2010 Plan, as said earlier, and certainly makes an effort to continue the great opportunities that are available in our tourism market.
When the mayor of Edmonton was in Yellowknife a few weeks back, he asked why the GNWT doesn’t focus tourism campaigns on his particular city. I think the Minister today said it very well when he said they need to recognize our growth potential by targeting priority markets, and I don’t think it could be said better than that.
Mayor Mandel continued to say that he thought there would be significant interest in his city to have sort of a tourism initiative targeting his large city, which is simply a one and a half hour flight away, with a million people. He thought a lot of people there would be very interested in coming to the North.
For years Yellowknifers and all northern residents alike continue to flock to our southern gateways in Edmonton and Calgary and it’s about time we started seeing some of that return. Maybe a very precise and targeted tourism campaign could market to those particular cities to draw interest in the North.
We have a lot of tourism product here and I believe it would offer great variety to the southern residents to give them something unique and interesting to take home from memory. Many people talk throughout Canada about both Yellowknife and the North as truly on their particular bucket list of things to do before they sort of end their travel days. I would encourage the Minister of ITI to work with NWT Tourism to target those people who see the North as a particular area they wish to visit that, again, is on their bucket list. I can tell you from my experience of travelling over the years, that many people talk about the dream to come North and I would hope the Minister in today’s question period will talk about initiatives on how we can target Alberta, specifically Edmonton and Calgary, to draw more of them up, especially with them so close. That would be a great market to tap into.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to tell a bit of a sad story today. Once upon a time there were a group of seniors and elders who wanted to ensure that NWT residents stayed in the North as they aged. They wanted to ensure that our elders would be well looked after and to preserve an appropriate quality of life for all of us as we age. So they banded together and formed a society to work on their goals.
Seniors are a tenacious lot and this group was no exception. They petitioned the government-of-the-day for funding for their group and kept on petitioning until the government, bless them, realized the value of the society and granted them some money. Thus began a beautiful relationship which endures to this day.
The government and the society signed a contract, a one-year contract, and then the contract was renewed and extended for one more year, then one more year, then one more year and so on. Then at the urging of the Seniors’ Society and their MLAs, the government relented and for a brief, short time the group had a multi-year contract. For a few short years there was funding security for the society to run their programs and to know that they could keep their staff. Then the government reverted to a one-year contract and that’s where the NWT Seniors’ Society is at today. Back to square one.
The time that our NGOs have to spend negotiating and developing contracts with the government is huge. Many NGOs receive funding from more than one government department and they must have a contract with each one. The imposition on an organization, which usually has little administrative capacity to begin with, is large.
It’s time for this government to rethink how we fund our NGO partners. Why must they apply for many pots of money to accomplish their goals? I believe we should be considering multi-year core funding to provide a stable funding base for our NGO partners. If necessary, they could then make applications for program funds which are beyond their normal scope of activities.
The work, the services and the programs that NGOs do on behalf of the GNWT is invaluable and certainly could not be done as cheaply if the government were doing the same work. If we really value NGOs as much as our Ministers keep telling us, we must put our money where our mouth is and make the financial life of our NGOs easier.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources committed, a number of months ago, to completing a new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy this spring. But where are we today? We apparently have a new Greenhouse Gas Strategy renewal process plan, which fails to acknowledge even old opportunities. It’s a hollow document, long on process and lacking essential analysis or actions.
Take territorial building standards. Higher construction costs are a hard sell, but when you have the numbers, they are plain sense and lower operating costs buying back upfront costs. Support programs can make this work but we need the numbers and a plan. Take distributed energy both for public and private buildings. We’ve used it for years. Yet again, no numbers are provided to assess possible gains. Same thing with waste heat energy recovery.
The Minister has supported a roundtable this Friday to explore the facts and advantages of carbon pricing. Though a very hard sell, detailed analysis for the progressive redistribution of cost will at least help assess potential gains from this tool. When my colleague Mr. Krutko and I saw Nordic countries’ universal adoption of building standards, distributed biomass energy and carbon pricing with the huge emission reductions they achieved, we knew a plan was needed here to nail down similar economic and environmental benefits. But we still have no such plan.
Feedback I’ve received from the most recent strategy consultations is not positive. A brief report from the Minister’s office says participants agreed that “the goals, objectives, principles and targets of the strategy need to be revised and clearly articulated.” I say, no kidding, Mr. Speaker. Where participants expected basic measures like higher energy efficiency, building standards and carbon pricing to be highlighted and assessed, they had to suggest them for the umpteenth time. Another process checklist but no action plan.
We’ve made big improvements to GNWT operations but we must now extend them across the NWT. To convince citizens and industry to come along, we have to prove it’s the best way to go. The task is large and requires a serious effort. Instead we had a lack of senior people at the January meeting, a lack of analysis, short notice of the meeting, a lack of costed actions, and time is short.
I’ll have questions for the Minister, Mr. Speaker, but as an aside, I want to mention that leading the way on environmental responsibilities brings big tourism gains as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is Education Week. It’s an annual celebration of all aspects of teaching and learning, and it is a time for students, teachers and parents to celebrate excellence and achievements and reflect on what more we can do to address challenges.
The Diamond Jenness Secondary School alternative education program, called the Storefront School in Hay River, opened in October of 2009, and runs in leased space on the ground floor of the highrise, which is right beside the high school. Students receive instruction and programming on an individual basis for a variety of needs and work in a supportive and flexible environment. Students are comfortable with the personalized education and are able to work around other commitments in their lives. For example, there are single parents with responsibilities at home as well as students who are working to support themselves who cannot attend school during regular classroom hours.
In just over one year of operation, the success of this program has been tremendous. There are currently 42 students enrolled in the 2010-11 year. There were 24 students active during just this past week. One hundred and seventy credits have been completed during the first semester of this year and an additional 214 potential credits could be completed by June 2011. Students who otherwise would not have access to a way to complete their high school education are now studying hard and succeeding, and this year we may see up to eight graduates from this program.
The South Slave District Education Council did not receive start-up funding for alternative education programs. All costs for the programs were from regular formula funding. Without adequate funding, alternative education cannot continue to maintain operations at its current level. The recent announcement by the government to change the funding allocation for alternative education jeopardizes the stability of this program.
It is not easy to find employment or advance in the workplace to a level that provides sufficient income to support oneself or raise a family if you do not have at least a basic level of education, grade 12. It has taken several years to establish a program for at-risk students, and this method of education is working. It has proven to be a necessary program in northern communities to ensure that as many of our young people as possible are prepared for their future. I encourage the government to find ways to fund this program and to continue to support Hay River’s storefront school and other schools like it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak today about the Department of MACA and the deal for 36,000 acres of land coming from the block land transfer in Norman Wells. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today my questions regarding the disposal of the 36,000 acres has nothing to do with the aspirations of the Norman Wells Land Corporation, and I wish them all well in their pursuits. What my questions are intended to do is find out what the rules of engagement are for MACA when it comes to disposing of Commissioner’s land. What happened in this deal and how it happened are important for all other communities around the Northwest Territories to know and to understand.
First off, the exchange I had with Minister R.C. McLeod a few weeks back and the media reports would indicate that the 36,000 acres were sold, but in reviewing the documents it would appear the deal was a lease. Subsection 3.(3) of the Commissioner’s Land Act states that no Commissioner’s land shall be sold until the duly approved plan of survey of the land has been filed in the land titles office for the registration district in which the land is located. Section 17 of the CLA also states that payment for Commissioner’s land must be paid in full or requires a 20 percent down payment.
I would have to question whether the transfer is in keeping with Section 3 and Section 9 of the regulations, which require that the land be no larger in area than is reasonable for the purpose for which the land is required and that the sale or lease is fair and equitable and in accordance with public interest. Mr. Speaker, there is also the principle of discouraging speculation in the land pricing policy. Given the minimal information provided in the application, it is hard to understand how MACA could have determined whether the amount of land is reasonable. The Town of Norman Wells’ interest in the land for future growth, possible road for access to Bosworth Creek as a water source and the availability of lots within the municipality, it becomes absolutely questionable whether public interest was given adequate consideration. The vagueness of the application’s stated purpose for acquiring the land and general references to economic potential also raises the question of market speculation.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of MACA at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have to realize that one of the most important populations that we have is our elderly population in regards to the years that they have served the Northwest Territories, but more importantly, the knowledge, the culture and the ability to show us how to basically respect not only one another but show us the way of how life should really be lived. Mr. Speaker, we have to realize that is a special component of our population, ensuring that we are also able to support them in living out their remaining days with dignity, respect, and more importantly, that giving them the dependency that they require by way of services and programs and meet the needs of the elderly and aging population in the Northwest Territories, including the personal care and use of handicapped accessories and making sure that the elders that basically require the assistance and physical and mental disabilities that may occur as they age is there to give them the supports they require.
Mr. Speaker, a lot of our elders still stay at home but, again, they still require the supports and not only the dependency but also ensuring the dignity and the ability to be independent is there and there are also programs to take care of those individuals, but more importantly, the individuals who require respite care regardless of their ailments in regards to their disabilities also have to be taken into consideration regardless if it is a disability or an aging format regardless if it’s a physical or mental disability. Again, we have to ensure the essential programs and services are there to meet all our elders’ needs regardless of where they live and making sure we keep them active, keep them involved in community activities, and more importantly, ensure that their physical well-being is taken care of, if that means Meals on Wheels or giving them a ride to the community base, a music festival.
Again, Mr. Speaker, it is a society that can show how they treat the most vulnerable in our society. It shows what type of governments we are able to provide to the rest of the Northwest Territories, but more importantly, to show the Canadian citizens that we really do have respect for our elders by way of programs and services.
So, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services questions on this matter. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I listened with interest to the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation’s opening remarks on the 2011-12 budget, as well as the questions and answers during Committee of the Whole. Housing programs have been a hot topic throughout the life of the 16th Assembly. Significant changes have resulted, including the transfer of responsibility for the public housing from Education, Culture and Employment back to the NWT Housing Corp where they used to be located. This was a positive step, Mr. Speaker.
However, it’s not the only area of concern. Although progress is moving in a positive direction, which is ultimately good for our residents, a lot of work is still required. Regardless, I am happy with a number of the Minister’s comments and answers. Specifically, I was very happy to see that the Housing Corp is finding solutions which will help individuals move into homeownership, where their income is only slightly over a set limit but they meet all the other criteria; that the Housing Corp is allowing secondary intakes at housing choices where housing units are available after a first intake; that the Housing Corp is converting some of its existing vacant housing into public housing units, especially in communities where no current public housing units existed previously; and that the Housing Corp is increasing flexibility in some of the programs.
These are all good steps that the Housing Corp is taking, but there are some areas that I remain concerned about. Specifically public housing arrears. In October I asked the Minister to find some solutions to the perceived false arrears that exist within some of the individual LHOs. These arrears resulted from assessments conducted during the transition period, both during and after the program transferred to ECE. Many people feel that they do not owe as much as they are being requested to pay, that their arrears are not real.
Mr. Speaker, later this afternoon I’ll be seeking some clarity from the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation on their and the LHOs’ progress in assessing public housing arrears to help those individuals with perceived false arrears and address their concerns. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I often speak in support of culture and Aboriginal programs and the needs for these programs to preserve and to hold onto our traditions, especially in our educational institutions. My Member’s statement today will focus on the importance of these same programs that contribute to the achievement of our children and our youth. We need to continue to walk in our ancestors’ footpath of success, which is adept to whatever is in front of us.
Last year, in the Auditor General’s report, it was clear from the Alberta Achievement Tests in the last three years that NWT students’ achievement have progressed very little. Something is wrong, Mr. Speaker.
As well, our high school graduation rate is only 55 percent compared to 71 percent across Canada. Is the glass half full or half empty? Mr. Speaker, in order for a young person to have the discipline to succeed, they must think their future is worth the effort. Is it worth it to have a solid education? I say yes. Learn all that you can because it’s in our blood to succeed, not to fail. Our grandparents would not give up or fail us, nor should we do that with our children.
It has been proven that to be successful in life or excel in whatever work you desire, you first have to know yourself and to be proud of who you are and where you come from. Children need to know their identity and feel self-worth. This gives them their self-esteem. Mr. Speaker, this is where culture programs come in. Students need to learn today knowledge, but they also need to learn about their culture. More importantly, practice their culture. They need to know that they are worth the life they are born into, no more, no less. They need to know the lessons, the wisdom and the strengths and challenges in their culture, finding out about the culture to know who they really are. It’s what gives them strength and reason to work and to study. That’s why programs such as teaching language and culture in our schools are so important.
I want to thank all the teachers in the Sahtu and the parents for continuing to raise their children to be somebody in this world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has come to my attention that the funding for the Victim Impact Services Outreach Program in Inuvik and Paulatuk may no longer have enough to cover services in Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, Tuktoyaktuk and Aklavik. I understand that the way the services are delivered are under review by the Department of Justice, and the federal funding will end March 31st.
In July 2010 the Inuvik office hired staff to provide outreach and support. It was apparently a pilot project. The funding is running out.
Most communities in the Northwest Territories have little or no local support for people dealing with traumatic experiences related to criminal offences, In many cases, victims are left to cope with their trauma alone.
At the same time, they often have to deal with the complicated legal system. This puts tremendous pressure on the people who are already suffering and have done no wrong. This is unacceptable.
The Inuvik outreach office receives referrals from victims of crime, mainly by the RCMP, but sometimes from health centres, counselling services and other services as well. Through victims outreach, people get to complete the impact statements for court. These are read in court when the accused is found guilty. This gives the victim a service, a voice that they otherwise would not have.
Staff at the outreach office also assists victims with their applications for victims of crime emergency funding. If they need immediate help, they can cover such expenses as broken exterior doors, locks, windows, so that they can return to their home and feel safe. When they have been hurt, little things like getting their glasses fixed and getting groceries and having diapers for your kids can make a real difference.
In many measures, the emotional support of outreach staff provides victims and families a third party and impartial support that can even include court with the victim, if it’s requested.
The Victim Services Outreach Program provides administrative and emotional support for people who really need it. After the crime is committed in remote communities, when they need help, they have nowhere else to go and it would be a huge loss of service if this was cut off.
I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize in the gallery today Ms. Jenni Bruce, the chair of NWT Tourism; Mr. Larry Jacquard, board member of NWT Tourism; Mr. Gerry LaPrieur, executive director of NWT Tourism; and Mr. Doug Doan, assistant deputy minister of ITI and also a member of the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Charlie Furlong who is a mentor of mine who invited me into Aboriginal politics in 1985, 26 years ago, when he was the president of the Mackenzie Delta Regional Council and I was the vice-president. It’s been some time and I’d like to thank Charlie publicly for breaking the trail and leading me astray in some cases, and for all the work that Charlie’s done for the residents of the Mackenzie Delta and the Northwest Territories. He is also serving as the chief of the Aklavik band and is now president of the designated Gwich’in organization in Aklavik. Thank you very much, Charlie.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Krutko already recognized him but I would like to recognize Charlie Furlong, who we didn’t know until now was responsible for this.
---Laughter
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really pleased today to have a constituent in the gallery. Ms. Jenni Bruce is a constituent from Frame Lake. Welcome, Jenni.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. I want to welcome everybody in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services in light of the declining programs and services in the area of seniors’ care. I think we have to be cognizant of the aging population in the Northwest Territories. In my riding alone there are some 120 elders over the age of 70 in Tsiigehtchic, Aklavik and Fort McPherson. Yet we have to realize that as we age we also require more specialized programs and services. In light of that, we have to enhance the existing dollars. Right now in most communities all we have is home care. I think we have to expand programs and services to assist those people with regard to their mobility problems and disabilities, physically, mentally, emotionally, to assist them as we improve the quality of life for seniors.
I’d like to ask the Minister what her department is doing to improve the quality of life of elders in our communities and all communities of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is quite right in saying that we need to do more to support elders in our communities. For example, in Aklavik right now one home care worker is supporting 35 elders, as the Member stated on the radio this morning. We believe there are many more seniors in a community like Aklavik who could do a lot better with support from the government. What we propose to do is redesign the program so that we increase the level of home care in the community so that we can support as many as 100 elders in the community right now, just in Aklavik. We also want to be able to provide elder programming out of the Joe Greenland Centre. We want to be able to do a lunch program there and have a closer relationship between the home care support and the health authority office there, whether it be managing chronic disease, providing support, or organizing an elders program there. This is more an expansive way of looking at how we provide for elders.
Again I think we also have to realize that we have to deal with the emotional and physical restraints that elders are under. We have to provide those types of programs in the communities to vitalize the elders and keep them active, keep them involved in different community activities and events, and keep them mobile. I’d like to ask the Minister what we’re doing to enhance the physical aspects of elders’ care in communities so that we do keep them active and full participants in our community activities.
Currently we are spending about $800,000 at the Joe Greenland Centre, not taking into consideration extra money that we have to spend there. The program is currently budgeted under the Beaufort-Delta for $800,000. That is serving two elders in the Joe Greenland Centre. What we propose to do is use half of that money, $350,000, back into the community.
When I was there with the Member in January, we committed to the community and the community group that we will sit down with the community and design an elders program together, and it could be recreational activities, social activities, providing lunches for the elders, because they need a point of contact. We have lots of elders in Aklavik that need support throughout, and we need a point of contact and meeting place where care providers can keep an eye on them and be in constant contact with them.
Again I think it’s important that we do deliver sort of elders day care programs and improve the quality of life for seniors in our communities. I think it has to be encompassing that you look at Meals on Wheels or the physical activities. We have to provide programs similar to the other segments of our population and ensure that we have a scheduled program in place in our communities so elders realize they are an important segment of our population and they are included in activities in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to know where we’re going to enhance elders day care programs in our communities and using the facilities that we have in our communities.
