Mr. Speaker, today I rise to provide clarification on the implementation of junior kindergarten in the Northwest Territories. I think we can all agree that we want to give NWT children the support they need to thrive and be successful, Mr. Speaker.
Junior kindergarten is one of the ways this government is going to give the NWT's kids the best start that we can. Junior kindergarten will provide four-year-old children with the necessary foundation for learning in the early years of their life. It provides a safe and caring environment and promotes the cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical development of all children through a play-based approach.
Equitable access to quality programming in our school setting so young children can be ready and prepared for success in the K-12 system is something we can all strive for. That is why it is important to have junior kindergarten implemented and available to all parents in all communities in the Northwest Territories in September 2017.
We expect junior kindergarten to cost $5.1 million to implement across the remainder of the communities. As a government, we have committed to fully funding these ongoing costs for the 2017-18 school year and into the future. We have increased funding in the proposed 2017-18 GNWT budget and made a commitment to include the remaining funding in the future.
Some people may have wondered why we did not put the full amount in this year's budget, Mr. Speaker. The answer is because the whole amount is not going to be needed in this fiscal year. While junior kindergarten will be fully implemented in all communities this September, school board budgets line up with the school year, which means they cross two GNWT fiscal years. The total cost will also be affected by the actual number of children who enroll in junior kindergarten, and so cannot be fully known in advance.
What we do know now is that this government is committed to fully funding junior kindergarten, Mr. Speaker. We will work with the boards to make the money they need to implement junior kindergarten available to them when it is needed. Once we know the actual enrolment figures, the government will bring a request for supplementary funding to the Legislative Assembly in the fall of 2017 to fully fund implementation.
I would also like to add, the department will fund the one-time expenses associated with purchase of play-based equipment and for any classroom modifications. As a result of these commitments to fully fund junior kindergarten implementation, there should be minimal impact on other classroom programming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to highlight the work done by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to support the Government of the Northwest Territories' priority of lowering the cost of living for residents of the Northwest Territories. Progress towards our commitments in this area is essential if we are to improve our residents' quality of life and attract more people to make their homes in the territory.
Mr. Speaker, Municipal and Community Affairs is assisting community governments to address energy management and improve energy efficiencies. Municipal and Community Affairs serves on the Arctic Energy Alliance Board and has developed a strong partnership with the organization in the area of community energy planning, energy audits, and representing the interests of community governments related to energy management.
The Northwest Territories Asset Management Strategy was released in May 2016. The strategy works towards supporting communities to meet basic maintenance requirements in order to extend the useful life of their infrastructure. It also takes into account new building technologies that support improvements in energy efficiency as community governments respond and adapt to climate change. In early 2017, Municipal and Community Affairs will roll out a pilot program to train and support community governments as they implement asset management software.
Through the department's School of Community Government, community government elected officials and staff are able to access a variety of training related to government's responsibilities and administrative operations. Municipal and Community Affairs is currently reviewing all of its course curricula in order to ensure that, where appropriate, content related to energy management, capital and asset management, and funding of energy management initiatives is included. All of the various curricula will have been reviewed by the end of fiscal year 2019.
Municipal and Community Affairs is also completing research into the feasibility of enabling Northwest Territories community governments to set up revolving funds for energy efficiency measures. Municipal and Community Affairs has met with the City of Yellowknife to discuss this initiative and will be conducting further stakeholder engagement with other Northwest Territories municipalities in the coming months.
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the programs and support available through the department, community governments are also able to access various federal funding programs to help with the development of community public infrastructure.
Since 2013, Municipal and Community Affairs has been working with community governments to access funding through the New Building Canada Plan. Under the umbrella of this plan, the Government of the Northwest Territories has signed an updated Gas Tax Administrative Agreement and the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component, both of which provide funding to community government to support the development of public infrastructure at the community level.
The Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component will provide $258 million towards Northwest Territories projects. Of that funding, $38.7 million will go to community governments through the Small Communities Fund provided between 2014 and 2023.
In 2016, the federal government announced two additional funding programs:
the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, which will provide $51.7 million for water and wastewater infrastructure before March 2019; and
the Public Transit Fund, which will provide the City of Yellowknife with $320,000 to support public transit before March 2018.
Our investments into energy efficiency and improved infrastructure for community governments help to lower the capital and operational costs for community governments, thereby increasing the supports community governments can provide and ultimately increasing the quality of life for Northwest Territories residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Department of Transportation's contractor has started its fourth and final winter of construction on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. As we come nearer to completing construction, I want to talk about the significance of this project to the communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk and the residents of the Beaufort Delta.
The project has already significantly contributed to local employment. At the peak of construction last winter, more than 430 individuals were employed on the project, with 74 per cent of these coming from the Beaufort Delta region or other NWT communities. Additionally, approximately 185 people have benefitted from training and educational experiences like learning how to operate heavy equipment to wildlife monitoring. These are skills that can be transferred to a variety of industries and support the development of a strong northern workforce.
Improved access to natural resources resulting from the new highway will create economic development and employment opportunities in the future by attracting development from industry.
Further employment opportunities will become available through future operations and maintenance contracts for the highway. While the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to review its procurement options, we expect to make a decision on the operations and maintenance contract by spring 2017.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation is working with the communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and other GNWT departments to celebrate the opening of the highway and prepare residents to take advantage of the resulting benefits.
Two multistakeholder Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway committees have been meeting monthly to organize three separate celebrations.
The first celebration will be held in spring 2017 to celebrate the last winter road between the two communities. The winter road has long served as an important link to residents of Tuktoyaktuk, supporting intercommunity travel and the delivery of essential goods. Once the highway is done, residents of Tuktoyaktuk will be able to realize savings from a more costeffective yearround delivery of these goods.
The official opening of the highway will take place on November 15, 2017. This event will be a full celebration with all stakeholders, including dignitaries from the communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, Aboriginal governments, the federal government, and Members of the 18th Legislative Assembly. The official opening will be a celebration of national significance, marking the first time Canada has been connected by highway from coast to coast to coast, and has been designated one of four Canada 150 infrastructure projects by the federal government.
These celebrations are being planned in both Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk to ensure maximum participation of community members from both communities.
Finally, a celebration led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will be held in June 2018 with a special focus on promoting tourismrelated opportunities around the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. The opening of the highway will help attract a host of visitors from across Canada and around the world who are interested in visiting the Arctic Ocean and exploring the natural beauty of the Beaufort Delta.
The Government of the Northwest Territories will help support the communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk to take advantage of business opportunities promoting tourism. More attractions will enhance tourism, promote economic spinoffs, and encourage return visits. The Government of the Northwest Territories is investigating the development of wayside pullouts and rest areas along the new highway. Investing in and supporting projects such as the development of a recreational vehicle park in Tuktoyaktuk will help enhance the availability of tourism products and services in the region.
In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation's contractor continues to work hard to complete this historic infrastructure project in the NWT, and we remain fully engaged with all stakeholders on properly recognizing this important achievement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Merci, monsieur le President. We all know of the terrible environmental and financial legacy left by the Giant Mine here in Yellowknife. I'm here today to deliver some good news. The Giant Mine Oversight Board recently officially opened its storefront office here in Yellowknife on Franklin Avenue. This board is the public face of an independent environmental watchdog on the Giant Mine Remediation Project. It is set up under a legally binding environmental agreement among the following:
The Yellowknife's Dene First Nation;
North Slave Metis Alliance;
City of Yellowknife;
Alternatives North;
Government of the Northwest Territories; and
Government of Canada.
The board is a nonprofit society run by a set of directors appointed directly by these signatories to the agreement. The board consists of technical experts in various fields, including environmental health, contaminated site remediation, water quality, and more. They live in Yellowknife and elsewhere to ensure that we have the best expertise to provide proper oversight. The office also has a staff of two here in Yellowknife, and they are in the gallery watching us today. The board reviews submissions to regulators by the Giant Mine Remediation Project, reviews monitoring results and management plans, and reports publicly. Perhaps most interesting, the board also has the responsibility to coordinate research and development of other ways to manage the underground arsenic. That includes investigating technologies to transform the arsenic into less toxic or nontoxic forms.
The funding for the board comes from the federal government at $650,000 a year in 2015 dollars and is indexed to inflation for their oversight function. The research project funding is separate but ramps up to $250,000 a year in 201920. It is also indexed to inflation and can be carried over from year to year. Any unused oversight funding can be rolled into the research program. The funding will last until all monitoring and maintenance is finished, or basically forever. This board and the agreement are a tremendous achievement for Yellowknife -- a government remediation project will now have independent oversight. This board will help to begin to build public confidence in what is happening at Giant Mine.
I also want to salute the work of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to my colleagues. I also want to salute the work of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency, the environmental watchdog on the Ekati Mine that served as a model for what was negotiated for Giant Mine. That agency was established in 1997 and has a stellar reputation for technical oversight and working with communities. Perhaps these two oversight bodies, the Giant Mine Oversight Board and the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency, might prove to be examples for what can be done for the remediation of Norman Wells.
We in the North have developed interesting arrangements in comanagement that in many cases are the envy of the world, and I've just talked about a couple of those examples, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to expand on something I raised in my reply to the Budget Address last week. I reminded the House that: "People with low incomes and no jobs have a tendency to have poorer health. That is simply a fact -- not just here, but all over the world."
So our response to poverty doesn't only need social interventions like education programs or housing assistance and economic interventions like job creation. We also need health interventions. Poverty is a thief of dreams and opportunities, but it is also a thief of health, the socalled "life expectancy gap" or, more bluntly, the "death gap."
That's right. The wealthy are healthy, while poverty shortens our lives just like obesity, heavy drinking, or smoking does. One recent study tells us that lowincome adults lose an average of 25 months off their life, while obesity takes off eight months and alcoholism, six months.
The group Canada Without Poverty recently zeroed in on our own poverty problems in the NWT: widespread disparities in housing, income, and employment that hit our First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people in our smaller communities harder than others.
Because, when it comes to health, poverty is a twoheaded snake. Indirectly, poverty stands between people and education, employment opportunities, proper housing, and food security. Meanwhile, poverty directly causes chronic stress, linked to shorter lifespans and decreased health durability. Can you imagine how much harder it is to keep your body and mind healthy when you're stressed, hungry, tired, cold, and can't dependably access healthy food?
These things happen in Canada, Mr. Speaker. These things happen here.
Before taxes, 17.2 per cent of NWT families would be considered low-income, but that statistic doesn't tell the whole story -- it's also where you live within the NWT. It is 8.9 per cent of Yellowknife families and 29.8 per cent of the families in our small communities. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Confronting poverty can feel like a daunting chicken-and-egg problem. What do we tackle first? Are our people poor because they do not have jobs, or are they unemployed because they are poor? Are people poor because they are unhealthy, or vice versa?
The Department of Justice recently piloted an integrated case management project where different departments worked together to better serve clients. I wonder if we couldn't pilot something similar in health with a poverty focus, with expertise from Health, Education, even ITI, for traditional knowledge and economic know-how to target the health impacts of poverty in our small communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of MACA alluded to in her statement earlier, the 18th Assembly's mandate includes an important commitment to addressing the current high cost of living. Going into the next period of our government's term, I would like more discussion and commitment to specific steps we can take to improve this territory's food security as a key factor in decreasing our cost of living.
Currently, we have committed to the development and implementation of an agricultural strategy. This will be a key document that will allow our government to give guidance and support to a budding agricultural movement in our territory. However, for us to reach some of the goals we have outlined we cannot focus on growing and harvesting of local food only. I think we must include the distribution and retail issues in our food systems as well.
For example, we want to revitalize commercial fisheries and traditional harvesting activities as part of our local food system. This will include distribution and retail issues that we must explore and examine. In order to fully understand the issues, I think we look to and include our municipal and private sector partners, Mr. Speaker.
We know that the measures we are supporting will reduce the cost of living and reduce our territory's carbon footprint and increase the types of economic opportunities that will be available in all of our communities. We have some very important examples of this right now with the Northern Farm Training Institute in Hay River and the Yellowknife Farmer's Market. These organizations are working at the community level to improve local food systems and support healthy and traditional food choices. They are able to identify issues beyond production and make suggestions to us on policy, program, and legislative changes to consider in support of reliable community food supplies.
For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I think it is imperative that our government continues to partner with these and similar organizations. These partnerships, along with other investments we are making in community transportation infrastructure, are what is going to change the food security challenges we are currently faced with.
Mr. Speaker, I think we all want to see a territory where people have opportunities to participate in the economy while lowering costs of living and supporting their local and family food needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'd like to discuss the small business community. We recognize the small business community as a large contributor to the NWT economy; however, the small business community needs and requires a number of elements to sustain their viability. The NWT Business Development and Investment Corporation currently lends to 118 businesses throughout the NWT, operating across the Northwest Territories as well. As a result of BDIC's assistance, these businesses currently support 944 full-time positions' equivalent in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, small businesses must have a healthy and sound environment on commerce and opportunity. Mr. Speaker, one word is needed, "opportunity" through market demand, projects, government programming support, management training, and affordable and expeditious access to capital.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are continuing to design, redesign, upgrade, and support this important NWT sector. We can only do this by reviewing the number of past projects and must continue efficiencies on upgrading of NWT programming. Mr. Speaker, later I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I still have a bad cold so I may have to stop and cough. Mr. Speaker, several national anti-poverty advocacy organizations released reports in November. The news for Canada as a whole and the NWT in particular is pretty grim: the fact is one in five children live in poverty; food bank use is going up, and so is the use of emergency shelters. The latter point was starkly confirmed when CBC North reported in the fall that emergency shelters are so full that people are being turned away. Their options are to ask people to sleep in RCMP cells. We know that some people have been walking to the hospital to sleep in chairs there in the lobby and others have been sleeping over a warm air vent. It's my concern that a cold exposure death is almost inevitable, and yet it is also preventable.
All of this news coincided with the 4th Annual GNWT Anti-Poverty Round Table held at the end of November in Inuvik. The major takeaway from the gathering was that the department has launched a new anti-poverty website and it will continue to administer the anti-poverty fund. Neither initiative is anything like the transformative action we need on poverty.
The Anti-Poverty Fund has funded some good work, mostly related to providing shortterm help often in the form of food, but providing food is not the answer to hunger. Increasing local food production is a better alternative. As the saying goes, give a man a fish, he'll eat today; teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. Investments in housing and homelessness have also been meagre given the size of the fund.
The Minister of Health and Social Services is fond of saying government can't solve the problem of poverty on its own. That's true, but only government has the capacity to make investments that will create systemic solutions to poverty. We need more housing, a basic income guarantee for those on low income, and investments in food production and distribution. The GNWT has obtained money from Ottawa to fund emergency shelter renovations and assist Housing First, but has yet to make a truly substantial investment of its own beyond the Anti-Poverty Fund. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Delegates in Inuvik looked at indicators suggested by the Minister's staff that will tell us whether progress is being made in six areas of poverty reduction, including housing, food security, and income assistance. Unless and until there is significant government investment in poverty reduction, the indicators will show that nothing much has improved and some people are worse off, as the national reports reveal. The band aids we now provide are not a solution; they trap people in poverty, sometimes for generations. It's well past time for that to change. I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. This past Thursday in my reply to the Budget Address I spoke about the importance of communication. Well, that very day at 9:00 a.m. students who are taking the Social Work Diploma course were told that the class would start a bit later. At 9:30, the staff came in and said that the students would be receiving an e-mail from the college on what was happening. When asked the question, they were told that they could not answer anything until the e-mail was sent to them.
Mr. Speaker, at 10:23 a.m. the students taking the social work program were informed that they were the last intake and the college would not be taking any new social work students, including the students taking the access program this year. The following message came from the vice-president of education and training:
This morning, Aurora College is making some announcements about upcoming changes in programs and staffing of several programs, as well as changes to student housing and tuition rates. You will receive an all-student e-mail shortly with more details. One of the upcoming changes may affect you as a student in the Social Work Diploma program. Effective immediately, Aurora College will not be accepting new registrations in the Social Work Diploma program. However, courses in the program will continue to be offered for up to two more years so that the current students and any former students who are partway through the program will have an opportunity to complete. I know this news may come as a surprise, and I want to assure you that these changes are in no way a reflection on the work your instructors have been forming or the value we place on your program.
Mr. Speaker, in other words, the program was phased out without having the college strategic plan completed. I, like the students taking the program, am deeply saddened, disappointed, frustrated, and angry to hear this news. In speaking with several students, past and present, they strongly feel and I agree that the program was creating a workforce of northern social workers who are invested in the NWT. I have seen this program improve their lives immensely. To think this opportunity will no longer be available to the NWT is unreal. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to finish my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the social issues in the NWT are not going away with an increase in industrial development. It needs to be a balanced approach by this government. When you look at our social issues in the NWT, they are vast and many, which could possibly have lessened with a workforce of people trained and educated on northern social work program.
Mr. Speaker, here we go again -- the fiscal restraint taken over without looking at the longterm picture of the Northwest Territories. The ill-advised cuts to Aurora College are misguided at best and downright silly at worst.
After seeing the approach the college has taken, I believe we need a review by an independent group and with a lot of input from all stakeholders, not just top administrators. While there are some great things about the college, more relevant programming, proper recruitment, improved staff morale, and more emphasis on northern courses would be a great start.
We need a social program in the NWT, and this decision is not acceptable. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment later on today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Deh Cho region is one of the most spectacular in the Northwest Territories. Our territorial parks are the first people reach when they enter the NWT from either BC or Alberta.
Between campgrounds and day-use areas, parks in the Deh Cho area offer a variety of opportunities for recreation and relaxation. We are welcoming increasing numbers of visitors and want to ensure they enjoy their stay.
The government has worked hard to improve parks infrastructure and visitor experiences. For example, parks throughout the Northwest Territories now have more flexible operating dates to accommodate good weather at the end of the season. Great effort was put into the 60th Parallel Visitors' Centre.
Mr. Speaker, the Deh Cho is one of the most accessible parts of the NWT in terms of geography and climate. We need to keep doing all we can to attract visitors. At the same time, significant parcels of land in the Deh Cho are being advanced through the former Protected Areas Strategy process and now the Conservation Areas Network. We have an opportunity to look at the linkages between conservation areas and tourism and ways to incorporate parks into conservation areas.
Mr. Speaker, around the world we see wilderness being traded for commodities and traditional cultures assimilated by mass media and consumerism. Knowledge of the land and its value to the people who live there enhances people's understanding of the need to protect it, along with traditional culture.
Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure dialogue continues between governments, communities, the business and tourism sectors as we look into opportunities to both conserve and develop our natural resources. Mr. Speaker, if you are visiting the NWT, you can't drive home without driving through the Deh Cho. Let's make sure people see things that make them want to come back again. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the NWT Help Line held its first group phone session. This session, ready to host up to 23 people, provided an opportunity for NWT residents to talk to experts and to hear from each other in a confidential and supportive setting, no matter where they were calling from.
The topic, too, was something that is sadly familiar to too many families across our territory: suicide and suicide awareness.
Programs like this, Mr. Speaker, and others such as Mental Health First Aid, sharing circles, and confidential online chats through the NWT Help Line Facebook page are vital for Northerners. Mr. Speaker, Inuit residents are particularly in need. Our neighbours in Nunavut have declared a suicide crisis in their region, and more broadly, Statistics Canada reported that nearly a quarter of Inuit have had suicidal thoughts at least once in their lives.
Inuit mental health, Mr. Speaker, is frequently challenged in our small communities. These communities are our homes, the traditional territory of our ancestors, but at the same time Canadian colonization has left deep wounds: the legacy of residential schools, addictions, and family violence.
Inuit are strong people, but even the strongest people cannot heal and thrive without dedicated community support and resources for the people. I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that my riding of Nunakput and its communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Tuktoyaktuk, and Ulukhaktok, lack clear mental health support for youth, and in particular for Inuit men.
Research from Statistics Canada tells us that chronic health conditions and food security are "key predictors of mental health distress for Inuit men." This should come as no surprise, knowing, as everyone in the House must know, how difficult it is to access fresh, healthy, and fairly priced food on a regular basis in remote communities.
Despite these factors, I am optimistic, Mr. Speaker. I am looking forward to the expansion of the essential services that the NWT Help Line offers. Knowing the needs we must meet is the first step, but we must continue to be vigilant and support all regions across the NWT when it comes to mental health. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak of recent developments with Aurora College and the announcement of the ending of two important programs for students enrolled in the education faculty, specifically in regards to the Social Work Diploma program.
In the 2014-15 fiscal year, 25 first-year students registered for this program. Out of those, six students graduated with diplomas and six graduates were hired or offered jobs immediately after ending their program. In fact, in the overall education program's division, full-time student enrolment has increased by 28 per cent in 2015-16. These are hopeful and positive results that there is traction for this program.
We have heard that enrolment is low and graduation rates are low as well, which is part of the rationale for terminating this. It seems like there is a lot of uptake and certainly a lot of interest currently from members of the public who are concerned about these changes. I, too, am concerned, Mr. Speaker. However, we have to look at the overall impact of the college. The college currently receives the bulk of our post-secondary education funding, yet full-time enrolment has decreased significantly, as have graduation rates.
These millions of dollars to support these anemic outcomes are awarded year on year, and yet now the college is increasing tuition by $300 a year over the next two years, adding to the cost of living of students who have limited means to begin with.
For an institution that is supposedly at arm's length, Mr. Speaker, the Minister has enormous influence, including appointing the president and governors and more recently giving direction directly to the college. This is an opportunity for us to use this resource and properly to fund it.
Again, I call on the Minister to complete the strategic plan and start getting Aurora College moving in the right direction. We have seen College nordique have an exponential growth in interest. We have seen Dechinta University bring in half a million dollars from the federal government. Our private sector partners are doing well. Northerners want to learn. We need to make Aurora College a world-class institution, and we need to keep working on that, Mr. Speaker. I encourage, again, the Minister to work on the strategic plan and get it on the table in this House without delay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move to item 11 on the orders of the day, replies to Budget Address. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would to thank my honourable colleagues for speaking before me on this very important matter. I want to take this time to offer my thoughts on the 201718 budget. As you know, my riding of the Deh Cho is made up of mostly small communities. I hope with my remarks today to represent the concerns of the people who live in my riding.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the budget should be about vision and leadership first, fiscal prudence second. It is very clear that our House is divided on the matter of fiscal priorities. On one hand, the Minister of Finance and Cabinet are fixated on fiscal restraint and debt management, while we on this side of the House want to ensure that the pressing needs of our people are met. For example, on a daily basis we hear about the needs of our constituents, of the critical need for accessible housing and programs, a responsive and compassionate healthcare system, and the desires for a better way of life through jobs and business opportunities.
I believe these are some of the challenges we all face. However, while we exalt the principles of working together in a consensus system, I don't see a genuine effort on the part of my Cabinet colleagues to work in a spirit of collaboration. It is very hard for me to accept the argument of fiscal restraint when we've tried to work with Cabinet and propose initiatives and are told, "we'll look into it," and the concerns of our constituents are somehow lost in transit.
What is more disappointing is when we are told we have limited resources for projects and then, later on, Cabinet suddenly announces major investments in initiatives of their own. A case in point is the recent purchase of NTCL assets and expenditures of $7 million that just magically appeared like manna from heaven. Another is the purchase of the defunct Cantung Mine property for $4.5 million, another investment that wasn't in the government's business plan. Mr. Speaker, this lack of communication and transparency is not consistent with the principles of consensus government. It does not bode well for a positive working relationship between Cabinet and the Regular Members for the remainder of this Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the priorities put forth in this budget. This budget focuses more on debt management and less on key strategic investments. Our northern economy needs a boost in the allocation of key resources which can cause stimulus and job creation and business opportunities. At least there are positives in the form of continued efforts in infrastructure initiatives, including the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link Project, the completion of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway, and the recent announcement of the road to Whati, but there are still halfcommitments that have been made, such as the junior kindergarten, which create more uncertainty.
To ensure we have a balanced approach to the budget, we have presented to our Cabinet colleagues requests for modest investment in initiatives that in total amount to less than 1 per cent of this $1.7billion budget. We have recommended the need for investments in employment funding to small communities, the enhancements of home care services to address the aging senior population, road access funding, and the stimulus package for job creation and business growth for small communities and regional centres. However, these requests are not reflected in this budget.
The 201718 budget was the product of a process that started in the business planning cycle. Mr. Speaker, it's not my first rodeo, and I've been through this process many times. Each department goes through internal planning and then presents the findings to their Ministers. Ministers and their senior officials then present the business plans to Regular MLAs and standing committees. As Regular MLAs, it's at this point that we become aware of the operations and maintenance and infrastructure projects scheduled for the upcoming fiscal year. What is important to note is it is at this stage that as Regular MLAs we're given the opportunity to express the concerns of our constituents to each department. Generally, that is the process we have to work within, and we try to do it constructively and cooperatively.
It is a huge disappointment to me and to my colleagues on this side of the House when we see the Main Estimates and the modest investments we have requested are not there. Mr. Speaker, these modest investments would make a big, positive impact for our residents without affecting 1 per cent of the GNWT's bottom line. It is very hard for my colleagues and I on this side of the House to believe that our concerns are being heard when the government tells us that they cannot afford these investments while finding big dollars to bail out failing northern business ventures, no matter how important they might be.
I understand the fiscal priorities of this budget must be measured against the 18th Assembly mandate which was developed by all 19 MLAs when we were elected. The 18th Assembly mandate document commits us to work in the following key sectors of the NWT, including education, training and youth development; cost of living; community wellness and safety; economy; environment and climate change; and governance. Within this broad mandate, there is a lot of room for differing priorities. I believe we can do more to enhance tourism and the fishing industry, for example. No fiscal strategy should jeopardize the success of this government to complete its mandate.
I also believe that we can and must do more to ensure the timely settlement of outstanding land claims and selfgovernment negotiations. At the beginning of the 18th Assembly, we all agreed that this is integral for the political and economic wellbeing of the Northwest Territories.
Because of devolution and the greater authority and power that come with it, there needs to be a bigger government to implement the lands and resource systems that we are now responsible for administering. If this budget is approved, it will reduce the size of government. Has the government looked at how this might impact our new responsibilities under devolution or how it might impact our work to settle outstanding lands, resources, and selfgovernment negotiations?
I encourage the government not to lose sight of the importance of this work. I encourage the review of negotiating mandates that respect constitutional rights of First Nations and reflect the spirit of the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. My hope is that continued efforts are made to ensure the fair and just conclusion of land claims and selfgovernment negotiations.
Mr. Speaker, let us be reminded that we seek roles in leadership because we want to make a difference in our families and communities. We all want to make things better for our communities. The time is now to make a change. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the preparation of the budget for the last fiscal year was a sprint, quickly compiled after the election, budget preparation for the next fiscal year has been a marathon. We started in September and, despite intensive negotiations and some movement on both sides, we are at an impasse. This afternoon, I want to talk about some of the reasons we are stuck.
In my last Budget Address, I talked about some important and unfinished business around the mandate. We Members of the 18th Assembly do not have a common fiscal goal. This lack of consensus created division during the last budget, and it is fueling division again. The government wants to reduce spending in order to generate a cash surplus. This surplus would be invested in infrastructure. Specifically, the government suggested we cut $150 million in spending over the life of this Assembly to create that surplus.
We Regular MLAs rejected the size of this cut, describing it as austerity for the NWT at a time when investment was needed instead. There has been some movement on this point. In his budget last week, the Finance Minister revised the scope of the cuts to $100 million.
Mr. Speaker, the Finance Minister is playing the long game with his fiscal strategy. While the cuts proposed in this budget will generate a small $15 million surplus by next March, that surplus will grow to $167 million by the end of our term. The Finance Minister will then be able to claim he has generated the first cash surplus in 10 years. To be clear, he is proposing to reverse the deficit the government spent 10 years creating in just four years. The question is: at what cost to the people of the NWT? We are back to our original question: do we need austerity or do we need investment?
We are looking at as many as 200 positions being eliminated this fiscal year and next, creating a major hit to the public service and to local economies throughout the Northwest Territories. As the reality of those losses combined with the slow-down of our economy sinks in, how do we reverse the flow of out migration? The number of people leaving the NWT is at nearly the same level it was during the recession of 2008. My answer to these questions is simple: we can't afford to lose any more jobs or any more people because of decisions made by this government.
Mr. Speaker, I am now going to turn from the fiscal context to the budget itself. The budget isn't all bad news by any means. There are some important investments for residents of my riding, Yellowknife Centre. Downtown residents have been struggling with the effects of a growing population of people who are regularly intoxicated and who may also be homeless. While this population is mostly not from Yellowknife Centre originally, or even from Yellowknife, they have been drawn downtown by their needs and/or addictions. Until recently, our response to this population has been wholly inadequate, and I'm glad to say that's changing.
The location of the day shelter kitty-corner to the liquor store on 49th Street has been a source of bitter complaint, especially from some of my constituents who live at the Northern Heights condominiums on the same street. Among other unpleasant facts, they often encounter bodily waste on the street and verbal harassment when they enter the building or parking garage.
I appreciate the commitment by the Minister of Health and Social Services to move the day shelter as soon as another location is found. I am mindful, however, that the day shelter is unlikely to be welcomed anywhere because of a strong "not in my back yard" reaction to the people who use it.
Thanks to the good work done by the authors of the Yellowknife Homelessness Road Map Action Plan, an investment by both the City of Yellowknife and GNWT, progress on the long-standing problems downtown is at hand. The city has advertised for a service provider for the Street Outreach Service. It's my understanding that paid staff with a vehicle will circulate through downtown assisting individuals in need, and in some cases transporting them to the appropriate facility. I welcome the territorial government investment in a sobering centre as a destination for men and women who are intoxicated. I want to see the program implemented as soon as possible for the sake of those individuals who are intoxicated, as well as for those of us who live and work downtown.
I'm also encouraged to see a further investment in the emergency shelters to expand their capacity to offer semi-independent living. Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife Centre has a large population of seniors. They live at AVENS, Mary Murphy, and in their own homes. As a reminder, the population of seniors is growing like a forest fire on a hot, windy day and is now nearing its peak. The waiting list for the independent living units at AVENS is six years long, and there are waiting lists for the manor and the dementia facility as well. We need to increase services to seniors now.
The Finance Minister's commitment to provide $500,000 to low-income seniors for repairs to their homes is welcome, but it doesn't go nearly far enough. I suggest this amount of money could be spent in Yellowknife Centre alone. Its impact spread among 19 ridings will be negligible.
One of the investments MLAs on this side of the House want to see is an additional $1.3 million to help seniors age in place. Not only do most seniors want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, there are considerable savings for government if they make these investments, and all this money gets spent with local small contractors.
Mr. Speaker, Regular MLAs have heard the concerns of seniors about the need to increase homecare services, a key element to help seniors age in place. In a letter to MLAs last fall, the president of NWT Seniors wrote, and I quote:
"The field of homecare has been eroded in our territory to the point where frustration and worry about the future are common concerns expressed by patients, healthcare professionals, and homecare staff. We need a new influx of money to fill the gaps that exist in actualizing our priorities, such as aging in place."
These investments in caring for seniors need to be increased as soon as possible.
I want to touch on other welcome news. Yellowknife Centre residents, along with people across the NWT, will benefit from implementing a basic 911 emergency response service. Given all the time that Yellowknifers spend on trails and lakes around the city, residents will experience a greater peace of mind knowing that help is a phone call away.
Mr. Speaker, I heard from many Yellowknife residents in the last month about the need to fully fund the implementation of junior kindergarten. Their argument was clear and compelling: another year of school should not be added at the expense of students in kindergarten to grade 12. I'm pleased the Minister heard this message and agreed to fully fund education for four-year-olds starting this September. There are still some loose ends around the need to spend more on busing, extending inclusive schooling to junior kindergarten, and accommodating other service providers who work with the four-year-olds, but I'll expand on these issues at another time.
Mr. Speaker, residents in Yellowknife Centre and across the NWT find that their spending power has been diminished. The price of rent, electricity, and food are big drivers of the cost of living here in Yellowknife. Many families have trouble making ends meet even when both parents work full-time. I'm hopeful that the new NWT Child Benefit will supplement the advantage of the Canada Child Benefit in reducing poverty, especially among children.
As I mentioned a few minutes ago, it's a sad fact that one in five children in the NWT lives in poverty. We can't expect them to realize their full potential while their family struggles with hunger and providing them with other necessities. The new NWT Child Benefit is expected to reach 1,600 families with an income of less than $80,000 a year. That's a step in the right direction, as is the proposed increase in income assistance allowances to cover the higher prices of food and other necessities.
Mr. Speaker, Regular MLAs wanted to see additional investments in budget 2017. The gap between what the government is offering and Regular MLAs have requested is worth about $10 million, or 0.6 per cent of the total $1.7 billion budget. This is a small number for such a great gulf from achieving consensus. In addition to the initiatives I've already mentioned, we want to see an additional half a million dollars added to the Anti-Poverty Fund. As I mentioned just now, the fund provides small grants to grass-roots organizations across the NWT to respond to poverty at the local level.
Mr. Speaker, applications for funding outstripped money available by a ratio of 4:1 last year. As I said in my statement today, no real change in the multi-generational cycle of poverty will be achieved until we invest in reducing the number of people who live in poverty.
Mr. Speaker, we also want to see a half-million dollar investment in suicide prevention funding. There were a number of suicides across the territory last year; an indication of the pervasiveness of mental health needs, especially among youth. These issues are often driven by addictions, so we need to be able to address mental health and addictions together. We need to improve our response to this cry for help by our young people as soon as possible.
Regular MLAs also wanted to see an additional $600,000 investment to create a mobile delivery model for a healing program that assists men who have used violence in their intimate relationships.
Mr. Speaker, we also want to see almost $3 million invested in ITI to benefit businesses of all kinds, from assistance to junior mining companies through the Mining Incentive Program to offsetting the costs of freight the fishermen pay on their catch.
Mr. Speaker, 146 businesses opened in Yellowknife in 2015, according to city statistics. Small business is a key driver of our economy, and Regular MLAs propose to support that growth with an additional $1.2 million investment in the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development, or SEED, program. Anyone who has attempted to open a small business will appreciate our call to reduce the administrative complexity of establishing a new business.
Mr. Speaker, MLAs on this side also wanted $1 million invested in local access roads and $1.5 million for the Arctic Energy Alliance to expand its work to low-income families and communities outside Yellowknife. All of these investments respond to the priorities we set out in our mandate to increase energy efficiency and reduce the cost of living.
Mr. Speaker, we also wanted the government to roll back a little more than half of the proposed reductions, at a cost of about $15 million. The Finance Minister didn't detail the reductions in his Budget Address, but they are available in the Main Estimates, and the Main Estimates are online at the Department of Finance. There, you will see a $2.3 million cut in funding to schools and a $1.9 million cut to Aurora College, cuts to environmental monitoring, and cuts to funding for small business startups, and the list goes on. The biggest cut is to the government's workforce. A total of 65 positions will be eliminated by this budget, 45 of them in Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, the loss of these positions is a disaster for the city, coming as it does in addition to a year of grim announcements by the diamond mining companies. In November, Dominion Diamond Corporation announced it was moving its corporate headquarters to Calgary in order to save $19 million a year in operating costs. The company said the move would impact 100 staff. Outgoing CEO Brendan Bell is just one of many people who had to make a decision to stay or go. I know of several families who agonized over this choice, what it meant to their school-aged children, their extended family living in the North, and their employment prospects. While the GNWT didn't comment on this decision, I want to say it was a blow to Yellowknife Centre, where the office is located. The DDC staff is part of our community. They sing in the choir, they volunteer for non-profits, and they coach minor sports. They pay taxes, and Ottawa calculates territorial formula financing based on their presence here. The loss of these jobs, along with the closure of the De Beers corporate office in 2015 and layoffs at the mines, have taken as many as 500 jobs out of the NWT.
The last thing Yellowknife needs is more job losses, Mr. Speaker, yet budget 2017-18 delivers 45 more cuts to positions in Yellowknife. Not all of these jobs are currently filled, but the loss of these well-paid positions is bad news.
All of the fallout I just spoke about in connection with DDC is true for the community wherein government jobs are lost. Axing them represents a loss of taxpayers and reduces the level of territorial formula financing available to GNWT. I appreciate the programs sunset or otherwise need to be replaced, but cutting these positions rather than reprofiling them will increase out-migration and the financial consequences that go with it. Mr. Speaker, it's a sad fact that people who get laid off in Yellowknife tend to leave. They can't afford to live here without a job.
To summarize, we want an additional $10 million investment in our mandate, a sum equivalent to less than 1 per cent of total spending. We also want a rollback on $15 million of the proposed cuts, which again is less than 1 per cent. I repeat that this is a pretty small list of asks, but one Cabinet has been unwilling to work with Regular Members to achieve.
After months of discussion and negotiation, we are at an impasse, which I mentioned at the beginning. When we wanted changes to the mandate, we moved the necessary motions here in the House, and that's what we're prepared to do with this budget. Eliminating a 10-year deficit in four years is simply not a realistic goal. The cost of reaching it is going to do more harm than good for the people of my riding and beyond.
Mr. Speaker, I have some final thoughts about the budget cycle. It occupies a tremendous amount of time by departmental staff, the executive council, and Regular MLAs. This is time that could be spent on another of our roles that has been neglected in this Assembly: reviewing and improving legislation. As we heard from my colleague Mr. O'Reilly last week, the backlog in legislation required is years long. Not even a year into our mandate, the government told the City of Yellowknife that a number of minor amendments to legislation affecting municipalities will not be introduced during this Assembly. At the rate we've been going, this pace is the norm, not the exception.
Mr. Speaker, I recommend that Regular MLAs study alternatives to the way we now produce budgets, with input from stakeholders of all kind, including our colleagues on the other side of the House. If there is a way to free up time to make the budget process more efficient and to find more time to work on legislation, we should take it. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to where I started. We don't have consensus on our fiscal position, and until we're able to change that, we're going to keep spinning our wheels on the scope of spending reductions we can all support. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome Mr. Richard Ross, who is my high school friend and one of the most supportive dads I know, and also coach and mentor for youth in the Mackenzie Delta. Thank you and welcome, Richard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
