Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke about a failure to implement a contractor management system in our shared procurement process and that this lack of foresight is a cause of a great many issues in our overall safety culture. My questions today are for the Minister of Public Works and Services.
We have been given updates from the department and the Minister by de facto being in good standing with the WSCC or, in other words, being paid up constitutes a minimum baseline requirement of a safety program for NWT businesses that apply for contract status with the GNWT.
Can the Minister confirm if this is the only standard safety requirement the GNWT uses in procured shared services? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Public Works, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, that is not the only safety requirement. We ensure that the contractors are able to provide a letter indicating they are in good standing with WSCC. However, that’s not the only requirement. We have construction safety on the agenda before a contract is awarded and there are several items the contractor must have in place before they are able to contract with GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It has been brought to our attention that NWT businesses are to self-register with the GNWT in preparation for RFP application within our shared procurement services.
Can the Minister indicate how are NWT business safety programs or services evaluated for relevance, certification or standardization given the vast array of national safety standards and criteria out there? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Department of Public Works takes safety seriously. We are working with industry to ensure that when individuals are on site that not only the main contractor has followed all the NWT Safety Regulations under the NWT Safety Act and that all the subs that go on site also follow that. We have several items, anywhere from clothing to regulations with WHMIS need to be taken by employees. I’m not sure I’m following what self-registration is. Thank you.
Almost every other jurisdiction in Canada has, in one form or other, a contractor management system that identifies, assesses and controls the standards of business and workers in the workplace, especially in safe operations. Ironically, the GNWT feels a system will cause small communities to be left out in the cold.
Can the Minister clearly explain and defend the department’s position on its refusal to instill a modern day safety management tool? Thank you.
This is not just a small communities issue. If this is implemented across the board, it will leave a substantial number of contractors unable to work with the GNWT. That includes large companies that are not registered in the contract management system, including subs. There are contractors that are going to be able to get jobs, but their subs won’t be able to go on site. Contract management systems can be used to prequalify contractors. So, in a sense, if a contractor is not registered with the contract management system, then they wouldn’t be able to bid. We could also be able to do an evaluation and could use it for evaluating bids, tenders, evaluating proposals and so on. It is something we are moving towards, but we’re not going to rush in and eliminate all the people we have been doing business with to date. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it’s really hard for me to know, and any other person listening, what exactly is a baseline of safety required by contractors working for the GNWT, especially if the GNWT is acting as a principal contractor. To be truthful, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think the GNWT knows that either. So we know by de facto, the WSCC is a program they use and we also heard from the Minister “we use several items” and we don’t know what that means.
Can the Minister indicate what the minimum baseline requirements are for safety that businesses must have in place in order to bid on RFPs within a procured service model? Thank you.
In addition to being in good standing with WSCC, the contractor has to have a copy of the safety plan on site. Also, they have to have regular meetings on safety through the process. Depending on the size of the contract and the nature of the contract, if there are hazardous materials such as asbestos, they have to have an abatement plan for those items. For the real large projects, even our own project officers who go on site, need to have job-specific orientations before they get on site and work with the contractor. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
