Mr. Speaker, economic opportunity comes in all shapes and forms. This summer it is coming to the Northwest Territories in the form of morel mushrooms, a delicacy highly sought after by food markets around the world.
Ultimately, Mother Nature will have the largest role in determining the success of our harvest. However, under the right conditions, we anticipate this harvest could generate as much as $10 million in the NWT this summer.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has been working to prepare NWT residents to take advantage of this opportunity and keep some of these revenues within the territory.
In preparation, we have hosted 19 morel mushroom information sessions in communities where the impacts of the anticipated season are expected to be greatest. These sessions were overwhelmingly popular, with nearly 1,200 residents participating.
Those in attendance learned of potential harvesting areas, methods for gathering and storing morels and best practices for selling and marketing their harvest.
The sessions also emphasized the message of harvesting in a way that is safe, legal and respectful of the environment and Aboriginal peoples, whose lands some of these mushrooms will be on.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has worked with the NWT Association of Communities and the Government of Canada to produce a Morel Mushroom Harvester’s Handbook and field guides to ensure pickers have adequate
information at their disposal when they venture into the harvest areas.
On-site walking workshops have also begun and will continue until mid-June in areas where the mushrooms have appeared, to provide hands-on experience for those interested in harvesting.
I would like to extend my appreciation to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for assisting us in also providing safety information for prospective harvesters venturing out this summer.
All of this information is now available in French and English on the Industry, Tourism and Investment website.
Mr. Speaker, while ITI has worked to prepare residents for this opportunity, it cannot guarantee a bountiful and prosperous harvest. Many other factors can and will impact the success of this year’s harvest.
Morels will need to meet or exceed certain standards of quality and consistency. Rain, the lack of rain, fire and cooler temperatures will have influences on the crop and the length of harvest that can be realized in our territory; and prices, determined by buyers, will similarly be affected by these elements and the economic principle of supply and demand.
Our territory has a proud history of resourcefulness and innovation. The quick development of a strategy and plan to realize the benefits of what could be a multi-million dollar morel mushroom harvesting opportunity this summer is a good example.
We are also a territory that believes in working together – as Northerners – and in partnership with those from outside of our territory.
I would like to recognize today Chief Lloyd Chicot and the people of Kakisa. In the face of concerns about the impacts that an influx of people will have on their community, they embraced the occasion, throwing a welcoming community barbeque for as many as 50 pickers in the area and sharing with them their traditional practice of catching and drying fish right out of the river.
It was an opportunity for pickers and residents to meet and learn more about each other and to agree on boundaries and practices that could be followed in the mutual realization of benefits from this most unique and economic opportunity that has come to the NWT this summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few moments to speak to the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link Project, or MVFL.
On January 12, 2015, the government took the first step towards removing the limitations of our current communications infrastructure. The Fibre Link Project will allow Inuvik to become a global remote sensing site, enable our government to improve our programs and services, particularly in the areas of education and health, and allow many more of our residents and businesses to join the 21st century and communicate in real time with the rest of the world.
Mr. Speaker, the first winter construction season of the MVFL Project has concluded, with over 430 kilometres of fibre optic cable installed. Though this construction season faced some initial challenges, it was successful with just over one-third of the route completed. The project remains on time, on budget, with a start-up date of the second quarter of 2016.
Winter construction activity took place between Tulita and Inuvik and employed approximately 112 local residents and used over 21 local contractors and suppliers. With the economic challenges facing many of our Sahtu and Gwich’in communities, this past winter, I am happy to report, the Fibre Link Project was able to contribute to the local economy in these communities.
Mr. Speaker, the summer build between McGill Lake and Wrigley is set to begin in late June. The MVFL Project Team is eager to begin summer work and will continue engaging local residents and businesses on project progress over the coming weeks and months.
Mr. Speaker, since construction commenced, we have experienced increased interest, nationally and internationally, in the growth of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility. Since its official inauguration in 2010, a total of three 14-metre receiving antennas have been installed on site. An additional dish has been committed for this summer, with the site preparation work for the installation currently underway. A fifth dish is being planned for summer/spring 2016.
The Premier, Robert R. McLeod; the Honourable Robert C. McLeod; Mr. Robert Hawkins, MLA for Yellowknife Centre; and myself will be travelling to Europe in June with officials from the federal government to continue to promote the Fibre Link Project and increase utilization of the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility.
We have seen first-hand the significant positive benefits the satellite ground station and remote sensing industry have had not only on the economy of Kiruna, Sweden, but also the important role they play in facilitating advanced learning at the Institute of Space Physics. The potential impact of an expanded satellite ground station in Inuvik on the Aurora Research Centre is significant and could make this facility one of the “the places to be” to conduct space-based Arctic research.
I would like to conclude my statement by thanking the sustained efforts and support from our residents, businesses and community leadership throughout the Mackenzie Valley to ensure the continued success of the project.
I also want to thank all my colleagues of this Assembly for their support in advancing the project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Minister of MACA, Mr. R.C. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, today I am very proud to rise and recognize that two of our very own have been elected to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
I am, of course, speaking about Sharon Firth and Shirley Firth-Larsson, who will become the first Northwest Territories residents to be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony later this fall in Calgary.
Sharon and Shirley captivated the North and Canada from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s with their incredible sporting exploits. They first entered the national scene in 1968 when they won medals at the Canadian Junior Cross Country Ski Championships.
They went on to compete in four Olympic Winter Games, including Sapporo, Japan, in 1972; Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976; Lake Placid, New York, in 1980; and Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, in 1984.
In many ways they were trailblazers for women, for Aboriginal Canadians and for all Northerners in the rest of Canada and around the world.
Although Shirley is no longer with us, Sharon continues to be a role model and inspiration for hundreds of young people in her current work as a youth officer with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame recognizes our country’s finest athletes as role models for Canadians of all ages, and sharing their stories unites our country and reminds us of the core values that help define our people.
All Northerners are extremely proud of Sharon and Shirley’s accomplishments. We only wish that Shirley could have been here to receive this national recognition of her contribution to Canada’s sport history.
Sharon and Shirley Firth have certainly inspired all of us. They will now take their place at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, where their stories can encourage all Canadians to strive to be the very best they can be.
I invite all Members to join me in congratulating Sharon Firth and Shirley Firth-Larsson’s family on this wonderful honour on behalf of all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to achieving this Legislative Assembly’s vision of strong individuals, families and communities. By working together in partnerships, we can reach our goal of healthy and educated people in sustainable and vibrant communities throughout our territory.
To help promote, preserve and manage the long-term health and social well-being of NWT residents, the Social Envelope Committee of Cabinet and the corresponding deputy minister committee have introduced a number of initiatives and actions. We have previously talked about some of them, such as our actions to help reduce poverty in the NWT, promote community wellness and better address mental health and addictions issues. Today I want to tell you about some of our actions to ensure stronger coordination and collaboration in the delivery of social services and supports for NWT residents.
A number of our recent strategic frameworks, including the Early Childhood Development Strategy, the Anti-Poverty Strategic Framework and the Addictions and Mental Health Action Plan, speak to a more integrated approach to service delivery. The shift to more consciously coordinated service delivery is also evident in the 2015-2016 budget, which included investments to support integrated approaches to case management and initiatives to improve integration of services to people with a variety of needs.
We recognize the need to examine programs and make sure that we are taking a client-focused approach to service delivery. We are seeing many successes in this work. This includes proposed changes to the way the NWT Housing Corporation will calculate rent for public housing clients. Minister Robert C. McLeod will have more to say about this later during this session.
Different departments are working closely together to promote healthy living for our youth. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has established a new Children and Youth Resiliency Program to support community programming that helps our youth build resiliency and be more physically active. A healthy snacks component has also been added to this popular after-school physical activity program.
Progress has also been made on protocols and training for support service delivery staff when it comes to referrals or support to clients with apparent mental health issues. The Mental Health First Aid program teaches GNWT front-line workers how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, how to provide initial help and how to guide people to community mental health resources and professional help. Mental Health First Aid training has been provided to staff in the corrections service as well as to staff of the departments of Education, Culture and Employment, Municipal and Community Affairs, Health and Social Services and Justice. In addition, the Department of Justice has Mental Health First Aid instructors in house. The Integrated Case Management Team has two instructors available to deliver the three-day Mental Health First Aid workshops to employees and the public.
We are also making progress on services and supports to seniors. In collaboration with the NWT Seniors’ Society, the Seniors’ Information Handbook has been updated. This valuable resource for seniors provides a comprehensive list of government programs and services that seniors and their caregivers can access to help them make informed decisions and remain independent and active in their home communities. A companion booklet for caregivers is being developed and will provide information to assist families caring for their loved ones. The government service officers have received training on the handbook and are using it as a resource to support effective service delivery to residents.
Mr. Speaker, these are just some examples of our work to improve the coordination of service delivery and supports to NWT residents. We will continue to advance this important work, in the belief that better coordination and collaboration across GNWT departments and agencies that offer social services and supports will lead to improved access and outcomes for NWT residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring Aboriginal languages survive for future generations is a key priority for our government and the Members of this Legislative Assembly. One of the most effective ways to ensure the continued use of all of the NWT’s 11 official languages is simply using and hearing these languages as part of our day-to-day interactions. This theme of “use it or lose it” resonates through the regional Aboriginal language plans now being implemented by Aboriginal governments, the 2009 Committee Report on Official Languages and the government’s 2010 “Aboriginal Languages Plan – A Shared Responsibility.”
Broadcasting in the official languages is one way all of our official languages are in use and heard by our listeners in all of our communities. Stories and important information are shared with one another over the radio and television in not just English but the other 10 official languages. In fact, many of our unilingual listeners rely on the radio as the primary source of information to receive the news in their language.
Mr. Speaker, this invaluable service is provided to us in part by the Native Communications Society and its broadcasting arm, CKLB. They have provided cultural and language programming since 1982, with broadcasts in English, French, Tlicho, South Slavey, Gwich’in, North Slavey and Chipewyan. In recognition of their important contribution to Aboriginal language revitalization, the Government of the Northwest Territories has long provided core funding to NCS and the Inuvialuit Communications Society, who provided programming in Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun. This is in addition to federal government funding they are eligible to receive under the Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting Grant.
Over the past few years, they have experienced some operational challenges, culminating in CKLB having to stop live broadcasts and programming in July 2014. Aside from going off the air, it also meant a loss of jobs for people in many of our communities.
Mr. Speaker, as is true for Aboriginal language revitalization generally, it is truly a shared responsibility, and for that reason I continue to lobby the federal government to increase their funding for Aboriginal and French language programming in the current round of negotiations of the renewal of the Official Languages Agreement.
Aboriginal language broadcasting contributes to both our oral traditions and recording languages for those future generations. Having them on our radios, computers and televisions ensures that the North continues to hear, read and explore our languages that are so closely connected to our cultures.
This is why, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that this government will reprofile $500,000 annually, found from within, on an ongoing basis, for Aboriginal broadcasting. Of that amount, $400,000 will be provided to the Native Communications Society and $100,000 will be provided to the Inuvialuit Communications Society.
The funding will allow NCS to be up and running by June 1st, broadcasting first in Tlicho and South Slavey. They have plans to resume live broadcasting of North Slavey, Gwich’in, Chipewyan and will be adding French later on this year.
We will also continue to make every effort to secure funding from the federal government to sustain Aboriginal language broadcasting in the NWT. Our funding will complement the federal contribution of approximately $700,000 to Aboriginal broadcasting.
Mr. Speaker, we have worked closely with the Native Communications Society to discuss how we can help support the organization with a better financial and operating model. NCS and CKLB play a critical part in promoting and sustaining our Aboriginal languages across the NWT and it is our priority to support them. Our languages are a foundational part of our heritage and the cultural mosaic of the North, and we must support every avenue we can to keep them alive for generations to come. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about what is coming up next week in Hay River, the 25th Annual Track and Field Championships in Hay River, territorial championships.
This Territorial Track and Field Championship always takes place during our session at this time of year. Every year the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs charters an airplane to take Members who wish to attend the opening ceremony down to Hay River for this event. I’d like to thank the Minister for making that opportunity available again this year.
I would encourage Members to attend. If you have never attended the opening ceremonies of the Track and Field Championships, it is very hard to describe to you how exciting it is as those school teams parade into the arena under the banner of their school. Small schools, big schools, little people, seniors who are participating in the Track and Field Championships, it is a very exciting time for everyone. Those children are very pleased to see their MLAs and a face from home on that stage as they parade by.
This year, already the weather has been beautiful in Hay River. It’s been very warm. We’ve seen the little people out practising on the track. Every time I drive by, I want to stop and take a picture. Also, we’ve seen the loyal volunteers who prepare the track and make it ready for the events. They’ve been out in force this year as well. I don’t want to name them for fear of missing someone. It is that core group of volunteers which we will build on which gives you confidence because of their commitment for the bigger event that we will be hosting in Hay River and Fort Smith later.
I would like to say that I will be going home to the opening ceremony. I probably won’t be coming back for the last day of session next week. It’s really too bad that we couldn’t just all stay down there because right after the Track and Field Championships, they have a masters or seniors or corporate challenge. Some year wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could enter a team of MLAs in that event and we could show them we don’t just talk, but we can walk the talk? That would be really exciting. Unfortunately, I know business will take most Members back to the Chamber here on Thursday.
Mr. Speaker, all the best to all the athletes. Hundreds of them will converge on Hay River, athletes, chaperones, coaches, parents. We welcome them all and are looking forward to a wonderful week and we hope the weather holds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My constituents are patiently waiting the opening of the new elders facility in Aklavik and also the start of construction of the new elders home in Fort McPherson.
Elders are looking forward to their new homes, which will also help keep our elders in the community with home support. This will also give an opportunity for people who have been on a waiting list for housing.
I will have questions for the Minister later today to ensure we are on schedule. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute which is widely considered by many to be Canada’s most influential think-tank. It is Canada’s trusted source of essential policy, intelligence, distinguished by research that is non-partisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review.
In April of this year C.D. Howe released a study, titled “By the Numbers: The Fiscal Accountability of Canada’s Senior Governments, 2015.” This study is based on the premise that a reasonably capable and interested non-expert should be able to read a government’s budget documents and year-end public accounts to assess whether the government is meeting its promises and commitments. Working from this premise, the study analyzed the budgets and public accounts of Canada’s federal government and provincial and territorial governments in order to assess the quality and clarity of their financial recording.
According to C.D. Howe, the GNWT’s quality of reporting tied with Quebec as the third poorest in the country, earning a D-plus grade. This study concluded that the GNWT public accounts were consistent with public sector accounting board standards and it did, “save the Northwest Territories from getting outright failing grades. yet its budgets would bewilder our idealized reader with multiple presentations of revenue and spending figures that no non-expert could possibly reconcile with the headline figures in their public accounts.”
As a member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations that undertakes this challenging exercise every year, I can personally attest to just how accurate these findings are. We hear repeatedly from this government, in almost every speech and every Minister’s statement, how committed the GNWT is to accountability and transparency. Yet if this commitment is not followed with meaningful actions to ensure the public and legislators have the information needed to independently assess the government’s performance, then this is merely lip service.
A D-plus grade on financial reporting from an esteemed Canadian research institute should be a wake-up call to the Minister of Finance that it is time to up his game and put serious effort into improving the quality of GNWT’s financial reporting.
Later today I will be looking for a commitment from Minister Miltenberger to do just that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I wanted to honour Mr. Ron McCagg who passed away suddenly last week in Fort Simpson. He became a big part of Fort Simpson when he began living there. Not only did he serve on the village council for over two decades, Ron worked for the GNWT for 38 years, including 30 years in Fort Simpson. Last year he retired as a superintendent of Public Works and Services and looked forward to the next phase of his life.
Since his sudden passing, many friends and colleagues have spoken out to remember him with great respect and love, describing him as a gentleman, a straight-shooter and a man who liked to stand up for the little guy. He had a passion for fairness, always working to make a difference in people’s lives on and away from work, and age was no barrier for his lifelong mission. Seventy years old this year, in fact his passion for fairness was such that he had intended to run for MLA this fall.
For me, it was an honour to know and work with him for the 12 years in my capacity as MLA for Nahendeh. Ron is survived by his loving family, two daughters, Natasha and Heather, their husbands, as well as four wonderful granddaughters, also his partner, Lucy, and her son, Quinton. I fondly recall last year how proud he was to give his granddaughters a ride around Fort Simpson on his new three-wheel Harley Davidson.
The community of Fort Simpson has lost a great man and a strong voice. Ron will be greatly missed. On Monday, June 1st, at 2:00 p.m., the people of Fort Simpson will celebrate his life at the Fort Simpson Recreational Centre. If you can’t make it, the Deh Cho Drum offered for anyone to contact them with their memories of Ron to share. I know all my colleagues who knew and met him over the years will join me in offering condolences to Ron’s family. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s ironic the light is shining on me today. The light will be shining on the South Slave in 2018 when the South Slave hosts the Arctic Winter Games.
In March the International Committee announced that Hay River/Fort Smith were the successful components in the joint bid for the Arctic Winter Games. I would like to give a big shout out to the bid committee for both communities as well as those communities that are participating. Enterprise and Fort Res will be involved as well.
Both town councils have been working hard and budgeting for this process, and they had a meeting a couple weekends ago to get the process working. Now the work begins. They have to roll up their sleeves and make this a big success.
I look forward to the opportunity when the Minister, Minister R.C. McLeod from Inuvik Twin Lakes, will come down and sign the agreement for the Arctic Winter Games. There is great excitement to see this come back into the regions. The Arctic Winter Games will be coming back to the people of the Northwest Territories.
I’d like to thank the Department of MACA and the GNWT for additional funding to do it right and put it out into the regions. This will be a 40-year anniversary for Hay River to have the Arctic Winter Games. We hosted it last time in the South Slave with Pine Point. It will be the 40th anniversary in 2018.
I do support the fact that we need this back in the regions. The Beau-Del and Inuvik didn’t win this bid, but I think the Arctic Winter Games should go there next. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Justice on the land, the only place where there is justice. That was told to me by a colleague this morning.
I want to talk about the Justice department, the soon-to-be corrections department. One of the mission statements of the Justice department is “working with community members so that communities are safe and secure.” One of the five goals: the department is better equipped to provide core programs and services.
Under the corrections activity description, corrections services provide safe custody and supervision of adult and youth offenders. It also states later on, “deliver culturally relevant programs to support reallocation and reintegration, including wilderness camps and elders’ support.”
A further look into the budget here of 2014-15, the adult facilities at a $24 million budget, grants and contributions in the same report here says the Elders Program is $30,000, wilderness camp is $149,000, for a total of $179,000. This budget tells us how this department supports NWT wilderness camps, and with $24 million versus $179,000 clearly this shows that something has to change.
The Auditor General, in his report, confirmed and stated that our corrections and management operations were not in compliance with key rehabilitation and reintegration requirements. Read the report and you’ll wonder why we haven’t made much achievement in our area.
We also had a profile of inmates who transport goods into our facility, and we have a population that is well, well overrepresented by Aboriginal people. We need a change of attitudes and mindset by corrections and the Justice department.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Wilderness camps are a valuable method for allowing offenders to maintain and enhance their traditional knowledge and skill to help in reintegration and rehabilitation when released from custody.
In closing, we need a strong commitment by this Minister to direct his officials. Let’s make these wilderness camps a success and get the resources to do that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday evening I happened to catch on the CBC website late that night, I noticed that there was a story, and the story headline said, “NWT Highway No. 3 at Risk of Closing Due to Forest Fire.”
That story was issued at 5:37 that evening. What caused me some individual concern is after last year’s fire experience, there was no e-mail in my inbox saying that there was going to be a closure of the highway. Not only that, to my surprise, I had been talking to people in the industry, the grocery industry saying that they had no notice in any way.
The following morning it was followed up by a Twitter notice saying forest fires near Highway No. 3. Again, no e-mail in the MLAs’ box.
It’s not a point of criticism, but MLAs are part of the solution to ensure that public information can be disseminated in a timely and safe way. Now, I know this isn’t a story or a Member’s statement quite as sexy as a screaming scandal of terrible things, the sky is falling, but the reality is good public communication is vital to ensure that the public knows what’s happening.
As I said about the grocery companies, in speaking to them, they wondered why the Department of Transportation doesn’t communicate with them as part of the critical infrastructure of public information. If you ask a grocery store, they said that in five days, or even four days if really pressed, they can fully stock their shelves for the long haul, just like the good old ice road closure days, like the ice road crossings. They said in two days they could bring any vital, critical type of perishable to their stores and be prepared for a bit of a short-haul but ensure that all their transportation of important goods come through.
What’s important, as well, is I’ve been informed that during last season’s experience, tractor trailers were sitting with milk, eggs and vegetables while lumber and other types of dry goods were passing through. So the issue really came forward as what are our priorities and have we learned any lessons from last season’s highway closure.
I’m not taking a personal issue with the fact that the department was doing some due diligence by ensuring that the public has known, but I think MLAs are critical to be part of the solution to ensure that we can provide information in a timelier way. People look to us. When my neighbour walks across the street and says, “What the heck is happening?” I say, “I don’t know, but I just e-mailed the Minister and I’m waiting for an answer myself.” We cannot have that type of solution. Here is the opportunity, and I’ll finish it by saying I’ll have some questions about solutions during question period. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Even knowing the opportunities for Member’s statements during this short session are few, I would want to take time today to profile the need for and importance of providing flexibility in part-time versus full-time jobs in government and in our communities. This simple but key act yields benefits ranging from an enhanced quality of life to a healthier society and the retention and attraction of NWT workers and families. The far-reaching impact of this modest tweak to employment patterns is something that job providers throughout the Northwest Territories, both public and private, really need to pay heed to.
Time and time again people tell me they want jobs that give them more time to engage in the community outside of work. They want what we want: increased self-sufficiency, diverse economic opportunities, time for volunteer work and involvement in neighbourhood and community support and quality family time, especially with young children. Well, even my good friend Peter McKay today exemplifies exactly this. People realize life is about more than a paycheque. They are looking for healthier, compassionate and more well-rounded lives. Businesses find challenges filling jobs, though they are much quicker to realize the need to offer different opportunities to employers like adjusting work time. The GNWT has difficulty filling hundreds of positions, with 500 to 700 empty at any one time.
We claim that temporary foreign workers are required to fill many of the available traditionally configured jobs. Perhaps a new approach is called for. I am always saddened when a hardworking and valued employee approaches the employer to request a change to half or three-quarter time and the ask is denied with little attempt to accommodate. Typically the employee is seeking a chance for personal development, home construction or renovation, volunteering in civil society or care of an ailing family member. Such rejection of engagement leads to the loss of a dedicated long-term employee and loss of all broader benefits.
We had shoehorned ourselves into defining jobs as one person year, no matter what the job is. I don’t buy it. Granted, it may be difficult initially to decline the work in ways that full, half, three-quarter or two-thirds steps can do, but the workforce, family, employer and, indeed, community benefits would soon outweigh that initial difficulty.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Job sharing, seasonal jobs and reduced-time jobs are important factors in the quality of life. Providing people with job opportunities geared to today’s northern lifestyle would yield happier and more productive workers with healthier families and communities. It may well yield improved attention and attraction of new northern families.
I urge this government to pursue this opportunity soon, and I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to revisit the subject of daycares and daycare funding. Over the years this government has repeatedly professed that children are important and that we care for our children, but the actions they’ve taken belie their words.
We don’t have many licenced daycares in the territory. Lots of communities have no daycare at all. Those licenced daycares which do exist in the NWT can get some funding from Education, Culture and Employment to help them with their operations, but it’s well-known that the current funding opportunities are not really working for them. For example, daycares are still funded based on daily attendance of children, an onerous and time-consuming practice that does not provide stable funding for the licenced daycare operator.
Education, Culture and Employment has, since last fall, been reviewing the Early Childhood Program with a focus on funding and governance. There are seven pages of the terms of reference for the review on the Education, Culture and Employment website, and it indicates that a report was due on March 31st of this year. Information went out late last year to daycares about a survey they could participate in, and a symposium was to be held. According to the survey request from ECE, the focus of input was to be on administration and funding processes. Strangely, the survey targeted front-line staff, those working directly with children, those not usually involved in administrative duties. Why not target managers and operators?
But I’m very glad that this review was undertaken. It was long overdue. Little has been heard of the results of the review, however. Did the work actually get done? Was the symposium held? What were the results of the survey and the symposium? Was a report completed by March 31st as was required by the terms of reference? Does the department have recommendations from the review for improvements to the administration and funding of daycares? Will we finally see changes to the way that daycares are funded? I have lots of questions and could find no answers anywhere on the Education, Culture and Employment website.
Changes are very much needed and I hope that change is coming. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE. I hope he will have the answers that I and others seek. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An aging population and aging family support system have major implications on our health care systems but, more importantly, on our respite services that are provided throughout the Northwest Territories and in our communities. I’ll take it a little bit further than that. It’s not only the aging population but we do have people in the Northwest Territories, whether it be a child or an adult, who are living with a disability or a chronic health condition. It could be physical, mental and, in some cases, cognitive impairment, and they need assistance in their home, and their families need assistance providing those respite care services.
I want to talk about respite care services, talk about home care services, providing support workers, and even support for the support workers, creating instrumental activities so people who are under these conditions can actually live a daily lifestyle that you and I share, Mr. Speaker, or help them get reintegrated back into society.
Respite care has been reported to reduce the burden on families with family members who have developmental disabilities at home, relieves family stress, improves family functioning and also reduces social isolation for people with a chronic condition or disability. It gets them out in the community.
I know when we’ve extended health care services, we do provide long-term care services, we provide day programming, we do have home care services in the communities, but when you talk to our home care support staff, when you only have one in a community, they’re overburdened with the amount of elders they have to visit, the amount of children they have to visit, the amount of people who have developmental disabilities or other physical impairments.
We do have a lot of challenges in the Northwest Territories. For instance, we have eight communities without a nurse. We have health centres that are aging and depleting. We also have some facilities that don’t have gyms and other facilities where we can hold these day programs, and we also have some human resources issues, and more importantly, there’s always a financial burden when it comes to these kinds of discussions.
Most families pay out of pocket for respite services. In fact, those who can’t pay for it actually go without respite services.
I will be asking questions of the Minister of Health today how we can address those issues and give people who need that assistance the assistance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to have track tryouts this afternoon out back. If you can walk that far, you’re on the team.
This is a great time across the Northwest Territories. With all the graduation ceremonies that are going on, it’s just a very positive time. In Inuvik we have a number of ceremonies that are taking place. It starts right from the four-year-olds, the Aboriginal Head Start program, with their little gowns and they graduate into kindergarten. We have our kindergarten children graduating into Grade 1.
Then on Saturday in Inuvik, the East Three Secondary School is having their high school graduation ceremony. I think they have over 30 students this year graduating, so congratulations to them.
The learning centre, those who have gone back to try and upgrade their schooling so they could get into college, they’re having their completion ceremony, if they haven’t had it already.
At Aurora Campus a couple weeks ago, Member Moses and I had the privilege of attending. They had their convocation ceremony. They had a fantastic theme this year. It was Our Elders, Cultures and Traditions. They had the gym all decorated up with tents, and it was just a fantastic ceremony. I was pleased to be part of it.
There are a lot of proud families across the Northwest Territories; there’s a lot of positive energy; there’s a lot of enthusiasm; and I think we have to do what we can, as legislators, to tap into that positive energy and enthusiasm and work to give all our young people an opportunity. I think this government and governments before and governments that come after us will do that. We’ll work hard to give them an opportunity to further their education and make sure they come home to work.
I would like all Members to join me in congratulating all graduates across the Northwest Territories. This is a great time for all their families and themselves. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
