Good afternoon, colleagues. Colleagues, it is my duty to advise this House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads: "Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2019-2020, during the 3rd Session of the 18th Assembly. Yours truly, Margaret M. Thom, Commissioner." Masi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Conservation of wildlife in the Northwest Territories is a responsibility shared by governments, boards, and individuals through our co-management system. This Legislative Assembly has made a mandate commitment to develop range plans for boreal caribou in the NWT. Today I would like to share some significant news about those plans and our made-in-the-North approach to protecting boreal caribou in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, boreal woodland caribou are listed as a threatened species under both federal and territorial legislation. These caribou are distinct from our nine barren-ground herds, which migrate above and below the treeline. Boreal caribou live in the forest, either alone or in small groups.
Our government, together with our co-management partners, has been working on a made-in-the-North approach to managing boreal caribou and their habitat in the NWT. This includes a framework for developing regional range plans, plans that will help us maintain adequate habitat across the NWT to support a healthy and sustainable population of boreal caribou.
Under the federal Species at Risk Act, at least 65 percent of the land used by boreal caribou must be maintained as undisturbed habitat. This is a requirement that we take very seriously. We do not want the federal government to step in and issue a federal protection order. This safety net order, as it is called, would give the federal government authority over our territorial lands, which are considered critical habitat for boreal caribou. We are working closely with the federal government to avoid this, Mr. Speaker.
That is why I am pleased to share with you today that our government has reached an agreement with the federal government under section 11 of the Species at Risk Act. This conservation agreement recognizes and supports our approach to boreal caribou and habitat management and reduces the likelihood of a protection order. The agreement sets out conservation measures to support boreal caribou in the NWT, including development and implementation of range plans to protect boreal caribou habitat.
As part of this agreement, the Government of the Northwest Territories and Environment and Climate Change Canada have also negotiated federal funding for range planning in the NWT. This funding is significant and will support our collaborative process to build regional range plans with our co-management partners.
Under this agreement, Canada will provide $3.255 million to the GNWT over the next five years to support the conservation measures in the agreement. In addition, Mr. Speaker, we have negotiated $1 million in funding to allow our Indigenous self-government partners to fully engage in the range planning process, to ensure these plans truly reflect the values and interests of Northerners.
Currently, about 69 percent of boreal caribou range in the NWT is undisturbed, and our boreal caribou population is considered self-sustaining. That is very good news. It means that we are in a good position to meet the 65-percent requirement for undisturbed habitat and continue to support conservation of this species.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that, together with our co-management partners, we can help maintain our population of boreal caribou while ensuring continued opportunities for sustainable economic growth now and into the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our vision for Health and Social Services in the Northwest Territories is one of Best Health, Best Care, For a Better Future. Realizing this vision requires meaningful change at all levels; change within our systems, change within ourselves as individuals working in those systems, and change in the ways that we do our work together. Today I want to provide Members with more detail about the work that we are doing within the system to improve access and quality of care for all residents of the Northwest Territories.
We have made significant changes to the structure of the Health and Social Services system during this Legislative Assembly. System Transformation, which created the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, has given us the governance and administrative structures we need to improve services and to better support NWT residents.
With that foundation in place, the Department of Health and Social Services and the authority are now beginning a process to reform primary healthcare that will put the client at the centre of everything that we do.
This isn't about changing our system; that work is already under way. Rather, this is about changing the way that our system works. Through primary healthcare reform, we will shift our approach to planning programming and delivering services so that they are responsive and client-focused. The client, along with their families and communities, will become the orienting point and partner in every decision that we make as care providers and as a system of care.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that optimal health and well-being for all residents will be achieved by integrating the social determinants of health into our system, and by meeting each client where they are in their journey, to provide the right care, from the right provider, at the right time, and in the right place. To make this a reality, we are building a team and a relationship-based approach to how we deliver services and offer programming, which is driven by community priorities and data and grounded in trust and shared outcomes.
We have made great progress in partnering with communities to support community wellness planning and capacity building over the last several years, but we have not yet applied that same successful approach towards working with communities to define and implement their own health agenda. People and communities have wisdom about their own health needs, both the services they require and the way those services should be delivered. Through primary healthcare reform, we are going to increase community participation in the planning processes to ensure that we are delivering services that work in ways that make sense for the people and the place.
Mr. Speaker, we have exceptionally talented and dedicated people working throughout our system at all levels. They strive every day to provide the highest standard of care and service in challenging environments and circumstances. I have had the privilege of spending time with both staff and clients in every community of the NWT, and I know that they are excited about the possibility of doing things differently, of doing things in a better way.
Over the next few months we will begin rolling out demonstration projects to test certain elements of primary healthcare reform. To increase community participation in health planning, we will be developing a new piloted project for chronic-disease management in smaller communities, beginning in the Deh Cho region. To improve access, we will be looking at new service-delivery approaches to better serve Yellowknife's most marginalized populations. To improve continuity of care and support the development of relationships between clients and providers, we are developing multidisciplinary integrated care teams that will provide clients with ready access to a team of providers, all working at full scope of practice, who can be responsive to the client's needs in real time.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to a learning process as we take on this work. As we develop new approaches, we will test them and refine them before rolling them out across the system, to ensure that changes we make are the right ones. We are also committed to leading by example to do this work in a good way. This means that each of the demonstration projects will be developed in keeping with the principles of cultural safety and in accordance with the recently released Cultural Safety Action Plan. The staff involved in the demonstration projects will participate in cultural safety training as part of their work, to begin embedding cultural safety in our system and facilitating the cultural shifts required to make this our new way of doing business.
The Cultural Safety Action Plan implementation and the primary healthcare reform are in the early days, but the enthusiasm and commitment for these efforts within our systems are undeniable. I look forward to supporting these initiatives as they move forward and to providing updates to this House on our progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Deputy Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Premier will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Arctic Oil and Gas Symposium in Calgary, Alberta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Food security is becoming the watchword of the 21st century around the world. Reliable food supply and the cost of shipping foods to markets are challenges that the world will be confronting in the years to come. In the North, our own challenges are every bit as complex. The social media movement Feeding My Family brought international attention to the high cost of food in the North. Our ability to rely on country food, food that sustained Indigenous people for thousands of years, is uncertain as the health and future of caribou herds is unclear, but it's soon to be getting better. Many of this Assembly's mandate priorities have a bearing on food security. We are moving ahead with agricultural and fishery strategies, things that relate directly to securing sufficient, healthy diet for residents.
However, recently, Mr. Speaker, I learned of a new initiative. The Yellowknife Co-op is investing in a new installation that will allow it to produce fresh food year-round, right here at home. It has partnered with a company called The Grocer that has created a transportable, hydroponic growing system. The Grocer is a Canadian company that is member of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. It has developed an Arctic growing system that is specifically designed for low-infrastructure environments and temperatures as low as minus 52 degrees Celsius. It combines hydroponic technology with precision climate control and computerized operation.
The system is scalable to grow with demand. The basic system can provide up to 12,000 pounds of produce each year. The grower's system was tried in Churchill, Manitoba, after that community's rail line, its only land link to the south, washed out in 2016. Within weeks of installing the system, many varieties of produce were available in stores. In February 2018, temperatures went down to minus 58, and the system was still growing. Over time, the sticker price of leafy greens dropped from $7.25 with subsidized shipping to $4.99, and of course Mr. Speaker, it was fresher and tastier.
The Yellowknife Co-op's investment is an example of creative forward thinking, Mr. Speaker. It supports our mandate priorities of promoting agriculture, reducing the cost of living, and diversifying the economy, and it promises local control and decision-making around food supply for our communities and families. Colleagues, please join me in congratulating the Yellowknife Co-op on its exciting new initiative.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] The goals of the BDIC are noble ones, to help small businesspeople to address heavy bureaucratic requirements [translation ends]....territory, and this government's claim that diversification of our economy is a top priority, it would be reasonable to believe that this organization is pulling its weight and providing effective assistance to private enterprise. Yet I have been hearing from an ever-increasing number of small businesses that they have lost support from BDIC once the money has been lent. It seems that this organization has forgone its role in supporting the economic objectives of this government in encouraging business development in favour of becoming just another lender.
BDIC has the statutory power to adjust contracts, defer payments of the principal, and adjust interest rates. Yet I, too, like the honourable Member for Hay River North, who touched on this last week, am hearing that BDIC is squeamish to exercise all of the powers it has at its disposal. I am hard-pressed to believe that they have just become another monetary lender as a matter of policy. This is not a matter of law. I hope they begin to use every tool at their disposal and that the NWT will be able to get its economy back into a position of growth rather than the current state of contraction.
All this raises questions as to what is the long-term vision of the BDIC. Standing committees have heard from the BDIC leadership. We have heard about a desire to do more to invest in entrepreneurs, provide front-line services, and invest in developing sectors of our economy. I support this vision. It goes to more than just lending, but I am not confident that this vision is shared by this government. BDIC has seen its funding stripped away over successive budgets, and many of its front-line business support has been subsumed by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on the need for greater independence of the GNWT Crown corporations and arm's-length institutions. BDIC's board and president must be empowered to chart their own course for the corporation, and the Minister must not see the important work of BDIC as just another fund or function of his ministry.
Mr. Speaker, I have called before for this government to let the private sector lead, and now I will call on this government to get out of the way and let the BDIC support the private sector on its own terms for the long-term vision for success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier this week I attended the annual public meeting held by the Giant Mine Remediation Project staff. A lot of work was required to contain and manage arsenic trioxide waste for at least the next 100 years, to remediate soil, demolish buildings, build and operate a new water treatment facility, and more. A report on the water licence application and process was also provided.
A good deal of the meeting was taken up with discussing opportunities for northern benefits during the decade-long remediation. Contracts valued at $430 million have been let so far, but most of the remediation work is yet to be costed and contracted and will take years to complete. Giant Mine Remediation Project staff and the main construction management contractor, Parsons Incorporated, pointed to some vague principles and processes to foster northern benefits. Benefits are to be delivered through set-asides under something called the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Businesses, and there are also criteria for assessing valuation of bids based on Aboriginal training, labour, and equipment ratings under something called the Aboriginal Opportunity Considerations. A socio-economic working group has been established with Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Procurement Canada, Parsons as the main construction manager, and GNWT. They are also working on some sort of a socio-economic action plan. A broader socio-economic advisory body has also been established with similar membership, but it also includes the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the City of Yellowknife.
In a February 25 letter to the Giant remediation project, the Giant Mine Oversight Board points out the murky relationship between the working group, advisory body, and the action plan. Questions were also raised about membership in some of these groups, and whether the focus will be more broadly cast to include social matters and outcomes. I agree with their assessment, Mr. Speaker.
What is missing is the power to ensure contracts actually go to Indigenous and northern businesses. There are no binding targets for NWT and Indigenous jobs, contracting, or purchasing. There is a lot of effort to make contracting opportunities known, but no way to directly negotiate contracts with local businesses that have demonstrated capacity and performed the work. That's not good enough. I'll have questions later today for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Mr. Speaker, when family members or you require medical care, it is often a very stressful and pressure-filled time of uncertainty. During these times, we are required to place our complete trust and confidence on our physicians and/or the staff at our local health centres in the various hospitals that we use. Once health has been restored, many forget the long hours the medical staff work and the amount of commitment it takes to care for us and our loved ones.
All medical staff appreciate a letter of thanks. This is favourably received, as it expresses appreciation and gratitude for the excellent care given to us and our loved ones. A letter of appreciation depicts the confidence in the medical staff's service, expertise, and professionalism as your complete care provider.
In many communities, healthcare is reinstated; however, there are many sad occasions when a loved one may have passed away despite the tremendous effort put forth by medical staff. During these times of extreme sadness, a thank-you card to the medical staff is most appreciated, as death affects us all, professionally and non-professionally alike. Taking a moment to write a thank you honours respect loved ones who have passed, and particularly honours those who were committed to their comfort and care right to the end.
Thanking the name and specific individuals as doctors, nurses, and specialists are essential, but equally essential are the individuals who work behind the scenes to ensure you and your loved ones are well cared for. Many medical centres have a team-centred approach to caring, and for this reason, a collective acknowledgment to all members of the team is advisable. Writing a thank you letter of this nature is gratefully received and often holds a deeper meaning when receiving sooner than later, as the team likely recall caring for you and your loved ones.
I have been approached by a number of residents in the past few months asking me to publicly thank the staff at the Stanton Hospital for all the care, compassion, and support provided to them and their loved ones. Some expressed the care that they received have made a remarkable difference in their health and wellness. On behalf of the Nahendeh residents, I would like to say thank you to all the staff in the Northwest Territories and down south. The medical teams encompassing all team members are equally important and essential, and we deeply thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to visitors in the gallery. We have with us here students from an adult education class from Tree of Peace Friendship Centre. I'd like to welcome them. Also, our staff, Jennie Ayres, public affairs intern. Welcome to our Assembly. Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social lunch hour reviewing the Mental Health and Addictions Recovery Plan. These are issues the committee has been engaged with because we are well aware of the tremendous amount of harm alcohol causes. Today I want to talk about a relatively simple intervention that may help stream people with alcohol dependency into the treatment they need.
The report from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research offers a powerful major conclusion: "The current levels of alcohol-related harm in Canada are not inevitable. There is now substantial international evidence identifying policies that can powerfully impact levels of alcohol consumption and related harm." One of those policies is the use of a screening tool for risky alcohol use, a brief intervention with advice to reduce consumption and/or referral to treatment. That's the policy I'm going to focus on today.
Mr. Speaker, research has shown that screening brief intervention and referral is a cost-effective method of harm reduction around the consumption of alcohol which, in turn, reduces demands on healthcare resources. The report concludes there is little to no activity in this area in the NWT, and the implementation is low nationwide.
There are a variety of barriers. One is that only five jurisdictions across the country have created guidelines for screening brief intervention and referral, or adopted those guidelines created by the National College of Family Physicians. Another barrier is getting practitioners to do the screening even where guidelines are in place. I think all of us understand that a conversation that begins with the sentence "let's talk about your drinking" is often unwelcome, and that's why so few happen in any jurisdiction. My hope is that the new cultural safety initiative will assist medical staff in having this conversation.
Mr. Speaker, as I've said at the beginning, alcohol dependence and alcoholism are not inevitable. The report's authors conclude the majority of evidence-based prevention policies and strategies are currently being implemented in at least one Canadian jurisdiction. They encourage sharing of best practices between jurisdictions in order to reverse current trends of increasing alcohol-related harms and costs in Canada. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi.
Masi. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Residents of our smallest communities know all too well about the struggles to staff our health centres. It is common for services to be unavailable when they are needed. Unplanned trips to Inuvik can be the result, as well as delays and care or treatment. In Fort McPherson recently, the health centre was only able to provide essential services for emergencies and urgent cases for a whole week. The news gets around the community, and it makes people reluctant to seek the care they need.
I am concerned about the safety of this system. Sometimes, the first symptoms of something serious may be minor. I do not like to see people discouraged to seek care. We have enough problems in our healthcare system without adding this to the list. I realize that the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority tries to keep these staff shortages to a minimum. There was a short service gap in Aklavik earlier this month that lasted just a day.
Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that our health system is not well enough prepared to keep our community health centres staffed properly. We should not see these service gaps, and I do not think most Canadians would consider this acceptable service. It may be a question of priority of where we send the nurses who we do hire. In my opinion, the priority should be staffing community health centres where there are no other options for seeking medical care. I'll have questions for the Minister later. Thank you.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I love being able to represent the people as a Member of this Assembly. I absolutely love it, and I'm passionate about it, so even though I'm usually pretty even-keeled I sometimes get frustrated with decisions that are made or when I think we should be doing a better job.
That's why I've been a little cranky lately, because I'm sure you could tell from some of the statements I've made in this House over the past sitting or two sittings. I know that the Ministers have noticed, because I've been taking my frustrations out on them. However, Mr. Speaker, in the end, we're all on the same team, we all have the same goal, and we all have to work together.
That's why I want to start off this statement, at least start it, by giving Cabinet a compliment. As a member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, I've had the ability to review a few pieces of legislation that the government has brought forward. Depending on the bill, the review process can be quite a bit of work. When it's all said and done, the committee will recommend changes to help the government improve the bill. I have to compliment Cabinet on being open to accepting the changes, or working with the committee to craft a change that works for everyone. In pretty much all the legislation we have reviewed, I can point to places where this cooperation has improved things and made things better. It highlights the best of consensus government, Mr. Speaker.
I wish that this cooperation would have extended to the timing of the introduction of the nine bills that the Standing Committee on Economic Development will now how to review over the summer. However, it is what it is. While I don't speak on behalf of committee, I think it is safe to say that we will do our best. While there is always a dump of legislation at the end of every Assembly, being tasked with reviewing this many highly technical bills with this level of complexity and with this little time is unprecedented. In order to do our job effectively, we essentially have to become subject-matter experts, and we just don't have time.
Because of the importance and long-lasting effect of these bills, every resident in the NWT deserves to have an opportunity to provide input, input that becomes the basis for the committee's recommendations. Again, it is unfortunate that these bills weren't staggered, because there is no way we are going to have enough time to visit all of the communities that we would like to. I apologize in advance to those communities who won't have an opportunity to provide input in person.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the role of the public servants, and I appreciate the work they put into these bills. I know they do a good job, but the committee's work really does improve these bills. I am upset that we won't have the time or the resources to wind up with the world-class legislation the Northerners deserve. I hope, if anything comes of this, that future assemblies recognize the situation that we are in and they learn from this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we come to the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly, there is a lot of talk going on about the future, what your decisions are going to be. I have been asked by a number of people what I plan on doing going forward. It is a decision that I take very seriously. I have come back and told them that I am going to give it some thought and I will let them know six months prior to the election. That has led me to a decision that I made just recently, that I will not let my name stand for re-election on October 1st.
I have come to realize I have more years behind me than ahead of me. It is very important where I spend those years ahead of me. I have been a Member of this Assembly since 2004. Rats. I said I wasn't going to do that. I was trying to find something amusing to say, like I normally do when I am stuck, but there's nothing amusing about this. I have been elected as a Member of this Assembly since 2004. There are some people who would like to run, I know. Out of respect for me and the work that I have done, they are waiting to hear my decision.
I have a lot of good, loyal supporters out there. The folks of Inuvik Twin Lakes have been fantastic supporters. I appreciate that. There are times where I said that the fact that they supported me is more important than the victory itself, that the people who I grew up admiring came on and supported me. I appreciate that. I hope I have represented them well.
I hope I have represented this institution well. This institution is extremely important to me. I think all of you are aware of that. I have said that a number of times in the past. It is important to me. Who is in here is important to me. Who is coming in here is important to me. The work we do is important to me.
I will do my darndest to encourage those out there who would like to run. Come in here with a good attitude. The common denominator that I know we all have is trying to make things good for the people of the Northwest Territories. We go about it different ways, sure, but at the end of the day, that is our common denominator.
I have been privileged to travel across the Northwest Territories. I got to meet a lot of folks. There are a lot of good people out there, a lot of good young leaders out there who we should be encouraging to come in here. I have talked to some of you, and I will talk to some of you. I will be brutally honest in the advice that I give. I think I have demonstrated that just recently. I will be honest because, as I said before, this is a very important institution to me.
Like I said before, it will be 15 years at the end of this Assembly. I think Inuvik deserves a new energy. They need to have a new energy come in. I know for a fact that there are a lot of good folks in the community who would like to come down here. I think they will bring a lot of value to this institution, and I respect that. My supporters, the support that they have given me is just unbelievable.
I will be the MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes until September 1st. I will conduct myself accordingly. I will be a Minister of this Cabinet until TLC, which on the schedule I believe is October 23, 2019. I will conduct myself accordingly.
Family is very important. You could never do this without the support of your family. When I first got sworn in, I had my daughter, my son, my other daughter, future son-in-law, and my wife. Fourteen years later, I have six grandchildren. As I said before, that goes back to where I want to spend my remaining time. Much as I like you guys, some of you, I don't want to spend it with you.
I don't know what is behind the door for me on October 2nd, but I will have six grandchildren in tow. I am excited as heck. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Masi. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, thank you for all the services over the years. You have contributed a lot to the Northwest Territories and to this House, to former Members and to current Members, as well. Masi for all your contributions over the years. You have been a mentor, as well. Masi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies, colleagues. I would like to recognize my family up in the gallery; my three grandchildren, Rylan, Reese, Kullen, and my wife, Judy. Today is kind of a special day, because my daughter Kimberly, it is her birthday, turns a year older today. This is one of the reasons that I chose this particular day to do this because it is an important day for me. It is a day two years ago that changed my life forever. Thank you.
Masi to Judy for all the years of dedication and also patience with us. Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Madame Josee Clermont of College nordique, who was the recipient of the 2019 Employer Award for Newcomer Employment. This was given in recognition of her tremendous support to people from the francophone countries coming to the Northwest Territories. [English translation not provided.] Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. [English translation not provided.] Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to recognize a good friend and former colleague from the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Curtis Coleman. I also want to take this opportunity to, as well, acknowledge Yellowknife North constituent Josee Clermont and congratulate her again on the College nordique's recent award. Thank you, and welcome for being here.
Masi. [English translation not provided.] Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize one of the Pages from Kam Lake, Ms. Tegan Konge. It is great to have her help, and it is great to have the help of all the Pages. Thank you very much for your service to the Legislative Assembly and the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to introduce two Pages who live in Yellowknife Centre, Leelou Cassaway and Jolin Carter. I would like to thank them for being Pages during this session and wish them the best with the remainder of the school year. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I mentioned, we have had shortages of services in the communities that I represent, and I would like to ask the Minister: what is the cause of staff shortages in community nursing centres, such as Fort McPherson and Aklavik? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
