NORTHWEST TERRITORIES LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 5th Session Day 32 15th Assembly HANSARD Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Pages 1063 - 1110 The Honourable Paul Delorey, Speaker Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Members of the Legislative Assembly Speaker Hon. Paul Delorey (Hay River North) Hon. Brendan Bell Mr. Robert Hawkins Hon. Kevin Menicoche (Yellowknife South) (Yellowknife Centre) (Nahendeh) Minister of Justice Minister of Transportation Minister of Industry, Tourism Minister responsible for the and Investment Hon. David Krutko Public Utilities Board (Mackenzie-Delta) Minister of Public Works and Services Mr. Bill Braden Minister responsible for the Mr. J. Michael Miltenberger (Great Slave) Workers' Compensation Board (Thebacha) Minister responsible for the Hon. Charles Dent NWT Power Corporation Mr. Calvin Pokiak (Frame Lake) (Nunakput) Government House Leader Mr. Jackson Lafferty Minister of Education, Culture and (Monfwi) Mr. David Ramsay Employment Minister of Human Resources (Kam Lake) Minister responsible for the Ms. Sandy Lee Status of Women (Range Lake) Hon. Floyd Roland Minister responsible for Persons (Inuvik Boot Lake) with Disabilities Hon. Michael McLeod Deputy Premier Minister responsible for Seniors (Deh Cho) Minister of Finance Minister of Environment and Natural Minister responsible for the Financial Mrs. Jane Groenewegen Resources Management Board Secretariat (Hay River South) Minister of Municipal and Community Minister of Health and Social Services Affairs Minister responsible for Youth Mr. Robert Villeneuve Hon. Joe Handley (Weledeh) (Tu Nedhe) Premier Mr. Robert McLeod Minister of the Executive (Inuvik Twin Lakes) Mr. Norman Yakeleya Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and (Sahtu) Intergovernmental Relations Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation Officers Clerk of the Legislative Assembly Mr. Tim Mercer Deputy Clerk Clerk of Committees Assistant Clerk Law Clerks Mr. Doug Schauerte Ms. Gail Bennett Vacant Mr. Glen Boyd Ms. Kelly Payne Box 1320 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Tel: (867) 669-2200 Fax: (867) 920-4735 Toll-Free: 1-800-661-0784 http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca Published under the authority of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories TABLE OF CONTENTS PRAYER .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1063 MINISTERS' STATEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................ 1063 75-15(5) - TLICHO ROAD STUDIES ................................................................................................................................... 1063 MEMBERS' STATEMENTS.................................................................................................................................................. 1063 MR. YAKELEYA ON CANDIDATE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE SAHTU REGION ......................................................................... 1063 MR. MILTENBERGER ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTS IN NAURU ................................................... 1064 MR. POKIAK ON SAFER COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS LEGISLATION ...................................................................... 1064 MR. BRADEN ON RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE MACKENZIE GAS PROJECT SOCIO-ECONOMIC AGREEMENT ........... 1065 MR. ROBERT MCLEOD ON RESOURCE REVENUE SHARING NEGOTIATIONS .......................................................................... 1065 MR. RAMSAY ON SPECIAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN BORN WITH AUTISM .................................................................................. 1065 MRS. GROENEWEGEN ON LEGAL AUTHORITY TO CONTROL NWT LANDS AND RESOURCES .................................................. 1066 MR. VILLENEUVE ON PROPERTY TAX ARREARS ................................................................................................................. 1066 MS. LEE ON WORKERS' COMPENSATION BOARD CHRONIC PAIN POLICY ............................................................................. 1067 RECOGNITION OF VISITORS IN THE GALLERY ............................................................................................................... 1079 ORAL QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................. 1067 WRITTEN QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 1079 TABLING OF DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................................................ 1080 CONSIDERATION IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OF BILLS AND OTHER MATTERS ................................................ 1080 REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ....................................................................................................................... 1109 ORDERS OF THE DAY ........................................................................................................................................................ 1110 February 21, 2007 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES HANSARD Page 1063 YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Members Present Honourable Brendan Bell, Mr. Braden, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Honourable David Krutko, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Hon. Kevin Menicoche, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Pokiak, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve, Mr. Yakeleya ITEM 1: PRAYER Department of Transportation, the federal government, the Tlicho Government and private industry. The federal ---Prayer department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has agreed to provide $460,000 towards the estimated cost for SPEAKER (Hon. Paul Delorey): Good morning, these studies. Matching funding will be provided by the colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the Tlicho Government, industry and the Department of day. Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation. These studies are expected to be Transportation, Mr. Menicoche. completed later this year. Once completed and assessed, they will form the basis of our next steps and approach to ITEM 2: MINISTERS’ STATEMENTS the federal government to improve road access to Tlicho communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister’s Statement 75-15(5): Tlicho Road Studies ---Applause HON. KEVIN MENICOCHE: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to report on a number of studies MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Ministers’ the Department of Transportation has or will be statements. Members’ statements. The honourable completing under a new agreement that will help move Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya. forward the planning to improve road access into the Tlicho. ITEM 3: MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS As we all know, the only year-round access to the three Member’s Statement On Candidate Protected Areas In Tlicho communities of Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti is by The Sahtu Region air. Access is augmented for approximately two months during the winter road season. The provision and reliability MR. YAKELEYA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, of this seasonal access is being increasingly challenged my Member’s statement today is about candidate by climate change and resulting warmer winters. protected areas in the Sahtu: Sayou and Edacho and the Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta ramparts and the wetlands, Mr. Mr. Speaker, the department last year completed a Tlicho Speaker, of Fort Good Hope. Corridors Options Study which looked at winter road and all-weather road corridor options in the Tlicho. The Mr. Speaker, delegations from Deline and Fort Good department also completed an economic analysis of the Hope travelled to Ottawa last month to meet with the benefits and costs of both realigning the Tlicho winter road federal Minister of Environment, the Honourable John to an overland route and upgrading the seasonal route to Baird. The delegations from Deline included Chief Charlie an all-weather standard. The economic analysis Neyelle, Raymond Taniton, Morris Neyelle, and Andrew established that improved road access would have a John Kenny. The delegation from Fort Good Hope number of direct benefits to Tlicho residents including: included Arthur Tobac, acting-chief Lucy Jackson, Henry Tobac and Harold Cook. I congratulate them on their hard enhanced inter-community travel and access to work in Ottawa. services for residents; Mr. Speaker, their message to Minister Baird was clear, reduced resupply costs and improved resupply with the fast pace and scale of development taking place options; and being proposed for the NWT, communities need their most important lands protected before it’s too late. employment, training and contracting opportunities Conservation priorities must advance at an equally fast during winter road and all-weather road construction pace. We urge the Minister of Environment to move and maintenance; and forward on the permanent protection of Sayou and Edacho and interim protection for Ts'ude niline Tu'eyeta improved opportunities for road-based tourism travel. ramparts and wetlands. Improved road access could also reduce costs for In 1998, the Minister of Canadian Heritage designated resource development projects in the Tlicho and possibly Sayou and Edacho