MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01CAF5C3.14531EE0" This document is a Web archive file. If you are seeing this message, this means your browser or editor doesn't support Web archive files. For more information on the Web archive format, go to http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/office/webarchive.htm ------=_NextPart_01CAF5C3.14531EE0 Content-Location: file:///C:/B1334E71/221.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Speaker:=
195; I will now call the House to order. We w=
ill
proceed at this time with prayers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker:=
195; We will proceed at this time with the Or=
der
Paper.
Are there any
tributes?
TRI=
BUTES
In recognition of
Hon. Mr. Hart: <=
/span>En tant que ministre respons=
able de
la Direction des services en français, je prends la parole en ce jour
pour rendre hommage &=
agrave;
tous les francophones du Yukon et pour souligner leurs nombreuses contribut=
ions
à l’épanouissement du Yukon.
Le same=
di 15 mai
2010 marquera pour la quatrième année consécutive, la
Journée de la francophonie yukonnaise.
L=
a langue
française est enracinée au Yukon depuis plus de 150 ans. Elle
fait partie de notre histoire, de notre culture et de notre
identité.
L=
e Yukon
compte une école française, une garderie française et =
un
journal francophone. La communauté francophone fournit des services =
aux
entrepreneurs, aux immigrants, aux apprenants adultes, aux jeunes et aux
femmes. Elle fait activement la promotion des arts et de la culture. Elle
participe activement aux activités de l’ensemble de la populat=
ion
yukonnaise et a établi de nombreux partenariats.
D=
e plus, le
programme d’immersion française est de plus en plus populaire,
pour les grands et les petits. Il n’est pas rare d’entendre par=
ler
français partout dans le territoire.
E=
n vertu de
la Loi sur les langues du Yukon, le gouvernement du Yukon s’engage
à offrir des services en français à la population
franco-yukonnaise. Notre gouvernement travaille à l’avancement=
des
services en français afin que tous les francophones du Yukon puissent
vivre et grandir en français.
J=
’invite
tous les Yukonnais et Yukonnaises à se joindre à moi pour
fêter la Journée de la
francophonie yukonnaise. Merci.
As the
minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate, <=
span
lang=3DEN style=3D'mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma;mso-ansi-language:EN'>I rise=
in this
house today to pay tribute to all
French
language has been deeply rooted in
Today,
Moreover,
the French immersion programs are more and more popular among children and
parents. It is common to hear French being spoken throughout the territory.=
Through
the Languages Act the Governmen=
t of
Yukon offers French services to French-speaking Yukoners. Our government is
working with the French community to enhance French language services to en=
sure
that all French-speaking people can be raised and live in French in =
I
invite all Yukoners to join us to celebrate the Journée de la franco=
phonie
yukonnaise.
Thank you to all.
&n=
bsp; Mr.
Mitchell: Trés bien, Monsieur le deleg=
at de
Riverdale Sud. Monsieur le Président, je prends la parole aujourd=
217;hui
pour rendre hommage à la communauté franco-yukonnaise. Le 15 =
mai
marque la Journée de la francophonie yukonnaise. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the Official Opposition=
in
celebration of la Journee de la francophonie yukonnaise — Yukon Franc=
ophone
Day on May 15.
In
2007, the Government of Yukon declared May 15 as Yukon Francophone Day. Franco-Yukonnaise are francophone =
or
French Canadian residents of
=
Les
franco-yukonnais sont des francophones qui résident au Yukon. Les
francophone ont été dans Yukon depuis plus de 150 ans et font
partie intégrale de notre passé, présent et du future.=
This
is a day to highlight the contributions francophones have made to the econo=
mic,
social and cultural growth of the
2010
marks the 28th anniversary of the founding of the Association
franco-yukonnaise, or L’AFY as it is affectionately known. L’AF=
Y is
a non-profit organization that has been involved since its inception, to
improving the quality of life for the
&nb=
sp; Les
francophones du Yukon viennent de toutes les régions du pays et
l’AFY agit comme une porte d’entrée pour l’ensembl=
e de
la communauté francophone et donne aux francophones un sentiment
d’identité et d’appartenance. L’AFY offre une
variété de services en français au Franco-Yukonnais.
The
=
Le
gouvernement du Yukon a créé le bureau des services en
français afin de faciliter la prestation des services gouvernementau=
x en
français.
The francophone
community has had its own newspaper, L’Aurore Boréale,
since 1983. They have the francophone school — École Ém=
ilie
Tremblay, the French immersion
school — Ecole Primaire Whitehorse,
and the French Daycare Centre — La Garderie du petit cheval blanc=
.&nbs=
p;
There is also Les Essentielles,
a non-profit organization which advocates in the interest of
=
Nous
avons une école francophone, l’école Emilie-Tremblay, u=
ne
école d’immersion, l’école élémenta=
ire
de Whitehorse, une garderie, la garderie du petit cheval blanc ainsi que =
span>Les EssentiElles est un organisme =
à
but non lucratif qui représente les intérêts des femmes
francophones du Yukon.
The
Carrefour d’immigration Crossroad helps provide future newcomers usef=
ul
information on services and resources available. For the youth the Comite
Espoir Jeunesse creates a supportive environment where young people can enj=
oy a
variety of meaningful experiences in French.
Francophones
have enriched the fabric of the
This
year, everyone is invited to celebrate Yukon Francophone Day by attending t=
he
raising of the Franco-Yukon Flag at École Émilie-Tremblay at =
We
ask all Yukoners to join with the franco-yukonnaise in celebration of their
special day. J&=
#8216;invite
tous les Yukonnais à sejoindre à nous afin de
célébrer la Journée de la francophone Yukonnaise.
=
Et
aussi, vont les habitants! En route vers la coupe Stanley!
M=
erci,
Monsieur le Président.
In recognition of Girl Guides of
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the
legislature to pay tribute to the Girl Guides of Canada on the occasion of
their 100th anniversary.
The Girl Guide
movement first began in 1909, when Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy
Scouts, organized a scouting rally in
Today, as the =
largest
organization for women and girls in
From learning =
to
bandage wounds during the First World War to learning about Internet safety=
and
privacy in today’s digital age, guiding continues to change with the
times to reflect the needs and the interests of contemporary girls and wome=
n.
Guide laws and=
the
Guide promise have evolved to reflect what girls and young women value in
today’s world. Likewise, uniforms, badges, as well as the recipe for =
the
infamous Girl Guide cookies, have also evolved over the last 100 years. What
hasn’t changed, however, is the Girl Guides’ overarching vision=
of
supporting and enabling girls to be confident, resourceful and courageous a=
nd
to make a difference in the world.
I believe ther=
e will
always be Girl Guides as long as there are girls and young women who are
interested in being part of their community and in making it a much better
place for everyone.
Most important=
ly,
being a Girl Guide is about being true to yourself which can often be a
challenge for girls and young women in today’s world. Over the last 1=
00
years, 7 million girls and women have been connecting to guiding in =
Though some ti=
me ago
— and I very much stress “some time ago” — I had the
privilege of serving as a Spark, a Brownie and a Girl Guide here in the
It also gave m=
e a
better appreciation of the outdoors and learning how to be a responsible
environmental steward. As a Brownie and a Guide, I had the opportunity to
experience winter camping for the first time. I learned various skills and
crafts and engaged in the sale of a lot of Girl Guide cookies. My mother was
also a huge advocate of guiding in the north and, as such, served as a team
leader for a number of years in the
On Saturday, i=
t will
be my privilege and pleasure to attend a rally organized by Yukon Guiding h=
ere
in
I look forward=
to
joining more than 100 youth and adult members for a day of service, crafts,
singing and games. It will be a day of both reflection and a day of renewal=
as
Guiding looks to the next 100 years plus.
As Minister of=
Tourism
and Culture and on behalf of the Yukon Legislature, I am honoured to acknow=
ledge
the excellent work and guidance of the Girl Guide movement. In particular, I
wish to acknowledge the Yukon Council of Girl Guides, the leaders and the
members at large who are so integral to the Girl Guides. I wish to also
recognize the countless girls and young women who have served as a Spark,
Brownie, Guide or Pathfinder.
Mr. Speaker, in
keeping with the past practice of the former Member for Porter Creek South,=
I
will be delivering a box of Girl Guide cookies, albeit at a later time, to =
each
member of the Legislature, as well as the media gallery and Hansard. As you=
know,
eating cookies in the Legislature is not a permitted practice within our
Standing Orders; however, I also thought it was very much appropriate given
this very appropriate celebration. All funds raised from the sale of Girl G=
uide
cookies support girls throughout the
Again, congrat=
ulations
to Yukon Guiding for a successful and fun-filled celebration this weekend a=
nd
our heartfelt thanks for being a part of a long-time Canadian and
In recognition of World Fair Trade Day
Mr. Cardiff:
Fair trade is =
an
alternative economic model that is a strategy for poverty alleviation and f=
or
sustainable development. Fair trade’s purpose is to create opportunit=
ies
for producers who have been disadvantaged or marginalized by the convention=
al
trading system.
The World Fair=
Trade
Organization represents more than 350 organizations and 110 million farmers,
artisans, retailers and supporters worldwide and is responsible for $2.2 bi=
llion
in fair trade sales. One of the main products associated with fair trade is=
coffee.
63 percent of adult Canadians drink coffee on a daily basis. Most of the co=
ffee
we buy comes from producers who are paid about 54 cents for a pound of bean=
s,
or 11 cents for every dollar spent on coffee.
Cooperatives, =
which
are part of the fair trade movement, receive two and a half times that amou=
nt.
Projects labelled “fair trade” have the following criteria: a f=
air
price is paid to the producers, which covers the cost of sustainable
production; a social premium is paid, which producers can invest in communi=
ty
development projects; partial payment in advance is available; and there is=
a
contract, which allows for long-term planning by the producer. The standard=
s of
fair trade include transparent management, fair commercial relations and
respect with trading partners. “Fair trade” means to develop
producers’ independence by building capacity.
Fair trade
organizations practise gender equity, promote safe and healthy working
environments and respect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in
using children in working environments. Fair trade organizations trade with=
concern
for the social, economic and environmental well-being of marginalized, small
producers and do not maximize profits at their expense.
Sometimes fair=
trade
products can be more expensive than conventionally produced products because
they do not depend on world prices, but you know you are buying a premium
product. With clothing, it may be handmade and not stitched in a sweatshop.=
If it’s =
coffee
or tea, you can be assured it was not grown or processed on a factory farm
where workers are paid less than enough to live on. Not all goods labelled
“fair trade” are actually practising fair trade. In
Organizations =
that
have a 100-percent commitment to fair trade represent a new approach to tra=
de.
Producers, cooperatives and famous brands are among these organizations. Th=
ey
are motivated by the need to change the way the world does business to impa=
ct
poverty, climate change and financial crisis. It is to our advantage to sup=
port
fair trade wherever possible.
Speaker: Are there any further tributes?
Introduction of
visitors.
Returns or doc=
uments
for tabling.
Reports of com=
mittees.
REP=
ORTS OF
COMMITTEES
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
<=
/span>I
have for tabling the 14th report of the Standing Committee on
Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees. Speaker: Are there any further reports of committ=
ees? Are there any
petitions? Any bills to be
introduced? Any notices of=
motion? NOTICES OF MOTION <=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon to set any fines levied on the guilty parties from =
the
Lobird blast toward being used for the benefit of the residents of Lobird by
building a playground or some other community improvements after consultati=
on
with the residents of Lobird.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I give notice of the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon to consult with local stakeholders before making
recommendations to their federal counterparts on the appointment of the cha=
ir
of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board, when the
position comes up for renewal in June of this year.
I also give no=
tice of
the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon to ensure Yukoners have access to all necessary
information in order to be better informed on how to take part in the
intervenor process that is part of every Yukon Environmental and Socio-econ=
omic
Assessment Board application.
Mr. Cathers: <=
/span>I
rise today to give notice of the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the
(1) providing =
an opportunity
for residents to vote on this matter; and
(2) accepting =
the
decision made by the majority of those who vote.
Speaker: Are there any further notices of motion?=
Is there a sta=
tement
by a minister?
This then brin=
gs us to
Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: YESAB chair
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> The Yukon Environmental and Socio-econom=
ic
Assessment Board is an independent organization that reflects the interest =
of
Who is the Gov=
ernment
of Yukon recommending for the appointment to the Yukon Environmental and
Socio-economic Assessment Board?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
We would allow due process to unfold, as=
it is
important that we all recognize that this board is extremely important to t=
he
The minister h=
as the
final say on these appointments, and of course we always want to ensure that
the best possible people, who wish to commit, are available and that the
federal government and the minister are well aware of those.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> This is a very important appointment. Th=
is
government was prepared to spend $50,000 on an Outside firm to recruit the
right people for the board of the Yukon Energy Corporation. This appointmen=
t is
equally important and the government has the responsibility to make sure the
best people are considered for the role. This government has also a
responsibility to perform the necessary due diligence before making its
recommendation to the federal government.
The appointmen=
t is due
next month; surely the government has been actively engaged in recruiting a=
new
chair. We want to know who the government is recommending. It’s a sim=
ple
question: is the government recommending that the current chair be reappoin=
ted?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Once again, the Liberals are providing
incorrect information to the public through this Assembly. The Member for
Mayo-Tatchun has just stated that the government had expended some $50,000 =
on
an appointment or selection process. Let me remind the member that this mat=
ter
that reflects appointments to the Yukon Energy Corporation’s board wa=
s an
independent process — completely independent of government in all its
facets. It was done by a governance committee of the Yukon Development
Corporation, a Crown corporation that was dealing with the matter of appoin=
ting
members to the board of their wholly owned subsidiary, the Yukon Energy
Corporation. I would hope that the Member for Mayo-Tatchun would correct the
record on his statements, which are very similar to those of his colleagues,
the other Liberal members in this House.
As far as the
appointment to YESAB, again, I reiterate, that is a very important function
that the executive carries out. We will not preempt that process. The feder=
al
minister — as this is federal legislation — has the final say on
the matter.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> YESAB is very important to the future of=
the
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
I would hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Libe=
ral
caucus recognizes the importance of not only the position of chair, but all=
the
members who serve on the committee, including the members who are direct
appointments by First Nations. I hope the member recognizes the importance =
of the
district offices, not just the chair of the executive. There are a number of
very important areas where citizens serve with respect to federal legislati=
on
known as YESAA.
Once again, no=
, we
will not pre-empt the process; we will allow the process to conclude, becau=
se
the federal minister responsible for this federal statute has the final say=
.
Question re:
YESAB intervenor funding
Mr.
Fairclough: I have another question about the Yukon
Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board. Part of YESAB’s re=
view
process provides for stakeholders or interested individuals to be recognize=
d as
intervenors. Intervenors can make submissions to YESAB that support or oppo=
se a
project that is being assessed.
Now there is s=
till
some confusion around intervenor status and any financial support that may =
be
available in preparing a submission. Will the minister shed some light on t=
his
for us? What is the process for getting funding to prepare a YESAB interven=
or
submission?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
I think all those matters are clearly de=
fined
in the act itself and the regulation package that comes out of the federal
statute. All matters are followed in accordance with that process. The memb=
er
is correct: intervenor status is provided and how that process unfolds is
mandated by the act and, I would assume, the regulatory package itself.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I was asking about the funding. The Litt=
le
Salmon Carmacks First Nation’s recent intervention has raised a lot of
interest by some out there, and preparing a submission to YESAB can be an
expensive proposition. Consultants and lawyers are usually involved.
In other
jurisdictions, the funding is available for registered intervenors. There a=
re
still questions as to whether there is a source of funding available and how
stakeholders can apply for it. Right now, anyone who wants to register for
intervenor status in a YESAB review had better have deep pockets.
Is the governm=
ent
looking into this issue at all?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
I don’t want to speak for the fede=
ral
government, but I believe, in the matter of YESAA, there are dollars that a=
re
made directly available from the federal government to First Nations with
respect to YESAA.
If the member =
wants
in-depth detail on how well that works — because it is a federal stat=
ute
— we can certainly provide him that information, but it is the
government’s understanding that the federal government does provide
dollars directly to First Nations in accordance with assessments through th=
e YESAA
legislation.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Mr. Speaker, YESAA is very important to =
the
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Mr. Speaker, I’ve tried to be very=
clear
on the matter. First off, it’s a federal statute. We are a government
that has the obligation to do our part in terms of implementation of this
federal statute. It is an instrument that is entrenched in the treaties. It=
was
spawned by the treaties. This very process I have relayed to the Member for
Mayo-Tatchun. In accordance with YESAA, the federal government does provide
dollars directly to First Nations.
If there’=
;s any
further in-depth detail the member would like in regard to the process, the
federal statute, and/or the regulation package itself — which by the =
way
is very extensive and is the product of many, many, many years of work R=
12;
we can provide that to the Member for Kluane. I don’t know what else I
can say to the member. The government is trying to be as clear as it possib=
ly
can as one party to this federal process.
Question re:
Housing, social
Mr.
Cardiff: The affordable housing initiative between Yukon
Housing Corporation and CMHC invited NGOs to submit proposals to construct =
new
housing with rents based on median market rates. The initiative finally gave
hope to some of those people who are presently homeless in
Will the minis=
ter
responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation tell the House how many NGOs =
have
applied so far for this much-needed initiative and what the timelines are f=
or
when he expects to make an announcement of when successful projects could go
ahead?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: =
As the member opposite knows, this infor=
mation
is quite correct. I understand that 11 organizations have picked up the
information on that. We won’t know until we end the day tomorrow and
actually open these to see what sorts of things are being proposed. We will=
be
able to comment on them from there. Without knowing what will be opened at =
that
point, I have no way of speculating for another 24 to 36 hours.
Mr. Cardiff: Unfortunately, there are some stumbling blocks in this
initiative. One was the one-month deadline from the original advertising, n=
ow
extended for only two weeks. Another problem is that NGOs work under insecu=
re
funding themselves, making it difficult for them to find funding from finan=
cial
institutions. Very few of them have access to land.
The biggest he=
adache
for non-government organizations applying to the initiative is the fact that
they cannot afford to hire anyone to assist in doing these applications. Ev=
en
if the Housing Corporation is helpful, the NGOs have to do much of the prep=
aration
work themselves with volunteers, and there is still a lot of work to do once
the application is approved, if it is.
Will the minis=
ter
assure NGOs that have applied that, if they are successful, there will be r=
eal
assistance for them to continue with the complexities of actual constructio=
n.
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: =
One of Yukon Housing Corporation’s=
major
projects or functions is to work with various groups — public or priv=
ate.
Even an individual building a home could be provided advice and help and th=
is
sort of thing. The help will certainly be there within the limits of our ca=
pability,
but I think the staff at Yukon Housing Corporation has shown an incredible =
capacity
for that sort of work. We look forward to that being continued. The member
implies that the $75,000 is not a huge contribution and, to a large degree,=
he
is right. This is a federal program and we struggle on a daily basis with t=
he
Housing minister in
Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Speaker, in most cases, NGOs that would need this
type of housing or be able to use this type of housing have clients who have
special needs.
They are peopl=
e who
are afflicted by FASD or living in poverty or with chronic illnesses or
addictions. In most cases, to have effective housing, the tenants may need
staff support, possibly in some instances, 24-hours a day. Social assistance
rates are too low to meet both the rental and the supportive living costs, =
even
with this type of rent control.
There are many
problems with getting financing, land, infrastructure and actually doing the
construction. We don’t want to see this initiative fail — we th=
ink
it’s very important — but it has some built-in problems that th=
is
government could alleviate by working with
Will the Minis=
ter of
Health and Social Services consider assisting successful NGOs financially o=
nce
the units are finally constructed?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: =
The member opposite is quite correct. The
programming would come under Health and Social Services or potentially other
organizations. We do hope as well that some of the NGOs that will put in
proposals will have some of the support programs available. Simply having a
physical plant in which to run those programs will be a great benefit to th=
em.
Again, they we=
re happy
the number of NGOs that have expressed an interest in this have taken packa=
ges
and are examining the options with this. We’ll know much more at the =
end
of day tomorrow, in terms of what proposals are out there and what’s
viable and how we can intertwine with them. Unfortunately, at this point in
time, what the member opposite is asking requires a magic wand, and
that’s something we don’t have.
Question re:
Contracting, design/build
Mr. Cardiff: Design/build is one approach to building construction
projects. Within this approach, there is a single contractor responsible for
both the design and the construction of the building. When we look at
government contracts for building, we see many utilizing a design/build
approach and some using the more traditional approach, where first there is=
a
contract to design the building and, once that is done, companies bid on the
construction project.
Why is the
design/build favoured for some building projects, while another approach is
favoured for others?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: I think w=
hat
the member opposite is referring to is projects like the replacement of the=
Mr. Cardiff: The minister was quite right; the question was actual=
ly
directed to the Minister of Highways and Public Works. We’re not agai=
nst
the principle of design/build per se, but there are many unintended
consequences for relying too heavily on this approach. Requiring that the
design plans be part of a bid takes a lot more time, and it takes a lot mor=
e resources
and that increases the cost of actually doing the bid.
It has the pot=
ential
to actually exclude smaller contractors who do not have the ability to do t=
hat
design work, but would have actually built on the construction component of=
the
building. I am asking the Minister of Highways and Public Works, is there a
policy or a criterion and can he make that available for determining if a
project is a design/build?
Hon. Mr. Lang: Regarding the issue of
The successful=
bidder
on
Mr. Cardiff: That was unbelievable too. The minister said “t=
ime
restraints” and that there’s a mix, but he didn’t say what
the criterion is. That’s what I’m asking for: what are the
criteria? And he’s wrong, because there are contractors who would bid=
on
the construction portion who don’t have the ability or the resources =
to
do the design/build process.
I know there=
8217;s a
review on contracting regulations. They are surveying businesses that have =
bid
on government jobs and have posted some of those results on the website. Th=
ere
does not appear to be anything within this review that looks at the issue of
when and why government building projects go design/build.
Will the minis=
ter
include a look at this issue as part of a review of the contracting regulat=
ions
and talk to construction companies in the building trades and others in the
public about this policy?
Hon. Mr. Lang: We work with all contractors. That&=
#8217;s
exactly why we’re out talking to contractors — for the moderniz=
ation
of the bid process. So we’re doing just that, Mr. Speaker.
As far as elim=
inating
contractors and individuals through design/build, that’s not factual.=
We
work on a daily basis with all our contractors. We have a huge amount of
contracting work out there today. The
Question re:
Yukon Energy Corporation/
Mr. McRobb: It’s unbelievable how this governm=
ent
continues to run and hide from accountability on the Premier’s secret,
parallel negotiating process with a private company from
Let’s ex=
amine
some of the facts. According to the Premier’s own letter, his entire
caucus supported these secret negotiations some eight months before they we=
re
exposed publicly. This scandal caused the resignation of half the Yukon Ene=
rgy
Corporation Board and, after public outrage, the Premier’s ex-right-h=
and
man. Documents made public proved the Premier was involved in his own secret
negotiations aside from what this government ordered officials to do, and t=
his
government has refused to table other documents presumably because they con=
tain
evidence that refutes its defence.
Let’s st=
art
there — when will this government be tabling that hidden evidence?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Oh, Mr. Speaker, there are no items of h=
idden
evidence whatsoever. The Member for Kluane knows that full well. The Member=
for
Kluane continues to assert things that all evidence demonstrates to the
contrary. The member seems to be fixated on board members from the Yukon
Development Corporation who quit, and conveniently, and in a very demeaning
way, ignores the board members who didn’t quit and continue to do the=
ir
job, as they were appointed to do. The member continues to ignore the fact =
that
actually the
In fact, that
investment is creating one of the largest — if not the largest —
project sour public utility has ever undertaken. These are quite different
investments, however, from past practices by other governments that investe=
d in
failed enterprises: the failed sawmill in
Mr. McRobb: It makes me wonder why the Premier first
joined the very party that did those things.
There are more
questions than answers on this government’s evasion of public account=
ability
with respect to this whole scandal. In response to public outrage against t=
his
government’s secret negotiations to privatize our energy future, we in
the Official Opposition tabled Bill No. 110, the Yukon Energy Corporation
Protection Act. This bill was drafted in conjunction with public
consultation and brought forward in this Assembly to protect the publicR=
17;s
right to own its energy assets. This government prevented passage of the bi=
ll
and suspended debate because it needed more time. It is now six months late=
r.
So what’s this government’s response?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
The Member for Kluane — the Liberal
Member for Kluane — likes to read passages from things like Hansard and other documents, but h=
e has
forgotten about the debate on this much-vaunted bill that the Liberals brou=
ght
forward. He forgot about the fact that the government’s position, unl=
ike
the Liberals, was not to ignore the Yukon Development Corporation and its
members of the board. In fact, we said that the debate on the bill should be
adjourned so that the board could give a thorough analysis and critique of =
such
a bill and how it would affect their operations as a Crown corporation and =
how
it would affect the operations of their wholly-owned subsidiary, the Yukon
Energy Corporation.
Furthermore, t=
he
Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has to have a thorough analysis of
said bill because government is responsible for energy policy, responsible =
for
oversight on this Crown corporation. The member knows full well that that is
the case; it’s on the pages of Hansard.
Once again, the member has provided incorrect information to this House and=
, in
doing so, has provided incorrect information to the public.
Mr. McRobb: Well, what have we gotten from the Premi=
er so
far? First of all, he continues to hide documents. I’m referring to t=
he
confidentiality agreement with
He continues t=
o hide
behind officials. Mr. Speaker, obviously this government has no intention of
enshrining the public’s right to ownership of its energy assets into
legislation. It has had six months and still nothing.
The whole gove=
rnment
caucus approved of this Premier’s secret negotiations and refuses to =
be
held to public account. The Premier and his colleagues are locked in hard
denial. They are all in it together. They refuse to table the confidential
documents they promised to make public last fall. They refused to show any
cooperation with a bill brought forward to protect the public interest. They
refuse to call a public inquiry. How is this being open and accountable as
promised to Yukoners in the last election campaign?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Mr. Speaker, the government would not ca=
ll a
public inquiry to have another mechanism to demonstrate that the Liberal Me=
mber
for Kluane is incorrect in all his assertions.
But now that t=
he
member and the Liberals seem to be so fixated on a public inquiry, we may h=
ave
to have one. Mr. Speaker, a very disconcerting matter has taken place in th=
is
territory. That is, the leak of what could be private and confidential
information of
This is a matt=
er of
great concern. Inquiries are intended to address these kinds of matters.
Furthermore, it appears that, through the media, even discussions that took
place in camera of the standing committee of this Assembly for appointments=
to
boards and committees, was then discussed through the media in public.
One can only w=
onder
who is responsible for this. So inquiries — and the member may get his
wish — are very important instruments in these matters. By the way, t=
he
Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that journalists do not have a constituti=
onal
right to protect sources, and these matters would be dealt with on a
case-by-case basis.
It would be
interesting to determine who actually leaked such private and confidential
information in a manner that could compromise
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now ela=
psed.
We will proceed to Orders of the Day.
ORD=
ERS OF THE
Hon. Ms. Taylor: I move that the Speaker do now leav= e the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Spe= aker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Who= le.
Motion
agreed to
Speaker leaves the Chair
COM=
MITTEE OF
THE WHOLE
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole will=
now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 20, First Appropriation Act, 2010-11. =
We are
now in Vote 51, Department of Community Services. Do members wish a brief r=
ecess?
Some Hon. Members: =
b> Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15
minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order.
Bill No. 20 — First Appropriation Act, 2010-11 — continued
Chair: The matter before the Committee is Bill =
No.
20, First Appropriation Act, 2010-1=
1.
We will now continue with general debate in Vote 51, Department of Community
Services. Mr. Lang, you have about nine minutes remaining.
Department of Community Services — =
continued
Hon. Mr. Lang: In my opening remarks this afternoo=
n, I
would like to again thank the department for all the work they do over the
12-month period because this department covers a large gamut of
responsibilities, not only in the government itself, but also in our
communities. So again, from the minister, I would like to thank all the hard
workers we have, whether they are in
Yesterday we w=
ere
talking about many questions on what the department does. As you know, ther=
e is
over $65 million dollars in O&M that will be expended next year and a l=
arge
amount of resources going to capital, which is over $77 million. Again,
it’s a large department, a large budget and a large investment in the
territory in the lives and the communities throughout the territory. One of=
the
projects we committed to work on as a department for this government was the
solid waste action plan. Of course, we were talking about it, and during
Question Period we get questions on our different solid-waste areas or mana=
ged
areas in the territory. We’ve committed to modernize the solid-waste
management practices in
Of course, if =
you were
to take into consideration the Yuko=
n Solid
Waste Action Plan, of which all members in the House have a copy, there=
was
a very thorough job of going out into the communities. We work not only with
our municipalities, unincorporated communities and First Nation governments,
but we work with individuals who reside in these communities. Three things =
came
over very strongly. There was a strong opposition to the burning of waste, =
and
that was throughout the territory. Of course, we have an obligation to phase
that out by the year 2012. That’s one of the things. Then, what did t=
hey
expect us to do as a government, as a manager of these issues in conjunction
with municipalities, First Nations and working with unincorporated communit=
ies?
They want us to focus on waste diversion rather than waste disposal. In oth=
er
words, think outside the box and see how we can manage our solid waste into=
the
future. With that, it’s very important to look at waste management
alternatives. What would we do in addressing that second issue? Those are t=
he
things that came out of our consultation.
As you look th=
rough
our action plan here, the Yukon Sol=
id
Waste Action Plan, you will see that it’s very aggressive because=
of
the timelines that we have put together. In the year 2012 we have to have t=
hese
areas under control. The question about burning will have been met. There w=
ill
be no open burning after 2012. So we take that date very seriously and we a=
re
looking forward to that.
Once we releas=
ed the Yukon Solid Waste Action Plan, it
provided the government with a path forward that includes improved
infrastructure and services, including new regional transfer staging routes;
enhanced recycling — another important part of our management; waste
reduction — how we reduce the waste that we use as a community; and
diversion programs and partnerships with our community groups, our municipa=
lities
and, of course, our First Nations. These partnerships will help us look ahe=
ad
with new opportunities that support our vision of a modern, sustainable,
waste-management system.
Waste manageme=
nt in
Mr. Chair, the=
Yukon
Department of Community Services operates 19 solid-waste facilities in
unincorporated communities. That’s throughout the
Yukon Departme=
nt of
Environment regulates solid-waste facilities in the territory and issues
permits for their operation. In other words, they’re responsible for
overseeing the actual site and the management of it from an environmental
level. That’s a form of checks and balances and that’s good for=
us,
as a government.
The department=
is also
currently responsible for regulations and programs that relate to recyclable
materials and special waste, and works in partnership with community groups=
to
support public education programs for recycling and waste reduction —=
another
very important part of our waste-management program.
The municipal
governments operate solid-waste facilities in incorporated communities, suc=
h as
First Nation
governments have an interest in solid-waste management within their traditi=
onal
territory. Exploring partnerships with First Nation governments is importan=
t as
The key object=
ives of
the action plan include the following: modernize and standardize existing
solid-waste facilities based on sustainability best-management practices;
develop a coordinated regional approach to Yukon’s solid-waste manage=
ment;
work in partnership with our municipalities, communities, industry and of
course stakeholders.
Mr. Chair, I k=
now my
time is limited here this afternoon. I will receive any questions from the
opposition. Again, that is just a high overview of our Yukon Solid Waste Action Plan and I certainly look forward to t=
he
questions we will get this afternoon.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I don’t think it was necessary for=
the
minister to re-read that information. My question, when we left off, was
whether or not the building codes here in the I would like t=
o go on
to a couple more questions and I will be through with this department. One =
of
them is about the recreation centres, both in Carmacks and Old Crow. I want=
to
ask that question. The one in Carmacks, phase 1, was completed, and in the =
two
terms that the Yukon Party government has been in power, they have never
completed the second phase of this recreation complex. I would like to know
where that is and what the completion date is for phase 2 of the recreation
centre in Carmacks. Hon. Mr. Lang: As far as the =
Old Crow
structure is concerned, we are working with the First Nation on the questio=
n of
recreational facilities for the community of Old Crow. The Vuntut Gwitchin
First Nation completed a feasibility study and proposed an $11.8-million fa=
cility,
consisting of a hockey rink, large multi-purpose room with a kitchen, a lob=
by,
reception area, fitness training room and daycare. Operation and maintenanc=
e requirements
and cost management strategies, capital costs and financial viability were =
not
specifically addressed in the study. So that’s another part of the st=
udy
that would have to be modernized. A letter has b=
een sent
to the First Nation, offering the services of the Sport and Recreation bran=
ch
to assist with developing a strategy plan to help identify priorities relat=
ed
to recreational programs and facilities in Old Crow. Thus far, they have not
requested any further assistance or meetings on this specific project, so
it’s a work in progress. Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> The question to the minister about phase=
2 of
the Carmacks recreation complex — the minister said there are monies
going into the swimming pool, which is not part of this recreation complex,=
but
there will be some improvements made to the roof and the concrete of the
skating rink, which needs to happen because it’s a huge safety issue.=
I would like t=
o know
about the completion of the replacement of the skating rink and the curling
rink together. I think this is one of the last communities in the territory
that still has natural ice and an outside rink to boot; it’s not clos=
ed
in, covered or anything. The way it was built has some safety issues, right
down to the steel beams right beside the boards that are there. I would like t=
o know
that answer. The minister can answer that one. I’m hoping that he will
work with the The recreation=
complex
in Old Crow — the minister said that work has been done, a committee =
has
been struck and a design was presented of this complex. The minister said t=
hat
it’s a work-in-progress. I would like to know what he means by that. =
What
commitments is this Yukon Party government making toward this building and =
the
construction and completion of this recreation complex in Old Crow? Hon. Mr. Lang: As far as the =
Old Crow
questions are concerned, we are working with the First Nation, as we have
commented on. I can’t be clearer on that. A letter has been sent to t=
he
First Nation offering the services of the Sport and Recreation branch ̵=
2;
another commitment this government has made to assist with developing a
strategy to help identify priorities related to recreational programs and t=
hat
facility in the community of Old Crow. Thus far, they=
have
not requested any further assistance or meetings on this project. So itR=
17;s
in their best interest to get back to us, and we have committed to work with
Sport and Recreation branch to help them on their plan for a recreation
facility, but we’re waiting for a reply from the First Nation. Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I thank the minister for those answers. I
would just note that the recreation centre in Carmacks is still waiting for=
the
Government of Yukon to make a decision and to move the Highways and Public
Works camp out of that area so they can develop it into a recreation site. =
That
hasn’t taken place. Just to note, too, for the minister: Highways and
Public Works already has a site identified and they fenced it off years ago.
This could be done. It’s just a matter of a commitment. Hopefully, th=
ere
will be movement on that front. I would just l=
ike to
ask another question. It has been asked every year. I know we’re movi=
ng
forward and we’re going to see something here in the future, but
I’d like to know about our driver’s licence. It has been an
embarrassment, I think, for all of us here in the territory to even have to
pull that out and show it as an ID, whether it is getting on the plane or a=
t a
hotel. It’s laughed at quite a bit. We are years b=
ehind
other jurisdictions. Compare us to, say, the Hon. Mr. Lang: It would be a =
new
secure driver’s licence and a general identification card. Both the n=
ew
driver’s licence and the new identification card will be recognized a=
nd
more readily accepted nationally and internationally as an authentic govern=
ment-issued
product. As the member =
opposite
was saying, there were some questions about the quality of the driver’=
;s
licence that replaced the one that I started out with. We’ve improved=
as
we’ve gone through the process. We are continuing to plan for the
roll-out of the new Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Well, that’s nice, Mr. Chair. That
should be done here and it’s done now. I mean, it was a big move just=
to
get your photo on the licence. Right now I can get a driver’s licence=
in
the community of Carmacks through the territorial agent there. Although they
are of poor quality, I think that some of this equipment could be taken the=
re. I would like t=
o know,
if the minister knows, what type of information will be put on the
driver’s licence? Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Okay, I hope the minister will have answ=
ers
then. I have no further questions. I thank the minister and the department =
for
answering the questions in the House. I’ll just move this on to my
colleague from Mr. Cardiff: I have a few questions in general debate that I would
like to address, then I’d be happy to address some of the other issue=
s in
line-by-line debate. Yesterday we h=
ad a
rather interesting and, at some times I might even say, impassioned debate
about democracy here in the The act provid=
es for
ministerial discretion, and it’s up to the minister responsible for t=
hat
act to administer that act. As I pointed out yesterday, the original intent=
was
that issues surrounding official community plans were originally intended t=
o be
part of that section of the act that could go to public votes, if citizens =
so
desired. It’s the
minister’s responsibility; he could stand up for the principles of the
act and he could administer the act, as it was meant to be administered, or=
he
can allow courts — the B.C. Court of Appeal, specifically — to =
do
the job for him. So I guess the question for him is: what is he prepared to=
do?
Is he also prepared to make this part of the Municipal Act review and allow the public to comment on it, bec=
ause
the feeling I got yesterday from the minister was that he’s going to =
take
input from municipalities, but he’s not willing to take it from the
public. Hon. Mr. Lang: We will be wor=
king
with the municipal governments and they will be working with the public in
their communities. This is a very important review that we’re doing, =
Mr.
Chair, and if the member opposite feels that it is an important component to
this Municipal Fiscal Framework Review Committee, I imagine the municipality
will bring it up. I will not stand up here and discuss the fact that a court
made a decision and that I have any power to override that decision. As
minister, I am not prepared to do that. Maybe he would as a minister, but a=
s a
minister, I will not. Mr. Cardiff: I wasn’t suggesting that the minister override =
the
decision. What I am suggesting that if he had stood up for the act and the
language of the act, there wouldn’t have been a need for a court
decision. That is what I’m saying. I know I sent the minister the Hansard from 1998 and I hope the
minister reads that. I don’t want to dwell on this too much, because =
we
spent a lot of time on it yesterday. As I said yest=
erday,
I’ve talked with senior bureaucrats previously, who have told me that
when a minister brings forward a piece of legislation, a lot of what they s=
ay
during second reading debate or in Committee of the Whole or in third readi=
ng,
when they’re presenting a piece of legislation — that is where =
it
gives the government the opportunity to talk about the intent. If you look at=
the
intent that was provided back in November 1998, it talks about giving voters
the power to oversee the affairs of the municipality and provide binding
direction to councils on important issues. It gives citizens a meaningful
process to ensure that councils act on issues the voters consider important=
. The other thin=
g the
minister of the day said was that Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible) Point of order Chair: On a point of order, Mr. Rouble. Hon. Mr. Rouble: =
Point of order. I believe we’=
re debating
Bill No. 20, the budget bill. The Member for There is a gre=
ater
than $1-billion budget here, which includes allocations for things like the=
Chair: Thank you, Mr. Rouble. Mr. Cardiff, on t=
he
point of order. Mr. Cardiff: I would refer the Chair and the minister to page 6-18=
in
the O&M — or actually, sorry, I’ve got the wrong page; but
basically, it’s Community Affairs. There is $21 million in Community =
Affairs.
I’ve got the page number wrong. I’m sorry. I was flipping throu=
gh
too fast. But it’s prior to that. Chair’s ruling Chair: Thank you. On the point of order, having=
to
make a decision on what members feel is relevant and what members feel isn&=
#8217;t
relevant is very difficult for the Chair. I do feel that we are speaking ab=
out
certain clauses in a certain piece of legislation, so it is kind of grey
whether the member is speaking about the budget. I would like members to
actually control the debate themselves regarding what is relevant, because =
once
the door is opened, it’s opened on both sides. Mr. Cardiff: Basically, what I was suggesting to the minister is t=
hat
he is responsible for a $21-million line item in Community Affairs, which is
about municipalities — something that he responsible for. It is gover=
ned
by the Municipal Act, and all I=
am asking
the minister — this is my opportunity to try to get the answers I
couldn’t get yesterday from the minister — whether or not
he’d make that part of the act. What I am trying to emphasize to the
minister is that the legislation was brought forward for a purpose and a re=
ason
and it was endorsed, and it is not at the discretion of the minister to rea=
lly
change that. It is up to him to support it, to stand up for it and to be its
champion. The other ques=
tion I
have for the minister — and then I will let this go for the benefit of
the Member for Southern Lakes — is about whether or not it would be
bringing forward amendments to the =
Municipal
Act and the Ombudsman Act to
allow the ombudsman to hear citizens’ appeals when they feel they have
been treated unfairly by a municipal government. So that is the short quest=
ion
and I didn’t get into a lot of detail. If the minister would like to =
get
into more detail with it, we could, but I sense there’s not an appeti=
te
for that today. But would the minister make that part of the consultation?<=
/span> Hon. Mr. Lang: Certainly, if =
we’re
looking at our communities, Mr. Chair, here are some statistics that are ve=
ry
interesting. Last year, the Our communitie=
s are
very important to us as a senior government because without them our
municipalities would not be run as well as they are today. Of course, we ha=
ve
the As we move for=
ward
with this overview of the municipal responsibilities, in partnership with t=
he
communities and with government, to see just exactly what those communities
will need in the next five-year program, it isn’t limited to the econ=
omics
of the communities, because we’re the first government in many years =
to
raise the municipal grant. We’ve done that to the tune of approximate=
ly
just under $1 million a year this year — an improvement on what the
communities generate. We also addressed the issue of when the municipal gra=
nts
would be issued. So we’ve done that. Working with o=
ur
federal partners on the gas tax, there are interesting investments there
— all the programs we’re doing just through the gas tax and all=
the
communities that are benefiting from that. That again is another partnership
that we’re working on. As far as what=
will be
in the next Municipal Act or in=
the
next issue about opening it, I certainly expect the member opposite to
participate in the next process because we don’t upgrade the Municipal Act unless we have public
consultation. All the questions the member opposite has brought to the floor
today could be addressed in that process. We certainly a=
re
looking forward to working with the municipalities over this next 12 months=
to
see where we can improve our relationship, as we move into the potable wate=
r question
throughout the territory, the solid-waste management throughout the territo=
ry,
the infrastructure needs throughout the territory, and the recreational nee=
ds
throughout the territory. By the way, at the end of the infrastructure we a=
lso
have to look at the updating and daily maintenance of the new infrastructur=
e we
put in place. Those kinds of things are very, very important. As far as the =
gas tax
is concerned, the Most recipient=
s have
received planning dollars and are developing integrated community sustainab=
le
plans. That was one of the obligations put forward by the federal governmen=
t,
and that provides a framework for approved projects. In the last 12 months,=
the
review committee reviewed 54 projects throughout the territory. Right now, =
82
gas tax projects have been approved for funding for both First Nations and =
our
municipalities. Once approved, project funds can flow within a couple of we=
eks. Again, that=
217;s a
very quick turnaround, and it is of benefit to our communities. The gas tax
provides funding — to Yukon First Nations, 25 percent; municipalities=
, 68
percent; and the In other words=
, Mr.
Chair, these are the points that make the gas tax eligible in our communiti=
es.
The original agreement provided $37.5 million for 2005-10 with an additional
$60 million for 2014 coming from an extension agreement with Community Affa=
irs
works closely with recipients and sets up an easy-to-follow timeline for
project reviews, offers an annual workshop to share information, and is
available to help recipients understand their gas tax obligations and requi=
rements.
The review committee is representative of the Council of Yukon First Nation=
s,
the Association of Yukon Communities and the In 2008, Project select=
ion, Mr.
Chair, is guided by the Yukon Infra=
structure
Plan, which every community, every First Nation put together and of cou=
rse
this was put together with extensive consultation with our First Nation
governments, municipal governments and of course our unincorporated communi=
ties
and key shareholders. We had general public input throughout the territory.=
The
plan was made public in December 2009 and will be updated regularly. More than $155=
million
in federal and territorial investment has been allotted to date for the
following key priorities: drinking water, waste water, roads, solid-waste
management, and green energy infrastructure. There has been $155 million
allocated to these different needs in our communities in partnership with us
and the federal government. The implementa=
tion of
Building Canada will focus on five key issues again. We have the drinking w=
ater
— these are guidelines put together by our partner, the federal
government — waste water, roads, waste management, and green energy
infrastructure. Fourteen other eligible categories may be considered as a
secondary focus, so there is a secondary component to this. If we were loo=
king at
what this department does and the hard work that they do throughout the
community, in 2009-10, Mr. Chair, homeowner grants were paid to 7,520 Last year, Mr.=
Chair,
Community Affairs transferred a total of $19.79 million to You can see Co=
rporate
Affairs is a very busy part of this department. Last year, Con=
sumer
Services licensed over 3,150 professionals and 178 insurance companies. Sta=
ff
also issued 133 bingo and raffle licences that enabled charitable groups to
raise over $1 million in the In 2009-10, La=
bour
Services fielded 2,600 inquiries and 110 formal complaints and collected ov=
er
$110,000 in unpaid wages on behalf of employees throughout the These are inte=
resting
statistics and are very important for us to keep in mind when we’re
talking about this department. In 2009-10, the
Emergency Measures Organization supported eight volunteer search and rescue
teams and trained 60 volunteers and 50 Yukon First Nation and municipal gov=
ernment
personnel in search and rescue emergency operations throughout the territor=
y. In 2009, Emerg=
ency
Medical Services responded to over 5,000 ambulance calls in the The fire marsh=
al’s
office supported 17 volunteer fire departments, which responded to 765 fires
and other emergency incidents in the Community
Services’ Infrastructure Development branch is currently working on
approximately 80 capital projects throughout the The Whitehorse=
Public
Library received 203,000 visits last year and Public Libraries has added ju=
st
under 16,000 new videos, books and other materials to their collection in o=
ur
libraries throughout the Yukon. The government,
through Sport and Recreation, provided annual funding to 12 May to July 20=
09 was
one of the warmest and driest fire seasons on record. In the 2009 fire seas=
on,
119 forest fires burned and 71 percent were caused by lightning. In 2009, the F=
ireSmart
program created 33 projects in I hope that was
beneficial to the members opposite. That’s an interesting overview of=
the
department and the jobs they do on a daily basis throughout this territory =
of
ours. Mr. Cardiff: I apologize for whatever it was I did. Obviously, it
wasn’t the answer to the question I was looking for. I have another
question for the minister. I’m going to get off that topic. Obviously=
, it
doesn’t make him feel very good. This was an issue that was raised in=
a
news article. I talked with some people about it and they are concerned abo=
ut
it. It has to do with some of the economic stimulus funds, for which I beli=
eve
some are in Community Services, in the capital portion. If I’m wrong
about that, I’ll apologize in advance, but I think the minister’=
;s
department has some responsibility in this area, anyhow. The concern co=
mes from
the deadline. Earlier today, that was given as the main and most important
criteria for how you tender a project — the time restraints. The federal go=
vernment
has put time restraints on the economic stimulus money and basically the way
that we understand it is, if you don’t spend the money by Hon. Mr. Lang: The Dawson City
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in has $43,000 to upgrade the wellness
camp facility to expand seasonal accessibility and recreational capacity, s=
uch
as cross-country skiing and Junior Ranger outings. Carcross has $40,000 for
recreational office renovations: add two living units and a bathroom to the=
accommodation
for their seasonal pool staff. Carmacks has a skating rink — repair c=
oncrete
base, replace rink, boards and construct cupboard walkway to the change roo=
m.
That’s $180,000. The Carmacks s=
wimming
pool repairs include replacing the boiler system, hot water heater and pool
liner. That’s an investment of over $62,000. Mount Lorne community
centre, replace the Zamboni shed, which is one of the larger investments.
That’s just under $250,000. In Beaver Creek there will be upgrades to=
the
community centre, recreation complex, furnace replacement, electrical upgra=
de,
kitchen and ceiling repairs, and that is another $250,000. This is the mo=
ney that
has been allotted to these communities, and we look forward to them getting=
it
done over this busy summer season. Mr. Cardiff: I think I can say thank you, Mr. Chair. Unfortunately,
the minister didn’t answer the question, which was about contractors
being able to be held liable if the projects aren’t completed. Is the ministe=
r or his
department looking into this? If the minister’s department isn’t
looking into this, I believe the Auditor General may have something to say
about that. You are responsible for the funds. You’ve got contractors
doing the work. There are other infrastructure funds as well and the govern=
ment
needs to look into this matter as to whether or not contractors could be he=
ld
liable. There should be some discussions going on with the federal governme=
nt
at some level, which I would hope the minister would be aware of, as to whe=
ther
or not the Hon. Mr. Lang: We’re ve=
ry
confident under the RInC program that these timelines will be met. Certainl=
y a
part of the bidding process is timelines, Mr. Chair. We’re very confi=
dent
that these projects will get done. I remind the member opposite they’=
re
not big projects. The biggest project is just over $300,000 and that is the=
I remind the m=
ember
opposite that the Building Canada fund and the gas tax are in place until 2=
014.
RInC is the only stimulus fund. Building I would say to=
the
member opposite that he best talk to the federal government because other
jurisdictions have had discussions and the federal government was very firm=
on
those dates. The Department of Community Services is looking forward to get=
ting
these RInC projects done within the timeline we laid out. It’s an
investment in our recreation facilities throughout the Chair: Is there any further general debate? Seeing none,
we’ll proceed line by line on Vote 51, Department of Community Servic=
es. On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures On Corporate Services On Deputy Minister’s Office Deputy Minister’s Office in the amo=
unt of
$405,000 agreed to On Human Resources Human Resources in the amount of $722,000
agreed to On Finance, Systems and Administration Finance, Systems and Administration in the
amount of $1,693,000 agreed to On Policy Policy in the amount of $761,000 agreed t=
o On Communications Communications in the amount of $358,000 =
agreed
to Corporate Services in the a=
mount
of $3,939,000 agreed to On Protective Services On Emergency Measures Emergency Measures in the amount of $434,=
000
agreed to On Fire Marshal Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Chair, I have a few questions for the minister in
this area. The fire marshal’s report for 2009 said there were three
volunteer fire departments that were not active. Those were in Hon. Mr. Lang: This is anothe=
r thing
that this government has contributed to — the honoraria in our
communities — because we understand the firefighters in our communiti=
es
are very, very important. There is $25,000 for rental expenses; $15,000 for
petroleum; $12,000 for program materials; $59,000 for repairs and maintenan=
ce;
$80,000 for electricity; $75,000 for heating fuel; $30,000 for communicatio=
ns;
$10,000 for training — another contribution to our volunteers is the
training program — and $14,000 for various other requirements of the =
program,
so there is $14,000 there to be used as we move forward into the year. If you were to=
compare
it with the previous year, an increase of $67,000 from the 2009-10 estimate=
for
salaries and wages, there is a decrease of $15,000 in personnel due to a new
employee being hired for less than the previous incumbent. I guess thatR=
17;s
based on the number of years the person was there. Other costs are due to a
$67,000 increase for volunteer firefighters — that’s an improve=
ment
on what they were getting — and a $25,000 increase required for repai=
rs
and maintenance. Mr. Chair, the=
re was
an increase of $10,000 from the 2009-10 forecast — salaries and wages
decrease of $15,000 in personnel due to a new employee — that’s
what I just went through — a $25,000 inc=
rease
required for repair and maintenance, which seems to be another obligation we
had. As we move thr=
ough, we
manage the department. There are resources for increases for our volunteer =
fire
departments. As far as our 17 volunteer fire stations under the authority of
the government, there are three that are not active. I think the member
opposite was correct. There’s Beaver Creek, Burwash, Carcross,
Destruction Bay — that’s not active — Golden Horn,
Hootalinqua, Ibex Valley, Keno City, Klondike Valley, Marsh Lake, Mendenhal=
l,
Mount Lorne, Old Crow — is not active — Pelly Crossing, Ross Ri=
ver,
Tagish, Upper Liard — is not active. There are 15 r=
ural So the gentlem=
an is
right — Mr. Cardiff: Well, Mr. Chair, if that’s the case, how is the
government providing emergency services in those communities? Is the govern=
ment
employing professionals? Does it have a plan to engage the community and to=
get
these volunteer fire departments active again? Because as the minister has =
just
quite rightly pointed out — and I’m quite familiar with this
— I have two very active and competent volunteer fire departments in =
the
riding that I represent — and I applaud them for their dedication and=
the
amount of work they do. I recently had the opportunity to actually make my =
own
personal contribution to the They attended =
a very
important meeting recently with regard to an emergency plan for the communi=
ty,
and I applaud the minister’s department for the work they are doing in
that area because it is very important in the territory. The volunteer fire
department was amply represented there, but my point is that some communiti=
es
have got great volunteer fire departments and, you know, we feel safe. But
there are other communities where these services aren’t available bec=
ause
they are not active. The government needs to play a role in reactivating th=
em. In the interim=
, there
needs to be some sort of a plan to provide some sort of protection for those
communities. Can the minister tell me, once again, how emergency services a=
re
being supplied in those communities? Is the government employing profession=
als
to replace them? And what is the plan to get these three volunteer fire
departments active again? Hon. Mr. Lang: As a governmen=
t, we work
in partnership with the First Nations and with municipalities. It is a
partnership; it’s not just the responsibility of the government of the
day or the communities. We have a fire marshal who will go out and train in=
dividuals.
We are working with As far as the =
Old Crow
fire department, we have support available as soon as the community has
recruited sufficient volunteers, and we will go to the community and work w=
ith
the community to jump-start the fire department and do the training and the
things that are necessary to make sure the volunteers are comfortable with
their responsibilities. The As you know, i=
n our
communities we go through individuals who are very active in the community,
then we have people leave the community. We work with the volunteer fire de=
partments
in our communities on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to make sure that they
have the training in place, that they have the equipment and they know how =
to
operate that equipment. In answering the member opposite, I would say that =
the
department does a stellar job in working with our communities. If you were =
to
look at our investment in our communities this year alone, you would see th=
at
we are buying two more ambulances. We’re buying two or three ambulanc=
es a
year to replace our older ambulances, Mr. Chair. As I go through the figures
and as I look here today at the extensive investments our department makes,=
we
also have in this budget the resources to buy a pumping truck so that we can
modernize our fleet throughout the territory. These are all investments
we’ve made in the territory. <=
/span> I was at the o=
pening
of the new investment we have in We as a govern=
ment
certainly understood the necessity of the resources that a government should
put into these volunteer fire departments. We’re the government that
realized that we had to contribute more to the honoraria, not only for our =
firefighters,
but for our If you look in=
our
budget, there’s an increase for this year, too, to make sure that peo=
ple
are being compensated in a proper fashion. We as a government have done tha=
t,
but as we look forward into the oncoming years, we have a rotation basis for
the ambulances. We have questions about our fire trucks, per se, because of=
the
obligation or some of the perceived obligation to replace these vehicles. T=
hese
are a large investment by municipalities. These are very=
, very
expensive, Mr. Chair, and certainly I appreciate the fact that the
municipalities, in their budgets, have to budget for these kinds of
replacements, but touring through the territory and going and visiting our
volunteer fire departments throughout the territory, I’m very happy w=
ith
the response we get as a government and certainly the qualifications of the
individuals who volunteer in our communities. Again, I would=
like to
thank the department and the individuals responsible in the fire marshal=
217;s
office. The resources are not only invested in those volunteering firemen a=
nd
fire departments. It’s the work of the individuals and the people who
volunteer in those positions. Again, Mr. Cha=
ir, we
look at this budget as we move forward here, going line by line, and certai=
nly
appreciate the member opposite’s questions, but again, we have to cer=
tainly
work with and we are working with We do have the
resources; we have the individuals in place to do the training and look for=
ward
to going to these communities and building up a volunteer fire department t=
hat
will benefit the community — and train individuals in the communities=
in
respect to fire fighting and how it’s done and the use of equipment a=
nd
all the things that go along with the responsibility of a fire brigade or
department in these communities. If you were to=
look at
the list of our other fire departments, they are very active. Not only are =
they
active in the fire thing, they’re active in their community. The
individuals who tend to volunteer for these kinds of positions are seen
throughout the community, whether it’s the Again, we look=
forward
to working with the communities that don’t have an active fire brigad=
e at
the moment. Here again, Mr. Chair, there are some statistics from the fire =
marshal’s
office. We are supporting 17 volunteer fire departments in unincorporated
communities with infrastructure, equipment and training and provide all fire
and life safety inspections. In other words, we work with these volunteer f=
ire
departments. The fire marsh=
al’s
office works with incorporated communities to provide proper firefighter
training when required and performs fire and life safety inspections. In ot=
her
words, we work with our municipalities. Here are some statistics. The We certainly h=
ave a
very busy department and of course, the fire marshal’s office is just=
one
part of it, but it is a very important part of the department and we look
forward to working with the volunteers and we look forward to working with =
the
three communities that don’t have the fire component to their communi=
ty
at the moment, but we are quite willing to step up to the plate and move in=
and
do the training and build up that resource for those communities. Mr. Cardiff: Thank you. Mercifully, thank you. The minister
didn’t answer the question about how emergency services are currently
being supplied in these communities that don’t have volunteer fire
departments that are active. Mr. Chair, the
minister decided to get into the capital budget. I know you warned me earli=
er
about opening this up too much, but if the minister is not going to provide=
the
simple answers — if he’s going to get up and read prepared
statements and reports and statistics — then there’s not much p=
oint
in going into the lines because the lines are where the detail is. All I was look=
ing for
was a simple answer, so I will ask a whole bunch of questions so that the
minister can burn up another 20 minutes of our valuable time. The minister
seemed anxious to get into the debate on the Motor Vehicles Act with the Member for Mayo-Tatchun just a litt=
le
while earlier, but instead he wants to go on and on. How are emerge=
ncy
services being supplied in those communities — the three, specificall=
y?
What is the plan to get them active again? What is the Last fall I ta=
bled a
letter in support of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. They were loo=
king
for support to their proposal to the federal Minister of Finance, and he was
looking at creating tax credits for those who serve in volunteer fire depar=
tments
and for their employers, whose businesses could be affected when their staf=
f go
out on these important calls. I understand,
apparently, the Official Opposition also wrote a letter of support. I belie=
ve I
asked the minister to write a letter of support. I’d like to know if =
he
has done that. Does he support this creative tax initiative? If the federal
government doesn’t move on this initiative, would this minister be
prepared to do something territorially? Obviously he’d have to talk w=
ith
the Minister of Finance, as it would be a taxation matter. I also would l=
ike to
know what work the minister is doing — this is in relation to this as
well. He may be working with the minister responsible for the Yukon
Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board. I met with local
firefighters, and I believe they met with the minister responsible to discu=
ss
the concept of presumptive legislation, which would extend workers’
compensation coverage for certain types of cancers known to be caused throu=
gh
occupational exposure in a fire situation or a fire environment. We underst=
and
that it would require legislation to do that. I know the Minister of Commun=
ity
Services has responsibility for a number of pieces of legislation. I
don’t believe he’s actually responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Act, a=
s that
has been designated to a different minister. I know that a lot of drafting =
of
legislation does get done in Community Services. The minister is
responsible, through this budget line item, for the fire marshal’s of=
fice
and for fire management, in the next line item, and I would like to know
whether or not he’s aware of any legislation being drafted or any wor=
k or
any discussions taking place in that regard. Seeing as how =
the
minister wanted to talk about capital in this line, and he mentioned the ta=
nker
trucks that they are going to be purchasing, I would be interested to know =
what
the long-term plan is. I would like to thank the officials for getting back=
to
us after the technical briefing with the information we asked for about whe=
re
the new tanker truck is going to be deployed. It is going to be deployed in=
Hon. Mr. Lang: I’d like=
to just
go over what this department has done in 2009-10 and what the accomplishmen=
ts
of this department have been. The 2009 fire =
season
saw one of the highest average fire danger ratings on record in the territo=
ry,
yet fire crews were very successful in protecting homes and infrastructure,
with only one cabin being lost and no serious injuries. That is a complimen=
t to
the wildfire component of the department. Completion of =
a master
Yukon government pandemic coordinated plan, incorporating a health response=
, a
human resource response and a critical infrastructure response — in o=
ther
words, that was very important to us, as we were looking at that pandemic t=
hat
was forecast in the country. We’re mo=
ving
forward with replacing the existing Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible) Point of order Chair: Mr. Cardiff, on a point of order. Mr. Cardiff: Point of order. We’re way off track here. You k=
now,
it was one thing to start mixing the same line item in capital and O&M;=
now
we’re in a completely different line item. Motor vehicle licences are=
not
covered under the fire marshal’s office line. Thank you. Chair’s ruling Chair: On the point of order, the member is cor=
rect.
We are off track, but we’ve been off track for quite some time and bo=
th
sides have been off track on this line item. The Chair has given a lot of
leeway because both sides were off track. Since it has been brought to my
attention, we are on the fire marshal line — $861,000. Is there any
further debate on that line? Mr. Cardiff: Respectfully, Mr. Chair, I asked the minister a numbe=
r of
questions about the fire marshal’s office. Has the minister communica=
ted
with the federal government, through the fire marshal’s office, his
support for an initiative that would support volunteer firefighters, which =
is
in this line item for $861,000. Has he written a letter of support for the =
proposal
to the federal minister looking to create tax credits for those who serve in
VFDs and their employers, whose businesses may be affected when their staff=
go
out on a call? Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Chair, I asked the minister if he has written a
letter of support. Does he support the initiative? It sounds like he does. =
Is
he willing to write a letter of support to the federal government and to the
federal Minister of Finance for this or ask the territorial minister to wri=
te
that letter of support? Would he do that? Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: Strange. I find that pretty strange, Mr. Chair. The other ques=
tion I
asked the minister was with regard to presumptive legislation that would ex=
tend
coverage to firefighters — both paid firefighters and volunteer
firefighters — for certain types of cancer known to be caused through
occupational exposure to a fire environment. I’m just wondering wheth=
er
the minister or the fire marshal’s office has done any work in the
$861,000 line item, in regard to this issue. Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: You know, Mr. Chair, the minister is not taking his
responsibilities seriously. Chair’s statement Chair: Order please. The member knows that kind=
of
comment isn’t in order. We are debating the line, fire marshal, for
$861,000. Please don’t personalize the debate. Mr. Cardiff: I apologize. I find this to=
be a
very serious matter. We’re talking about the health and safety of
firefighters who are being paid through this $861,000 line item. All the
minister can say is that it’s under a different department. I’m=
not
concerned about whether or not they get covered. This is an important issue
that the minister needs to pay attention to. It’s goi=
ng to
require a legislative amendment. I suspect that the fire marshal’s of=
fice
for $861,000 may have an interest in it. It may have an impact on the $861,=
000
line item. Could the mini=
ster
please tell me if he’s concerned about the health and safety of
firefighters in this territory and whether or not any work has been done on
this matter? Hon. Mr. Lang: Chair’s statement Chair: Order please. When the Chair calls for o=
rder,
I expect members to sit down and listen to what the Chair has to say. I just
cautioned the member opposite with regard to personalizing the debate, and =
that
actually goes both ways. Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: Not so much a question as a comment, I suppose. I wou=
ld
like to actually thank the minister for making us aware of that —
it’s basically what I was asking for. The only question I have for the
minister when he next stands up is, can he point us to the appropriate vote=
in
Bill No. 20 where we could talk about the Yukon Workers’ Compensation
Health and Safety Board? Chair: Is there any further debate on this line=
? Fire Marshal in the amount of $861,000 ag=
reed
to On Fire Management Mr. Cardiff: Could the minister provide a brief summary or breakdo=
wn
of what is included in this? Hon. Mr. Lang: There is $7,47=
0,000
for other; $110,000 for travel — $45,000 in Fire Management in the amount of $14,165,=
000
agreed to On Emergency Medical Services Mr. Cardiff: I believe I’m going to have a question when we =
get
into the capital on this area, but I’d just like the minister to give=
us
a breakdown and confirm that these emergency medical services — can he
give us a list of which communities this funding applies to, as well as a
breakdown? Hon. Mr. Lang: There are 15 r=
olling Chair: Is there any further debate? Emergency Medical Services in the amount =
of
$6,913,000 agreed to On Safety and Training Safety and Training in the amount of $340=
,000
agreed to Protective Services in the =
amount
of $22,713,000 agreed to On Community Development On Program Administration Program Administration in the amount of
$646,000 agreed to On Sport and Recreation Mr. Cardiff: In this line item, if you look at the following pages,
you’ll see where a sizable amount of this money goes. I raised this w=
ith
the minister previously, and I appreciate the minister’s answer at the
time. We need to treat all communities fairly. I asked the minister to look
into the funding formula for contributions from this line item to community=
centres.
The Lorne Mountain Community Association is a very active community
association. As I said, just the other night there was a meeting hosted by =
his
department dealing with emergency plans. It was hosted at the request of the
community association and the hamlet council. The funding is based on a per
capita in a certain catchment area. What the community association in So this is bas=
ically
around the funding formula for the community centre. He agreed that he would
have a look at that and that they would have to look at all communities.
I’m just wondering whether he has made any progress on that. Hon.
Mr. Lang: In a breakdown of sports and rec, t=
he
highlights of the O&M budget — of course, as you look, it’s
$4,201,000. They consist of the following investments: there is $563,000 for
personnel, including salaries, wages and benefits for a director and a staf=
f of
five full-time employees; $248,000 for other; $34,000 for travel —
$14,000 of that in the Yukon and $20,000 outside of the Yukon; $5,000 for
honorariums; $60,000 for contract services; $47,000 for insurance; $5,000 f=
or
rental expenses; $6,000 for supplies; $8,000 for program materials; $9,000 =
for
communications; $17,000 for training; $54,000 for memberships; and $3,000 f=
or
other program requirements. There’s =
$3.39
million for transfer payments for contributions to recreational sports grou=
ps, including
the Volunteer Bureau, $67,000; Yukon recreational groups, $166,000; contrib=
ution
to local authorities, $418,000; Yukon sports governing body, $459,000; Sport
Yukon core funding, $130,000; Special Olympics, $24,000; Canadian Senior Ga=
mes,
$25,000; elite athletes coaching and officials grant, $47,000; North Americ=
an
Indigenous Games, $75,000; Aboriginal Sport and Recreational Circle, $55,00=
0;
Sports for Life, $729,000; Arctic Winter Games, $1 million; Canada Winter
Games, $120,000; and $75,000 for various other smaller contributions. As you can see,
it’s a large investment throughout the territory. If you were to look=
at
the investment from individual communities, it varies because of what the
community manages. If you were to look at Beaver Creek, $33,200; Burwash
Landing, $7,400 — the difference mostly is in swimming facilities at
these locations. Carcross has an investment of $54,800; Destruction Bay,
$7,200; Keno City has an investment of $3,200; Marsh Lake has $39,600; Mount
Lorne is $39,400; Old Crow has $46,200; Pelly Crossing has $51,500; Ross Ri=
ver has
$81,600; Tagish has $35,300; and Upper Liard has an investment of $18,700.<=
o:p> This is all co=
vered in
the act — the recreational grants act — so the formula is in the
act and I have asked my officials to take a look at that and see how we cou=
ld
maybe look at a bigger investment or how that would be monitored throughout=
all
of our communities because of the needs in all our communities. Mr. Cardiff: I appreciate the minister doing that. I don’t w=
ant
to get into too many of the details. He mentioned swimming facilities. That=
is
one — it is probably about the only thing the community of The other ques=
tion
— and at my own peril, I’m going to recognize that —
I’m not sure what the minister’s responsibility is in this matt=
er
— but it is to do with the community association, and he has
corresponded, with his other hat on, around signage for the community centr=
e.
As I said, the community centre is very, very, very active. There are people
coming from It had all bee=
n sorted
out and now the community association — because there needed to be so=
me
sort of separation between the community association and the LAC in order f=
or
this to proceed, or it needed to be at least recognized — can proceed for the permitting of a
visitor service facility or attraction signage under the visitor sign
information regulations. I’m just wondering if the minister can confi=
rm
this at this time. If he does, I’ve got nothing but praise for him,
because I met with him earlier on this matter. This has been a long struggl=
e. I
believe it was before this sitting even that we met and talked about this. =
The
minister’s response at that time was, “Put the sign up.”
I’m just hoping that this is an indication that that sign can finally=
go
up, so that all of the people who are flocking to the Lorne Mountain Commun=
ity
Centre aren’t driving by the Hon. Mr. Lang: I want to remi=
nd the
member opposite that when we went out with the rink fund, one of the things
that Chair: Any further debate on this line? Sport and Recreation in the amount of
$4,201,000 agreed to On Property Assessment and Taxation Property Assessment and Taxation in the a=
mount
of $3,977,000 agreed to On Community Affairs Mr. Cardiff: I’d just like to raise an issue. I have heard t=
he
Member for Hon. Mr. Lang: There’s =
$70,000
for other; $17,000 for travel; $12,000 within There’s =
$20
million for transfer payments, $5,254,000 for grant-in-lieu of property tax=
es.
This is all-inclusive of the $21 million. As we move through here we have
— grant-in-lieu of property taxes; $14,962,000 for comprehensive
municipal grants; $70,000 for community local advisory operation and
maintenance grants; $75,000 for Mae Bachur Humane Society; $20,000 for Daws=
on
City Humane Society; and $100,000 for the Association of Yukon Communities.=
Chair: Any further debate on this line? Community Affairs in the amount of $21,13=
7,000
agreed to On Public Libraries Mr. McRobb: I would just like the minister to update=
us on
the Beaver Creek library and the mould situation. Hon. Mr. Lang: As far as the =
Beaver
Creek library is concerned, I am told by the staff that the equipment and t=
he
work will be done in June, so it’s next month that we should have the
Beaver Creek issues settled. I’m told=
by the
staff that in June, they will have the equipment in place. It will be done =
in
June. Chair: Any further debate on this line? Public Libraries in the amount o f $1,795=
,000
agreed to On Community Operations Community Operations in the amount of
$2,762,000 agreed to Community Development in the
amount of $34,518,000 agreed to On Consumer and Safety Serv=
ices On Program Administration Program Administration in the amount of
$158,000 agreed to On Board and Council Mr. Cardiff: Can the minister give us a breakdown on that one? Hon. Mr. Lang: Board and Council in the amount of $118,0=
00
agreed to On Consumer Services Consumer Services in the amount of $742,0=
00
agreed to On Corporate Affairs Corporate Affairs in the amount of $425,0=
00
agreed to On Motor Vehicles Mr. Cardiff: Seeing the time, Mr. Chair, I am going to ask these q=
uestions
now because I don’t think we’re going to get to the Motor Vehicles Act later this afte=
rnoon,
as the minister had previously indicated. I would be interested to know in re=
lation
to the drivers’ licences that the department is proposing and that
we’re debating legislation on, if the minister can tell the House and=
the
people who are listening what types of information are attached to the card=
, to
the driver’s licence, and what security features there are to ensure =
that
this information can’t be stolen. Chair: Order please. Seeing the time, we’=
ll
recess for 15 minutes. Recess Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 20, First Appropriation Act, 2010-11. =
We are
now in line-by-line in Department of Community Services. This is Vote 51. We
are on the line of motor vehicles for $1,370,000. Hon. Mr. Lang: The member opp=
osite
was talking about Bill No. 85 and of course that is the Motor Vehicles Act and asked some questions about the new
driver’s licence, which will all be part and parcel of the
department’s investment this coming year. Of course we have been meet=
ing
with the Privacy Commissioner and taking their advice on the driver’s
licence. But if I could go through a few points here on some of the questio=
ns
that have been asked on the licence because of the questions about changing=
the
format of the licensing and that, and of course why the Motor Vehicles Act needed to be amended — that’s a
question individuals have out there. The new general
identification card will be produced by the motor vehicle department, but o=
nly
the driver’s licence was mentioned in the Motor Vehicles Act. The act needed to be amended, so motor vehi=
cles
could legally produce the new general identification card. That was the rea=
son
we had to go forward with the change in the act. Why do we need a new
driver’s licence? That’s another question. That’s a=
nother
question. As a result, it will be a more secure card and more readily accep=
ted
as a government-issued identification card, as well as a driver’s lic=
ence.
So, it will certainly be an updated identification card. Another questi=
on that
was asked of me is why do we need a general identification card? Over the l=
ast
decade, Yukoners, like other Canadians, have found themselves being asked f=
or a
general government-issued card to prove their identity, age and place of
residence. The general identification card will provide this for all Yukone=
rs
that choose to apply and acquire one. What makes the new cards more secure?
That’s a question that people have out there. The cards will be produ=
ced
using technology that makes the card harder to forge. These security featur=
es
include digital photo and signature, multi-level lamination, a two-dimensio=
nal
bar code and a hologram. Some of the unique hidden features include wavy li=
nes,
like those found on money, and features activated by ultraviolet light. The
licence card content will be determined by the register, subject to whatever
the regulations might say on these items. So, that’s the updated card
itself. Another questi=
on we got
was what will the new driver’s licence and general identification look
like? Well, in gener=
al, the
new cards will look like plastic credit cards with a bar code, hologram and
other security features. On it will be the cardholder’s picture, home
address, date of birth, height and weight and other information required to
meet the Canadian council of motor vehicle driver’s licence standards.
The difference between the two cards will be clear from the title of the ca=
rd
and the location of the photo. So both cards will have the same security in
place, but they will be easy to decipher. In other words, you won’t be
able to use your identification card for a driver’s licence. It will =
be
easy to spot. Why has this t=
aken as
long as it has? All Canadian jurisdictions have wrestled with the decision
about the way to proceed for issuing new drivers’ licences and
identification cards. Another questi=
on we
have is, why isn’t Following the =
2006
election, Community Services contracted an independent consultant to do a
thorough needs analysis and assist in developing the best options for a new=
Events, as wel=
l as
consultant recommendations, information and issues started to emerge about
enhanced drivers’ licences. Not all of it was favourable for <=
st1:State> We want to stay
prepared and flexible, so that we could enhance the driver’s licence =
and
general identification card further, should the need arise. The new secure
driver’s licence will provide a platform for enhanced licensing. Another questi=
on was,
will the new card serve as an acceptable alternative to a passport? Yukoners
who travel internationally will still require passports, but we are confide=
nt
that the new cards will be more readily accepted as proof of identify and
residency on domestic flights in Another questi=
on was,
will airlines accept the new cards? Yukoners who cross-border travel will s=
till
require passports, but we are confident the new licence and cards will be m=
ore
readily accepted as proof of identify and residency on domestic flights in =
How old do you=
have to
be to get a general identification card? That’s an interesting questi=
on.
There is no minimum age; the general identification card is intended for ev=
ery
Yukoner who wants one. Another questi=
on was
how and where will codes and restrictions be reflected on the new
driver’s licence? Codes and restrictions will still be visible as they
are now, and will be contained in the bar code on the new driver’s
licence. The driver’s licence number will be printed on the card. What
identification numbers will be used for the new general identification card?
Each new general identification card will display a unique number that will=
be
retained on the replacement cards. So, that will carry over. Why is the new=
general
identification card going to have an expiry date of five years? Like the
driver’s licence, personal identification should be updated at least
every five years to keep it current and accurate, particularly in regard to
photo and, of course, home address. This is a fairly standard practice acro=
ss Another questi=
on was:
are people allowed to have both a driver’s licence and a general
identification card? Yes. Some people with a driver’s licence may wan=
t a
government-issued general identification card in the event they damage or l=
ose
their licence for any reason. Having both minimizes the risk of not having =
any
government-issued ID when it is needed. In the event of licence damage, los=
s or
theft, this could be especially beneficial for rural Yukoners who would
otherwise experience a few days’ delay in receiving a new licence, or=
of
course, replacement identification. Now, another q=
uestion
was cost related. Who is supplying the new system? What is the cost of the =
new
system? What is the capital investment? The equipment is being tendered. We
expect to be able to announce the contracts awarded very shortly. What are the e=
xpected
ongoing O&M costs of the new system? How did these compare to costs for=
the
existing system? It will cost approximately $60,000 annually to produce the=
new
cards and this increase has been budgeted. What will be the cost of a five-=
year
card for the individual? The cost to Yukoners for a new driver’s lice=
nce
is expected to be the same as the fee for the current licence. The fee char=
ged
for a new general identification card is expected to be somewhat less. The =
fee
for a new general identification card will be established by regulation lat=
er
this year. What about rep=
lacement
costs? The fee will be established by regulation later this year. Why will =
it
cost more for a new driver’s licence than for a general identification
card? Yukoners’ drivers’ licence fees are fairly average among
Canadian jurisdictions and are used to help offset the cost of operating the
whole system of drivers’ records, testing and administration. Fewer
services are involved in the delivery of identification cards and maintenan=
ce
of the general identification card system. There is a cost difference in the
production of the two. Will the cost =
to get a
new driver’s licence be prioritized if a person wants to exchange the=
ir
existing driver’s licence for the new secure one? The expiry date of =
an
existing card will remain the same and only a replacement fee will be charg=
ed
for the new one. When the licence expires on its natural expiry date, the f=
ull
renewal fee will apply. Will there be =
a fee to
change name, address or other personal details on either a new driver’=
;s
licence or the general identification card? A fee to change a name or addre=
ss
is not anticipated. People will be charged to replace cards. Replacement ca=
rd
fee may be waived when Motor Vehicles agrees that the changes to the person=
al
information are significant and warrants a replacement card. Section 16 of =
the act
requires a person to let us know of a name or address change. Presently, by=
policy,
we do not charge for this change at the moment. The question a=
bout the
transition period came up quite a bit. After the new driver’s licence
becomes available, will people be able to keep using their existing
driver’s licence until their natural expiry date? After the new
driver’s licence becomes available, people will be able to keep using
their existing driver’s licence until the natural expiry date. Another questi=
on was,
will holders of an existing driver’s licence retain the same
driver’s licence number when they receive a new driver’s licenc=
e.
Holders of an existing driver’s licence will retain the same
driver’s licence number when they receive their new driver’s
licence. What is the pl=
an for
introducing and issuing the new driver’s licence and general
identification card? Can people come in and get one whenever they need or w=
ant
one, including getting replacements? The current driver’s licence is
valid until expiry or they are replaced. Priority will be given to new lice=
nce
holders and automatic renewals during the months they expire. Every effort =
will
be made to accommodate the special needs of individuals and those wanting t=
he
new general identification card or early renewal of their driver’s
licence. In other words, we recommend that, once the driver’s licence
process is triggered, people can take advantage of going down and talking it
over with the Motor Vehicles branch. Will the peopl=
e who
renew their existing driver’s licence before the expiry date have to =
pay
again to get a new secure licence? We are considering establishing a transi=
tion
period wherein anyone who renews their licence earlier than the natural exp=
iry
date within a certain time frame may be permitted to get a replacement secu=
re
licence at a lower or no cost. Details will be established in regulations.<=
o:p> Who will opera=
te the
new system? Motor Vehicles staff will be trained to operate the new system.
Territorial agents and representatives will also be trained on how to recei=
ve
and process licence and card applications. The actual licences and cards wi=
ll
be produced at and distributed from the Motor Vehicles branch office here i=
n Will rural res=
idents
be able to continue using their existing or new driver’s licence or
general identification card until they receive the updated card? Existing
drivers’ licences can be used until their natural expiry date. Existi=
ng
liquor IDs are expected to be considered acceptable ID for a Liquor Act purpose for some time
following the introduction of the new general identification card. Yukon Li=
quor
Corporation will establish the period of acceptability for existing liquor =
IDs.
What identific=
ation
will be required to get a new driver’s licence or general identificat=
ion
card? Are they any different from what’s been required to get a
driver’s licence? The required source documentation will be specific =
in
the regulations. Adequate documentation to prove age, identification and re=
sidency
will be required. Will the proposed security certificate of Indian status c=
ard
be an acceptable source of documentation? Once the new secure certificate of
Indian status card has been finalized and issued by the Government of Canad=
a,
the card may be one acceptable source document, depending on its final vers=
ion.
Will the
driver’s licence and general identification cards be available while =
you
wait, as they are now in all locations? Personal information, including
photograph and signature will continue to be gathered in all locations. This
information will be sent by computer to the motor vehicles office in What if the
replacement for a lost, stolen or damaged licence is needed immediately in =
an
emergency, Mr. Chair? Depending on the circumstances, a temporary replaceme=
nt
may be possible for a driver’s licence so that a person’s abili=
ty
to legally operate a motor vehicle is not impacted. Motor Vehicles will make
every effort to ensure that Yukoners continue to receive the high quality s=
ervice
they have come to expect. Mr. Chair, wil=
l the
replacement licences and cards be able to be produced without the person ha=
ving
to be personally present to have their picture taken? Phone-in requests for
replacement cards may be technically possible in some circumstances, as lon=
g as
the individual can satisfy Motor Vehicles staff concerning their identity.
Motor Vehicles staff will make every effort to ensure that Yukoners continu=
e to
receive the high quality of service they have come to expect. Mr. Chair, what
safeguards protect personal privacy as part of this new system? Motor vehic=
les
files and computerized system will continue to provide safe storage and
transmission of personal information. The new card systems have proven to be
secure in other jurisdictions where data is transmitted electronically to t=
he
printer from several remote locations and then mailed back. Identity thieves
will find no microchips to scan and no easy way to alter information embedd=
ed
in the card for unauthorized use. I hope that th=
is
answers some of the member’s questions. Chair: Any further debate on this line? Motor Vehicles in the amount of $1,370,00=
0 agreed
to On Building Safety Building Safety in the amount of $1,292,0=
00 agreed
to On Labour Services Mr. Cardiff: I thank the minister for his previous answer. I will =
have
more questions when we actually get to debate the bill. I’d like to a=
sk
the minister, under labour services, if he can tell me what progress has be=
en
made. I know that a booklet was produced by the Labour Services branch and =
that
there has been a code of conduct from the Yukon Workers’ Compensation
Health and Safety Board, but I’d like to know what we’re doing =
in
relation to the Employment Standard=
s Act
with regard to — I just hope he doesn’t read the whole thing. <=
o:p> What I’d=
like to
know is what work is being done on draft regulations regarding a general
minimum working age, hours of work related to age, and minimum ages for
high-risk occupations. Is there any work being done in the department regar=
ding
this matter? Hon. Mr. Lang: I recommend all
students or parents — and I emphasize parents — on the importan=
ce
of this booklet for individuals who are going out into the workforce. It is
titled You need more than a job to =
start
work, which is a very catchy title. I recommend all members of the House
read this booklet. I would like to
compliment the departments for the job they did on this booklet, because it
involved the Department of Education — I would like to thank them. We
have them in all of our schools so that our potential employees — our
young employees —have this available to them. You know, we h=
ave an
explanation of what the Employment
Standards Act is, who is covered by the Employment
Standards Act and who isn’t covered by the Employment Standards Act. Does it matter that I work part-time?
Employees rights and employers’ expectations; employees responsibilit=
ies
— a long list of responsibilities. Are there any age restrictions for
employment in the Getting a job =
is
important — where to look for a job; how should I apply for a job? Ho=
w do
I let employers know I have what they want? What does an employee need to k=
now
about me? Those are all questions that are asked by the employer and it exp=
lains
each one of those and gives some highlights on what individuals should do &=
#8212;
even to what should my resume contain? Do I need refe=
rences?
Who would make a good reference? Do I need permission to use someone as a
reference? What should I say in a cover letter? Those are all pertinent
questions that people — young people who haven’t been in the
workforce — don’t understand and this will lay out a footprint =
for
them to work with. Even a sample cover letter is enclosed in here. Interviews =
212; how
do you handle an interview? How can I prepare for an interview? What questi=
ons
will an employer ask of me? What can I expect on my first day of work? All
sorts of questions — what can I do to feel more involved on my first =
day
of work? The first day of work for any individual is a very stressful day,
because people, as they move into the workforce, have youth on their side a=
nd
there are all sorts of questions out there that they have. How do you ask t=
hose
questions? Wages and dedu=
ctions
— why do I need a social insurance number — a SIN number? How d=
o I
apply for a SIN card? Why do I fill out a TD1 form? What is the minimum wag=
e?
Those are all pertinent questions. How will I know if I was paid properly? =
How
often should I be paid? How long do I have to wait for my final pay? How mu=
ch
vacation time do I have? Do I get paid =
for
vacation days, Mr. Chair? When do I get my vacation pay? Do I get paid for
statutory holidays? These are all questions that individuals have. When do I
get paid overtime? Very important question: how much do I get paid for over=
time
work? Do I get overtime no matter what job I am doing? What if I report to =
work
and my employer sends me home? That’s another question. Can my employ=
er
make deductions from my wages? Can my employer deduct room and board from my
wages? Are there things I have to pay for when I start working? Conditions =
of
employment: am I entitled to a coffee break? Am I entitled to a lunch break?
Are lunch breaks paid for? What if I don’t get a lunch break? Average
agreements: shift work. How long should my rest period be between shifts? C=
an I
work a split-shift? Why is the 24-hour clock important? Can my employer enf=
orce
dress codes? Can I get time off besides holidays and vacations? What is a u=
nion?
How does a union fit into this? Am I entitled to sick days? If someone dies,
can I go to the funeral? What if I’m injured at work? What does
worker’s compensation cover? Important steps to take if you are injur=
ed
at work — in other words, answering those questions that are on
people’s minds and in the workplace. Problem solvin=
g: what
if I don’t like the shift my employer scheduled me for? Seniority: wh=
at
do we do with seniority? Why is teamwork so important? What if someone at w=
ork
is impaired by alcohol or drugs? Another question: what if I have a problem
with another worker? How do we address that? What if I believe I’ve b=
een
discriminated against? How do I answer those questions or who do I go to to=
get
the answers to those questions? What is appren=
ticeship
training? How do I register to become an apprentice? How will I know how we=
ll
I’m doing on my job? How can I improve myself at work? Is training av=
ailable
to improve my skills? Can I get promoted? These are all questions that peop=
le
have, and this gives them a breakdown of some of the answers. Can I be fired=
? What
does pay-in-lieu of notice mean? Can I apply for other jobs while still wor=
king
for my current employer? Should I let my current employer know if I apply f=
or a
different job? That’s a very good question. How much notice should I =
give
an employer when I leave the job? What do I do with things given to me when=
I
started the job? What’s an exit interview? Records to keep: will my
employer send me something to help me fill in my income tax form? Those are ques=
tions
that people have. What if my past employer doesn’t send me a T4? Now,
that’s a question. Do I need to keep records of what I learned on each
job? Another question. Do I need to keep a record of the time I worked on e=
ach
job? Well, it’s another question, and certainly it’s answered in
these paragraphs. How do I get a letter of reference? These are all =
things
that our young workers have questions about and certainly this booklet talks
about these issues. I’m very pleased to see that we have them in all =
the
schools and the presentation last night was well-received. I look forward to
talking with the individuals who are starting to come out of our school sys=
tem.
Having this kind of information I think will bode well for them as they move
forward in their career. Labour Services in the amount of $488,000
agreed to Consumer and Safety Service=
s in
the amount of $4,593,000 agreed to On Reven=
ues Revenues=
cleared Total Operation and Mainten=
ance
Expenditures in the amount of $65,763,000 agreed to On Capital Expenditures On Corporate Services On Office Furniture, Equipment, Systems a=
nd
Space Office Furniture, Equipment, Systems and =
Space
in the amount of $684,000 agreed to Corporate Services in the a=
mount
of $684,000 agreed to On Protective Services On Emergency Measures Emergency Measures in the amount of $75,0=
00
agreed to On Prior Years’ Projects Prior Years’ Projects in the amount=
of
nil cleared On Fire Marshal On Major Facility Maintenance Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Chair, could the minister give us a breakdown on
which projects are done? Thankfully, it’s only $98,000; there canR=
17;t
be many of them. Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: I’m thankful. I think exhaust extraction in a f=
ire
hall is a very important item, and it should be in all our volunteer fire
departments. There are some other issues that I would like to raise with him
— but which community in particular? Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: Can the minister tell us whether or not there are any
plans to install the same type of equipment in other volunteer fire halls? =
The
other thing that comes to mind is that, for quick response by our volunteer
firefighters in our communities, many of the pumper trucks have air breaks.=
I am sure the =
minister
knows this but I’m just going to go over it briefly. In order to char=
ge
the system — and this is related to the exhaust systems — what
happens is the airbrakes bleed down. When you want to respond to a fire
quickly, you have to start the truck and charge the system. That requires an
exhaust system. Another method of doing it is to have compressors in those =
fire
stations so that they can charge the airbrakes system rapidly. In fact, in =
some
instances, they can be hooked in and it’s basically just a matter of
disconnecting from the stationary compressor. You start the truck up and you
have brakes immediately. You can actually leave the fire hall almost
immediately. The other issue that came up at the meeting the other night is=
the
use of these facilities in the event of an emergency. Are there any =
plans to
install generators in volunteer fire departments around the territory? I
believe some of them have them, but not all of them. This kind of comes dow=
n to
that whole capital question and a five-year plan — if the minister co=
uld
bring us up to date on that. Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Cardiff: I know in the Budget Address the government made
projections ahead about capital projects, but this line item deals specific=
ally
in the fire marshal’s office with major facility maintenance. What
I’m asking the minister is: I recognize you have to deal with what co=
mes
up on an annual basis, because then that’s why it took so long to get=
that
great fire hall at Golden Horn, because there were other things that happen=
ed
— namely, a rather extreme year of forest fires. But there should be a
five-year capital plan to address the long-term needs and you can always ad=
just
it. Does that document exist? Hon. Mr. Lang: We have resour=
ces
available through the Building Canada fund and other forms of partnerships.=
We
address them on a yearly basis. The most important part is working with the=
volunteer
fire departments to prioritize what they need as a volunteer group and what
they see as a priority for upgrading their facilities. Major Facility Maintenance in the amount =
of
$98,000 agreed to On Fire Protection Mr. Cardiff: It’s a very similar question. I thank the offic=
ials
for getting back to us from the technical briefing at the end of March. A l=
ot
of this money is for a tanker truck for volunteer fire departments. I belie=
ve
it is going to be deployed in INT=
RODUCTION
OF VISITORS Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
I would ask the indulgence of all member=
s to
turn our attention to the gallery for some introductions. First off, Premier
Floyd Roland of the Applause Hon. Mr. Lang: The most impor=
tant
part of it is our partnership and realizing that we have to prioritize with=
the
volunteer fire departments on their needs. But we as a government have a
responsibility to keep a constant inventory of equipment we have on hand, a=
nd
of course there are restraints on timelines, on fire trucks and things like
that. So we keep a constant inventory mark and we certainly look forward to=
any
improvements we can make in our volunteer fire departments to improve their
facilities. This governmen=
t has
probably invested more in volunteer firefighting, whether it’s struct=
ural
or improving the pay scale or encouraging individuals to join our volunteer
fire department, than any government has done in the past. So we look forwa=
rd
with that same working relationship and we have proven in the past that we
resource it and we’ll do just that in the future. Mr. Cardiff: I appreciate the minister’s dedication and
commitment. What I’m asking is that we’re talking about equipme=
nt
that we’re purchasing, that has a lifespan and needs to be replaced. =
All
I’m looking for is an equipment replacement schedule for pumpers and
tankers in volunteer fire departments around the territory. I would have
thought that the minister would have a document along those lines projecting
what the needs are. As I said earlier, I know other things come up and beco=
me
priorities, but it’s about having some sort of an idea of ongoing
expenditures into the future. That’s what’s in the Budget Addre=
ss.
It’s a projection into the future of future O&M and capital
expenditures and this is just one item — it’s a very important =
item
to communities in the Hon. Mr. Lang: The fire prote=
ction
— we’re investing $278,000 and it consists of four projects:
$40,000 for new or replacement of firefighting equipment, some of which may=
be
for wildland fire management; $40,000 for turnout gear replacement; $30,000=
for
breathing apparatus; and $168,000 for a new fleet fire trainer. So you can see=
we do
invest in it. Again, I remind the member opposite that we do work with our
volunteer fire departments to bring their needs forward and that’s pa=
rt
and parcel of these kinds of investments. Our partners and us and the Wildl=
and
Fire Management group — we invest on a yearly basis for the safety of=
our
communities. You would only have to look at the resources we put last year =
in
the forest fire situation we found ourselves in. It was the largest forest =
fire
season in the history of the They did a job=
that
I’d like to compliment them on, because we only lost one cabin in that
whole fire season and that cabin was not on the map. So any other cabin that
was on the map and located was saved through that firefighting process. So
these resources that we put into these departments are for the safety of our
community. As you can see, as we buy new fleet fire tankers, we renew turno=
ut
gear, we put money into new breathing apparatus — all of those
investments are investments in protecting our community and also, by the wa=
y,
protecting our volunteer firefighters. So when they go out into these situa=
tions,
they have the best equipment that money can buy and that modern technology =
can
supply. Fire Protection in the amount of $278,000
agreed to On Prior Years’ Projects Prior Years’ Projects in the amount=
of
nil cleared On Fire Management Fire Management in the amount of $316,000
agreed to On Emergency Medical Services On Emergency Medical Services Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Chair, can the minister provide a breakdown of th=
is
line item? Hon. Mr. Lang: If you were to=
look at
the budget, you’ve got a $357,000 commitment for planning and design =
for
the new That doesnR=
17;t
mean that the ambulance station as it exists today will be closed. That wil=
l be
used as a satellite ambulance station because, as we all know, we have many
air-evacs going out of the territory. For us to move all the ambulances awa=
y to
a central location on the Two Mile Hill would be unproductive for the use of
the hospital. Plus we see a use for that ambulance facility to accommodate =
the
Riverdale and downtown core area, so we’ll be utilizing that building=
on
into the future, but it will be shrunk down into what it is today. In fact, we=
217;re
also committed to look at and upgrade the mine safety building as a tempora=
ry
station for the ambulances and that should be up and running in the fall.=
span> We are committ=
ing to
put resources into the mine safety building as a temporary ambulance facili=
ty
for the ambulances in the Takhini area. That’s another investment this
government’s going to make in managing a go-forward plan on our ambul=
ance
facility at the top of the Two Mile Hill. There are some
interesting statistics here. The Yukon Emergency Medical Services provides
emergency pre-hospital care and transportation for residents and non-reside=
nts.
In In 2009, Emerg=
ency
Medical Services — these are figures that the department has given me
— responded to 5,033 ambulance calls in the City of That’s w=
here you
can see the importance of having the ambulance facility extended at the act=
ual
hospital. All of these involve ambulances that come back and forth to the
airport. So if you look=
at
that, that’s almost two medevacs a day. That’s either internall=
y in
the When you look =
at the
investment at the new Again, I don=
8217;t
want to diminish the fact that we’re going to maintain ambulance pres=
ence
at the Whitehorse General Hospital to do the hard work it takes to keep our
medevac current and local and the investment we’re going to make as
bridging by working with Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board=
to
lease the mine rescue building to put ambulances closer to the majority of =
our
residents. Mr. Cardiff: I thank the minister for the explanation of the next =
line
item as well, but to stay with this particular one — it’s my
understanding that the $250,000 is for ambulance replacement. My understand=
ing
is that the standard practice is to bring these new ambulances to Hon. Mr. Lang: The ambulance
facilities here are a lot busier than the outlying areas. Certainly, the pl=
an
is to — and this is an internal plan that has nothing to do with me as
minister — replace the smaller vans with cube vans. For whatever
community still has a van, we have access to a cube van. Eventually we have=
all
the facilities with the same kind of ambulance. Of course, that will take t=
ime. Mr. Cardiff: Mr. Chair, I guess the question that arises out of th=
at
is about facilities. We’re talking about changing the size of the
vehicle. The minister will be able to relate to this because these are some=
of
the reasons why he opened the new I don’t =
want to
re-live the past. What I want to do is make sure that appropriate planning =
has
been done in these communities in order for these new modular-style cube van
ambulances to fit into the facilities in the communities that will be recei=
ving
them so that we don’t have the vehicles pulling into the facility and
finding out they don’t fit. Then they have to sit outside or we have =
to
make alternative arrangements. It is my understanding that this has actually
already happened in one community where the vehicle actually fits but it is
really tight and you can’t do the work on the vehicle in the building=
. Can the minist=
er
provide some assurance that adequate facility planning is being undertaken =
in
advance of the deployment of these larger ambulances? I think it is great t=
hat
the communities are getting them. They are getting a better piece of equipm=
ent.
They are able to provide better service, safer service in most instances, to
those communities and to the people who are in need of those services. We n=
eed
to make sure our employees will be safe and the investment in those pieces =
of
equipment is also protected and the facilities are adequate. Hon. Mr. Lang: There are some=
fire
halls or some When this gove=
rnment was
elected, the Certainly this
government has invested in that, but as far as planning on structures and t=
he
equipment that goes in them, I agree with the member opposite. We have to g=
o to
work and make sure when we transfer these kinds of vehicles around that they
are appropriate for the building we’re going to put them in. The fire=
hall
at Emergency Medical Services in the amount =
of
$250,000 agreed to On On Prior Years’ Projects Prior Years’ Projects in the amount=
of
nil cleared Protective Services in the =
amount
of $1,374,000 agreed to On Community Development On Sport and Recreation On Recreation/Community Centres — V=
arious Recreation/Community Centres — Vari=
ous in
the amount of $161,000 cleared On Hon. Mr. Lang: Chair: Any further debate? On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure =
span>On
Recreation Infrastructure Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Mr. Cardiff: I promised earlier in the debate that I would get up =
and
thank the minister and his department for consideration of my community. It=
is
a much-appreciated addition to the community centre in Hon. Mr. Lang: Recreation Infrastructure On Recreation Infrastructure <=
st1:country-region> Recreation Infrastructure On Prior Years’ Projects Prior Years’ Projects in the amount=
of
nil cleared On Property Assessment and Taxation On Rural Electrification and Telephone Pr=
ogram Rural Electrification and Telephone Progr=
am in
the amount of $600,000 agreed to On Domestic Well Program Mr. Cardiff: I would just like to ask the minister whether or not =
any
progress has been made in dealing with municipalities to try to make this
program available within municipalities. I know there are a number of areas=
in
the Yukon, within municipalities, that aren’t serviced by water and s=
ewer
services — piped water and sewer services — and they have to re=
ly
on water delivery. There is a demand for this — I know in the City of
Whitehorse, in my riding of Mount Lorne and in the Member for Lake
Laberge’s riding — as well as other municipalities around the
territory — this has become an issue. I’m just
wondering whether or not any progress has been made in reaching agreements =
with
municipal governments to take this program on as well. Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Chair, loo=
king at
the time this afternoon, I move we report progress. Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Lang that Commi=
ttee
of the Whole report progress. Motion agreed to Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
<=
/span>I
move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair. Chair: It has been moved by Ms. Taylor that the
Speaker do now resume the Chair. Motion agreed to Speaker resumes the Chair Speaker: I will now call the House to order. May =
the
House have a report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole? Chair’s report Mr.
Nordick: Committee of the Whole has consider=
ed
Bill No. 20, First Appropriation Ac=
t,
2010-11, and directed me to report progress. Speaker: You’ve heard the report from the Chair of Committee of =
the
Whole. Are you agreed? Some
Hon. Members: Agreed. =
p>
Speaker: I declare the report carried. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I move that the House do now adjour=
n. Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Hou=
se do
now adjourn. Motion
agreed to Speaker: This House now stands adjourned until The
House adjourned at The followi=
ng
Sessional Paper was filed 10-1-164 Appointments t=
o Major
Boards and Committees, Standing Committee on: Fourteenth Report (dated There are some resources being dire=
cted
toward Carmacks. There will be swimming pool repairs, replacement of boiler
system, hot water heater and pool liner. So there is a substantial investme=
nt
in the community. There are also resources for the skating rink, repair
concrete base, replace rink boards and construct covered walkway to change
rooms. So there is another $180,000. So there is an investment in this budg=
et
on Carmacks. If you were to add both of them up, you would see a substantial
investment by the government. Mr. Chair, I remind the member oppo=
site
that in Carmacks, we work with the municipality on recreation and it is one=
of
their responsibilities. We do help the community of Carmacks and, of course,
they red-flagged the needs they have as a community. We have worked on the
waste-water treatment facility, monitoring well installation at the waste
facility, Tantalus sewer line replacement, Nordenskiold bridge replacement,
Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation water fill station and the rink repair =
and
walkway. We do respect the municipality and their responsibilities and we w=
ill
certainly work with them on any issue they bring forward. Those are some of=
the
projects we’re doing at the moment. It is a very large commitment to =
the
community of Carmacks. As the member opposite knows, we ha=
ve
moved ahead with the plan for replacing the driver’s licence and
identification cards. That’s part and parcel of what we’re doing
here. I respect the member’s questi=
ons,
but later on this afternoon we’ll be debating the bill that this is c=
overing,
so we could maybe discuss that when we’re working through that bill l=
ater
on this afternoon. I’m not quite sure what the M=
ember
for I’m not going to second-guess=
what
is brought up or put into the new M=
unicipal
Act when it is brought forward. We certainly work with our partners, th=
e municipalities,
on any renewal of the Municipal Act=
. Village Mr. Chair, the Department of Commun=
ity
Services is responsible for overseeing the Recreational Investment Canada
program, which is RInC, and it’s a 50-cent dollar, is it not? It depe=
nds
on where the investment is — if it’s in a municipality it’=
;s
under a different structure and so it has triggered an investment at $1.25
million over two years toward upgrading community recreational infrastructu=
re
in I guess in addressing that, Mr. Cha=
ir,
the federal government has been very firm on those dates. I am not here to
speak for the federal government.Yukon This budget line of $861,000 consis=
ts of
giving an overview of it. There is $344,000 for personnel, including salari=
es,
wages and benefits for the fire marshal, two deputy fire marshals and one
financial clerk. There is $507,000 for other. There is $32,000 for travel
— $22,000 in Working with the volunteer fire dep=
artments
through the years as a volunteer, I certainly respect the work they do and =
the
training they go through to have the expertise and do exactly what
they’re doing. Upper Liard. We are working on that and will optimis=
tically,
hopefully, realize a fire department in each one of those communities.Yukon I guess, in addressing the member
opposite on the investments the government makes in any of these kinds of l=
ine
items, where we’re investing in a tanker truck that will be placed in=
the
Marsh Lake fire department, we have to remind the member opposite that it h=
as
to go through the House here and has to be approved. We have steadily, thro=
ugh
this government, replaced infrastructure, whether it’s fire trucks,
ambulances or our bulk hauling trucks. In a perfect world, we’d like =
to replace
them over a 20-year period, so we’re always dealing with fairly new
equipment. Those are financial questions a=
nd
that would be the Minister of Finance who would answer that. We certainly a=
re
aware of the question and would look at it from a favourable point of view,=
but
again we’d have to talk to our federal counterparts on that issue and
that would involve the Minister of Finance. As Minister of Community Servic=
es, I
don’t write letters to the Minister of Finance in Ottawa Again, we are aware of the issue. I=
t is
under occupational health and certainly under another department. I find it amazing that the member
opposite would carry on with this level of questioning when he didn’t
even ask the appropriate department that could actually answer his question=
. Is
the member very serious about this? Would it not be appropriate to ask the
department that could do something about this? We are aware of the issue. The depa=
rtment
has brought up expertise to speak on that issue. We would not be the lead on
changing legislation on this issue. We are aware of it. We have resourced
individuals to come up and talk to our volunteer fire departments and work =
with
our fire marshal, but I recommend to everyone in the House to talk to the a=
ppropriate
department on these kinds of issues. Yes. In general, the $14,156,000 co=
vers
FireSmart at $1 million; pre-suppression costs at $6.71 million; suppression
costs at $6.45 million; and there’s a personnel cost of over $5 milli=
on,
which includes salaries, wages, and benefits for a staff of 62.26 full-time
employees. A breakdown of the O&M budget of
$6.913 million consists of the following: $4.667 million for personnel,
including salaries, wages and benefits for a director and 57 full-time
employees; $2,136,000 for other, which includes $100,000 for travel, $97,00=
0 in
the Yukon and $3,000 outside the Yukon; $1,393,000 for honoraria for volunt=
eer Again, it’s another departmen=
t, but
I will tell the member opposite that I don’t have the individuals here
who could answer that question at the moment, but I’m led to believe =
that
Highways and Public Works has been working with the Mount Lorne association=
and
the president of the association to address this issue. I can’t say t=
oday
whether the sign is up or not. I guess in answering the member opp=
osite,
I should go through the breakdown so he can understand what the $21 million
consists of. There is $586,000 for personnel including salaries, wages and
benefits for our director and a staff of 4.5 full-time employees. The budget line of Public Libraries=
is
$1,795,000. It consists of $1,206,000 for personnel, including salaries and
benefits for a director and a staff of 16.16 full-time employees. There is
$240,000 for other; $20,000 for travel — $16,000 of that in Boards and council highlights for t=
his
year’s 2010-11 O&M budget of $118,000 consists of the following:
$48,000 for personnel, including salaries and ben=
efits
for one In answering the member opposite=
217;s
question on the motor vehicle line here, the O&M budget is $1,370,000 a=
nd
consists of $1,025,000 for personnel, including salaries and benefits for
managers and staff. This encompasses 13 full-time employees; $340,000 for o=
ther;
$11,000 for travel — $6,000 of that inside the Yukon? To date, the only advantage of an enhan=
ced
driver’s licence is in providing an option to a passport when crossing
the Canada/United States borders by land or sea. A secure driver’s li=
cence
is much less expensive to produce, it is expected to be accepted everywhere
that secure cards from other jurisdictions are accepted, it does not requir=
e Yukoners
to give personal information to U.S. Border authorities and it can be produ=
ced
right here in Yukon. In the future, the We are in discussions with the
Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board to do just that. I̵=
7;m
pleased to see that the member opposite had the opportunity to read this You need more than a job to start work=
booklet. This was a student and parent guide. I wasn’t available to g=
o to
the introduction of the booklet yesterday, but the Minister of Health and
Social Services was there, and it was very well received. As we look at this investment we ha=
ve,
this is major facility maintenance at $98,000. It consists of two projects:
$49,000 for ongoing maintenance of fire hall structures and the systems wit=
hin
or attached to the structure, and another $49,000 to install automatic exha=
ust
extraction equipment in a community fire hall. This investment is based on an inve=
stment
in the We reassess these on a yearly basis=
. The
issues the member opposite has brought up are a priority not only for our
government, but also for the volunteer fire departments. As we move into us=
ing
our fire halls as emergency areas for the population, we understand the
importance of putting a form of generation into those. You’re correct,
some have and some don’t, but we will be working with all these fire
departments as we go through and work on the priorities that are brought
forward to the government. We understand the situation that some fire halls
find themselves in, but we’ll work with those fire halls and modernize
the equipment, and try to address some of their needs as we move through the
management of the fire halls. Certainly, some of our capital proj=
ects
are looking at a three-year projection and you will see that in our financi=
al
document. But some of the investments we’re making on a yearly basis,
because we work with the volunteer fire departments and community clubs and
prioritize what their needs are, to move forward.=
For the question the member opp=
osite
has just put on the floor, we do a constant inventory of needs in our
communities. Certainly through the consultation with the volunteer fire
departments — they of course are partners in this — we address =
and
modernize as we move forward and as we have the resources to do it. So it i=
s a
constant job in progress. Certainly that would be addressed i=
n our
inventory that we do on a yearly basis and also a projection of what the ne=
eds
are. The responsibility we have as a government is to come to the House to =
get
spending approval. In the breakdown of these resou=
rces
for Emergency Medical Services is a $670,000 figure. This consists of two
projects: $250,000 for an ambulance replacement — in other words, an
annual commitment that this government has made to upgrade the equipment we
have on the ground; and $357,000 for the planning and design of a new . As you can see by these statistics, thi=
s is a
very busy department, or part of our department, and the investments
we’ve put on the ground will enhance what this The member opposite is correct. We =
do
bring them into the larger centre here in I agree with the member opposite.
There’s no point in buying a new piece of equipment if you can’t
house it. Those are the questions we have to answer as we move this new
equipment around the territory. We have a commitment of $1 million =
a year
to the Dawson City Recreation Centre, which is a five-year commitment. We=
8217;re
working with the municipality now to do a plan on how the investment could =
be
better spent. We can look at a long-term plan of how we, in partnership with
the First Nation and the municipality, will replace the existing building. =
The
existing building is not structurally sound. Certainly, we have made the
commitment now to move forward in partnership with the city and the First
Nation to replace that building as we move forward in the coming years.Mount I would like to thank the member
opposite. It is a pleasure to work with the We did amend the Municipal Act so that they have the flexibility to invest in th=
is
kind of an investment. We haven’t had any buy-in from the municipalit=
ies
on this issue. They are the taxing government in these communities so, with=
out
their buy-in, it would be impossible for us to do it, but we did amend the =
Municipal Act to do just that.
|
&n=
bsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; HANSARD &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp;
|