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Speaker: I will now call the House to order. We will proceed at this t= ime with prayers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In remembrance of Richard Kerr
Hon.
Mr.
Richard Neil Kerr was born on
After graduation, Richard found com=
merce at
UBC just wasn’t his thing, so he returned to
Richard was a valued and respected =
member
of the Yukon Electrical team. His 25-year long-service award was given to h=
im
on
During Richard’s time in
Richard and Dina were married in =
span>
In May 2006, Richard was diagnosed = with colon cancer at the age of 37. A battle with that terri= ble disease ensued that could only have been waged by a man of Richard’s strength and courage. In February of this year, Richard and Dina were told that the cancer had spread to his liver, and he fought on for almost t= wo months, surrounding himself with close friends and family, until March 27 w= hen he passed away.
Hundreds of people helped celebrate Richard’s life this past weekend, which reflected the admiration so m= any had for him. Richard’s memory will live on, as he is the star of so m= any stories that so many of us have. These stories will be told and shared at campfires and get-togethers throughout the territory and will be accompanie= d by smiles and laughter, just as Richard would have wanted it.
Some were shared on Saturday, with =
one in
particular that can’t be shared here today, but will make RichardR=
17;s
celebration of life the most memorable any of us have ever attended, and a
special thank you to Mark Kelly for that particular story he shared.
Richard embraced life in the
I’d like to ask members of th= e House to join me in welcoming Dina and William and a number of Richard’s friends, colleagues and family here to the gallery today.
I should also make special mention = of my mom, Helen Kent, who has also joined us here today. I’d ask all members at this time to join me in welcoming them.
Applause
In recognition of Earth Day
Hon. Mr. Dixon: I rise today on behalf of the Gover= nment caucus as well as the Independent member to pay tribute to Earth Day, which= is observed every year on April 22. Earth Day provides us with an opportunity = to learn more about the simple initiatives that we can help incorporate into o= ur daily routines to help keep our environment clean, healthy and safe. While Environment Yukon often takes the lead role on environmental issues, it is important to note that all departments of Government of Yukon have a role to play.
The Government of Yukon recognizes =
the
importance of a healthy environment to us all and the environment is one of=
the
four pillars that are the foundation of our mandate. Our vision for managing
and protecting
As
I know that many
The original Earth Day was in 1970.= It was an American event that became a worldwide success because of the spontaneous grassroots response it generated. Some cite Earth Day events as the starting point for environmental concepts that are now part of our daily lives ̵= 2; recycling, clean energy, clean water and climate change.
According to the Earth Day Network,= more than one billion people consistently participate in Earth Day activities ea= ch year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Activities help = to inform and energize populations so they will act to secure a healthy future= for themselves and their children.
Last year in my tribute to Earth Da= y, I focused on many of the climate change-related activities the Government of Yukon was engaged in. For the latest on what is happening, I would encourage members to review the climate change action plan progress report. There is indeed a lot of activity going on.
This year, I’d like to focus =
on the
work now underway to craft a
It will formalize the
While it is premature to say exactl=
y which
policies or actions will arise from the
The deadline for comments on the dr=
aft
I’d like to conclude my remar= ks by noting that Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on and be proud of = what we’ve accomplished and to think about how we can all continue to work= to protect our environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Ms.
White:=
8195; I rise on behal=
f of the
Official Opposition to pay tribute to Earth Day. Today, across the globe,
individuals, communities, organizations and governments acknowledge this
amazing planet we call home and pledge to take action to protect it. More t=
han
one billion people around the world will take part in the 43rd
anniversary of Earth Day, from
Earth Day is an opportunity to educ= ate, to discuss and to organize. It provides us a very unique chance to share with = each other our appreciation for the Earth. We believe we must use this celebrati= on to make an impact and it must be more than words.
The focus of this year’s Eart=
h Day is
climate change. For many, climate change can often seem remote and hazy, li=
ke a
sci-fi film on the big screen, a movie that ends in an environmental apocal=
ypse
that somehow a hardy few survive. They learn their lessons and start a new,
more responsible world. For them, it’s a vague and complex problem so=
far
off in the distance that it hardly seems real. For them it rings of =
Many of these people are still fort= unate enough to be insulated from the direct and mounting consequences of climate change. The closer you live to the equator, for example, the less likely you are to feel the very real effects of climate change.
Climate change has very real effect=
s on
people, animals and the ecosystems and natural resources on which we all de=
pend.
The people of the world who live in the far north or the far south have been
facing the reality of climate change for many years. The
Climate change has many faces. It=
8217;s
the man in
Mr. Speaker, we mustn’t forge= t the faces of those who cannot speak: the polar bear struggling to survive in the melting Arctic; the Bengal tiger in India’s threatened mangrove fores= ts; the right whale in plankton-poor parts of the warming North Atlantic; the orangutan in Indonesian forests segmented by more frequent bush fires and droughts; and the animals everywhere that are facing increased pressures fr= om human development and loss of habitat.
But we are not without hope, Mr. Sp= eaker, for there are other faces of climate change that are also multiplying every day. The hopeful faces of climate change are the people who do their part to address and fix the problem: the entrepreneurs who see opportunity and valu= e in creating a green economy; the engineers who design the clean technology of = the future; the public servants who fight for climate change laws and for mitig= ation efforts; the activists who organize community action and awareness campaigns that encourage us to look toward conservation and renewable energy in the future; the ordinary people who commit to live sustain= ably; the families who make recycling part of their daily lives; and the educators who teach us that there can be a different, better way to live.
Mr. Speaker, we as the human race m= ust stop confusing our ability to change the world around us as permission to do so.= We need to slow down and consider the consequences of our actions.
We have reached a critical time in =
history
when the governmental systems of checks and balances that we relied on for
environmental protection have been eroded, where no one appears to be watch=
ing
what we are doing, and no one is stopping us.
Now, more than ever before, governm= ents have a responsibility for environmental stewardship and thinking of the wor= ld they wish to leave behind as their legacy. As leaders, we are called upon to act boldly together, to reinstate and create new laws that will leave the E= arth a better place. We look to each other to be shining examples of the change = we want to see, and we commit to doing better. Thank you.
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I rise today on=
behalf
of the Liberal caucus to tribute and mark the 43rd Earth Day, 20=
13.
Originally launched on
Earth Day is a chance to celebrate = all that we have and provides us with occasions to learn more about the actions that= we can take in our daily lives to ensure that we can all enjoy a clean and hea= lthy environment for generations to come.
As Yukoners, we have a lot to celeb=
rate in
our environment. Whether we ski, canoe, skate, hike, camp, or merely take
pictures, there is a lot to be thankful for. The
Today we would like to acknowledge =
the City
of Saskatchewan
We are pleased to recognize Earth D= ay. Living in a healthy, beautiful territory is something that we are fortunate= to enjoy and hope to pass on to future generations. By working together and getting involved in projects in our communities, this is something that we = can accomplish both on Earth Day and every day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.<= /p>
In recognition of National Victi= ms of Crime Awareness Week
Hon.
Mr. Nixon: I rise today to pay tribute to the =
National
Victims of Crime Awareness Week taking place across
This year’s theme, “We = All Have a Role”, highlights the role we all play in ensuring that victims rec= eive the support, understanding and information they need during the difficult t= ime that follows a crime.
It’s important that we have a=
support
system in place for victims that includes govern=
ments,
First Nations, police, the justice and legal systems, health care providers,
community organizations, volunteers, friends and family.
In honour of this year’s them= e, I’d like to highlight a number of examples of collaborative approaches and coordinated delivery of services that are aimed at improving responses = to victims of crime.
The creation of the Victims of C=
rime
Strategy in 2009 and its implementation have been a collaborative proce=
ss
from the beginning. It has been guided by an implementation advisory commit=
tee
made up of representatives from government, communities, women’s grou=
ps,
First Nations and the RCMP.
Implementing the recommendations fr= om Sharing Common Ground was another inherently collaborative process, where many different types of organizations have played a role in making changes that = are beginning to have major impacts for victims of crime. The inter-agency dome= stic violence and sexual assault framework committee was created to provide a mo= re consistent, effective, coordinated and informed response to victims of dome= stic and sexualized assault.
Another important collaborative ini=
tiative
that is having an impact for victims of sexual assault is the
The final example I’d like to
highlight is our recent partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child
Protection. This partnership is aimed at educating parents and children abo=
ut
Internet safety to prevent children from becoming the victims of on-line ab=
use.
The successes of these collaborative projects show that when we all play a role in investing in a common goal, we help to ensure that victims receive the support and services they require w= hen they need it most.
To recognize National Victims of Cr= ime Awareness Week, Victim Services will be hosting a victi= ms forum on May 1. The forum will be an opportunity for victims to share their experiences and network with each other and service providers. This interac= tive day will highlight the accomplishments to date that have enhanced victim-centred approaches in service delivery. The forum will also be an opportunity for service providers to reflect on their role and learn first-= hand about the experience of victims within the justice system.
To everyone who is involved in the challenging but rewarding work of supporting victims through their journey,= I would like to thank you and encourage you to keep up that great work. When = we all play a role, the impact on victims is immeasurable.
Ms. Moorcroft: I rise on behalf of the Opposition parties in tribute to National Victims of Crime Awareness Week. The goal of victims week is to r= aise awareness about issues facing victims of crime and the services, programs a= nd laws in place to help victims and their families.
There has been a change over the ye= ars, in that National Victims of Crime Awareness Week draws our attention to suppor= ts for victims. It is still a concern when victims are shamed and blamed for o= ther people’s violence.
I would like to focus this tribute =
on women
and violence. One in four women in Canada
Mr. Speaker, we live in a wonderful territory, but there is always room for improvement. Let us pay tribute to = the National Victims of Crime Awareness Week by making everyone aware of the services in the community for all victims of crime and by doing everything = we can to provide the supports people need: food and shelter; training and employment; and, of course, safety for all members of society. We do indeed= all have a role. Thank you.
Speaker: Introduction of visitors.
INTRODUCTION OF VISITO=
RS
Ms. White:<= /b> I ask the House= to help me in welcoming Ms. Colleen O’Brien’s grade-4/5 all-girls fit c= lass as well as educational assistants Judith Forrest and Gail Kabanak. Thank you for coming.
Applause
Speaker: Following Question Period, the class will be going over to the members’ lounge, and I encourage any member who is available to come = over and meet the kids.
Are there any other visitors?
Are there any returns or documents = for tabling?
TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS
Hon. Mr. Graham:=
8195; On April 16, in
response to a question from the Member for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes regar=
ding
artwork in the
Speaker: Are there any other returns or documents for tabling? =
Are there any reports of committees= ?
Are there any petitions to be prese= nted?
PETITIONS
Petition No. 11
Ms. Moorcroft: I have for pres= entation a petition to the Yukon Legislative Assembly which shows that national abor= iginal organizations’ leaders from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, the Assembly of First Nations of Canada, the Métis National = Council, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatam= i, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and premiers and aboriginal affairs ministers at a federal-provincial-territorial meeting in Winnipeg in April, 2013, have called for a national public inquiry into missing and murdered a= boriginal women and girls. Therefore, the undersigned ask the Yukon Legislative Assem= bly to urge the Government of Canada to hold a national public inquiry into mis= sing and murdered aboriginal women and girls and consult with the provinces, territories and national aboriginal organizations on the terms of reference= of that national public inquiry.
There are at this time 23 signature= s on the petition.
Speaker: Are there any other petitions to be presented?
Are there any bills to be introduce= d?
Are there any notices of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms. McLeod: I give notice of the following moti= on:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to build upon the Yukon Party’s commitment to implement the Victims of Crime Act by: = p>
(1) reviewing=
span>
(2) continuing<=
/span> to
partner with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to bring awareness to
resources available to assist victims of crime through the www.needhelpnow.ca website.<=
/p>
I further give notice of the follow=
ing
motion: THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon to work with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to co=
ntinue
to implement an agreement that funds climate change adaptation projects in =
Mr.
Hassard: I give notice of the following moti=
on: THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon to continue to fund climate change research taking place at Yukon
College, as well as youth engagement on climate change. Ms.
Moorcroft: I give notice o=
f the
following motion: THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Canada to (1) hold=
a
national public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girl=
s: (i) as called for in the April 17, 2013, statement iss=
ued by
premiers and aboriginal affairs ministers from nine of Canada’s provi=
nces,
Northwest Territories and Nunavut, issued after they met in Winnipeg as the
Aboriginal Affairs Working Group (AAWG) ; and (ii) in
solidarity with national aboriginal organizations’ leaders from the
Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, the Inuit
(2) consult with the provinces, territories and national aboriginal organizations on the ter= ms of reference of the national public inquiry.
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to restore confidence and public trust in regional land use planning,= as established under constitutionally protected Yukon First Nation final agreements by committing to work with Yukon First Nation governments and the Yukon Land Use Planning Council to establish a schedule for completion of l= and use plans in Yukon.
Ms. White:= 8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon to endorse the Earth Day Network’s Earth Day Proclamation, which
calls for
(1) to encourage its residents, bus= inesses and institutions to use Earth Day to celebrate the Earth and commit to buil= ding a sustainable and green economy; and
(2) to s=
upport
green economy initiatives in
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon to invite as witnesses, in Committee of the Whole during the 2013 spr=
ing
sitting, officials from the Yukon Hospital Corporation and officials from t=
he
Yukon Development Corporation.
Mr. Elias:= 8195; I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Canada to hold a national public inquiry into missing and murdered aborigin= al women and girls, as called for in an April 17, 2013, statement issued by ni= ne provincial premiers, three of whom also hold aboriginal affairs portfolios;= and
THAT this House urges the YukonR= 17;s Premier to publicly endorse and express support for the statement of April = 17, 2013, and its recommendation for the Government of Canada to hold a national public inquiry; and
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to join and actively participate in the inquiry process and contribut= e resources as needed.
Speaker: Is there a statement by a minister?
This brings us to Question Period.<= /span>
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re:
Land use planning
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Land use planni=
ng is a
cornerstone of Yukon First Nation final agreements. The
In a strongly worded letter to the = parties of the Peel land use plan, the Yukon Land Use Planning Council said, and I quote: “…regional land use planning program is in trouble. A nu= mber of negative precedents may have been set that undermine the trust and public confidence required to sustain an effective land use planning program.̶= 1;
This is not news to this side of th= e House, to the public, nor to First Nation governments. What is the Premier doing to rebuild the trust and public confidence required to sustain an effective la= nd use planning process?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: This Yukon Party is very loud and p=
roud
of the accomplishments that it has made going forward in terms of identifyi=
ng
protected land in the territory. In fact, 12.68 percent of
Both the Liberals and the NDP have = been in power since the Umbrella Final Agreement came into place 20 years ag= o. The NDP and the Liberals accomplished no land use plans. This is the only p= arty that accomplished land use plans. We’re proud of that. We continue to move forward.
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; If the Premier =
looks,
he’ll find that it wasn’t he who created those special manageme=
nt
areas. It was the final agreements. The Yukon Land Use Planning Council
confirmed what many have already said. The Yukon Party government’s u=
nilateral
introduction of eight new principles after the final Peel land use plan was
recommended was not helpful and jeopardized the work already done by the
commission, by Yukon First Nation governments, by government staff and
So will the Premier explain to this=
House
how Yukon First Nation governments could have any confidence in the land use
planning process in which the
Hon. Mr. Cathers: First of all, I’d like to not= e with the letter we received from the former chair of the Yukon Land Use Planning= Council. That individual was at the end of his term and was not reappointed by the federal government to that position. He provided us with a letter reflecting his viewpoint. We’ll certainly look through that and give it consider= ation for where there may be ideas that are of use. I do have to point out that t= here are some statements in that letter that are not factually correct and which= the government cannot accept, including his characterization at the end of the first page of that letter that whether government follows the Umbrella Final Agreement or not is largely irrelevant. That is absolutely incorrect in government’s viewpoint.
We have followed the Umbrella Final Agreement process. We will continue to do so. But
really, the Leader of the Official Opposition, the NDP member, should give
consideration to her own role and contribution to the public debate. The
NDP’s contributions have often not been factual and certainly lead to=
a
polarization of debate, which really is not in the best interests of
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; It is unfortuna=
te this
government continues to attack citizens who are appointed by governments to=
represent
all of us. The letter from the Land Use Planning Council continues by noting
that the introduction of modifications to the Peel land use plan prior to p=
ublic
consultation is, and I quote: “inconsistent with the spirit and inten=
t of
the land claim agreement”. The council also said that this action by =
the
Yukon Party government muddies the consultation process. The council then n=
oted
that this behaviour, and I quote: “undermi=
nes
the government effort to demonstrate that the
These are serious allegations.
Mr. Speaker, this government is und=
ermining
final agreements; they are undermining confidence in land use planning, and
they are creating economic uncertainty. When will the Premier show real
leadership and get the
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, again I have to point = out to the member that, as the Premier noted in his response, the NDP and the Libe= rals both had time in office in the 20 some years since the Umbrella Final Agreement was signed. Neither ever did even a si= ngle regional land use plan. It is only the Yukon Party that has completed one process with our First Nation partners, has another almost completed and another underway.
This type of polarizing rhetoric we= hear from the NDP does not contribute to a good public understanding of what the process is, what has occurred and what is required to occur. Really, the me= mber needs to look only to her own rhetoric to understand that the NDP’s contribution to the public debate, since the election of the Member for Whitehorse Centre as leader, has been entirely negative and rarely factual.=
Mr. Speaker, this government will r=
eview
the letter from the former chair of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council.
We will give it reflective consider= ation. He has provided his viewpoints on the process and his thoughts, and we̵= 7;ll give that consideration. If there are ideas in there that are useful to government and our planning partners, of course we will incorporate those in future planning processes.
Question re: Education
employees making public statements
Mr.
Tredger:=
If an education=
al
policy or plan is going to work effectively, it makes sense to listen to the
people who spend 10 months a year in our schools with our children. Teachers
and staff have a lot of knowledge and experience that needs to be at the
forefront of decision-making in education. The Yukon Party government’=
;s
mishandling of the F.H. Collins replacement project, the same-sex policy at=
Why does the Yukon Party government= think that the best way to handle controversy is to stifle voices and silence tea= chers?
Hon.
Mr.
Further changes are being made to t= hem based on input that has been received from the Yukon Teachers Association a= nd others. Really, the purpose of those guidelines is to provide Yukon Educati= on employees with the direction and guidance they need when they make public statements about education-related issues.
Mr.
Tredger:=
This new policy=
is more
restrictive than previous policies, and the timing will muzzle and silence
those with different perspectives than the government on a number on
controversial issues. The policy states, “
Hon.
Mr.
So again, we hear often, particular= ly from the Member for Takhini-Kopper King, about the power of words in this House,= so I think the most important word that has to be associated with this documen= t is “draft”.
Mr. Tredger:= I thank the min= ister for his answer. Good decision-making requires open and accountable communic= ation. There is cause for concern. This policy goes above and beyond previous policies, and the timing seems intended to muzzle and silence teachers who = have built relationships in the community and have valuable perspectives on what= works for our children. School staff members are important partners, and their viewpoints must be heard.
Muzzling public servants is not the
reasonable course of action, but it is par for the course from a government
that has become the most secretive in
Will this government show some resp= ect for Education employees, drop this insulting draft policy and promise that they will not bring in across-the-board gag orders for the larger public service= ?
Hon.
Mr.
I have said that these guidelines a= re in draft form. There has been consultation with the Yukon Teachers Association. Further changes are being contemplated based on those discussions with the Yukon Teachers Association and others. We’re looking to provide guida= nce to Yukon Education employees with what they need when they make public statements about education-related issues. That’s why we’ve tak= en these draft guidelines out to the Yukon Teachers Association and others. Of course the Yukon Teachers Association is representative of all of our teach= ers.
Question re:=
8195; Internet service reliability
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; Mr. Speaker, on= e issue that was highlighted in last year’s budget speech was the reliability= or unreliability of our Internet service. At the time, the Premier said, and I quote: “…broadband capacity could be improved and there is no r= edundancy.”
This is an issue that the Liberal c= aucus has highlighted as well.
Despite the Premier’s lofty b=
udget
pronouncements, there was no funding to actually improve broadband capacity=
.
Last fall, I asked the Minister of =
Economic
Development what his government was going to do to address this issue. At t=
hat
time, he said it was a private sector problem and really had nothing to do =
with
the government. Earlier this year, the minister changed his opinion. At a
luncheon, he announced the government would be funding a bankable feasibili=
ty
study to examine an alternate fibre optic link to
How much money has been set aside, = and when will this feasibility study be completed?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: I thank the member opposite for the question. It’s a valuable one and certainly one that has been brought= to my attention by a number in the business community, as well as a number of industry organizations like the Yukon Chamber of Commerce and the Yukon Information Technology and Industry Society. In this budget the member will= see — as I’m sure we will get into when we debate the budget in Committee of the Whole — a number of funding mechanisms that have been made available to that particular industry and to that particular project.<= /span>
With regard to the announcements I =
made at
the chamber lunch, we committed to a series of actions that are going to he=
lp
us move forward with telecommunications development in the territory. We ha=
ve
undertaken a number of those actions already, like providing annual core
funding to YITIS, the Yukon Information Technology and Industry Society, as
well as working with them to implement the recommendations in their sector
study. We’re working collaboratively with the private sector. We̵=
7;re
engaged in a number of processes with Northwestel through the CRTC, and we
remain engaged with a number of other private sector components to advance =
telecommunications
infrastructure and programming services in the territory.
The key point here I’d like t= o make is that we understand that telecommunications are important to northerners, an= d to Yukoners specifically, and we’re working hard to advance that infrast= ructure.
Mr.
Silver: I app=
reciate
the minister’s answers, and I also appreciate his enthusiasm about th=
is
project. I wish there was more enthusiasm. Improvements to our broadband
capacity are essential in improving our small business competitiveness. This
was one of the main findings of a study conducted last year by
We know the cost of fixing the redu= ndancy issue is upward of $15 million. It won’t happen without significant contributions from this government and from the private sector. Is the government prepared to make that investment?
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: I would point out to the member opp=
osite
that I was elected in the fall of 2011, the same year as he was. He also no=
tes
and characterized my speaking notes from the lunch event. I found it a bit
humorous because of course he wasn’t there, so he obviously didn̵=
7;t
find it enough of a priority to join the
Now, I have clearly made this a pri= ority for the Department of Economic Development. We have created a specific directorate within the Department of Economic Development, particularly for= the advancement of technology and telecommunications infrastructure.
As well, as he has noted, we’=
ve
indicated that we’d like to conduct a feasibility study of the possib=
ility
of a redundant fibre optic line to the south through
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I’d like = to point out to the member opposite that there is only one of me. I can’t be everywhere. I’m going to keep it to the topic here.
It’s too bad that the governm=
ent had
to bail out the Hospital Corporation to the tune of $27 million. Some of th=
at
money could have come to support the continuing growth of the IT sector =
212;
the private sector. It could have been used to address the redundancy issues
that the government itself identified as a concern a year ago. It could have
been used to improve broadband services.
At this point, the government has a=
t least
committed to spending $200,000 for a feasibility study, and that is a posit=
ive
development. Again, this project is never going to happen without a signifi=
cant
investment from the
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: You know, technol= ogy changes as we move along and, as the member opposite was referring to, 10 y= ears — I remember the first computer that I bought had a hard drive that h= ad 40 megabytes, and I never thought that I would ever fill that up, so things certainly do change as we move along.
I think the reality is that what
we’re talking about is a strong economy and that’s because of t=
he
10 years that this government has been in place. There is the opportunity t=
o diversify
the economy and to have identified such things as a knowledge network, which
the Minister of Economic Development has done an incredible job on in leadi=
ng
us forward. Yes, we still have challenges. We talk about capacity and speed=
and
the costs as well for telecommunications and redundancy. This goes along wi=
th
the challenges and the opportunities we have on the infrastructure side of =
it,
as well as in transportation, and we also continue to focus on issues like =
education
and health. Why? Because we have a growing economy and we have a growing
population because this government continues to deliver with strong financi=
al
results, and we’re moving this territory forward for all Yukoners.
Question re:
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Last fall, the =
Minister
of Health and Social Services told Yukoners that his department had reached=
a
decision with Yukon Hospital Corporation regarding the model of care for =
span>
Can the minister tell this House if=
the
Yukon Party government has reversed its decision about
Hon.
Mr. Graham: First of all, the member opposite s=
eems
to believe that if you have a hospital in a community — an acute care
hospital in a community — it’s therefore impossible to have a
collaborative care clinic, and that’s simply not the way it is.
In the City of
The idea that an acute care facilit= y cannot coexist with collaborative clinics is incorrect in the first instance.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; The government =
was
adamant last fall that it would not change its decision. Now it seems it ma=
y be
contemplating collaborative care clinics also in these communities. The
characteristic of decision-making on these hospitals all along has been this
repeated flip-flop. The final tally the public will pay has yet to be
calculated. Yukoners only know that costs are going up and up. Open,
transparent planning based on real needs and capacities of
Will the minister provide an update=
for
this House on some important items: an opening date of the
Hon. Mr. Graham: Once again, I have to wonder if the member opposite listened to what I had to say. Collaborative care clinics h= ave been a priority of this government, but they’re not mutually exclusiv= e. The fact that we have an acute care facility in a community does not negate= the fact that we can also have a collaborative care clinic.
The reason the Premier and I have c=
alled
both the
Question re: Energy suppl=
y and
demand
Ms.
White:=
8195; “Transition” means shif=
t,
change, evolution, conversion. It implies a destination, a target, a long-t=
erm
goal that is different from fossil fuels. When Yukon Energy Corporation
released its LNG Transition Option — Background Paper, many Yu=
koners
were actively participating in energy charettes. The assumption was that =
span>
Yukoners have now learned that the = Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources has a very different view when he told this House, and I quote, “Transition fuel is the Yukon Energy Corporation phrasing. I think a better choice of words would be to refer to it as a rep= lacement for the role that diesel has played in the system.”
Will the minister confirm that his =
vision
of
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I know the Member for Takhini-Koppe=
r King
is very fixated on wind, as we’ve heard on a number of occasions in t=
his
House. I will remind the member and all Yukoners of the commitments that go=
vernment
made and the statements we made in the 2011 election campaign where we
expressed our commitment to the long-term development of hydro resources. T=
hose
do take a significant amount of time though, as the member does not appear =
to
realize. For large scale hydro, the engineering process and the permitting
process is years in the making. Again, what I said in the House that the me=
mber
has taken out of context is the fact that I think a better characterization=
of
the role of liquefied natural gas would be replacement for diesel’s r=
ole
in the system.
There has for quite some time ̵= 2; for decades — been diesel generation as part of the system, but based on = the information — not only our view of information but what is happening = in other Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions — liquefied natural gas is being used as an alternative for new energy generations because, according to the U.S. energy information administration, new natural gas-fired plants are al= so much cheaper to build than new renewable or nuclear plants.
Ms. White:= 8195; Replacement mea= ns “substitute”, or “to take the place of”. Contrary to many of the goals of the energy strategy that he signed off on, this minister is substituting one fo= ssil fuel for another. In saying liquefied natural gas burns cleaner, the minist= er conveniently ignores its full cycle life costs. The minister refuses to fac= tor in the environmental costs of the extraction and transportation of liquefied natural gas: impacts on water and impacts on the air through a variety of emissions. These are costs that the minister externalizes: “Someone e= lse will pay and some other generation will pay.”
Today is Earth Day, and we believe = that the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources should explain how liquefied natural gas is better than renewable energies on an environmental basis. Will the minister reconsider his commitment to LNG and honour the energy strategy he signed by making Watson Lake the community where he can, “support and demonstrate renewable energy projects in communities off the electrical gri= d to reduce diesel use”?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Again, I’ll give the Member f=
or
Takhini-Kopper King credit that, unlike her leader, she’s not engagin=
g in
this in such an aggressive manner in her language or using such polarizing
terms. The fact that she has her facts wrong in coming to this House is not
helpful.
The community of
It’s not this government or I=
saying
liquefied natural gas is a choice worth looking at as a replacement for die=
sel.
It really reflects what is going on in
Speaker: The member’s time has elapsed.
Ms.
White:=
8195; What I’m =
looking
for here is political will, direction and leadership. There are environment=
al
impacts the minister is ignoring in supporting liquefied natural gas.
There are issues on the economic si= de too. The minister has yet to demonstrate that he is making fiscally responsible energy decisions. In directing that the fossil fuel LNG replace diesel, the minister has not spoken to the harmful impact volatile commodity prices can have on our economy. Further, the minister has stood up in this House and d= emonstrated that he does not have the latest information about the actual economic feasibility of renewable energies. He cannot make the case of liquefied nat= ural gas based on a comparative cost-benefit analysis with other options because= he is not looking at other options.
Will the minister admit that he nev=
er
seriously considered any renewable options to replace the reliance on diesel
for
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: What we just saw is the Member for
Takhini-Kopper King be presented with the facts =
and
yet asking her final questions without reflecting on those facts. It is not=
the
Perhaps the member will hear it thi=
s time.
They are proposing to take their existing generation facility, mix in the u=
se
of liquefied natural gas with diesel as a bi-fuel option in one of their
existing generation units. They believe it is a cheaper alternative. It is =
not
just the
I would point out that for the Casi= no project — that company also believes liquefied natural gas is a cheap= er source and there are other mines, both operating and in the process of brin= ging forward their mine project in the development stage, that are looking at liquefied natural gas instead of diesel because they believe it is a cheape= r, more cost-effective option and because they believe that it is cheaper than renewable energies like the member’s preferred option of wind, which,= quite frankly, is not the best option in some cases. But it is something that we = will continue to look at.
Speaker: Order please. The member’s time has elapsed.
The time for Question Period has now elapsed.
We will proceed with Orders of the = Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Hon. Mr. Cathers:&= #8195; Mr. Speaker, I = move that the Speaker do now leave 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
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE=
Chair (Ms. McLeod): Order. Committee = of the Whole will now come to order. The matter before the Committee is Vote 51, Department of Community Services, in Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Ac= t, 2013-14.
Would members like to take a break?=
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order. Committee of the Whole will now come to order.<= /p>
Bill No. 10: First Appropriat=
ion Act,
2013-14 — continued
Chair: The matter before the Committee is Vote 51, Department of Com= munity Services, in Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2= 013-14.
Department of Community Services=
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d l= ike to thank our officials from the Department of Community Services for joining us here this afternoon in today’s debate, and I would like to thank the members of the Legislature for the opportunity to speak to our department’s budget for 2013-14.
I also want to extend a large thank= you to each and every official within the Department of Community Services for the= ir hard work and commitment on behalf of Yukon citizens toward healthy, sustainable communities — vibrant, healthy, sustainable communities in the territory. I have held this portfolio for just over a year — a ye= ar and some — and it never ceases to amaze me all that is encompassed in this very department, which is very important and touches upon the lives of each and every citizen of this territory.
That said, the department’s m= ain estimates include just over $93 million in capital expenditures and just sh= y of $76 million in operation and maintenance expenditures.
As I mentioned, the Department of C=
ommunity
Services continues to play a very important role in helping the
Within this budget is some very pos=
itive
news for
In Mayo, we remain committed to wor=
king
toward a permanent engineered solution for winter flood control and we̵=
7;re
working to do just that with our partners that include Yukon Energy,
We have also allocated $165,000 to =
donate
another building lot in phase 2 of the Whistle Bend subdivision for Habitat=
for
Humanity Yukon, whose work helps
We have also included within this
year’s budget $3.6 million for the construction of a new fire hall in=
the
community of Beaver Creek that will better meet the needs of the local fire
department, also inclusive of emergency medical services as well as search =
and
rescue teams. We have allocated $6 million for the construction of the Our commitment to supporting Team <=
/span> To increase participation and acces=
s to
sport in the territory, we’re continuing our sport bilateral agreement
with the Government of Canada — again in support of the efforts of lo=
cal
sport organizations and communities. The new bilateral agreement is an
extension of the sport funding program that has been in place since 2003.
Throughout each of these agreements, approximately $4 million in shared fun=
ding
has helped to improve the athlete, coach and official development and is
helping to increase participation by rural, aboriginal, youth, female and o=
ther
under-represented populations throughout our sport system. The renewed agreement includes thre=
e years
of funding in support of those goals, with a total commitment that includes
$933,825 from Also in this year’s budget is=
$285,000
for the renewed active living strategy. Of course I was very pleased to have
the Minister of Health and Social Services join me over at
The 2013-14 main estimates for the
department also contain highlights that promote the economy. The department=
continues
to work to bring new residential lots to the market, and we strive to keep
costs as low as possible. We are committed to making land available to
Sustained efforts in the future are= helping to meet our collective challenges with respect to making land available. An increasing supply will result in more housing options down the road as contractors and individuals build and develop growing subdivisions.<= /p>
Some $30 million plus in this year&= #8217;s budget includes just over $25 million for the completion of stages 1 and 2 = in Whistle Bend and planning for stages 3, 4 and 5. $5 million is identified f= or developing lots in a number of other communities, inclusive of Carmacks, as well as subdivision development planning work for new residential lots in o= ther communities around the territory.
Community Services continues to pla= y a significant role when it comes to improving and modernizing community-based infrastructure in the territory. In all, more than $40 million in Building Canada funding has been identified in this year’s budget. Providing infrastructure that improves the quality of life for Yukoners and supports = our economic growth will definitely help ensure that we are able to meet commun= ity needs as our territory continues to grow.
Our ongoing work with This year’s infrastructure
investments will also result in the completion of the While Building Canada remains a foc=
us,
we’re also looking to the future, where Predictable and sustainable long-te=
rm
infrastructure support is essential for Main estimates for Community Servic=
es also
contain highlights which promote good governance. We have increased municip=
al
grant funding for this fiscal year based on a new five-year comprehensive
municipal grant, and this year just over $18 million is earmarked as transf=
ers
that go directly to each of $323,000 is dedicated to establishi=
ng the
residential tenancy office in Also, this summer, With the increase in home ownership=
in Community Services continues to inv=
est in
communities and people. The department’s budget reinforces our commit=
ment
through the many projects that we have underway, which represent significant
contributions toward ongoing improvements in infrastructure, such as drinki=
ng
water, waste water, solid waste, and sport and recreation. It’s a budget that ensures pu=
blic
safety programs and services and maintains our government’s commitmen=
t to
emergency response and protecting life and property. Community Services fos=
ters
strong local governance, protects consumers, regulates corporate services,
provides for building safety and access to public libraries and contributes=
to
healthy, active communities. Guided by four pillars — achi=
eving a
better quality of life, environment, the economy and good government —
our government is definitely making a difference in the lives of many Yukon=
ers. Madam Chair, Community Services sup=
ports
communities in a variety of ways, from infrastructure development, as I tou=
ched
upon earlier, to our commitment to public safety, emergency response through
the delivery of Emergency Medical Services, Wildland Fire Management, Emerg=
ency
Measures, and structural fire protection under the Fire Marshal’s Off=
ice.
With the 2013 forest fire season up=
on us,
I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and to thank our
Wildland Fire Management team, who are starting to prepare for the season
ahead. To support their work, we have allocated just over $14.6 million in
operation and maintenance for training, fire suppression activities and oth=
er
operations to manage this important public safety program in the Wildland Fire Management’s ca=
pital
budget includes $815,000 for equipment replacement, upgrades of fuel and re=
tardant
systems to accommodate newer aircraft, replace equipment, construction of f=
ire
camp staging areas, upgrading communication technology and replacing weather
stations. To better protect Yukoners and We are also pleased to provide $955=
,000 in
support of FireSmart. It’s a valuable program that continues to help
reduce the risk of wildfire around communities. It’s an effective way=
for
not-for-profit organizations, associations and municipal and First Nation
governments to access funding, as well as Wildland Fire Management expertise
and support, in safeguarding our communities. In this year’s budget there a=
re
allocations, as I referenced, dollars for a new Beaver Creek fire hall, but
also $610,000 for a replacement fire truck, upgrades to older fire trucks a=
nd
pumps, turnout gear, and breathing apparatus fill stations. Another almost
$400,000 is allocated for other upgrades for volunteer fire department
equipment. In total, it’s just shy of $1=
.8
million identified under the fire marshal’s capital budget for the new
mobile training facility, trucks, fleet repair, turnout gear equipment and =
so
forth. When it comes to the Emergency Meas=
ures
Organization, we have dollars allocated for this important body to manage i=
ts
operations, including allocations for personnel training, communications
equipment, contributions for marine radio distress systems search and rescue
support. I see my time is growing short, and
it’s truly unfortunate because there is a lot more to talk about when=
it
comes to I continue to learn about the very =
many
important programs and services provided by the department and continue to =
work
with stakeholders to advance those very initiatives and others of utmost
importance. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Madam Chair, I
don’t intend to make a lengthy response, but would prefer to get into
questions about the department since there are so many areas and programs t=
hat
this particular branch of the government covers. I would like to thank the =
officials
for being here today and for the briefing that they gave to members. It was
much appreciated. I want to start off by kind of leap=
ing
ahead to something that was very recently in the news and certainly was a
concern, which was the boil water advisory in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I would like to thank the member
opposite. I don’t have the specific details right in front of me, but=
as
I understand, the boil water advisory is still in effect in the Town of Wat=
son
Lake, but that is coming to an end. I believe it’s quite imminent. =
span> As I understand, it’s really
attributed to one of the community wells being infiltrated with gravel and
other fill, and as a result of the shortage of water, it effectively was sh=
ut
down. Fortunately, due to the investments of Building Canada and joint
investments by As I understand, it was tied in last
November and it was part of our $7.5-million investment in the upgrades =
212;
again, the lion’s share of that work that transpired last summer. The
water within Well No. 4 is being treated and, in fact, we’re just
awaiting the results of the second set of tests. The first set, as I
understand, are great — they meet the litmus test — but we are
awaiting the results of the second set of tests. Because the permitting was=
not
particularly in place and the well was being commissioned earlier, Environm=
ental
Health Services issued a boil water advisory just for the sake of being
cautious while we await results of that testing. As I mentioned, we are hop=
ing
that those results will be received any time now, but the first set meets t=
he
tests, so to speak. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I was curious a=
bout
something when looking through the department. Under “Corporate Finan=
cial
Summary,” we actually saw the amount of revenues dropping from last y=
ear
when we look at the total. Part of that seems to be a consider=
ably
less amount of money coming from Hon.
Ms. Taylor: As I mentioned in my opening remark=
s,
this is due, in large part, to funding coming to an end from the current
iteration of the Building Canada funding program. When we talk about Watson Lake, tha=
t is but
one example of the many needs of each of our communities in upgrading water=
and
sewer or upgrading waste-water treatment in response to new regulations,
whether it’s drinking water or treatment of waste water. These are co=
stly
expenses, but they are important upgrades that need to be adhered to. We
continue to work closely with each of our community partners on a replaceme=
nt
program. As I mentioned earlier, we’re
encouraged by Canada’s recent announcement of a new infrastructure
funding program, and the federal Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, announc=
ed a
10-year Building Canada plan — a funding commitment to provinces and =
territories
— that would start next fiscal year through a number of different fun=
ds. Of course, we’re very pleased=
with
that announcement, because I know even the Federation of Canadian Municipal=
ities
and certainly each of the provinces and territories were looking for that
longer term commitment. Really, I do have to give accolades to the federal
government for coming through with this program, because we’ve been a=
ble
to pay great attention to a lot of our infrastructure priorities in each of=
our
communities over the last several years, thanks to this funding program, as
well as gas tax funding made available to unincorporated communities,
municipalities and First Nation governments. Of course, there is a commitme=
nt
from So we look forward to working with =
the
federal government on a go-forward basis, but what this year’s fiscal
budget really reflects is a reduction in funding, because it is coming to an
end. As I have stated on a number of occasions, we have been able to benefit
because of the stimulus funding that has been made available through So it has enabled the An infrastructure plan was put into=
place
back in 2009, identifying the most pressing of the issues. I can say that we
have been able to get at a lot of those. All told, I think the joint
infrastructure funding we have benefited from over the last several years h=
as
been over $265 million. Infrastructure development continues to be a priori=
ty
for our government. It not only provides a better quality of life for
individuals and citizens, but it also helps provide that catalyst for econo=
mic
growth in the territories. It’s helping to build capacity in the
contracting community; it builds jobs; and it’s helping us to comply =
with
all these new regulations when it comes to different applications of water
treatment. In total in this year’s budge=
t we
have just over $41 million for new and ongoing Building Canada projects. So=
me
of those projects include the following: Beaver Creek road upgrades —=
I
know the Member for Kluane will be pleased to hear that; Burwash Landing ro=
ad
upgrades as well; completion of Burwash wellhead protection; the completion=
of
the Carcross water treatment facility system upgrade; completion of the Rock
Creek water supply upgrades; Faro water and sewer pipe replacements and
pumphouse; Haines Junction water reservoir pump system upgrades; Mayo water,
sewer and road upgrades; completion of the Mayo community well and water
treatment system upgrades; completion of Pelly Crossing road upgrades ̵=
2;
something that they have certainly advocated for many years; completion of =
the
Ross River drinking water system upgrades; completion of the Ross River pub=
lic
works facility — and the list goes on. I could go on at great length about=
all of
these initiatives, but we’re very pleased to be able to take advantag=
e of
this project funding. I just want to congratulate our municipal governments=
and
the Association of Yukon Communities for working hand-in-hand with us to be
able to advocate for a new funding program and thank all Members of the
Legislative Assembly for giving unanimous consent to a motion in support of
another iteration of Building Canada. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I’m glad =
to hear
that we will see the gas tax and Building Canada moving on in the indexing,=
which
should increase the amount somewhat. I’m wondering if the
minister’s anticipating any other increases on top of the indexing af=
ter
the meetings this summer that she alluded to. I know every municipality has a lis=
t of the
projects that are important to them and to their community to maintain, if =
not
improve, on existing infrastructure. Whether it’s Carcross, As part of that, it’s always =
in
partnerships — part of that which has been difficult for municipaliti=
es is them paying their portion of a project. I’m
wondering if the minister could speak to that, please. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I can say that earlier this year I =
had
the opportunity to visit a significant number of communities and got to have
another opportunity to sit down with each of the mayors and councils to talk
first-hand, to see first-hand, the many joint investments that our governme=
nt,
coupled with Canada, has made over the last number of years. I have to say =
how
very pleased I was with the progress being made. Municipalities are also ve=
ry
pleased with much of the progress that has been made. As the member opposit=
e has
stated, there is a lot more work to be done. These are perhaps things some of our
citizens may take for granted until things don’t work any more. Then =
it
really exacerbates the situation in which we find ourselves. As I mentioned earlier, we are enco=
uraged
by the news. Based on what was within the budget, we know there was just ov=
er
$32 billion announced for a community improvement fund, which includes the
indexed gas tax funding as well as GST rebates for municipalities. As I
understand it, that is also being made an eligible project category, expand=
ed
to include sport and recreation, which is something communities and municip=
alities
across the territory have continued to advocate for — making funding
available for sport and recreation. We haven’t received any detai=
led
information on each of these funds. There is a new $14-billion Building Can=
ada
fund and also just over a $1-billion for the P3 Canada fund. Here in the no=
rth,
given our size and our sheer lack of volume, that is not as pertinent to us=
as
perhaps the Building Canada fund and the gas tax funding. They are early days, in terms of the
details of those funds. It is an earmark of dollars that have been announce=
d,
and we look forward to collaborating with our provincial and territorial
colleagues and working with the Government of Canada in the months to come =
—
discussing the implications and also looking forward to some one-on-one
discussions with As I stated, we are pleased, as we =
have
advocated all along for quite some time that there in fact be a long-term,
predictable, stable and — in terms of the north — a base-plus
funding application formula. So that’s really vital for As I also mentioned earlier, at the=
onset
of my remarks, later on this summer, as the chair of the ministers of local=
government,
we will be hosting this year’s meeting in This is but one example of how we a=
re
working together. When we look to the Our Towns, O=
ur
Future initiatives, we’ve been able to garner so much success over
the years — success in coming forward with a new five-year comprehens=
ive
municipal grant program, working on the Municipal Act review, which =
is
coming along, working on sustainability indicators, working on a new asset =
management
initiative for our municipalities and First Nation governments, working on
solid-waste management improvements in our communities and land projects. <=
/span> We will continue to work closely wi=
th
municipalities and our communities and, of course, we will ensure that
municipal interests are represented at the national table as well as the lo=
cal
table. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I want to go ba=
ck to
some of the opening remarks from the minister. I’m going to start with
the Beaver Creek fire hall. She mentioned a few other programs that would be
involved with that, including search and rescue. I’m wondering if the
minister can tell us whether this tender has gone out for construction and =
when
the end date will be for the project to be completed. Does the other piece of that in tha=
t amount
of $3.668 million include the fit-out of the new facility also? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: In speaking to the Beaver Creek fire
hall, again we are very pleased that we are proceeding with the replacement=
of
this facility. As I mentioned, we are not only proceeding with the replacem=
ent
of the fire hall, but it’s a new structure that will effectively be a=
ble
to house fire and emergency medical services apparatus as well as search and
rescue. The planning, the design phase is underway. It’s scheduled for
completion later on this year with construction expected to start following=
the
implementation phase approval. I understand it will be let early s=
ummer
and will include a number of bays, as I mentioned, that will accommodate fi=
re
apparatus, one for We’re really excited about th=
is
project coming on-line and we’re hoping for completion, I believe, at=
the
end of the year with an occupation date probably in 2014. Again, it will he=
lp
address a number of the concerns that have been identified over the years in
terms of lack of space for fire trucks and also for room between the vehicl=
es
for firefighters to operate in a safe manner. It is under the management of Prope=
rty
Management, which is housed under Highways and Public Works. This just augm=
ents
the many improvements that we have been able to make in terms of upgrading =
and
improving responses when it comes to fire management in the territory. As I mentioned, we were very please=
d to
respond to municipal requests for additional assistance when it comes to ad=
dressing
structural fire in municipalities. The comprehensive municipal grant, which=
is
included in this year’s budget — the new formula — also
includes a contribution of $2 million over five years in support of municip=
al
fire departments. Likewise, it also adds on to upgrad=
es that
we have been able to make as a result of the new funding — almost $2 =
million
in increased funding that was announced last year in support of the Fire
Marshal’s Office. This is very important; not only will it assist all=
of
our unincorporated communities and their volunteer fire departments, but it=
will
really assist many of our municipalities as they go forward as well. Accessing assistance through traini=
ng,
providing those life safety inspections, providing those audits of all of o=
ur
respective fire departments and working hand in hand with each of the fire
departments — again, during our community visits earlier this year in
January and February, I had the opportunity to meet with many of our volunt=
eer
fire departments and I was very impressed with the level of collaboration t=
hat
we do have between the Fire Marshal’s Office and our communities.
They’re very appreciative of the investments in those government prog=
rams
and services, which are really helping many of our departments one-on-one.<=
/span> When it comes to volunteer firefigh=
ters
— and I know this week marks National Volunteer Week across the count=
ry
— we have over 225 active volunteer firefighters, overseen by 16 dist=
rict
fire chiefs in unincorporated Yukon. That doesn’t include the fire ch=
iefs
within municipalities and other communities. They provide invaluable work a=
nd
services on behalf of So again, we are very pleased to wo=
rk
toward providing that necessary training and equipment to respond safely and
effectively. I just want to say thank you and congratulations to our Fire
Marshal’s Office and to the many men and women of the fire service who
give it their all every day in each of our communities. I know many of them
have been recognized with Diamond Jubilee medals and many other commemorati=
ons
over the past year. They are all deserved, and we’re very pleased to
continue our work alongside those departments. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; The minister was
speaking of Wildland Fire Management and mentioned that $14.6 million was s=
et
aside for this year. I have two questions around that. What did we spend la=
st
year on Wildland Fire Management? With regard to the air tankers, how many =
air
tankers do we anticipate will be here this summer? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: We’re just looking up those
details. I can say that part of the funding for Wildland Fire Management in=
cludes
direct contributions into the revolving fund. In terms of the actual breakd=
own,
we’re just looking that up right now, as we speak. In terms of the number of air tanke=
r crews,
I do not have that information. As I understand — I’m just look=
ing
at the information before me — we have two turbine-equipped air tanker
groups and of course one that was tendered, I believe, last year, and then =
the
other was tendered the year before. I think they are for five-year contract=
s. As I mentioned earlier, this is all
designed to enhance response times and to really meet the fire export
requirements of other fire management agencies that you’ll find in the
rest of the country, as well as In addition to those aircraft, Wild=
land
Fire Management was also able to install, as part of those additional dolla=
rs,
new jet-A fuel systems in So there are a =
couple,
as I understand it. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; The There is an MOU between the =
What I would like to hear from the
minister, please, is the Yukon government’s contribution for volunteer
ambulance training in this past year and the same for the upcoming 2013-14,=
and
whether the minister can confirm for us whether all of the EMS volunteers h=
ave
been trained in those core requirements and are able to do the whole scope =
of
their job. What were the contributions of the government? The core requirem=
ents
— do all Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Mr. Deputy Chair, as the member opp=
osite
articulated, we very much value the hard work and the commitment of all of =
our
Emergency Medical Services volunteers throughout the territory. I have had =
the
opportunity to meet many of them one-on-one. I certainly appreciate their
willingness to do the service that they provide. It’s vital and
it’s very much appreciated by the Government of Yukon. It can be said
that without the 150-plus volunteers across It’s not a task that each and=
every
one of us can do. It is very difficult work and much appreciated and valued=
by
every single citizen of this territory. Community Services is working with =
the
Volunteer Ambulance Society on a new agreement that focuses on three primar=
y areas
of volunteer recognition, community outreach operations and education, whic=
h is
inclusive of training. We have been working closely with V=
AS,
which is the acronym, to really determine what suite of training best addre=
sses
EMS-volunteer needs and under what time frame they can be delivered, given
operational considerations. As I understand it, Those discussions are underway. I a=
lso wanted
to make reference to the new primary care paramedic program at It really enables students to carry=
out
this new primary care paramedic program in the territory while obtaining th=
is
level of training for Yukon EMS. As I understand, there are six primary care
paramedics who are expected to graduate this spring and I think it’s a
great example of what is being done closer to home without having to leave =
the
territory and adding to the expenses. Mr. Deputy Chair, we continue to wo=
rk with
VAS and carry on with the COR training with EMS operators and continue to e=
laborate
on what can be provided here at home, which is what I just alluded to throu=
gh
Yukon College. To be sure, we very much value their contributions and comme=
nd
them for the level of service that is being delivered on behalf of the Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Moving on, I was
looking at some of the statistics under the Fire Marshal’s Office and=
I
had a few questions there. One is fairly simple — it had to do with
storage tank inspections. I just want clarification on what kinds of storage
tanks those were. I was also curious about what life safety inspections are=
. In particular around the storage ta=
nk
inspections, we see quite a drop from 2012 to 2013. I wondered if there was=
a
reason that we saw it go from 75 to 30. What triggers those life safety
inspections or the storage tank inspections? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Recognizing I’m not a firefig=
hter
myself, forgive me on behalf of the Fire Marshal’s Office if I’m
not able to articulate this correctly. Inspections for
storage tanks, as I understand it, refers to residential fuel storage
tanks. The Fire Marshal’s Office has what I would coin as a very dive=
rse
portfolio that ranges from the administration and enforcement of legislatio=
n to
fire ground operations and investigations across the territory. It includes=
the
administration of the Fire Preventi=
on Act,
the national fire code, the Gasolin=
e Handling
Act and administration of permits and inspections for above- and
below-ground storage tanks for petroleum products, essentially, pursuant to=
the
storage tank regulations. I know we went through this ourselv=
es as
homeowners, so when the removal of your storage tank is required, one needs=
a
permit. That permit can be pulled from the =
Fire
Marshal’s Office and then, of course, that triggers an inspection to
ensure that it is completed in a proper manner. That is effectively an exam=
ple.
When it comes to life safety inspections, as I mentioned, the Fire
Marshal’s Office operates some 16 fire departments across the territo=
ry,
primarily in unincorporated communities. In order to ensure firefighter saf=
ety
at all of those fire departments we oversee, the Fire Marshal’s Office
manages all of that firefighter training. It includes development and imple=
mentation
of fire department policy, administrative oversight, and also undertakes
operation and maintenance for fire halls, firefighting vehicles and equipme=
nt. It also provides life safety inspec=
tions of
various buildings throughout the territory, fire cause investigations and, =
as I
mentioned before, firefighter training to all of the municipalities and
provides select services provided to We continue to work very closely th=
rough
different agreements with Wildland Fire Management, Just looking at some statistics, in=
the Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I understand the
minister to say that the storage tank inspections refer to residential
properties and those are new tanks being installed and old ones that are
underground being removed. When we look around the territory, =
we also
see tank farms, where there are very large quantities of petroleum products
— whether it’s aviation fuel, diesel=
fuel,
automobile or heating oils — those types of things — being stor=
ed
in communities, often close to residential areas. In light of the horrific
events last week in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I don’t have those specific
details, so I’m a little bit loath to provide that information for fe=
ar
of providing the wrong information and then being corrected at a later time=
, so
I’ll certainly look into that. We do have a set of regulations —
forgive me, I don’t have that set of regulations right in front of me
— that oversees this activity, but we’ll certainly look into fi=
nding
that information. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I don’t e=
xpect
every answer to be perfect, but I would appreciate if the minister would
undertake to find that information and make it available, please. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I believe I just committed to that.=
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I have some que=
stions
about the ambulance station in Will it be on time? Is it on budget=
at this
point? I’m also looking to the minister for a description of what wil=
l be
available at that ambulance station. Is it just for the ambulance crews and
their vehicles or will there be other services available in that building a=
lso? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Madam Chair, this is something that=
is
near and dear to me. It’s certainly something that we have advocated =
for
some time and it is well overdue. In this case, it will become the primary
emergency response centre for the City of It will also help respond in a more=
efficient
manner to communities along the Of course, landscaping will occur i=
n the
summer. It’s a facility that will include, as I understand, a three-b=
ay,
drive-through ambulance station to accommodate six vehicles — three in
ready position and three in prep position. Also, it will have office space =
and
clinical training space for personnel. It’s designed to meet LEED base
standards, as well as post-disaster requirements to support continuous
operations, obviously, during a wide variety of large-scale emergencies or
disasters. It’s a facility that will be
well-received by the community. In the meantime, there are services that ha=
ve
been made available over the last number of months, as I understand, which =
have
helped provide that interim service until this building becomes fully opera=
tional.
We’re very pleased with the progress being made, and we look forward =
to
being able to report progress later this year. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I thank the min=
ister
for those responses. The one question I had was whether it is going to meet=
its
budget target. I am also curious, since we are going to be maintaining two
ambulance stations — one at the hospital and then this one as a prima=
ry
one — are we looking at more physical ambulances and more personnel? =
The other piece of that is this: Do=
we see
an end date for the ambulance station at the hospital, or will that just
continue to be maintained as it is? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: The project is being managed by Pro=
perty
Management under the Department of Highways and Public Works. In terms of t=
he
other station in Riverdale, I’m not entirely sure about the end date.
What I do know though is that it was always the intent — and continue=
s to
be the intent — that this primary response centre would be operated i=
n conjunction
with the Riverdale station. Again, it will add to the capacity being made
available by Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I’m sure =
the
communities above the highway and along the highway will be happy to hear of
that also since the current location pretty much puts it at the centre of <=
/span> I was looking at the statistics tha=
t came
along with Protective Services and Emergency Medical Services and I just was
looking for some clarification. When we see the number of medical emergenci=
es,
medevacs — those number pretty much continue to rise. I’m wondering if the departme=
nt has
looked at those numbers and broken them down in any way, shape or form, whe=
ther
it’s motor vehicle accidents, alcohol related or just emergency health
needs — someone is having a heart attack or an asthma attack, or that
type of thing, and requires an ambulance — and whether those numbers =
are
looked at and broken out to see if there’s a way of doing it differen=
tly. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I thank the member opposite for her question. It is very true =
that
the number of calls are on the rise. That’=
s why
this government continues to enhance the level of resources available to =
span> In fact in these particular main es=
timates,
2013-14, we do have an additional just over $1 million that reflects the le=
vel
of calls and the demand on our staff and what that means across the territo=
ry,
not just here in We continue to work toward enhancin=
g a
coordinated response for all of our emergency response agencies, and We continue to work toward looking =
at
different models, looking to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and
other synergies with other providers throughout the territory; continue to
optimize those dollars that we have allocated, and continue to work very
closely with the Department of Health and Social Services to identify the r=
oot
causes that help drive the increase in calls. We are very proud of the work that =
is being
done by Yukon EMS. It’s responsible for air and ground transportation=
of
patients to their respective health care facilities — to be able to
provide the care that patients need in our communities. It’s an essen=
tial
partner in the provision of health care delivery throughout the territory. =
In
this year’s budget that we’re talking about it is just over $9 =
million
when one includes capital as well as O&M, so it is an increase in the
expenditure again. As I mentioned before, we have been=
working
toward improving Of course, that’s in addition=
to all
of the improvements we were talking about on the ground, in terms of capital
initiatives here in So we continue to work with our par=
tners,
as I mentioned before — VAS and our communities — providing
assistance, in terms of providing that honoraria, training, certification,
working with volunteers to enhance their needs and ensure they have the nec=
essary
training to do their jobs well. We have also been able to upgrade o=
ur fleet
of ambulances across the territory. We have just 23 units in service right =
now.
We have continued to add ambulances. I believe in this year’s budget =
we
have room for two new ambulances — so continuing to modernize our fle=
et,
just like we are with fire trucks, pumper trucks and so forth. As I mentioned, we are working on t=
he
emergency response centre in Ms.
Stick:=
8195; My last questio=
n is around
the emergency medical services and ambulance services. The minister spoke
earlier of partnership with Will these new graduates who have b=
een
trained to a higher level be able to enhance those workers in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I don’t know the breakdown of=
who
is receiving that specific training and from what community. I don’t =
have
that breakdown, but what I can say is that through the community development
fund, I believe the We are very pleased it is transpiri=
ng and
is very successful, as I understand. As I mentioned earlier, there are six
graduates. I don’t believe the actual program got off the ground until
last fall, so the first round of graduates will be coming around in the spr=
ing
— very shortly. It focuses on skills required to st=
rengthen
decision-making and treatment options when caring for critically ill or inj=
ured
individuals within that pre-hospital setting. It’s the first time that
we’ve been able to deliver it on an as-needed basis here in It is key. As I
understand, it’s the only program in B.C. that has been accredited by=
the
Medical Association of Canada. It’s a very high standard of program
certification. We feel very fortunate. I don’t even think it’s
being delivered in the other two It’s the first round of train=
ing. We
will certainly assess and see how well we’ve done and look forward to=
the
continuation of it transpiring. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I am going to a=
sk
another question on this area and it has to do with the program. It is grea=
t to
see programs like that being offered locally for individuals so they
don’t have to go so far to get that required training. I’m just
curious — do we know for sure that this program will be offered again=
in
the fall? Have we made arrangements for the graduates coming out of that
program to find work in our communities or in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: What I can say is that we have been
working with the Volunteer Ambulance Society and really bringing this to
fruition with the college, so obviously there is keen interest in making th=
is
program succeed. In terms of Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I’m going=
to move
on to community development, and I would like to start with a bit about
property assessments. According to the main estimates, According to the internal directory=
, there
are currently three property assessors, a vacant position and a senior.
I’m just wondering if that’s going to be adequate to get the job
done. That’s a lot of houses and properties to assess. It’s not=
a
matter of, as would be in the neighbourhood where I live in, just walking d=
own
the street and going from house to house. They can be quite spread out in
country residential. So I’m curious as to whether =
those
staffing numbers have been reviewed. Is this workload comparable to other
jurisdictions across Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I thank the member opposite for her
question. Certainly I am very cognizant of the significant growth in proper=
ties
over the years. I do know that when you look at properties assessed, the
information is somewhat comparable, but rest assured it is a growing number=
of
properties that continue to be assessed, and very well in keeping with what=
we
have been experiencing with economic growth here. Over the past year, I bel=
ieve
over 8,000 rural That’s in addition to a numbe=
r of
other projects completed under the guise of assessment taxation in the
territory. We appreciate the work that is conducted by this area. We recogn=
ize
there are pressures, and we recognize the need to review the complement of
resources allocated to this. As one can appreciate, there are many pressures
throughout the Government of Yukon, but we trust the department to manage i=
ts
program. They’re always focused on delivering its mandate in an effec=
tive
and efficient manner. Our government is committed to the program. I think
they’ve done very well with this program, and we trust the department
will manage appropriately as well. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Another importa=
nt area
mentioned here under Community Development is animal protection and control=
. I
just know that every year this becomes a concern in at least one community =
in
the Hon.
Ms. Taylor: It wasn’t long ago that we ac=
tually
implemented the animal welfare program, which really focuses on education, =
establishes
strong relationships with It seeks to prevent abuse and encou=
rages
humane treatment of animals throughout the territory, the focus being on ed=
ucation
and awareness prevention, to help people gain a better understanding of our
statutes and what it means to be a responsible pet owner. The act itself is
very specific about the standards of care expected of owners — whether
providing shelter, food, water, veterinary care and, of course, to not enab=
le
abuse of any sort. As I mentioned, under the act itself, we did heighten ac=
tual
penalties under the act. Offenders can be fined up to $10,000 or receive up=
to
two years in prison. Again, animals can be taken away from the owners ̵=
2;
prohibiting people from owning or caring for animals for a certain period of
time. So those are some very good initiatives and mechanisms to convey the
message that this is serious — as a form of prevention. We also work primarily with our com=
munity
partners. When it comes to municipalities, of course, many of the municipal=
ities
have their own bylaws that oversee animal control. We work with those First Nation and
municipal governments in providing spay/neuter programs. We have developed
education pamphlets to help people understand their obligations and we use a
number of local venues to promote and conduct Animal Protection Act
education. The branch itself manages the steady flow of complaints associat=
ed
with these statutes, all of which are investigated and followed up on. They=
are
resulting in compliance with the legislation. We remain committed to working
with other agencies, whether it be RCMP, municipalities or First Nation
governments and we frequently liaise with those areas. We also work very we=
ll
with the Agriculture branch and Energy, Mines and Resources and Environment=
al
Health and work hand in hand with the Department of Environment and their
animal program. We do provide some assistance to th=
e Humane
Society to continue with their efforts on behalf of Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Since we’=
re
talking about animal protection and control, Humane Society, et cetera, I j=
ust
wondered — it doesn’t quite fit under here, but if the minister
could update us on the Mae Bachur Animal Shelte=
r run
by volunteers. We know it has been out of compliance with the Corporate =
Governance
Act under that department for awhile. They’ve been working hard a=
nd struggling,
I think, to take care of the animals that they have in their care, to keep =
the
doors open, and trying to get the paperwork back in order so that they may
receive some funding from the government. They recently had a fundraising =
220;spay-ghetti” dinner and have been working hard to ke=
ep
those doors open. Have they come back into compliance and is it anticipated
that they will be receiving some funding from this government in the very n=
ear
future? Chair: Would members like to have a break? All
Hon. Members: Agreed. Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes. Recess Chair: Order. Committee of the Whole will now come to order. We̵=
7;re
going to resume general debate on Vote 51, Department of Community Services=
. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: When we left off before the break, I
think we were talking about Humane Society We have had a pretty good working
relationship with the Humane Society over the years, and I know that the st=
aff
from Community Services has been working pretty diligently with the board on
bringing them to sufficient standing soon, so they can continue with their
fundraising work and continue to support their ongoing operation. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I thank the min=
ister
for her response on that. I know lots of people, not just in Under Community Services and Commun=
ity
Development, there was one area that I remember a former NDP member, Steve
Cardiff, used to come and speak to me in particular about when I was in a
previous elected job I had. It had to do with a domestic well program.
It’s good to see that there is an increase this year in that program.
Because I’m not clear on this, my question is whether the department =
was
ever able to negotiate with municipalities so that persons living within a
municipality such as Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Thank you for the question from the
member opposite. Like all Yukoners, we very much appreciate the domestic we=
ll
program, as the member opposite just said. It’s well subscribed and
continues to receive heightened attention, obviously, with the growth in
population. So with respect to the member opposite’s question with
respect to municipalities, as I understand, nothing has changed as of yet, =
even
though there has been interest expressed from time to time. There have been=
no
changes to the program, so to speak. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; It’s
disappointing to hear that, because when you see country residential lots b=
eing
subdivided within town or new lots created, I think most people would prefe=
r to
have a well rather than water delivery and they would appreciate being able=
to
access this fund. I hope that somehow that can be worked out, because it has
been awhile since that has not been addressed. Under “Water Treatment and
Solid-Waste Facilities,” in December 2012, my colleague, the Member f=
or I am wondering if the minister can =
tell us
what has happened since then and will there be a new septic pit built this =
year
in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: With respect to the member opposite=
’s
question earlier about the domestic well program, I just want to reiterate =
that
it would be up to the respective municipality to adopt those changes to make
that happen. I know that there has been some interest expressed from time to
time by many of the different municipalities, but it would be ultimately up=
to
the respective municipality to make that change. Moving on to We are currently working with the
Government of Canada, as well as RDC, and we’re committed to working =
on a
broad range of options with respect to addressing waste water in the commun=
ity.
At the same time, we’re working with the appropriate regulatory agenc=
ies
to ensure we do so in a responsible manner. It is ongoing; there are dollars al=
lotted
within this year’s budget that we’re currently debating. Depend=
ing
on what options may come up — again, this is the best option that wou=
ld
be suitable for the community — and based on the assessment provided =
by
the engineering firm, we’ll be able to determine the actual cost to m=
ove
forward in that regard. We are working closely with a numbe=
r of
different agencies and with In the meantime, I should also add =
that we
are proceeding, as I alluded to before in the Assembly, on a new water trea=
tment
plant for drinking water. The MLA for Pelly-Nisutlin and I and the MLA for
Kluane, I believe, also had the opportunity to take a tour of the new facil=
ity,
which also houses its public works building — houses a new fire truck=
as
well. It is an amazing facility, and we’re getting ready to be able to
commission that facility very shortly. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Public librarie=
s are a
gathering place in communities. It’s a place where people go to meet,
it’s a place for programs to be provided, in terms of literacy, and
it’s a public space for Yukoners of all ages — and not just
Yukoners, but tourists often find their ways to our libraries looking for i=
nformation
or computer access or e-books and those types of things. I’m wonderin=
g if
the minister could tell us, please, if all the community libraries have the
same access that we’re fortunate to have here in Whitehorse —
access to e-books, Internet access and computers people can work from ̵=
2;
because that’s often the only place people can go if they don’t
have their own computer or their own resources to be able to do that. It becomes important for people wan=
ting to
apply for work and for people wanting the Internet to be able to maintain c=
ontact
with family members elsewhere in Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I want to express gratitude for tho=
se who
work within each of our community libraries too. They are focal points R=
12;
they are community gathering spaces that are accessible for many citizens.
They’re a very common, popular place for meeting and for encouraging
reading and being able to gather. It wasn’t that long ago that
Government of Yukon was able to move the new Whitehorse Public Library into=
the
Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre. We’re seeing some really great, excellent
collaboration between the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Of course, in addition to As I mentioned, we have a number of
community libraries throughout the territory, providing a great service. Li=
braries
have really evolved since I first went to the library many years ago, now
looking at e-books and other different technologies. We have been able to m=
ake
excellent use of them by our library branch staff. It’s a credit to t=
heir
excellent work and creative ways of making these technologies work. It has
actually led to an increased use of our community libraries. That’s n=
ot a
trend we see in other parts of the country, so it’s again to the great
credit and work of our community librarians and the staff in providing new =
ways
of engaging with each of our communities. I do know the e-library is very suc=
cessful
and can be accessed by citizens across the territory. I understand that we =
have
over 1,000 e-books and audio books in use now and of course more continue t=
o be
added each and every year. As I understand it, more than 600 users have
borrowed items 5,500 times. We have Wi-fi access; it’s now available =
in
several of our communities, as well as On-line access to the library catal=
ogue
continues to be available in French and English and libraries provide a wide
range of materials in French, in particular, especially here in Even with this increase in electron=
ic
services, I know our in-person visits to each of our libraries have increas=
ed
over the years. Our staff continues to provide really successful programs, =
such
as the Yukon Writers Festival, which is coming up and the Yukon Writers
Roundtable. As we just heard recently, the Dolly Parto=
n
Imagination Library, in partnership with the Literacy Coalition, is providi=
ng
those free books to kids from birth to age 5 across the territory — a
really good initiative indeed. We have summer reading programs for kids and
teens. We have preschool programs — many of which I have subscribed to
over the years. We have author readings and story telling sessions in the
communities. We have author readings and storyte=
lling
sessions in the communities, as well as in Ms.
Stick:=
8195; A couple of que=
stions,
just to follow up with what the minister spoke to, and I thank her for her =
answers.
It’s good to hear that three =
more
libraries will be able to provide that Wi-fi. I just wondered when we can
expect all libraries to have that level of service. The second part of that: Do all com=
munity
libraries have workstations, where people can actually use the computers th=
ere? The last question — I’m=
just
looking for clarification on the number of users. I’m assuming she me=
ans
the number of people who have library cards. I just wondered if I could get
that number again because it seemed like a small number to me. I was surpri=
sed
by it. I’m sure there are lots of people who use our libraries who
don’t borrow books or e-books or DVDs or whatever, but go in and read=
the
papers or the magazines or find a book and read it there. I was just surpri=
sed
by that number and wondered if she could repeat it because I wasn’t s=
ure
I heard it properly. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: With respect to Wi-fi, as I mention=
ed,
it’s available in seven communities with three new locations in the
coming year. That will leave about four, and I would assume those will be
coming thereafter. I think we’re making great progress on this front.=
Even
though I have not been in every library in every community, I do endeavour =
to
get to most of the libraries in most of the communities I get to. I underst=
and
there’s Internet available; it’s what we call “land-line
public access Internet”. It’s available and can be accessed by
computers in each of our libraries. I think the statistic I quoted earlier =
was
with respect to the e-books. When it comes to e-books, we have just over 600
users, which is something completely different. In terms of those items that have b=
een
borrowed from public libraries from across the territory — for exampl=
e,
since Some 12,000 new items were added to=
the
collection, so no small feat. More than 800 downloadable e-books and audio
books are available in the Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I was pretty su=
re I had
missed something there. It didn’t seem that there were only 600 people
borrowing items from our libraries, so thank you for that clarification. Th=
at
makes much more sense to me. Under Community Development, weR=
17;re
given some supplementary information with regard to sport and recreation, a=
nd
specifically the contributions from the government to summer pool recreation
facility operations programs and recreation directors. Looking at the numbe=
rs,
I noticed that there was no change whatsoever in the numbers from last year=
to
this year. I understand these monies are just part of those costs for pools=
and
staffing, et cetera. I was surprised — with wages going up and the
consumer price index — that those didn’t change at all.<=
/p>
I wonder if the minister could spea=
k to
that. I guess the other piece of that is how we come up with those numbers,
community to community. There seems to be quite a range in money that’=
;s
provided to the different communities and whether that is based on somethin=
g that
municipalities have requested and, no doubt, also on their rec
facilities. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Madam Chair, I am proud of this
government’s continued investments in the delivery of sport and recre=
ation
across the territory. There have been a number of programs that have been
augmented over the years and new programs as well. For example, I referenced
the Yukon renewed active living strategy — $250,000 in annual funding
that will be distributed across the territory in support of organizations t=
hat
are delivering a lot of different programs from Special Olympics Yukon to t=
he ElderActive Recreation Association and many others. <=
o:p> There have been other programs that=
have
come about over the years in support of our sports governing bodies and ind=
ividual
athletes and so forth. I think what the member opposite was referring to was
the community recreation facilities, the operation and maintenance. I am ve=
ry
cognizant of the desire to enhance the level of funding when it comes to
support of community recreation facilities in unincorporated communities. I=
t is
something that we are looking at. It is defined through We are very cognizant of that and w=
e have
committed to doing a review of this allocation and of the regulations to see
what we can do within the allocation provided of just under $400,000 per ye=
ar
— and also seeing what we can do to assist our unincorporated communi=
ties
to address some of these ongoing issues. In terms of our municipal governmen=
ts, we
are assisting them through the comprehensive municipal grant — the new
five-year agreement that was just struck in collaboration with AYC. It does
provide added dollars. I believe there is about a $1.4-million increase to =
this
year’s CMG allocation to each of our communities. So it’s reall=
y up
to the discretion of each of our municipalities as to how to apportion each=
of
those expenditures. When it comes to recreation, we are=
working
on a number of different projects — as I mentioned, in terms of Team
Yukon participation, in terms of really providing those added opportunities
from what has been coined “from the playground right though to the po=
dium
and everything in-between”. Sport and recreation investments are very=
key and I believe in this year’s budget we have
several millions of dollars in support of recreation in both capital and op=
eration
and maintenance. To that tune, I just want to acknow=
ledge
the importance of all of our volunteers and our many community leaders
throughout the territory who provide opportunities for our kids and our you=
th
and our adults and our seniors, for doing the good work that they are doing=
. We certainly recognize the importan=
ce of
infrastructure and we are working on advocating — Some
Hon. Member: (Inaudible) Hon.
Ms. Taylor: — just heard some comments fr=
om the
members opposite and am very cognizant of all the several requests for
recreation improvements throughout the territory. It is but one area that we
have been advocating for the federal government to pay credence to federal
infrastructure funding. As I alluded to before, the federal government has =
made
a reference to gas tax funding as sport and recreation being possibly one of
the added eligible criteria for those programs, so that’s a good step=
in
the right direction. As we go forward with a new iterati=
on of
Building Canada funding, you know, those discussions will help inform where=
we
go from here. I can’t say enough about spor=
t and
recreation and our team and working in collaboration with many different
organizations across the territory. I wanted to inform members opposite as =
well
— following up on the FPT meeting of ministers responsible for sport =
and
recreation last summer in Inuvik, there was a full endorsement of the new
Canadian sport policy. At that time, we also agreed to develop our own As I alluded to before, it is a sig=
nificant
sum of dollars that will continue from here on out for the next three years=
. I
was really pleased to be able to sign on to that with the Canadian Minister=
of
Sport. We are very pleased to provide fund=
ing to
Sport and Recreation; in fact, we have allocated just under $2.7 million for
direct funding to our sport and recreation programs, which includes direct
contributions to Volunteer Yukon, Special Olympics Yukon, Sport Yukon,
Recreation and Parks Association of Yukon, which also will be doing work on=
our
behalf to administer the renewed Yukon active living strategy. It also goes=
toward
sport governing bodies and special recreational organizations. We are also
funding sport and recreation through many other groups. I won’t go
through all of them, but it is definitely paying off. We are seeing heighte=
ned
activities in many of our communities in many different sport and recreation
activities, and even through RPAY — the Nordic poles, for example. My family and I had the opportunity=
to use
the Millennium Trail on Saturday. It was such a beautiful day. We came acro=
ss
some of my constituents who are seniors. They couldn’t say enough abo=
ut
this Nordic walking program administered through the E=
lderActive
Recreation Association. It’s an example of our funding that’s g=
oing
in direct benefit of individuals of all ages. So whether it’s in infrastruc=
ture,
whether it’s in programs at the schools or whether it’s in supp=
ort of
sports organizations, it is paying off. I don’t have to talk about all
the net benefits of investments in the Arctic Winter Games, the Dene Games and all of the Canadian games, but we are =
very
much committed to expanding upon these investments in sport and recreation =
and
working with our partners to do just that through the Yukon action plan, wh=
ich
will help guide and refocus our priorities on a go-forward basis. It has provided us an opportunity t=
o review
how far we’ve come over the last decade and where we want to be in the
next decade. Of course, we continue to provide that funding and recreation =
assistance
grants, as we were talking about earlier, in support of the Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I agree, and th=
e NDP
agrees that wellness is important in all of our communities. Physical activ=
ity
is important to help keep down our health care costs, and it is sports prog=
rams
and recreation and access to facilities that citizens can use that is
important, and we want to encourage that. We want to encourage people to be
active, to get out and to walk the Millennium Trail and to use our faciliti=
es
to improve their own wellness, regardless of their age. But going back to this supplementary
information that was provided to us, I looked closely at it, and there were
three communities added from the 2011-12 actuals, which is great. So Burwash
Landing, Not everyone, but the funding in ju=
st about
every other community has gone down since 2011-12. So it went down in 2012-=
13
and is maintaining that for 2013-14. Though the final number is a bit highe=
r,
if we look, most of those communities are actually receiving less than they
used to. For many of these communities, some of these facilities are becomi=
ng
more difficult to maintain; they are requiring more O&M; their pools are
getting old. We’ve heard of communities that are having to consider
raising their fees — so whether it’s to be able to go for a swi=
m in
the summer — they’re looking at having to increase those fees w=
hich
can, for some people, put those facilities out of reach. It’s good to hear the ministe=
r talk
about all the different sports bodies that are out there that money is going
to, but not every individual — especially our youth — has acces=
s to
those kinds of programs such as team sports. There is the kids
recreation fund under a different department that encourages that and makes
some of that available, but for many of these communities, this is the summ=
er
program. Having that pool open every day is where these kids go and partici=
pate
in recreation. I’m just curious as to why those numbers are going down
when we want to continue to support wellness in our communities regardless =
of
age. I’ll just leave it at that. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I was going to provide a response, =
but
until I am absolutely sure, I’ll just reserve those comments until I =
have
better information before me. With respect to recreation, I concur. Recreat=
ion,
particularly for other centres that may charge dollars, may not be as
affordable to everyone. What I can say is there are funds through the kids recreation fund and we have been able to enhance =
that
over recent years. We made a huge investment in the kids recreation fund six
years ago, if I’m not mistaken, and since then, added investments have
been made — sport bilateral, which I referenced earlier, continues to
augment dollars being made available to the kids recreation fund, which rea=
ches
out to families who could use those resources in support of participating in
hockey and equipment, for example, and being able to have equal access to
sport. I certainly understand that, but be=
yond
community centres, there are trail networks and there are parks within our =
communities
that are also available, and they are free. That’s where programs suc=
h as
the renewed active living strategy, are so important in providing after-sch=
ool
programs and utilizing our school facilities and recreation centres and oth=
er
areas and public spaces for engaging people of all ages, from preschool rig=
ht
through to people of any age, and making those programs readily available. =
When
I was in It’s very much appreciated in
communities like Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Again, no argum=
ent
— sports and recreation and encouraging people to be active is import=
ant,
because it encourages wellness in our communities. It’s unfortunate t=
hat
we’re not able to measure the wellness that people get from participa=
ting
in all these activities. Again, still in the sports and recr=
eation
and supplementary information — we see that the numbers are actually =
going
down. I’ll just say it’s on p=
age 6-15
where in 2011-12, it was $2.5 million and then it has gone down to $1.64
million. Anticipated for this coming budget year is $1.635 million. I know =
that
some of this funding comes from Yukon Lottery Commission and I don’t
think their revenues have gone down, but they’ve increased. That̵=
7;s
just about $1 million — not quite; it’s underneath $1 million, =
but
it’s a big drop from 2011-12. I’m wondering if there is an expl=
anation
for that. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: For fear of sounding repetitive, I =
will
reiterate for the member opposite that we’ll look into this. I do kno=
w,
however, that the Yukon Lottery Commission did make some changes that came =
into
effect Beyond that, I do not have any other
information readily available, but that is what I can provide and that is
probably what is leading to some of the member opposite’s questions. =
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I’m not s=
ure if
the minister and I were talking on the same page there. What I was looking
under was sports governing bodies and the decrease in funding for those, su=
ch
as Sport Yukon, North American Indigenous Games, Canada Senior Games. I kno=
w a
lot of money goes into supporting those, but when I look at the numbers on =
this
page, I see the numbers going down, not up. On page 6-15, right in the midd=
le,
we see from 2011-12 it was $2.524 million, to this year where we see it’s $1.635 million. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I think we’re getting confused
here. I thought we were talking about the community recreation grant, so my
apologies. I’ll go back to the drawing board here. When we talk about actual dollars p=
rovided
in support of sport governing bodies and so forth, the dramatic difference =
the
member opposite is referring to is in reference to the Arctic Winter Games
investment. We don’t host another Arctic Winter Games for some time, =
so
that is what has led to the significant drop in terms of support. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I appreciate th=
at
answer. I’m glad we got back on the same page. The minister spoke earlier about th=
e Municipal
Act. She gave a little bit of information, but what I’m curious a=
bout
is how far along we are in the Municipal Act review. In the past
they’ve had public meetings in the communities where people were able=
to
come up and it was mediated in terms of proposed changes at that time, but
I’m wondering if there’s a community consultation, not just with
the governments, but with citizens also, as to what people are looking for.=
Is this a full municipal review or =
just
pieces of it that are being reviewed instead? Hon.
Ms. Taylor: The Municipal Act review, of
course, is part of the Our Towns, Our Future initiative, about which=
we
have spoken at great length in the Assembly. It’s one of the key
priorities of the Association of Yukon Communities on behalf of municipalit=
ies,
the public and also other interested stakeholders. The Municipal Act Review Com=
mittee,
which was formed back in the winter of 2011-12, I believe, has actually been
meeting on a regular basis. As the member opposite made reference to, there=
was
a whole series of public meetings that were held in the communities about a
year ago, if I’m not mistaken.
Even though there were not a lot of
individuals who showed up during some of the meetings, not all, we are proc=
eeding
with next steps. When we first announced that this review was going to be
taking place less than a year ago, we did mention that it was going to be o=
ver
the course of a couple of years. We’re continuing to work with the re=
view
committee itself, and we will continue to engage with the communities. Since
the first review in the communities was undertaken, we had a whole other se=
t of
mayors and councils and elected individuals on the local level, so we recog=
nize
that and there is very much a need to engage with the new set of councillors
and mayors across the territory and in each of the LAC=
s.
Public participation is very important as we move forward. Again, we certainly look forward to
carrying on with the review: that will include additional consultation and =
will
include the public as being a primary stakeholder in that review. Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I just want to =
go back
to some of the minister’s opening statements and follow up on some
questions that came up for me before I lose my papers. One of the things di=
scussed
was the infrastructure of the waterfront in I was curious as to who will be doi=
ng the
planning for performances on the wharf. Also, is there any thought or is th=
ere
planning happening with regard to small stands for individuals with souveni=
rs
or local artists who might utilize that space during the day in the summert=
ime?
Who are we looking at as doing that organizing and set-up and planning?
Hopefully, it won’t be something that will be in competition with
something like Arts in the Park. Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I’d like to thank the member =
opposite
for her questions on the waterfront improvements. We are very proud of the
number of investments made along the Likewise, the Carcross waterfront w=
as
really to attract added visitor attention, and there have been some fantast=
ic improvements. When it comes to the We are into the final components of=
the
Whitehorse waterfront as we speak because, as I mentioned in my opening rem=
arks,
landscaping will be complete and we’ll continue to work with our
respective stakeholders in programming for the wharf and coordinating that =
use
in collaboration with Tourism and Culture, because they are the ones who wo=
rk
very closely with many of the arts organizations throughout the City of
Whitehorse in providing programming — Arts in the Park, the member
opposite made reference to — and working with the City of Whitehorse =
on
doing just that. There are many opportunities available for the wharf as an
additional gathering place, bringing vitality to=
a
cultural space that I believe will be readily used by many different
stakeholders in the years to come. Likewise, we have made many differe=
nt
investments along the waterfront, such as the expansion of the We couldn’t be more proud of =
the
millions and millions of dollars of investment and being able to leverage t=
hose
investments with many other governments and stakeholders. Likewise, Carcross
waterfront — everything from the boat launch, the dock, the Carcross
carving facility, the pedestrian bridge, the viewing deck, making restroom
facilities available, the SS Tutshi=
memorial, the gateway pavilion, providing additional restrooms for visitors
coming through, landscaping improvements — there are many investments
made in the Southern Lakes region. It is making a difference for visit=
ors and
residents alike and it has also helped revitalize the waterfront while
improving infrastructure available for local visitors. So all told, over $7
million has been invested in infrastructure improvements in Carcross. That =
was
made available under another federal infrastructure fund, Ms.
Stick:=
8195; With regard to =
the
wharf — and to the whole Whitehorse waterfront — I think the
improvements over the last number of years have been remarkable, from start=
ing
at Rotary Peace Park with the kids park, new washroom facilities and right =
down
to Shipyards Park, where there are public performance areas, gathering plac=
es,
fire pits and a sliding hill in the winter. I think those improvements have been
remarkable. Having it in the summer tied together with the trolley is a gre=
at
thing also. My worry with the opening of the wh=
arf this
summer though — or my hope — would be that there are scheduled
activities there — some in the evening, some in the day. I don’t
think anybody who has lived in I think it’s very important t=
hat, if
there is going to be programming, that it be ready to go for this summer. I
think the improvements along the waterfront have been great, but unless we
actually attract people to these areas, why did we do it? For me, that̵=
7;s
important. You mentioned the Arts Centre possibly and the Department of Tou=
rism
and Culture — I hope those discussions are successful because the Arts
Centre has done wonderful things with the Old Fire Hall. It’s good to=
see
so many activities, but it would also be good to see local artisans with li=
ttle
stands or more permanent types of displays that would be able to go down th=
ere.
We’ve seen that — when I was at a FCM conference in Montreal, I
remember being down on their waterfront and they use sea-cans and had creat=
ed
these wonderful bike rentals, t-shirt shops, et cetera, with these cargo bo=
xes
that you see on trains and on trucks. They were perfect. They had designe=
d them
or modified them to be open to the public, and they brought them in during =
the
spring and plugged them in and set them up, and at the end of the tourist
season they picked them up and put them away in storage until next summer. I
think there are lots of creative ideas out there — ways to bring those
kinds of activities to the waterfront — and I think we have to keep
looking at those and there are gaps. So if we want to be able to attract
people, there has to be things along the way to do that. I apologize if I’m jumping ar=
ound a
bit, but I did want to go back to something I missed earlier, and that was =
with
FireSmart. Many of the communities are involved in FireSmart and use those
monies to hire local people and make their communities safer. A number of y=
ears
ago, when I was on city council here in In that presentation that was given=
to Whitehorse
City Council, there was a lot of concern about the prevailing south winds
coming up and really doing some severe damage to Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Going back to the wharf, I would po=
int
out that it was actually our government that did go to work with the Whiteh=
orse
Chamber of Commerce and the Yukon Arts Centre in bringing vitality to the O=
ld
Fire Hall. It was really a recommendation of bringing life to some of our
heritage buildings. I believe we’re investing some
$150,000 a year in support of those activities. We have made a great invest=
ment
and I think it is paying off. That is why I had thought of having a discuss=
ion
with the Yukon Arts Centre and the Department of Tourism and Culture in
engaging those who are in the know and know how to do a great job. So we are
engaging with them. Some of the features of the wharf are actually built-in
tent tie-downs. You can have a built-in tent if you want. There’s the
availability of power and lighting, so all of the mechanisms are there. Of
course the potential and the intent is to have a
vibrant gathering space for the tourism, the cultural and the business sect=
ors,
all in support of a revitalized waterfront. We continue to make the best use of=
the
potential and to bring activities to the waterfront, so when one looks at
Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre, With respect to the member opposite=
’s
questions regarding FireSmart, I just wanted to say that this is a great
program that has been doing some really good work in collaboration with
communities over the years. We have seen added resources being dedicated to
this particular program over the years and it has really made a difference.
Just recently I got to see first-hand some of the recent work done by the
Copper Ridge Community Association and great work indeed. I thank the Copper
Ridge Neighbourhood Association — in particular Damien Burns who is d=
oing
a great job as the FireSmart coordinator for the association. A significant amount of work in ter=
ms of
fire abatement over the years has been done in all corners of the territory=
. It
has also led to additional jobs and has added capacity within many First Na=
tion
and municipal governments. It continues to be heavily subscribed. =
p>
Madam Chair, seeing the time, I mov=
e that
the Chair report progress. Chair: It has been moved by Ms. Taylor that the Chair report progres=
s. Motion
agreed to Hon.
Mr. Cathers: I move that the Speaker do now resu=
me the
Chair. Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Cathers that the Speaker do now resu=
me the
Chair. Motion
agreed to Speaker resumes the Chair=
Speaker: I will now call the House to order. May the House have a repo=
rt
from the Chair of Committee of the Whole? Chair’s report Ms.
McLeod: Committee of the Whole has conside=
red
Bill No. 10, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, and directed=
me
to report progress. Speaker: You have heard the report from the Chair of Committee of the =
Whole.
Are you agreed? Some
Hon. Members: Agreed. Speaker: I declare the report carried. Hon.
Mr. Cathers: 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 =
i> The =
following
document was filed April 22, 2013: 33-1-48=
Dawson =
City
Community Hospital and Health Services Facility, Artwork at: letter (dated
April 18, 2013) to Minister Graham, Minister of Health and Social Services =
from
Jason Bilsky, CA, Chief Executive Officer, Yukon Hospital Corporation (Graham)WhitehorseYukonYukonMuseum=
in collaboration
with Whitehorse
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