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Speaker: I will now call the House to order. At this time, we will pro= ceed with prayers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We’ll proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In remembrance of Roddy Blackjack
Hon. Mr. Pasloski:=
I rise today on=
behalf
of the House to pay tribute to a well-respected elder, Roddy Blackjack. Rod=
dy
was born at Rink Rapids, and grew up at Little Salmon village and in Carmac=
ks.
At the young age of 14, he worked as a deckhand aboard the steamboats that
travelled from
In 1956, he met his wife, and toget=
her they
raised six children — three boys and three girls. At this time, he wo=
rked
with the coal mine in Carmacks and the
In 1960, he was elected Chief of th=
e Little
Salmon Carmacks First Nation, a position that would last over 12 years. =
He cared deeply about Yukon First N=
ation
people. In 1973, Roddy was part of a delegation of Yukon First Nation chiefs
led by Elijah Smith, who presented Together Today for Our Children Tomor=
row,
which marked the beginning of the negotiation process for modern-day treati=
es
in
At this time, I would like to ask t= he Members of the Legislative Assembly to join me in welcoming to the gallery family a= nd friends of Roddy Blackjack: part of the Blackjack family, Russell, R= agene, Greg, Shelby, Leta and Chantelle. Also joining us are John and Andrea Laughlin, Tyrell Vance, Bernice Blattman, Darlene Johnson, and Chief Eric Fairclough. Please join me in welcoming them to the House.
Applause
In remembrance of Steven Kormendy
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I rise on behal= f of all MLAs in the Legislative Assembly to pay tribute to Steven Paul Kormendy. My tribute is a combination of a eulogy and also very kind words given to me by Sergeant John Mitchell of the Canadian Rangers.
Steven’s parents were enlisted
soldiers in World War I, and after that war ended, they immigrated to
During the Depression, Steven enlis=
ted with
the Calgary Highlanders, against his parents’ wishes. For the first m=
onth
of World War II, he was a guard at
During his service, Corporal Kormen=
dy participated
in D-Day landings at
Steve was a highly decorated soldie= r in the Canadian Forces and received several medals during his tour of duty, includ= ing the Canadian Forces Decoration, 12 years service medal, the War Medal, 1939-1945, the 1945-1949 Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, the Fr= ance and Germany Star and the Defence Medal.
Steve was also an honourary member =
of the
Dawson Ranger Patrol, where two of his sons, Darren and Steven, are members=
and
continue to serve. On numerous occasions, we were fortunate enough to have =
him
serve as the guest of honour for the Ranger Patrol inspections and VIP
functions. In 2005, declared the Year of the Veteran, to honour those who
fought in past wars, the
Steve was formally discharged from =
service
in 1945. He and a friend flipped a coin to decide if they would — hea=
ds
— go to
Steven first went to Atlin and then=
moved
on to Elsa and Keno. He spent some time mining on the
One of Steve’s most important
occasions was always Remembrance Day. He would encourage family members to =
participate
in the ceremony. He would look around to see if the rest of the family, col=
leagues
and community members were in attendance, as he believed that this was part=
of
his life and why he and his comrades fought for freedom. Steve became a mem=
ber
of the Yukon Order of Pioneers in 1974 and, in the spring of 2013, he was g=
iven
the honour of becoming a life member.
Throughout their lives, Steve and P= eggy were inseparable — hunting, fishing, trapping, mining and growing the= ir own vegetables. Steve loved to spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He enjoyed cooking for his kids and especially the grandchildren. They loved his chicken soup and his dumplings. One of his grandchildren was heard saying, “Grandpa makes the best bologna sandwiches ever.” He never missed a day of cooking for the kids. He w= as a kind and generous man — he gave fish to those in need without hesitat= ion. He loved to get dressed up and to take Peggy out on the town dancing, and t= hey enjoyed their nights out immensely.
During the last few weeks of his jo= urney, Steve spent time surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren and con= tinued to enjoy his last sips of Royal Red.
Steve will be sadly missed by his w=
ife Peggy,
son Peter and wife Margie, son Ed and wife Janice, son Steven and wife Petr=
a,
son Frank and wife Darlene, son Darren and wife Austin, daughter Debbie and
husband Richard, daughter Dawn and husband Ken and numerous grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, as well as his sisters-in-law Shir=
ley
and Ann.
Steve is predeceased by his parents= John and Elizabeth, brothers Ed, Frank and John, and one sister, as well as his brothers-in-law George, Jackie, John and Richard Semple, and sisters-in-law= Katherine McNab and Linda Chudy.
Rest now, old soldier. We will reme= mber you.
I’d like to offer to everybod= y in the gallery today and the Members of the Legislative Assembly to help me in welcoming Ed Kormendy, son of Steve, with his wife Janice; also Steven Kormendy, grandson, and family members Gina Nagano and Sharon Specht.
Applause
In recognition of the Annual Territorial Skills
Competition
Hon.
Mr.
As evidence of that, this House has= passed on private members’ day two unanimous motions on skills training R= 12; one introduced by the Member for Klondike and the other introduced by the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin — so again congratulating all members for passing those motions.
The Territorial Skills Competition =
this
Friday will build on that by providing
In past years, and in particular th=
e past
year, our
Mr. Denis Gaudin will be competing =
in
mechanical CAD at this year’s worlds in
Mayor Curtis, who all members know = has been very involved in Skills Canada, said last night at the reception that Mr. Gaudin stands a very good chance of perhaps coming home with a medal not on= ly for Canada, but also for the Yukon.
Nathan Petersen last year became a
back-to-back gold medallist in heavy-duty mechanics. A Riverdale North
resident, he achieved something that not many individuals do achieve at the
nationals, and that is a near-perfect score. Unfortunately, heavy-duty mech=
anics
is not recognized in the world competition, so Nathan won’t be going =
to
David Lister, a resident of Riverda=
le
South, was a bronze medallist in
Finally, a former resident of the r=
iding of
Mr. Speaker, I have every expectati=
on that
our talented team will continue to make
I would like to extend a big thank = you to all our partners in this venture for their tremendous effort in making this competition happen. This event would not take place without the hard work of all the staff at Skills Canada. I would especially like to recognize their Executive Director Megan Freese for her efforts in putting this day togethe= r.
The Government of
We have two special guests who have= joined us this year for Skills Canada. Please give a special welcome to Igor Shamr= aychuk and Olga Ivanova , master foreman and construction crew of Shaw NetworkR= 17;s Restaurant Takeover, which is m= oving on from the previous show that many will recognize, Restaurant Makeover. Igor and Olga will be lending some of their considerable expertise in skilled trades to our competition.
I am very confident that tomorrow= 8217;s competition at the Canada Games Centre will provide our youth with an oppor= tunity to showcase their skills and perhaps gain a new awareness of the possibilit= ies that await them with a career in the trades.
I would ask members of the House to= join me in wishing all the participants the best of luck tomorrow, but also welcomi= ng special guests to the gallery: Stephanie Churchill, who is Canada’s delegate to World Skills, Megan Freese, the Executive Director of Skills Ca= nada Yukon, and last but not least, Igor and Olga, who have joined us here from Toronto, where I understand spring is a little bit late in coming there too= , so we don’t feel so bad. I would ask them to stand and we welcome them.<= /span>
Applause
In recognition of
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: = Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House, I rise today to acknowled= ge May 14 to 20 as National Road Safety Week.
Every day we are reminded of the consequences of unsafe, distracted or impaired driving. We are reminded by = the memory of those who have lost and by those who have suffered due to the poor decisions made by others behind the wheel.
As we approach the Victoria Day long weekend, we know that traffic on our roads and highways will increase. As Y= ukoners travel around the territory, the number of tourists grows as our summer sea= son approaches. Historically, there is a rise on this weekend in the number and severity of crashes as well as people taking to the roads to enjoy warmer a= nd longer days.
National Road Safety Week highlight= s the importance of safe, sober and attentive driving for all drivers and passeng= ers. With the increase of traffic on our favourite fishing, camping and recreati= onal sites awaiting us, we need to take time to plan to travel safely. When we a= re planning ahead, we are better prepared for traffic and road conditions, wea= ther uncertainties, and we are able to reduce distractions while driving. By dri= ving responsibly, we help ensure safer travel on our roadways.
We also note that impaired driving =
is not
just a result of alcohol consumption. Drivers can be legally impaired by
fatigue, distraction and drugs as well. In the
To keep our families safe as they t=
ravel
the
Highways and Public Works helps ens= ure the safety of young passengers on our roadways with our child carseat safety program. Each year improper use of carseats causes an estimated 390 deaths = of children under the age of 14, while another 25,000 are injured. Of course, proper use of any child restraint system can reduce child fatalities by up = to 80 percent in the event of a crash.
This summer our child carseat safety
program will continue to promote carseat safety at public clinics throughout
the territory. Certified child restraint system technicians are available
year-round through our program to inspect the installation of the child res=
traint
system in your vehicle. This free program is great for new and seasoned par=
ents
looking to make sure that they are using their car seats as effectively as
possible.
Not only will parents receive suppo= rt to ensure their children are safe by having their carseats inspected, the children’s names will be entered into our annual draw for a chance to= win one of four $500 RESP contributions to help parents as they start saving for their child’s education.
Lastly, I would like to wish all Yu=
koners a
safe and fun summer. We are blessed to have such a beautiful landscape arou=
nd
us to explore and enjoy during the summer months. The thousands of visitors=
who
come to see what the
Enjoy your summer. Be responsible. = Drive safely. Remember that road safety is not merely the result of chance; it’s everyone’s responsibility and it starts with you. Do your = part to save lives.
In recognition of Lois Cameron
Speaker: On behalf of all members of the present and past Legislative Assemblies and the current and past staff of the Legislative Assembly Offic= e, I have the privilege today to pay tribute to Lois Cameron, our long-suffering Hansard contractor.
Lois is joined today by her husband=
Bob.
Bob’s brother, Dean, is also here, along with Lois and Bob’s so=
n,
Kyle and his partner, Casey, and her ever-faithful Hansard staff.
You’ll bear with me, as I try=
and go
through all the names here: Anne Williams, Deb Wald, Jane Haydock, Betty
Redlin,
In the spring of 1975, the court re=
porting
firm Lois worked for in Vancouver gave her an option to go to Whitehorse to
record this mysterious thing called Hansard, or go to Yellowknife to parti=
cipate
in the Mackenzie Valley pipeline inquiry. Lois thought this may be her only
chance to experience
Lois and her co-workers arrived in =
Lois met Bob in 1975 and later marr=
ied him
in 1977 and became a Yukoner for life. I really believe that Bob was the re=
ason
she kept coming back, not necessarily the work. The government then hired L=
ois
as a permanent employee to oversee the production of Hansard. With the advent of party politics in 1978, the whole
dynamic of the Legislature changed. The Clerk’s office was divided at
that time into legislative and administrative branches. Hansard was part of the legislative arm. The then Deputy Clerk,
Patrick Michael, became Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and Linda Adams,=
who
had been the Clerk, became the principal secretary and moved upstairs with =
the
new Government Leader, Chris Pearson.
It wasn’t long after this tha= t Lois convinced the newly appointed Clerk, Patrick Michael, to allow her to work = on a contract basis as she wasn’t busy enough intersessionally. I would li= ke to point out that Patrick Michael is here today for this tribute for Lois.<= /span>
With all the changes within the Leg=
islative
precinct, Hansard production also changed and became computerized
— the first in
Once the government offices had acc= ess to the Internet in the early 2000s, Hansard staff no longer had to make their late-night delivery of the hard copy to the printer. E-mail had final= ly taken care of that. In 2008 Hansard continued to embrace the digital world and implemented a system that eliminated the necessity for tape recor= ders altogether. Although Lois was a little frightened by this big change, Lois = and her seasoned staff continued to prove that they could do anything.= p>
The Hansard staff continues to produce the fastest Hansard in all of Canada, with transcribers able to leave work about five minutes following the last word spoken — generally my word.
Lois’ 39 years makes her the
currently longest serving Hansard=
i> recorder
in the
Lois has many memories, from 78-day=
-long
sittings to all-night sittings. Some retreaded members will remember some of
those. One night in particular, she remembers that then-Member for <=
st1:place>
Talking with her husband, Bob, just=
before
coming in, and for about the fifteenth change to this tribute, he was telli=
ng me
that while visiting
Lois has definitely seen a lot of p= rogress and changes over the years. She and her staff have produced 43,000 pages of= Hansard, worked with 119 members, including nine different Speakers and eight differ= ent Government Leaders/Premiers, but only three Clerks in all that time. Some of the early members have gone on to become commissioners, senators, and anoth= er is a Supreme Court judge.
Lois has been heard to say that it = has been an interesting and rewarding career. Although often extremely stressful, it allowed her time at home when her sons were small. Lois will be remembered = here for her professionalism. Think of the pressure on her to make members sound literate while still maintaining the essence of what they said. Also, not giving in to members who wanted statements deleted that they wish they had never said. I can’t believe we’ve ever had that happen. =
Her leadership and mentoring are ev= idenced by the staff who keep coming back to work with her year after year. There a= re many members like me, and some others like Floyd and Patrick, who have alwa= ys appreciated Lois and her staff for sharing the Hansard office snacks= .
Lois decided it was time to call it= quits when she recently heard the Minister of Highways and Public Works stand in = this House and talk about the Shakwak project — one of his grandmotherR= 17;s favourite subjects back in 1977.
Lois, all the members and staff and=
all of
those before us wish you the very, very best. You take with you not only our
greatest respect but also our heart-felt appreciation for all that you have
done for us and
Applaus=
e
In recognition of Sue MacDonald<= o:p>
Clerk: Mr. Speaker and honourable members of the Legislative Assembl=
y, it
is my honour today to pay tribute to Sue MacDonald, the Legislative
Assembly’s House and Committee Assistant and Website Administrator. T=
oday
is the Assembly’s last sitting day before Sue retires on June 7, and =
she
joins us at the Clerk’s table today. Sue was born in
She runs the Legislative Page progr= am and distributes to the Clerks and MLAs many of the documents they use on every sitting day. She also ensures that all the appropriate documents are ready = for the Commissioner’s signature when assent is granted to bills so that = our work in here actually becomes legally effective.
In other words, she is the master o= f a thousand details that allow the Assembly to do its work efficiently. Much of this work may go unnoticed or be taken for granted because it is always done with such regularity and precision, but it is greatly appreciated. One could say with only a small amount of exaggeration that most of what she does fal= ls into that catch-all category of “other related duties”. In addi= tion to what I have already mentioned, Sue performs administrative assistant dut= ies for both the Speaker and the Clerk. She is also the primary liaison between= the Legislative Assembly Office and the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, ensu= ring that members get their annual declarations filed on time. Of course, we alw= ays want to make sure that the Conflict of Interest Commissioner is pleased. = span>
She has run the registration table =
and done
anything else asked of her when the Assembly has hosted national and intern=
ational
conferences of elected members, legislative auditors and parliamentary cler=
ks.
She has served at the Clerk’s= Table when either the Clerk or Deputy Clerk has been unavailable. Members may rec= all that she served as the Acting Sergeant-at-Arms on April 23 of this year, and some of you — probably more of you — may have noticed her tendi= ng bar at the reception for the Yukoners Cancer Care Fund two weeks ago.
As the longest serving employee of = the Legislative Assembly Office, Sue is also the holder of a great deal of corp= orate knowledge and experience, something that I have drawn upon constantly since= I was hired as Deputy Clerk in 2001 and perhaps should have drawn on more.
However, describing what Sue has do= ne and continues to do tells us only part of the story. More importantly is how Sue does the myriad of things she does. A Legislative Assembly Office, with a s= mall number of employees and a wide range of responsibilities, can only function= if those employees are willing to do whatever is necessary to get the job done. This is where Sue excels. Her willingness to take on any task that needs do= ing and put in the required hours and effort to get it done right epitomizes th= is kind of commitment. For Sue, going above and beyond the call of duty is all= in a day’s work.
The Member for Vuntut Gwitchin want= ed me to convey a message that Sue’s gentle guidance, kind and friendly demean= our were a heart-send, especially during trying times throughout his term as the MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin. He said, and I quote: “Because Sue looked af= ter me so well, that made my representation of my constituents that much greater.” He also asked me to say a few words in Gwich’in, so my apologies to all speakers of Gwich’in at this point.
Mahsi’ cho, Sue, and [Clerk spoke in Gwich’in. Text u= navailable] All the best in your new journey.
Mr. Speaker, as I said at the begin= ning of this tribute, Sue’s last day with the Legislative Assembly is June 7.= Someone will succeed her in her position, but no one can ever replace her. Those of= us who work with her will miss her presence around the office, personally and professionally. I know that all members, the Legislative Assembly Office st= aff, past and present, and Cabinet and caucus staff wish her a long, happy, well-deserved retirement.
Once again, Mr. Speaker, I thank yo= u and all members of the Legislative Assembly for giving me the opportunity to of= fer this tribute to Sue MacDonald.
Applause
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; Just briefly, o= n behalf of the Official Opposition, we also wanted — we cannot match the eloquence of the Clerk — to extend our thanks to Sue. In my brief exp= erience, it’s her quiet and principled strength that has kept a legion of us political types really in line, and she has done it with grace. We wish her= the best in the next phase of her life and, you know, after retirement there are many options, as we can demonstrate. So, good luck, Sue.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; On behalf of the Liberal caucus, I would also like to offer our thanks to Sue MacDonald for = her many years of service to all Members of the Legislative Assembly. Ms. MacDonald’s assistance over the years has played a critical role in t= he daily routine of the Legislative Assembly and in the lives of all of the ML= As from all parties. We are grateful to salute you for your hard work and your dedication and the support you have given all of us, as a committed public servant. We wish you luck on your well-deserved retirement and, as you move forward into the next chapter of your life, we wish you much happiness in t= he years ahead. Enjoy and God bless.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I am pleased but a bit sad to rise = on behalf of the government caucus and thank Sue for her years of service in m= any capacities, both for me personally as a brand new private member when first elected, and as House Leader, and in a number of capacities over the years. Sue’s assistance has been of great help personally and of course very important to all members. I know I speak on behalf of the entire government= caucus in thanking Sue very sincerely for her assistance over the years.
While I’m on my feet, I know = your tribute to Lois Cameron was on behalf of all members, but I’d just li= ke to thank Lois sincerely as well on behalf of the government caucus.<= /p>
In recognition of Jude Layzell= span>
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; This is kind of= a heart-wrenching day of retirements and I would just like to also rise and s= ay thank you to another member of the Legislature team who is retiring today a= nd that is Ms. Jude Layzell. I will keep this brief because if I got into how = much we relied on Jude over the last few decades, or how much she meant to me on= a personal level, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think I’d be able to make = it through this tribute without choking up.
Suffice to say that Jude has been a= n icon for the Yukon Liberal Party. Her allegiance is admirable; her determination= is inspiring and above all — and I don’t know how else to say this — above all she’s real. She is, as my father would say, “= good people”. Thank you so very much, Jude and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your indulgence today.
Applause
Ms. Hanson:&= #8195; Mr. Speaker, I = too, on behalf of the Official Opposition, want to rise and pay tribute to Jude on = her last day of work in the Liberal caucus office. There are a lot of reasons f= or that. Jude is the epitome in many ways of what public service is all about. There are lots of examples of why Jude has become so important to so many people in this building, not just because she is the greeter — everyb= ody walks by and gets that welcome smile.
But from a very personal level, we = can recall in our caucus office on the day following Steve Cardiff’s deat= h, people came to work the next morning to find Jude in our office at our rece= ption desk manning our phones. We were in shock and she knew it and she always kn= ew what was the right thing to do and she did it — and she does it, I th= ink.
She also has a great sense of humou= r, which makes those little stop-ins at that office fun. I’m so pleased to know that she is retiring to enjoy the newest member of her family, her great-granddaughter, Aria, whom I got to meet this week. On behalf of the N= DP, we’re going to miss having her right next door to us, and we know that many other people in this building will miss her. We thank her for her many years of service.
Applause
Hon.
Mr.
Jude has been a friend: I remember =
growing
up right next door to Dave and Jude and my parents were on a camping trip o=
ne
weekend. My younger brother and I decided that would be a great weekend to =
have
some friends over. Jude and Dave got home from another engagement fairly la=
te
and heard some of the music coming from next door and decided, “If we
can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” So, they came to our hou=
se
and joined us at our party. I’m sure it wasn’t them who told my
parents about it when they got back on the Sunday. So, as a next door neigh=
bour
growing up and now a neighbour down the street from Dave and Jude, I wish t=
hem
all the best going forward. I stopped in and talked to Jude this morning and
mentioned that I am looking forward to seeing her in the neighbourhood and
chatting with her across the fence as much as I look forward to stopping in=
and
grabbing one of her hard candies here in the Legislature on the way up to my
office.
So thank you so much Jude and enjoy= your time with Dave and your family. I’m sure that it will be great. We’re certainly going to miss you here in the Yukon Legislature.
In recognition of Pages= p>
Speaker: On behalf of all members and the Clerks, I’d like to gi= ve a tribute and our thanks to our legislative pages, only two of whom we only h= ave here today.
You have conducted yourselves in a = very professional manner and you should be proud of that. I have also enjoyed speaking with you at length at different times, getting your impressions on= the House and the proceedings here.
Some of the pages have expressed an interest in returning for the fall sitting. For those, we look forward to seeing you again. For those who won’t be returning, we wish you well = and hope that your experience here has been a positive one.
One of our long-serving pages, Srut=
hee, I
understand is going to be applying for a page position in
Applause
Speaker: Again, on behalf of all members and the Clerks, we wish you we= ll with your upcoming exams and a safe and happy summer. Thank you for your dedication and support during this sitting.
Applause
Speaker: Introduction of visitors.
INTRODUCTION OF VISITO= RS
Hon. Mr. Graham: It gives me great pleasure to intro= duce a couple of people in the gallery here today, one of whom has been with us throughout this whole session. The Minister of Education and I check every = once and awhile to make sure she doesn’t come here just to sleep away the = afternoons. I’ve known Davina Harker for a number of years from the college and I just want to let you know, Davina, we appreciate your forbearance being here every day and listening to some of the proceedings that go on here, so thank you very much.
The second is another colleague of =
mine
from previous employment at
Applause
Speaker: Are there any returns or documents for tabling?
TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS
Hon. Ms. Taylor: I have for tabling the annual repor= t for 2012-2013 for the Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues. = p>
Speaker: Are there any reports of committees?
Are there any petitions?
Are there any bills to be introduce= d?
Are there any notices of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms. White:<= /b> I give notice o= f the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen=
t of
Yukon in its development of
(1) protect all Yukon water from Sc= hedule 2 of the federal metal mining effluent regulations that allows for the design= ation of freshwater lakes as tailings impoundment areas; and
(2) outright ban bulk water export =
from any
I give notice of the following moti= on:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to commit to improving the public registry of contaminated sites by:<= /span>
(1) improving public access to the
inventory of all contaminated sites in the
(2) improving recording, documentat= ion and cataloguing of contaminated sites to ensure transparency and public access;= and
(3) improving public communications= on what the public should do upon the discovery of land contamination, including spills.
Ms. Stick: I give no= tice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to amend the Hospital Act so that Yukon’s Financial Administration Act applies to the Yukon Hospital Corporation.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I give notice o= f the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to follow the advice of Thomas Berger and visit the Peel watershed be= fore it makes a final decision on a Peel land use plan.
Speaker: Is there a statement by a minister?
This brings us to Question Period.<= /span>
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Peel watershed land us= e plan
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Members of the =
public
are familiar with the Lonely Planet’s message to tourists about
the
Now that the Premier and his Cabine= t seem to have rediscovered the value of tourism to the economy, especially in lig= ht of faltering commodity prices, how is the Yukon Party government going to explain its rejection of the Final Recommended Peel Watershed Regional L= and Use Plan to the European market?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: As we have said throughout this ter=
m in
office and in fact throughout the election, as well, we believe that the =
span>
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Mr. Speaker, du=
ring this
sitting the Energy, Mines and Resources minister’s spin to justify the
Yukon Party’s dismissal of the Peel plan was, “We were elected =
to
represent Yukoners. We were elected by Yukoners. We were not elected to rep=
resent
the people of Düsseldorf,
Yesterday we heard many words from =
Yukon
Party ministers about the importance of German-speaking
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: With the land use planning in the P=
eel
region, one of the goals we have is to protect the
We have suggested and fully agree t= hat there are areas in the Peel watershed region that deserve the highest level= of protection available, and we are absolutely prepared to undertake to implem= ent that kind of protection. What we disagree with the NDP about, though, is th= at we have to have an all-or-nothing approach to these things. We believe that= it is possible to manage the footprint of activity in certain areas and ultima= tely protect some of the key areas, as well.
What we will do is continue with th= e land use planning process as set out under the Umbrella Final Agreement and come up with a land use plan that we believe works = for all Yukoners.
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Actions speak l=
ouder
than words.
All parties in this Legislative Ass= embly recognize the 40th anniversary of the Umbrella Final Agreement and the breakthrough of colonization to relationships built on equality. All parties were told by First Nation lead= ers that the relationship is built on deeds, not words, and that they still look forward to the relationship being based on the handshake of equals. =
First Nation governments told the Y= ukon Party government that although they wanted 100-percent protection for the P= eel, they believed the compromises contained in the final recommended plan are f= air and balanced. The government’s response has been to ignore chapter 11 obligations, dismiss the multi-year consultation process, and dismiss the v= iews of First Nation governments and the voices of thousands of Yukoners who sup= port the final recommended plan.
How can the Premier justify the Yuk= on Party’s rejection of the Peel plan while saying he respects First Nat= ion governments and the intent of the final agreements?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Mr. Speaker, in this instance, the = member opposite is absolutely wrong. We have absolutely followed the Umbrella Final Agreement. We remain absolutely committed to t= he Umbrella Final Agreement and the i= mplementation of all of our obligations under the various land claims in this territory. = We do it every day when we plan special management areas, habitat protection a= reas and other aspects of the Umbrella F= inal Agreement and the specific First Nation land claim agreements. <= /p>
Mr. Speaker, for her to suggest tha=
t we are
somehow breaching our obligation is simply inaccurate, and I absolutely
disagree with her.
What we will do is to continue to f=
ollow
the Umbrella Final Agreement. W=
e will
continue to consult with our First Nations planning partners as we are requ=
ired
to do by that agreement, and when we conclude that process we’ll
ultimately end up with a land use plan that we feel represents the best way
forward for the
Question re: Electrical r=
ate
increases
Mr. Tredger:= Yukoners have b= een hit in the pocketbook by electrical rate increases and are readying for yet ano= ther increase on July 1. Contrary to the facts, the minister says he is not invo= lved in electrical rates. The minister does say consumers should pay the true co= st for electricity as he contemplates removing the rate subsidy that saves many Yukoners $26 a month.
What does the minister say to Yukon= ers who are preparing to take yet another hit in the pocket as rates go higher?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: First of all, what we’re hear=
ing
from the NDP again today goes under the same banner we saw last week on the
front page of the Yukon News: “NDP Opposition’s Bad Math=
,”
and their reference to the Opposition’s bungling YESAB stats.
This is another situation where the NDP’s assertions do not line up with the facts. Contrary to the member’s assertions, the Yukon Utilities Board, which is a quasi-judi= cial body, sets the electrical rates. Utilities apply if they wish to receive a = rate increase, and the capable board members of the Yukon Utilities Board review their application and determine whether that avocation should be approved, approved in part, adjusted, whether they need additional information, et cetera, et cetera. So the member is quite simply wrong again.
Mr. Tredger:= Yukoners who ar= e facing another hit to the pocketbook, who struggle with paying the monthly bills, = will take little comfort from the minister’s words. I asked the chair of t= he Energy Corporation Tuesday about how the general rate application is prepar= ed and how the government establishes its expectation. The chair said that aft= er the corporation does its deliberation, the rate application is taken, quote, “to the ministry for their consideration and notification. The analys= is done by the corporation is reviewed by both the Development Corporation boa= rd and the ministry as well.”
The minister has said he’s not
involved in the process, but it’s clear from the Chair that the minis=
ter
has many opportunities to advocate for the consumer.
The minister is ultimately responsi= ble for yet another hit. Why has the minister not advocated for consumers? <= /p>
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Once again, the assertions coming f= rom the NDP are inaccurate. The member would do all members and the public a service if he actually did a little more research on these matters before making these assertions in the House.
I would draw members’ attenti= on to the fact that if you look at the typical annual rise in the consumer price index — the index of the cost of various goods and services — c= ompared to our electrical rates, it is completely unrealistic for members to think = that electrical rates will forever remain at the same level and will not, after = some period in time, need on the part of both of the utilities that provide serv= ice, to potentially have an increase as a result of increased cost of labour, in= creased cost of fuel and increased cost of goods, services, machinery, et cetera. <= /span>
We certainly do not welcome an incr=
ease in
electrical rates, much as with any other portion of a system that people de=
pend
on, whether it be food, whether it be housing, whether it be the price of
gasoline or home heating fuel. Certainly, we recognize that increases in the
costs of those goods and services do affect people’s pocketbooks. The=
NDP
seem to have this imaginary world they live in. We can’t prevent costs
from rising in any area, including electrical areas.
What we do is continue to work with= the utilities and encourage the boards to focus on reducing costs and reducing = the cost of increase over a period of years.
Mr. Tredger:= The interim rate subsidy saves Yukoners as much as $26 a month, and the minister has not been clear about whether he will maintain it or get rid of it. The subsidy was brought in to prevent rate shock related to the Faro mine closure and was supported and maintained by all parties when in government, including this minister. Yukoners are now going through another rate shock and need the subsidy more than ever.
Is the minister prepared to state o= n the record that the subsidy will be maintained?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: As I’ve said a number of time=
s in
responding to questions from members, there is a reason that we renamed the
subsidy the “interim electrical rebate”. Certainly, a subsidy t=
hat
distorts the marketplace and subsidizes the costs of services is something =
that
is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets to reduce the cost for ratepayers,
but ultimately they are the same people, so we recognize that a significant
increase can cause rate shock. That is why we have left the interim electri=
cal
rebate in place as long as it has been there, but ultimately the cost of
service has to be borne by someone at some point in time.
It is completely unrealistic for me= mbers to think that we can freeze the cost of food, the cost of home heating fuel, t= he cost of electrical rates or, really, the cost of any goods or service.
Labour costs and other increased co= sts have to be reflected somewhere at some point in time. That is unfortunate, but c= osts do go up.
Question re: Resource Access Roads Framework =
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Mr. Speaker, I =
have a
question for the Minister of Highways and Public Works. In 2012, the minist=
er
introduced for public consultation a new Resource Access Roads Framework=
.
It outlines the goals and principles that guide decisions around the
development and management of resource access roads in the
The purpose of this framework is to= outline processes and provide guidance to regulators, industry and the public. While there was a great deal of hoopla when this consultation was first announced, there has never been any public confirmation that the framework has been adopted as official government policy.
Can the minister confirm that the <= i>Resource Access Roads Framework is now an official policy of this government?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: The Resource Access Roads Framew=
ork
is just what it is — it is a framework. It is not a policy. It’=
s a
set of guidelines for industry, so when industry looks to develop and come =
to
us to talk about roads, they have done their consultation with the communit=
ies,
with the First Nations, with the local resource councils and other key stak=
eholders.
This is sort of a bit of a framewor=
k to let
industry know that if they want to work with the government on capital impr=
ovements
for some of these roads, they can come and see and work with us as long as
they’ve done their homework up front. This doesn’t supersede YE=
SAA
or anything else like that. We have $500,000 — and you’ll notic=
e it
in the budget. I’m hoping the member opposite does vote for the budge=
t,
because a lot of the industry up in
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Western Copper =
and Gold
is in
Has any determination been made by = this government with respect to the contributions to the upgrade of this road, a= nd have any changes been made to the proposed rooting of this road recently? <= /span>
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: There has been no commitment from t= his government on partnering on that road. The idea behind the Resource Acce= ss Roads Framework was exactly what I alluded to earlier about Western Cop= per contacting the department. We had suggested to them that they talk to the l= ocal resource councils, First Nations and the communities that are going to be affected by a project like that, so they can look at the different routes a= nd they hopefully meet the requirements the community wants. So nothing for us — we have a portion of the Freegold mine road that is ours, on which there is existing maintenance, but they’re going to have to be responsible for that section. We work in cooperation with Economic Developm= ent, Energy, Mines and Resources and Executive Council Office on such huge proje= cts. That’s where the proponent would come to see the government and have these discussions with us.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; He didn’t= allude to any of the proposed rerouting. I’ll give him a chance to answer th= at part of the question.
This summer, we have seen two major=
mining
projects go sideways. Brewery Creek appeared to be off the table completely=
and
Victoria Gold is delayed by a year. We also understand the exploration and
development expenditures by mining companies will be much lower than last y=
ear
— NRCan says approximately $112 million, down from $225 million last
year, and according to some estimates, it could be as low as $75 million.
There will obviously be economic be= nefits to Yukoners if Casino mine is built. The $100 million road is bigger than t= he government’s annual highway construction budget with or without the Shakwak funding. The road would begin at Carmacks and end at the mine. What discussions, if any, has the minister had with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation or the Selkirk First Nation regarding this potential road project?= span>
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Certainly this project continues to=
move
forward but, as you’re aware, it is still in the early, early stages =
of
this project. A project such as the Casino project, or any large project in=
As we discussed and debated in a mo= tion yesterday, on my tourism and trade mission, I’ll also have a componen= t of that trip to continue to advocate and to promote Yukon as a good, solid investment for people who are looking to invest, as will the Minister of Economic Development through this summer and going forward continue to wave= the Yukon flag, to talk about the strong support that this government has for economic development, to talk about the certainty there is by investing in = the Yukon with a strong assessment process that we have, the strong permitting = and regulatory process, the strong process in terms of inspections, and the fact that we do have great infrastructure. We have roads and we have an all-seas= on port as well.
Question re:
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; We all know the
background story of the
The Yukon Hospital Corporation witn= esses insist that in February they took immediate action on an unforeseen project= management issue, but evidence shows that red flags were raised a year ago and now subcontractors are going to court over millions of dollars of unpaid work. =
How does the minister explain this contradiction and what steps is he taking to ensure that he is better infor= med about the fiscal management of hospital projects?
Hon.
Mr. Graham: It is interesting that the member
opposite comes at this question from a number of different angles, but the
simple fact remains that in April 2012 a contractor, Nelson Drywall, walked
away from the job. There were allegations that labourers and suppliers in b=
oth
Had that case by Nelson Drywall aga=
inst
Dowland been proven true for $1,016,000, the money had been paid into the c=
ourt
as a holdback against the contract that the Yukon Hospital Corporation had =
with
Dowland. So the Hospital Corporation was completely covered during that who=
le
transaction.
The simple fact of the matter is the contractor, Nelson Drywall, has never approached the court — or at le= ast to my knowledge has never approached the court — to claim that money.=
Speaker: Order. The member’s time has elapsed.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I will have a discussion with the minister after and show him some of the evidence I have= .
I have repeatedly asked about these overbudget and behind-time hospital projects. How much money is being claim= ed by subcontractors that is not yet paid? Yesterday, the minister said it was unfortunate I did not ask this question of the president and the CEO of the hospital, but I did and more than once. Neither the minister nor Yukon Hosp= ital Corporation’s officials seem to want to give a direct answer to a straightforward question. We’re talking about millions of precious pu= blic health care dollars spent with a lack of accountability.
Mr. Speaker, is this minister prepa=
red to
amend the Hospital Act so that the
Hon.
Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, isn’t this inter=
esting.
The member opposite — the NDP — wishes to have the Hospital
Corporation come under the same Financial Administration Act and yet=
it
was an NDP government that established the Yukon Hospital Corporation. It w=
as
an NDP government that chose to exclude the Hospital Corporation from the <=
i>Financial
Administration Act, so I’m not exactly sure how members opposite
justify that action, but I’m here to tell you that it’s unfortu=
nate
that any
Unfortunately, what the member oppo= site still can’t seem to get straight is that we have no way of knowing how many of those subcontractors have worked for Dowland and are still owed mon= ey. That’s why we have a bonding agent who has taken over that responsibility; that bonding agent has the responsibility to ensure, first = of all, that those claims by subcontractors are accurate and true, and then to make sure that those subcontractors are paid. So this has absolutely — well, I won’t say absolutely nothing to do with government, but this = is a process that has been set up over years, and it works. This is the process = that we are now in.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; I will not apol=
ogize
for the Hospital Act that the NDP brought in, or the fact that we
didn’t ask for the Financial Administration Act for that. This=
is
the problem now — it wasn’t in the past: fiscal mismanagement;
millions of health care dollars being spent without an accounting.
We cannot get it from the minister;= we could not get it from the officials. After all this, a scathing report from= the Auditor General, receding timelines, inflated final bills — what̵= 7;s going on and why can the minister not answer the questions?
Last question: What steps is the mi= nister taking to improve the Yukon Hospital Corporation’s communication of issues with its project management?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I’m just going to speak to th=
e transparency
that the member opposite is trying to discuss, and certainly this is someth=
ing
that this administration has done since we’ve come to office. Our very
first budget was a budget that did a couple of things. We combined the
operation and maintenance budget and the capital budget into one document
— one document that makes it much easier to understand and much easie=
r to
read. We also added a consolidated report as well, which was never done bef=
ore
in this Legislative Assembly where we actually showed the books for those
corporations for which this Assembly does not vote for the appropriations. =
We
continue to be up front and transparent with
Question re: Water manage=
ment
Ms. White:= 8195; Yukoners have u= ntil May 31 to comment on the draft water strategy. Like the energy strategy, the wa= ter strategy may be used to justify all manner of activities. A clear priority = the government has defined is to “ensure adequate water availability for industry, communities and other users”. In the short and maybe intermediate term, the identified action is to review, improve and expand b= est management practices. Access to water is to be ensured to industry and indu= stry is to follow best management practices.
The Faro mine operated in complianc= e with the regulation and the best management practices of the day. The company de= faulted and generations of Canadians will continue paying for the cleanup. Yukoners want to understand more about these best management practices and how they = are developed and enforced.
Can the minister explain who determ= ines and enforces best management practices and how they will prevent another Faro m= ine from happening?
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: First of all, as I’ve explain=
ed before
in this House to members, in fact, there are a few things related to the Fa=
ro
mine — first of all, it was under the federal watch and the federal
government did not have as strong a regulatory process as we do. They did n=
ot
have as much active inspection done by inspectors as we do for projects here
today.
They did not take the same security= that we take today, which is done based on a technical assessment of how much money government would need if a company went bankrupt and we had to complete full reclamation of the project. The issue with the Faro mine is acid-rock drain= age. It is the result of it not being reclaimed when it should have been, but as= far as failures under the federal watch, the member should perhaps look to her leader and ask for information about federal mismanagement of the mines fil= e.
Ms. White:= 8195; I didn’t = hear any mention of best management practices.
Long-term goals in the strategy ref=
er to
ensuring oversight of all public water systems through current legislation =
and
enforcement programs. Yukoners are not confident that current legislative a=
nd
enforcement programs are adequate protection. For example, some current fed=
eral
legislation puts McLean
Can the minister assure Yukoners th= eir water is adequately protected from section 5 of the metal mine effluent regulatio= ns under the Fisheries Act?
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: I heard the member’s comments=
about
this in her motion earlier and some of her aloof comments here today, and I
have to say that I think she’s ignoring a vast amount of legislation =
and
regulation when it comes to mining operations in the territory. When she as=
ks
if a particular lake could be used in a particular project, does she not re=
member
that things have to go through a number of processes, including YESAA, which
has guaranteed input from First Nations and the public; that we have a W=
aters
Act; that we have a Quartz Mining Act that provides quartz mining
licences to projects? There are a number of processes that go into the regu=
lation
and oversight on mining projects and for her to ask some random question ab=
out
a particular project, I think, is a waste of the time of this House. What I
would say, though, is that she should do some homework, review the current =
legislation
and regulations, and gain a familiarity of how things work in the
Ms.
White:=
8195; You know what t=
hey say
about opinions, don’t you? We all agree that our use of water needs t=
o be
sustainable, but what does “sustainable” really mean? Given all=
we
don’t know about the interactions between ground and surface waters, =
all
we don’t know about the impact of climate change on permafrost, on
precipitation patterns, and the timing and amount of the spring runoff, how=
can
we define what is sustainable? Yukoners are concerned about a potential
imbalance in this draft strategy. On one hand, access to water is ensured b=
ut,
on the other hand, there are no clear and enforceable standards to meet nee=
ds
of watersheds and all they sustain.
A strategy to ensure sustainable wa= ter use should include legally enforceable minimum environmental flows in each wate= rshed system. A strategy to ensure sustainable water use should prohibit bulk wat= er export.
Will the minister ensure that the w=
ater
strategy defines and allows for the enforcement of sustainable use, and wil=
l he
direct the bulk water export from
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Mr. Speaker, what this water strate= gy won’t do is skip over the Water Board or any of the existing processe= s we have in place to protect water resources in this territory.
What it will do is provide a coordi= nated approach for governments across this territory to manage our water resources together. We have a number of departments in this government; we have a num= ber of different levels of government in this territory that all have a responsibility with regard to water resources. We want to manage those reso= urces in a coordinated fashion.
We’re not going to boil ourse= lves down into some fantasy of the Member for Takhini-Kopper King with regard to= a specific project she has invented in her head. What we will continue to do = is work with our First Nation partners, with our other levels of government, a= nd consult with the public on what they want to see in a water strategy. If she wants to provide her comments in the public consultation, she is entirely f= ree to. But, Mr. Speaker, what we won’t do is follow the advice of the NDP when it comes to managing such an important resource to Yukoners. What we w= ill do is take a coordinated approach and govern in the best interest of Yukone= rs.
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now elapsed. We will now pro= ceed to Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, I move that the Speake=
r 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<= /i>
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE=
Chair
(Ms. McLeod): Order. Committee of the Whole will=
now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 10, First
Appropriation Act, 2013-14. We are going to be talking about Vote 18, Y=
ukon
Housing Corporation. Would the members like to take a break?
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole will now come to order.<= /span>
Bill No. 10: First Appropriat= ion Act, 2013-14 — continued
Chair: The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, Vote 18, Yukon Housing Corporation.<= /p>
Yukon Housing Corporation —=
; continued
Hon.
Mr.
It was with respect to the masonry = chimney checklist that the Yukon Housing Corporation has on its website. She asked = me a question about whether or not I would take a look at that and consider chan= ging some of the wording in that checklist. I did forward this e-mail from the p= resident of the Yukon Housing Corporation to the Member for Takhini-Kopper King, but= I thought it would also be useful to read it into the record.
The e-mail starts with: “Yuko= n Housing Corporation staff contacted Wood Energy Technology Transfer, or WETT, Inc. = in Toronto this morning…” this was sent to me on May 15 — yesterday — “…to confirm the certification standards. It was confir= med that WETT is only certified for solid fuels such as wood, pellets and coal,= but due to the nature of solid fuel combustions and the potential for sparks and creosote buildup, the WETT inspection standard for chimneys and especially = masonry chimneys is somewhat more critical than the B139 standard an oil burner mechanic would use. Staff has amended the checklist document as attached and will proceed to have the amended checklist document loaded on to our website.”
Again, I did forward the amended ch= ecklist to the member opposite as well. So just quickly what the previous wording h= ad said was that a WETT chimney professional is trained on chimneys used for a= ll forms of home heating, including wood, oil and gas — and it was those three words specifically that the member opposite referenced in her questio= ns. The new wording is that a WETT chimney professional is trained on chimneys = used for solid fuel, such as wood and pellets, and oil burner mechanic, or OBM, = is certified for oil and gas burning appliances and must conform to CSA B139 c= ode.
I just wanted to thank the member f= or the question and the patience she showed and thank department officials for fol= lowing up so quickly after our conversations here in the House on Tuesday afternoo= n.
I know that I’ve been through=
a
number of the aspects of the Yukon Housing Corporation that are very exciti=
ng
in this budget and relate to the new strategic plan. Again, rather than
reiterate all of them, I would just like to take this opportunity once agai=
n to
thank the chair of the Yukon Housing Corporation Board, Claire Derome, and =
all
of the individuals who serve on the board of directors, as well as the pres=
ident
of the Yukon Housing Corporation and all the officials who work in that cor=
poration.
A tremendous amount of work has been accomplished in the last y= ear and a half and previous to that, of course. During my time is where I would notice most of the work taking place: a total revamping of the five-year strategic plan, the hosting of the northern housing conference here in Whitehorse — and I continue to receive positive feedback from individ= uals who attended that conference — and of course the launch of the Yukon Housing Corporation action plan. I think that’s a tremendous step in = the right direction, on top of all the capital projects and programs that the Housing Corporation has undertaken in the last 12 to 18 months.
With that, perhaps what I could do =
is just
turn the floor back over to the Member for
Ms.
White:=
8195; I’d also =
like to
take this time to acknowledge what the minister has just said about the chi=
mney
checklist. This is a great example of how the Opposition and government can
work together to make things safer for Yukoners. I asked the question and u=
nder
the leadership of the minister, it happened almost instantaneously. This is=
a
huge deal. It sounds like very small words, but I am convinced right now th=
at between
the minister and the Housing Corporation, they possibly just saved lives. F=
or
that, I’m eternally grateful. Thank you for recognizing the small cha=
nge
for the enormity that it is. It’s just really great to be able to say=
it
again here in the House and have that on the record.
So, to the minister, thank you so m= uch. To the Housing Corporation, thank you so much. I look forward to having other = successes like that.
We often discuss the $13.5 million = left from the federal government for affordable housing and maybe what can be explained, as opposed to it not being spent, is what the requirements are f= or that to be spent and what kinds of projects would qualify. Are there any expectations or hopes of using that money in the near future?
Hon. Mr. Kent: With respect to the $50 million tha= t the Yukon government received for the northern housing trust, the government of= the day recognized the housing needs of First Nation citizens and immediately u= pon receiving that $50 million transferred $32.5 million to Yukon’s First Nation governments to address their housing needs, leaving us with $17.5 million yet to spend. I’m proud to say this Yukon Party government committed approximately $4 million from the remaining trust fund to constru= ct a new 10-suite, second-stage housing facility in partnership with KausheeR= 17;s Place, and of course members in the House know that work on that project is= now underway and I believe nearing completion.
What the Housing Corporation is doi=
ng now
is actively assessing the housing needs of Yukoners to determine the best u=
se
of the remaining $13.5 million in northern housing trust funding. I should =
also
say that when
So again, over 350 social housing u=
nits
throughout the
When we look at the strategic goals=
of the
corporation, the third goal — and I’ve said it a number of times
— is to develop strategic partnerships with Yukon government departme=
nts,
other governments, NGOs and the private sector in pursuit of collaborative
initiatives to enhance the full range of choices along the housing continuu=
m in
Yukon. I think that goal flows nicely into our work with the housing action
plan, so again, when it comes to the $13.5 million, we’re looking to =
find
programs and/or projects where we can leverage those dollars and stretch th=
ose
dollars beyond the $13.5 million, building on the substantial investments t=
hat
the Housing Corporation and the government has made for housing projects and
programs throughout the Yukon — over $100 million — and that of
course includes the work currently underway on the Options for Independence
money that was invested through CMHC’s affordable housing initiative,=
as
well as the planning for Mayo that is now underway, which is the the six-un=
it
seniors facility there and the 34-unit seniors facility on Alexander Street=
.
The construction tender on that sho=
uld be
ready very shortly to put out to
I can assure members that every tim= e I meet with the chair of the Yukon Housing Corporation Board, we’re looking = to find ways to leverage those dollars and stretch those dollars so that we can get the most bang for our buck.
Mr. Tredger:= I’d like = to begin by thanking the minister and the department for moving ahead with the senio= rs complex in Mayo. It’s very important to the citizens of Mayo and they’ve been talking about it for quite some time. They are very exci= ted to participate and to see it come to fruition. So I thank them for following through on that.
I just have a couple of quick quest=
ions
about that. How is the minister planning to involve the community in the
planning for the complex — in particular, the Na Cho Nyäk Dun, t=
he
Village of Mayo, and especially the seniors and elders who are, with antici=
pation,
looking forward to availing themselves of the residence? How will that comp=
lex
fit into the continuum of care? When I’m talking to the seniors,
they’re concerned about staying in the community as long as possible =
and
having a residence certainly fits into that. They raised issues around food=
and
being able to get meals as people age and maybe lose a partner. Will this a=
ccommodate
that?
Has there been an assessment of nee= ds around that transportation? The beauty of the particular spot they’re lookin= g at is that it is right in the centre of the community so that seniors will be = able to be involved. How can we open that up so it becomes more of a happening place, because they’re also concerned about being valued about being = able to continue to contribute to the community and to be able to participate in= community activities. They’ve raised a number of things with me and I’m s= ure they will with him in the planning process. The question: How is that plann= ing process going to involve them?
Hon.
Mr. Kent: I know that when I travelled to the
community of Mayo with the Premier and the Minister of Health and Social
Services as well as senior officials, we had a very good, well-attended lun=
ch
with members of not only the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun in attend=
ance
— the chief and many councillors — but also the mayor and counc=
il
members. It’s certainly exciting when I’m able to fulfill one of
our platform commitments and check things off as far as the mandate letter =
that
I received from the Premier with respect to the Housing Corporation.
Just to give a little bit more info=
rmation
— this budget sees $356,000 earmarked to begin the planning phase for=
the
design of the energy efficient six-unit seniors housing complex and also to
perform some preconstruction remediation work on the building site provided=
by
the
With respect to how we’re goi=
ng to
involve the individuals, we did at the time offer a trip to Faro, which also
had a six-plex constructed during the past five-year time frame, but it was
thought that perhaps it would be better just to go to the community of Mayo=
and
provide some photos and some of the construction drawings and detailed desi=
gn
from the Faro project to see if that is something that would fit the needs =
of
the individuals in Mayo.
Again, with the work that has been undertaken by the Housing Corporation with respect to seniors housing over = the past five years in communities like Haines Junction, Faro, Teslin and Watson Lake, as well as here in Whitehorse, this Mayo project is envisioned to pro= vide the same residential comforts and benefits to seniors in that community. It= is an independent living facility; it’s not a continuing care facility. =
I would suggest that perhaps the Mi= nister of Health and Social Services would be in a better position to answer those continuing care questions. What these projects do is provide rural seniors = the option to continue living in their communities where they raised their fami= lies and have lived their lives. I know I have spoken about it during my previous two opportunities to speak about the Housing Corporation here, but one of t= he exciting aspects that has been introduced by the Yukon Housing Corporation Board of Directors, with some guidance and direction by me as minister, is = the Accessibility Advisory Committee. This comes after numerous trips to see bathtubs across the territory in many of the seniors residences that were constructed and wanting to set that committee up. It’s a committee th= at consists of housing, health and disability management specialists who will provide advice on the accessibility features of new projects, which will be incorporated into the design, as well as looking at existing units so we can make adjustments as cost-effectively as possible, but more importantly, adjustments so that people can be comfortable and remain in their own homes= for as long as we can make that happen.
That committee has just completed t=
heir
first major project, which is input into the design of the
Again, I hope that answered most of= the member’s questions. We will be sending individuals from the Housing C= orporation up to Mayo to meet with the community and go through design aspects and that type of thing. I’m not sure if I mentioned that before, but I just wa= nted to follow up.
Ms. White:= 8195; As my last ques= tion, in hopes that we can hit other departments this afternoon — Options for Independence has accessed money both through the loan programs through Yukon Housing Corporation and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s affordable housing initiative. My question: Have there been discussions over how that NGO will be paying for those loans? It’s more than $2 millio= n so far — if the minister can explain the conversations with Options for = Independence and how those loans will be repaid, that will be all for me on Yukon Housing Corporation.
Hon.
Mr.
Chair: Is there any further general debate on Vote 18?
We’re going to proceed, line = by line.
Ms.
White:=
8195; Thank you, Mada=
m Chair.
Pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, I request the unanimous consent of Committ=
ee
of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 18, Yukon Housing Corporation, clear=
ed
or carried, as required.
Unanimous consent re deeming all=
lines
in Vote 18, Yukon Housing Corporation, cleared or carried
Chair: Ms. White has, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, requested the
unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 18, Y=
ukon
Housing Corporation, cleared or carried, as required. Are you agreed?
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Unanimous consent has been granted.
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
Total Operation and Maintenan=
ce
Expenditures in the amount of $18,302,000 agreed to
On Capital Expenditures
Capital Expenditures in the a=
mount of
$20,782,000 agreed to
Total Expenditures in the amo=
unt of
$39,084,000 agreed to
Yukon Housing Corporation agr=
eed to
Chair: = We are going to move on to Vote 11, Women’s Directorate,= and Committee of the Whole will recess for 10 minutes while we await officials.=
Recess
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now come to order. We’re go= ing to begin general debate on Vote 11, the Women’s Directorate.
Women’s
Directorate
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Madam Chair, it is my honour to pre= sent the Women’s Directorate budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
Before presenting the specific deta= ils on the budget before us, I am pleased to just take a few minutes to speak to o= ur strategic plan.
When I refer to the Women’s Directorate, I refer to a small but what I would coin as a relatively innovative department that is taking local and national leadership on many issues of importance to all Yukoners that make a significant difference in = the lives of girls, boys, women and men.
The work over this next fiscal year=
strives
for responsive and effective equality-promoting policies and programs that
enhance
In particular, we are focusing on a= number of areas, which include enhancing the housing security of women and girls, working to continue to decrease domestic and sexualized violence against wo= men and girls, enhancing culturally relevant gender-balanced services and progr= ams and strengthening the quality and effectiveness of gender-inclusive analysis throughout the Government of Yukon. Again, these goals respond to the challenges and the opportunities now and in the next number of years.
Specifically I refer to “Wome=
n in
Over the next year, the Women’=
;s
Directorate will be focusing on a number of strategic initiatives.
Of course, I spoke to enhancing the= health and housing security of Yukon women and girls and, specifically, I know that the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation has spoken to so= me of those initiatives, but first I would like to just focus on Betty’s= Haven — the second stage housing initiative — and is perhaps one of o= ur proudest accomplishments.
The Women’s Directorate, in partnership with the Department of Highways and Public Works, the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society, and Kaushee’s Place, is please= d to confirm that the construction of Betty’s Haven is on time and on budg= et. Of course, this was something that was celebrated and reiterated at the rec= ent fundraiser at which I know many of the members in this Assembly were presen= t.
The second-stage housing project wi=
ll
provide 10 units of housing for women who are ready to leave the transition
house. A total of $4.5 million has been committed to the construction that =
will
provide supportive, secure and affordable transition housing for up to 18 m=
onths
for women and their children who are fleeing abuse.
We anticipate the move-in to occur = this fall — by the end of the year — when the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society will be the new owners and managers of Betty’= s Haven.
We’re also very pleased to be=
able to
continue to support the program coordinator for the
The Women’s Directorate will =
continue
to enhance public awareness of the impacts of violence against women through
innovative engagement, including direct public education, social marketing =
and
social media. Prevention is a key component; it’s a key mandate of the
Women’s Directorate, in terms of reducing the severity and the preval=
ence
of violence against women throughout the territory.
The Women’s Directorate is pl=
eased to
be continuing the “Am I the Solution?” campaign, based on its
successful implementation and the community response throughout the =
Through a number of strong and flex= ible funding programs, the Women’s Directorate is committed to continuing = to flow resources to those community-based responses to violence against women, specifically through the prevention of violence against aboriginal women fu= nd and the women’s equality fund.
The Women’s Directorate is al=
so very
pleased to continue to provide support to aboriginal women’s
organizations and communities by supporting culturally relevant, gender-bas=
ed
services and programs that are developed by and for aboriginal women. A key
highlight, of course, includes the implementation of the Yukon Aboriginal
Women’s Summit 2 — in other words, YAWS 2 — recommendatio=
ns.
As members may recall, the Women’s Directorate and the Yukon Advisory
Council on Women’s Issues co-hosted the second Yukon Aboriginal
Women’s
Approximately 80 aboriginal women a=
ttended,
along with representation from chiefs and ministers and a number of officia=
ls
from the
The theme of the summit was “= Strong Women, Strong Communities: Restoring Our Balance.” It was an opportun= ity to engage participants in reflecting upon the work that had been accomplish= ed in previous years, in accordance with the first set of recommendations from YAWS 1 and, of course, looking forward to years out to identifying and sett= ing further priorities for future work on aboriginal women’s issues identified by aboriginal women here in the territory.
The Women’s Directorate is ve= ry pleased to have committed to supporting aboriginal women’s organizati= ons to develop three-year, community-based projects to address recommendations = from the YAWS 2 summit.
The Women’s Directorate, look= ing to the year ahead, will also continue to work in partnership with other govern= ment departments by integrating and enhancing the capacity to include gender-inclusive analysis into policy development, program and legislative development.
We will continue to do this by enha= ncing the capacities in the policy and the program, community of practice — again, by integrating this analysis into our programs, one of which being t= he housing action plan and the early years initiative with the Department of Health and Social Services and Education. Of course, the Women’s Directorate will continue to offer what has become known as its highly acclaimed policy course for government officials, and we’ll continue to provid= e that additional training at the upcoming policy conference in June, and provide ongoing training developed to address advanced capabilities, as well, into = the near future.
Just moving on to some of the budget
highlights for this fiscal year, overall we have a decrease of $257,000 from
the 2012-13 forecast to this year’s fiscal year mains — the main
changes being a decrease of $52,000 in personnel, which includes a decrease=
for
the “Am I the Solution?” marketing program and, in particular, =
the
position associated with that, and the long-term disability premium increas=
es
as well. We also have reflected a decrease of $182,000, which again reflects
dollars reflected by the victims of crime strategy.
That was in support of the “A=
m I the
Solution?” social marketing campaign, as the three-year funding that =
came
from the victims of crime strategy did come to an end
A branding company was hired to dev=
elop a
brand and messages for the campaign and very innovative approaches to reach
target audiences, those being young families, youth and men. The strategy of
the social marketing campaign was not to just speak directly to abusers or =
the
victims, but rather to reach out to all of us — to each of us as
individuals and specifically to those who may not feel connected to or affe=
cted
by the issue of violence against women.
We are pleased to note that the = 220;Am I the Solution?” campaign is continuing with support from the Departmen= t of Justice to develop creative strategies to new audiences. This will reflect = upon the evaluation on the impact of the actual campaign that has taken place ov= er the last two years.
The budget also reflects a decrease=
of
$15,000, which was held specifically for the national Aboriginal Women̵=
7;s
There is a decrease of $23,000 in t= ransfer payments, which includes a decrease of $78,000 from the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summit — that was a northern strategy dollars revote fr= om 2011-12; a decrease of $51,000 for the Aboriginal Women’s Summit as a result of northern strategy funding being made available as the final year = of the three-year funding was completed on March 31 of this year with an ongoi= ng increase, as I mentioned earlier, of $150,000 in support of the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summit — YAWS 2 implementation funding.
It also includes a decrease of $44,= 000 for the family violence and violence against aboriginal women prevention initia= tives funding for revotes from 2011-12, and it carried forward from 2012 to 2013.=
Madam Chair, recommendations from t=
he first
Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summits were addressed through a number of
innovative projects that were developed and implemented by aboriginal
women’s organizations and funded by the Women’s Directorate thr=
ough
monies from the northern strategy. This work, as we’re all aware, cam=
e to
an end this spring.
However, as I mentioned earlier, we= have committed to a renewal of dollars — $150,000 of new money for three y= ears to address recommendations from the second Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summit held last fall, for a total of $450,000 over three years.
There is an overall decrease of jus= t over $2 million in the Women’s Directorate capital budget. This year’= ;s capital budget is comprised of the holdback of the completion of the second-stage housing and also $700,000 for a carry-forward from last fiscal year for the completion of the construction of the second-stage housing initiative with, as I made reference to, the target date completion being by the end of the year. There is also money in the capital budget for the purc= hase of some additional computers, office equipment and furniture.
With that, I will conclude my remar= ks and certainly look forward to taking any questions that members opposite may ha= ve.
Ms.
White:=
8195; Thanks to the m=
inister
for her overview. Thank you to the official for being here today with us th=
is afternoon.
I have very few questions today in = regard to the department because the briefing was so thorough. I’m pleased t= hat the “Am I the Solution?” campaign is continuing for another yea= r, and I look forward to the evaluation of that campaign, hoping that it recei= ves as good marks and good grades as I expect it to do so that it can carry for= ward into the future. I was wondering about the school gender-based education: I= s it getting good uptake in the schools are they planning to continue it forward= ?
The very last question is in the an= nual report we just got this afternoon about the legal advocate research project. Has that been completed and has the minister signed off on it so that it ca= n be shared and distributed and if so, when, and what did the research find?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: I would like to thank the member op= posite for her questions. With respect to “Am I the Solution?” it has = been a very creative marketing campaign and is certainly one that the Women̵= 7;s Directorate has worked on very effectively by way of using social media. It= has really reached out. One only has to take a look at the Facebook page and see how many “likes” there are and the number of comments. It is reaching out to a whole different group of individuals who we may not necessarily have reached out to. It continues on. Just recently at the annu= al Yukon Child Care Association AGM, a book was just launched. It was really targeted to early learners. It’s a fantastic work, because it was illustrated by a local artist and the story itself was promoted by a local = author. That’s just another example. That was coupled with posters and the Si= lhouettes campaign that was launched last fall.
We have also heard in our research = and surveys as well that have been conducted as a result of “Am I the Solution?” is the need to really reach out more effectively to men and boys and that is something that we’ll continue to target, but I think that it is coming along very well.
I believe the member opposite was m=
aking
reference to the public education presentations in our schools — high=
ly
sought-after and it’s great to see because the Women’s Director=
ate
has done a great job in reaching out to schools. In turn schools are reachi=
ng
out to the Women’s Directorate now as well. It’s great to see.
Public education, as I mentioned, when it comes to gender stereotypes or
identity, sexual orientation, it all talks about the basis of bullying and
violence within our population, but obviously students in our public schools
are a big audience, they’re a large audience and we’re very pro=
ud
of the work of the Women’s Directorate in this regard, and obviously =
the
degree of uptake that has been taken as a result of that.
I know that we’ve had over 85
presentations that have been planned and delivered through the Women’=
s Directorate
to schools and school counsellors, administrators, school councils, youth
organizations, young offenders,
We’ve also — which I= 217;m pleased to see — had over 27 presentations that have taken place, and that was during a one-year period with after-school programs, which are very highly sought after as well — another target group for the Women̵= 7;s Directorate to reach out to — and also teen parents and individuals attending the Individual Learning Centre — again, targeting elementary schools and high schools.
I could go on at great length, but =
yes, it
is a highly successful program and is one that we are very proud to continu=
e to
support. In terms of the work of the legal advocate, that was one of the key
recommendations that came out of Sharing Common Ground.
It’s something that the Women= ’s Directorate continues to work with the Department of Justice and has been working very closely with Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues as well.
That research is still underway and= working with the Department of Justice, as well, will be key because, when it comes= to legal advocacy, that generally specifically involves the Department of Just= ice. They have been a key player in all of this. But, yes, we have not received = the final report as of yet; it’s still underway. Certainly YACWI will continue to have a very large role, in terms of looking over the report and making recommendations as well.
Chair: Is there any further general debate on Vote 11?
We’re going line by line.
Ms. White:= 8195; In efforts to m= ove along today, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, I request the unanimous conse= nt of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 11, Women’s Direc= torate, cleared or carried, as required.
Unanimous consent re deeming all= lines in Vote 11, Women’s Directorate, cleared or carried
Chair: Ms. White has, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, requested the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 11, Women’s Directorate, cleared or carried, as required. Are you agreed?=
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Unanimous consent has been granted.
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
Total Operation and Maintenan=
ce
Expenditures in the amount of $1,664,000 agreed to
On Capital Expenditures
Total Capital Expenditures in=
the
amount of $1,203,000 agreed to
Total Expenditures in the amo=
unt of
$2,867,000 agreed to
Women’s Directorate agr=
eed to
Chair: We are going to move on to Vote 55. A recess of 10 minutes ha= s been requested.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole will now come to order. = We are resuming general debate in Vote 55, Highways and Public Works.
Department of Highways and Publi=
c Works
— continued
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I just want to welcome my officials= back and thank the department for their work and I’m open to questions.
Ms. Moorcroft: I had thought t= he minister might have some information to provide in response to a number of = questions that are outstanding that I put on the record both yesterday and earlier in= the sitting, when we were debating Highways and Public Works.
Some of the information that I requ= ested I know the department routinely keeps records on. Why couldn’t the mini= ster tell us today in the House what the number of full-time equivalents is for = the department and the number of auxiliaries and casuals? Does he have that information?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I don’t have that information= here, but I have tasked the department to go through Corporate Services, Informat= ion and Communications Technology, Property Management, Supply Services and Transportation division, because they are all broken down, and then tally t= hem up and get back to the member opposite.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Thank you. Well=
then,
rather than going over and repeating all of the numerous items that I’=
;ve
requested information on, can the minister give me a timeline?
Can he tell me at what point we cou= ld expect the government to produce for the Opposition members — all par= ties — responses to the questions that I’ve asked him that he doesn’t have answers for at the present time?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I will be forwarding the SMS for the airport next week and I’ll commit within two weeks to get all that information to you from the department.
Ms.
Moorcroft: I’d like =
to thank
the minister for that response. I will move on to one of the large capital
projects that is in this budget. I’m going to have some questions rel=
ated
to the F.H. Collins project. The original estimate prepared in 2009 was at =
$37
million plus a construction contingency of $3.7 million. We all know that
project is now two years behind the original scheduled budget and cash flow
estimates, notwithstanding that the Premier and some other candidates were =
at a
ground-breaking ceremony for the new F.H. Collins school in August 2011 just
prior to the fall 2011 election and, at that time, were indicating that it
would be an opening date of August 2013 and a total budget cost of $52.5
million.
There have been a number of expendi=
tures
over the years since a new
I would like to start with asking t= he minister whether he has a breakdown of the costs that have been spent to da= te on the F.H. Collins school project. Both the Liberal caucus and the Official Opposition NDP caucus asked this question at the departmental briefing. Can= the minister answer it?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I just want to reiterate to this Ho=
use
that this project is being built for taxpayers using taxpayers’ money.
The numbers that the member opposite is looking for are in last year’s
budget.
That would have been with Education= so it would be a question for the Education minister.
Ms. Moorcroft: The minister is= just going to have to bear with me for a moment while I look through some of the notes I have in relation to this.
Highways and Public Works does have responsibility for public works, for managing capital projects. It has been= a pattern of this government that when critics ask a minister a question, they defer to another minister and then when the critics ask the other minister, they defer back to the minister who deferred the question in the first plac= e. So what I would like to know is what has been learned from the F.H. Collins debacle and what assurances the minister can provide that the project will = be planned properly, will come in close to budget and will be built on time? <= /span>
We have heard a lot of questions ou=
t in the
community about whether the department considered changes to the design that
would have got the quotes closer to one of the estimates from the government
— it was at $38.6 million.
I think that there is an opportunit= y for some lessons learned. I would like to know why the government’s estim= ates were so out of step with the quotes provided by contractors. Were there ame= ndments to the design tender? When were the estimates prepared? Was it a significant time before they actually went out or were there some other factors that the minister may know of that would have contributed to the estimates not being= in keeping with the quotes provided by contractors.
I would also like know whether this minister has considered what the economic impact would be for missing this = building season — if they have calculated what job impact that may have had in= the community. Also, can the minister advise the House what the new total budge= t is for the new F.H. Collins project and whether there will be a tender for a m= ain project manager? Does the minister know when the current Alberta-based desi= gn will be finalized and when he expects that the tenders will go out from his department?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: After thorough research, this gover=
nment
— the Government of Yukon — decided to move forward with the de=
sign
from an existing school in
Like I said before, the member oppo=
site
asked about work this year, and we are hoping to incorporate some of the ci=
vil
work that was done into the new design as we move forward with the most
fiscally responsible approach to the design and construction. Of course, our
highest priority right now is to find the most appropriate and fiscally res=
ponsible
location for the school on the current F.H. Collins site, and I’m very
pleased that one of the great things about this is we’re not going to=
impact
the students that are going to F.H. Collins right now.
They’re not going to be withi= n a construction zone. This will be separate. They’ll be able to continue= on. They’ll have their gym. They’ll be able to do the stuff that yo= uth require. I know I spent six months going to F.H. Collins, and I know the Minister of Education spent a lot more time there than I.
Basically, we’re at phase 1 w= ith the cost assessment. We did the research in the selection of a new design. We h= ave a few different phases.
I’m just happy. Our whole bud= get that came out from our Finance minister — over $1 billion; every department — there is a lot within my department; we have millions of dollars out there for work for Yukoners within all the other departments — Alexan= der Street, Kaushee’s Place. There is a lot of other stuff I could speak = to — a lot of the projects that we’re doing.
I’m not worried there is a lo= t of impact. I don’t see that much impact on labour and work and jobs for Yukoners. We’re hoping to get out right away with the tender on this = and look forward to the beginning of this construction.
Ms.
Moorcroft: The minister ca=
n use
the term “fiscally responsible,” but it is not fiscally respons=
ible
to do poor planning, and it’s not fiscally responsible to have a two-=
year
delay.
I would like to ask the minister ab= out the work that has been done in relation to geothermal wells. This is an aspect = of the project that has been taken in, pulled out and then put back in again. = What work has already been done in relation to geothermal wells? What has it cost and where does that component of the project stand now?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: An interesting project — geot=
hermal.
That’s something I researched many years ago. The design for the
geothermal is done and of course we’re looking at the potential of
including it with this project.
This is something on which we have =
been
working with the City of
Ms. Moorcroft: What is the minister’s position on the use of geothermal for this project? Is he generally in support of it and will he be directing his officials to attemp= t to put this project together in a way that it can make use of geothermal wells= ?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I’m in support of any initiat=
ive
for green energy, whether it’s using more insulation in a building
— the design of this school, if you’ve had a chance to look at =
it,
the gym is in the middle, and the classrooms and the flexible space are aro=
und
it.
That’s a great savings from h= aving a gym on the outside and having to heat those big walls. When it comes to the= geothermal — we’d love to have the geothermal in there. Like I alluded to earlier, we’re looking at the design. We have to make sure — ge= othermal is great. It has been used in many different jurisdictions, but it has to be cost-effective, also. So we’re looking at it. We won’t know unt= il we’ve found the exact location. We’re doing that work right now= . It does depend on whether it is truly green. So we want to make sure that we do our homework and that we get it right.
Ms. Moorcroft: I did ask the m= inister how much has already been spent on geothermal. Can he answer that question?=
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: In the past years, those numbers we=
re
with working with the City of
Ms. Moorcroft: Let me try aski= ng a question again and see if I can get a response from the minister. = p>
I would like the minister to provid= e a legislative return with a breakdown of all of the expenditures related to t= he F.H. Collins project. Highways and Public Works does have a central agency = role and its Property Management branch does provide services to other departmen= ts. When we had a briefing with officials from the Department of Highways and Public Works earlier this spring, we requested a legislative return that provided a full accounting for every nickel that had been spent in relation= to the design and the planning of a new F.H. Collins school — the geothe= rmal work, road, water and sewer.
Can the minister please make a comm=
itment
that he will ask the department to pull that information together and provi=
de
it to us in a legislative return? When we asked the question at the briefin=
g,
we were told that we could get the information and that we would get the
information.
The minister just said he’s o= nly prepared to speak to this year’s estimates, and I’m asking him = if he’s prepared to commit to giving a legislative return on the informa= tion related to expenditures for the F.H. Collins project. Following that, I’ll turn the floor over to the Leader of the Third Party, who has so= me questions that are related to that, before I turn to another subject.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I just wanted to get out that the c= osts spent on the previous design and the work that was done was approximately $= 5.5 million. We can get the information to you about all the contracts we have within Highways and Public Works that were tendered.
I also want to get out to the publi=
c that
the Minister of Education and I tasked our departments to look for options =
and
look to the south for something that had been built and was working in that
jurisdiction. We looked all across the prairies.
This design we found in
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; On
Since that announcement, I’ve=
asked
repeatedly for copies of those documents, and the Premier, the Minister of
Education and the Minister of Highways and Public Works have all refused to
provide them. The government is relying on those documents to make its case
that the project had to be cancelled, yet it won’t release those
documents. Now I was told by the minister responsible for Highways and Publ=
ic
Works that there is proprietary information on those estimates and that tha=
t is
the reason for withholding this information.
Madam Chair, information I have rec= eived is that at least one of these estimates told the government before it went to = tender that the project might be over $38.6 million. I would like to extend one mo= re opportunity to the minister to release these documents. Will he do that? He= can black out all of the proprietary information; we just want the totals.
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I’m going to reiterate what
I’ve said in this House before and what I spoke to the member opposite
about. There is commercial confidentiality that needs to be respected. Like=
I
said, there is proprietary information in there — the legal opinion f=
rom
Justice with the estimates, and there are also budget implications in the
future with the new project. I’m not a lawyer, but from the departmen=
t,
that’s something that is not possible or we could find ourselves answ=
ering
many more questions in court.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I think that= 217;s where we differ in our opinions. Let me ask this question instead — w= hat companies provided these estimates? Were either of the companies attached in any way to the company that did the design of the school?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: There were two companies. One was Hanscomb, which worked for Stantec, and one was BTY, which worked for YTG. =
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Will the minist=
er put
on the record that the estimates in both these documents were, in fact, less
than $38.6 million?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: The minister will not speak to those documents at all.
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I don’t s=
ee
what’s proprietary about a statement that was made by the Premier and
based upon these numbers. We’re simply asking for a total from those
estimates and we’re just wondering. If he can’t comment about t=
hat,
I understand. I understand where he’s coming from with the proprietary
information or the Department of Justice or other concerns. The whole crux =
of
this argument is that those estimates are saying that this project was goin=
g to
be $38.6 million or less. Will the minister or the Premier — in this =
case
I have the opportunity to talk to the Minister of Highways and Public Works
— confirm that both of these estimates did say that the project would
come in less than $38.6 million? If he can’t answer that question, I =
am
done asking questions.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: As the Premier said, the answer the member’s going to get is that there was no way we were going to go on with a project that was over 21 percent.
Ms. Moorcroft: Could the minis= ter please explain the last statement he made? Did he say more than 21 percent? More than 21 percent of what? Could he repeat that answer, please?= p>
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: March 13, the government decided no= t to proceed with the previous design bids that were more than 21 percent over t= he cost estimates.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Could the minis=
ter tell
the House whether there are any strings attached to the free
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I think I alluded to this earlier. =
There
are no strings attached; they were free.
We’re looking for a late summ= er/early fall tender.
Ms. Moorcroft: Will there be a= tender for a main project manager, or how do they anticipate covering the project = management on this project?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: We will have professional project management services on this project. It’s very important that we be fiscally responsible and accountable.
Ms. Moorcroft: Can the minister indicate whether they have determined yet whether they will have a project manager from within current staff, whether they will be recruiting an additional project manager or hiring a project manager from outside of gove= rnment?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: The important thing here is that we= are going to use a professional service, whether we use within or whether we contract or we hire, there will be somebody — or a group of people — dedicated to that project to keep this project fiscally responsible= and on target for our completion date.
Ms. Moorcroft: Does the minist= er have any indication or have they done work yet on what costs may be included as = a result of modifications that are required for heating and other design components?= One of the concerns I would like to hear the minister address is that, as part = of the work that was done with the previous building advisory committee, there= was a lot of input from staff and students at the school, from First Nations and from school council members. I’m interested in knowing whether the go= vernment with its new plans will do any work, having disbanded that committee, in speaking to First Nations who had particular recommendations related to the design and two members of the school community who had particular questions= and particular recommendations in relation to the design.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I think I sort of answered it at the beginning. The information from the previous consultation with the council — I know Education is trying to incorporate everything they can into there. There is a lot of flexible space. Like I say again, the design is incredible. I look forward to the project going forward.
Ms. Moorcroft: I’ll come= back to the question that I had asked the minister prior to some questions from the Leader of the Third Party. Has the minister made a commitment that he will provide a legislative return with a full accounting of all of the expenditu= res to date in relation to the F.H. Collins school project?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: The portion that’s within Hig= hways and Public Works I will provide a legislative return for — I mentioned that already — with the contracts. There is going to be some stuff th= at is within Education.
Ms.
Moorcroft: The minister is
responsible for the administration of a few acts, and one of his
responsibilities is the regulations on the use of government facilities.
I’d like to ask the minister whether groups require a permit to be pr=
esent
in a
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: We are still developing the regulat= ions on that, but my colleague just mentioned that, in this building, when there= was a function on, they notified ECO — let them know that the group was coming. We’re still working on the regulations on that.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Do I understand=
, then,
that the minister has indicated that some groups, as a courtesy, have infor=
med
the Executive Council Office in advance of an event? However, there is no
requirement for that? Is that what he indicated?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I’m starting to figure this o= ut. If you’re just an organization that’s coming, you don’t need= a permit. The events that are in here where maybe you might have a licence to have wine or you might have a caterer catering — that’s where y= ou go to the government facility and talk to them and it comes under some of t= he regulations.
Ms. Moorcroft: A follow-up que= stion then — does the minister know when the department might conclude the = work that he just referred to that’s being done on those regulations?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: The act allows for a regulation to = be created, but we haven’t had many issues, so at this point we’re= not looking at developing new regulations.
Ms. Moorcroft: The minister ha= s spoken a few times about procurement services. In fact, I almost hesitate to open = this line of questioning because he has indicated that he could speak to it fore= ver and we don’t have forever this afternoon.
The minister in his mandate letter =
from the
Premier has a responsibility to review practices and policies for governmen=
t contracting
and procurement to ensure that they meet adequate environmental standards. =
The minister has also spoken about = changes he has made to procurement services. Can the minister explain the changes to the procurement policy and what they are, why they have been made and how t= hey benefit performance in his department?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I’ll try to keep this as shor=
t as
possible. It’s something that excites me a little bit when it comes to
saving taxpayers’ money. When it comes to procurement, we heard from =
the
Auditor General in 2008. We are constantly being audited. We spoke to this
— I think the member opposite asked me this question before. We are
modernizing how we do procurement. We’ve dedicated a procurement offi=
ce.
We’re standardizing the forms when you come in to procure something, =
so whether
it’s in Community Services or in Highways and Public Works or Educati=
on,
if you’re asking for the same thing, it will be the same form.
We’re providing more training for government employees’ experti=
se
and consistency. I was going to read, if I had this question, a letter that=
we
sent to our
The centralized support is the big = thing. We have already introduced more electronic tools. The big thing is we’= ;re not trying to affect smaller businesses, or business, negatively in any way= . We do recognize the contribution of businesses and we’ve learned this. We’ve revised our thresholds. We have a new supplier directory that business can go to and more on-line services. It increases the consistency = and fairness and also the transparency to reduce the time and costs for bids. <= /span>
I guess we’re just trying to =
build on
a strong government procurement foundation and make it easier and focus our=
efforts
on improving our internal processes, especially those that have created
challenges for some of our suppliers. We meet with the Yukon Contractors As=
sociation,
the local chambers of commerce, small businesses and non-profit societies.
We’re always meeting, and when we do, procurement is something that we
hear, so anything that we can do to help individuals in the
Ms.
Moorcroft: Another question
related to the Transportation division: How many companies have ore-hauling
contracts, and what is the value of the ore-hauling contracts to the
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Are you talking about bulk haul? Ri= ght now there are two types of bulk haul. We have a fuel haul agreement and we = have an ore haul agreement. So we have three ore haul bulk agreements right now = and we have two bulk haul fuel haulers.
Ms. Moorcroft: I had also aske= d the minister if he had information related to the value of those contracts. Can= he provide details on the three ore haul and the two bulk haul contracts?
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: This is based on a penny-per-tonne = on the haul price. So it depends on the number of hauls and the number of kilometr= es. I can get that information back to the member.
How much ore they haul is a penny-p= er-tonne and the price is per kilometre.
Ms. Moorcroft: When the minist= er provides an answer to that question, could he include information related to how that covers expenditures for road maintenance? Certainly we’re aw= are that heavy traffic is harder on the roads than the traffic of members of the public commuting and using the roads. If he could include in his legislative return any information related to what they anticipate the costs are for ma= intenance of the road for the bulk haul — whether it’s ore or fuel — that would be helpful.
My colleagues have some questions r= elated to constituency matters, and I’m going to turn the floor over to them= .
Mr. Barr:= 195; Madam Chair, I = would like to inquire about the requirements for a helicopter landing pad. Are th= ere licensing fees for that, or what is the criteria? I recently had a call in = my constituency that helicopters are landing and taking off right beside house= holds where there are kids playing and there is some livestock.
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: That falls under the Canadian Ae=
ronautics
Act, and there is no cost, unless you’re in with one of our
aerodromes or airports, where we lease space to them and they fly in and ou=
t.
Then they have a lease on that. If there is an incident that the member has
— a safety issue or whatever — please provide that information =
to
me and we can look into it.
Mr. Barr:= 195; I thank the min= ister for his willingness to look into this. I will provide him with some information. I look forward to a quick response.
Mr. Tredger:= I just have a f= ew questions related to my constituency. The first one I have brought up in the House several times. It remains an issue. I know the residents of Pelly Crossing, as well as the people around, are very concerned about the airpor= t. I raised it last year and this year, in terms of safety, in that medevacs are unable to land at the Pelly Crossing airport, which often necessitates peop= le being carried by ambulance to Mayo, where they can get a medevac. It’= s a serious delay for critical conditions.
I know the minister has said he wou=
ld look
into it, and I’m sure he appreciates the seriousness of it — wh=
en
people are critically ill, to go on a journey involving three or four diffe=
rent
transfers as they move from Pelly Crossing to Stewart Crossing to Mayo to t=
he
hospital in Mayo, back to the medevac, where they’re medevaced down to
Whitehorse, where they are transferred yet again to another ambulance and t=
aken
to the hospital here.
I’m sure he can appreciate the seriousness of that, given the time away from the community for ambulance c= rews and emergency responder crews, as well as the health and safety of the critically ill patients. Does the minister have an update for me? When can = the people of Pelly Crossing expect that to be remedied?
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: As I thought, I did task the depart=
ment
to get that on there. I want to get across that what the member addressed is
important. I know what it is like to live in rural
Mr.
Tredger:=
I appreciate th=
at, and
I do hope that the minister opposite has a sense of the urgency that the
residents of Pelly Crossing find the situation to be. It may not always be =
unavailable,
although I do know that there have been trips in the summer time and no wea=
ther
conditions where the medevac did not fly in, whether that was because people
just assumed they couldn’t fly or other extraneous circumstances.
I’m not sure, but again, I can’t stress the urgency with which the residents and the companies t= hat operate in the area see this.
I’d like to move on to a situ= ation in Carmacks. The highway maintenance yard is in downtown Carmacks. I know that some work has been done on relocating it. For one, it is prime real estate = in a community that doesn’t have a lot of prime real estate. It’s al= so a concern in terms of creating hazardous materials and stuff within and an industry right in the centre of town. It’s between much of the town a= nd the recreation centre and it’s really not an appropriate place for a maintenance yard.
Can the minister tell me at what st=
age the
negotiations are with the town of
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I have had this conversation with t= he mayor on more than a couple of occasions and we understand the location and= the real estate of it. We control the materials that are in there now and we understand where the location is, but it’s also important to understa= nd that that’s not the only grader that we have. We have many other grad= er stations. I’ve spoken to this before on our risk assessment and our facility stuff, so we’re looking at all our facilities like we always= do. It is important to the residents of Carmacks that there is a resolution for this, but it also comes with dollars and this is something that’s on = our radar and something that we’re working toward accomplishing.= p>
Mr. Tredger:= I appreciate th= at and I guess one of the big concerns is safety and that it is near the recreation centre and the hockey rink and people are travelling around it and it is the only grader station in Carmacks, so it is important to the residents of Car= macks.
A couple of highway issues that I w= ould like to focus on just for a few minutes. The first one is the bypass road g= oing from Carmacks on to the Freegold road. I attended a session just the other = day by Casino. They’re moving ever closer, we hope, to a project that wil= l be developed. I know there is increasing traffic into the Freegold area and do= wn the Freegold road. We may have bought a little bit of time with the slowdow= n in exploration, but there are still a large number of big trucks going into the area and going to service the various placer mines — the various camps — that are there now, as well as some fairly major projects that are = well along in developing.
As the minister is aware, the curre=
nt road
goes right down through a residential section, past a playground. The bypass
road has been talked about for many years. At one point there was some study
being done on it. I’m wondering if the minister can give us an update=
and
something that would reassure the residents of Carmacks that, before traffic
increases too much, something will be done.
I realize these projects take a num= ber of years from start-up to completion. The concern is that each year it seems there’s more traffic. If we wait too long, the traffic creates a real= outstanding hazard. Again, I want to stress that this is important to the residents of Carmacks and urge the minister to move sooner rather than later on this.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Let me be clear, this government ne= ver said no to the Carmacks bypass. We do existing work on the Freegold right n= ow for the amount of traffic that’s on there. I’ve been up that ro= ad a few times myself, and the last time I went up I did notice the improvements= .
We understand, and we work closely =
with the
community and we’ve heard this before — a lot of the meetings
— and the Member for Klondike Highway
Mr.
Tredger:=
I realize that =
one
needs to be careful in developing infrastructure and ensuring that the need=
is
there. What residents outside of
I’d like to also talk a littl=
e bit
about the highways and the highway conditions in the area because already
we’re seeing a substantial increase in the number of trucks and the t=
ruck
traffic that is passing over the roads and travelling the roads on a daily
basis.
It creates quite a hazard in the
wintertime, and I commend the highway crews for the work they do, but they =
are
being very stretched. When you come to a piece of road, like the highway no=
rth
from Minto around
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: It sounds like the member opposite = and I should maybe go see the Environment minister and have a discussion about permafrost — darn environment. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that= .
Anyway, what I want to get across t= o the member opposite is that one of the things the department does at the beginn= ing of every season — and we just finished doing what we call the “= road show”. That’s where the officials go out and travel all the roa= ds and look at and itemize the spots we have. I worked with the Premier this y= ear to increase funding in our budget that I don’t think anybody had pick= ed up on — an extra $2 million for more roadwork. I worked hard with my officials, and the Premier committed to $2 million more, which is going to = help with some of the issues that the member opposite spoke to. But we go out on= our road show, and we look at every highway that we’re responsible for maintaining, and then we itemize and list where best that money is spent. <= /span>
Now, getting to the member opposite= ’s first question — we also monitor volumes on our highways. He might ha= ve seen a little rubber thing that goes across the road when you’re driv= ing. That counts traffic. We constantly keep track of traffic volume to see where there are increases and decreases and then that also helps us to make our decisions as to where we spend our money on portions of the highway.
When it comes to permafrost, weR= 17;re seeing it this year. This year has been an exceptionally late spring, which we’ll all notice on our highways. I have to commend the crews that are out there right now. There have been a few washouts and some employees work= ing late nights to get the roads open. I’m quite confident that this year we’ll see a little bit more, and if we can work together with our partners and levy for as much money as we can, we can get out there and put that back into our roads and our infrastructure.
Mr. Tredger:= I have a few suggestions where we could spend that $2 million.
I realize there’s a lot of st= ress being put on the roads and that’s one of the prices of growth and industrialization. If we are going to embrace that growth, we must also emb= race the infrastructure to ensure the safety of the local residents and people w= ho are travelling on the roads.
I just want to talk a little bit ab=
out the
Silver Trail. With the winter and the amount of snow this year, as well as =
the
increasing daily traffic coming from the Keno area and the Alexco mining wo=
rks,
it became increasingly apparent that the Silver Trail between Stewart Cross=
ing
and Keno City was quite dangerous, especially in snowy areas, so I just wan=
t to
highlight a couple of areas.
There are a number of spots on the =
road
between Stewart Crossing and Mayo where guardrails would be very important.
There is a huge drop-off to the side, and I know a number of people who have
come fairly close to going into the ditch in that area because of the snow =
and
stuff. I personally can attest to the importance of guardrails — havi=
ng
moved one slightly this winter and it did save me extensive damage. Guardra=
ils
are important. The roads are snowy. When the big trucks go by, they make
visibility very difficult, so there are the guardrails there. The other are=
a I
would like to highlight for the minister is the area between Mayo and Keno.
This is an older road that is very narrow with a lot of winding, sharp corn=
ers,
and it is being used more and more each year. I know Alexco has a number of
trucks that go in and out each day. There are fuel trucks as well. It’=
;s a
concern and I know the Minister of Tourism and Culture would attest to the
importance of Keno as a tourist resort and certainly would speak on behalf =
of
upgrading that stretch of highway.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I have to thank the member opposite= for that. This is good because this is something that working with the departme= nt here — reference the Silver Trail — that’s why we do have $500,000 in this year’s budget for some aggregate production, develop= ing, and surfacing of the Silver Trail.
We also have another $500,000 to co= mplete safety improvements, which plays into the member’s question about guardrails. I also know how reliable a guardrail is from many years ago = 212; replacement and repair.
When it does come to guardrails, we= have TAC standards for all of our roads. This is something that keeps the standa= rd up. I spoke to that in the House before on that — the replacement and repair of some of the areas where some of the rocks that fall and some subg= rade improvements on some of those highways too. It is important.
On some of these gravel roads, it is important with the department that there is budget money for them, for grad= ers, because it’s important to get out there — usually after a rainf= all, potholes pop up and stuff like that, so it’s important that we get out there and grade those and keep it safe. Like the member opposite spoke abou= t, it’s for the traffic, tourists and locals.
Mr.
Barr: I would like to ask the minister about =
the
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: =
; I think the member alluded to this.=
We
are doing some work on it — some spot upgrades. I am not exactly sure
about the portion the member is actually talking about. I am not sure if
that’s one of the ones that we have identified for that. But I know t=
hat
we have identified funds for it and we will be looking at upgrades and doing
some work on that road.
If the member has an exact kilometr= e and/or location, we can take that and get back to the member if that’s one of the areas that we’re on.
Mr.
Barr:=
195; I believe it=
217;s
approximately 0.5 km that needs the reconstruction. I would also like to ta=
ke
the time to thank the minister for the work that is being done in the Mount
Lorne-Southern Lakes area. We did do a road trip approximately one year ago
now, I believe, and looked at some areas.
I know that there are some other th=
ings that
are concerning me with safety, specifically the crosswalk that the minister=
has
said he would have put in across from Montana Services and the daycare. I k=
now
that with the recent upgrades to the infrastructure of the downtown core in
Carcross, there is already an increased number of people coming to Carcross,
coming to see and have a coffee.
Now that we’re having the tou=
rist
season come upon us, I’ve received more calls from the people at the
daycare, concerned that vehicles are not slowing down in this
50-kilometre-an-hour strip. The minister stated on her trip that it comes f=
rom
90 kilometres right to 50 kilometres. She also said that there was going to=
be
a 70 kilometre slowdown to the 50. I know the RCMP are concerned. They have
been doing spot checks there. I would like to also add that the past
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: To the member opposite’s ques=
tion
— I do thank him for the question because the issue in Carcross ̵=
2;
there are issues in just about all small jurisdictions.
I tasked the department to go out, =
and this
is what they’re doing as we speak — looking at areas. There has
been a lot of expansion in some of the communities — some new subdivi=
sions,
some new roads. So when it comes to streetlights — lighting is all pa=
rt
of this process, as are crosswalks and the 90- 70- and 50-kilometre per hour
signs. That’s not only with Carcross. In some of the smaller communit=
ies
and in my community there is a crosswalk now that the streetlights don̵=
7;t
fit and in the wintertime it is dark and kids are crossing the
Also, the department is working wit=
h the
communities. You know, they go out to the communities and assess where there
could be issues and getting information because we as MLAs don’t alwa=
ys hear
it. They don’t complain, and we don’t want to have an accident =
or
an incident.
So this is something that we are wo= rking on. I know when the member and I went on our road trip, that was something we talked about. I had mentioned that, and he had mentioned that the previous minister had spoken to that. So I will get back to the member opposite on a= bit of a timeline there, once I get a little bit more information.
Mr. Barr:= 195; There are a few outstanding issues from that road trip. I want to ask a couple of questions= , because I know we’re getting close to the end of the day. If the minister can= not respond verbally, I would really like a written response to maybe clarify s= ome of these things.
First of all, the tourist signs fro=
m
Also, the
I am also thankful that there is go=
ing to
be brushing on the
That would be it. Thank you.=
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: I want to speak to the sign issue. =
I know
that on either side of Tagish there are appropriate service signs and tabs,=
but
the businesses are looking for signs.
They are eligible for up to two bil= lboard signs within a specified community boundary. As well, the business within t= he highway frontage is eligible for two frontage signs. For the details, this = is where that business has to contact Highways and Public Works and let them k= now what they have and then they work with them on getting their signs out.
When it comes to Pennycook Road
Another thing I wanted to get acros=
s before
we go is just for all those here, our 511 site is updated on a regular basi=
s,
so if anybody has an issue or wants to find out about roads, you can go to =
the
511 — we’re also on Twitter too, so if you’re heading home
and you’re not sure, 511-it.
Ms. Moorcroft: I did have one = last question in general debate that I would like to put on the record and see if the minister might have time to answer. It refers to revenues and to page 1= 4-27 in the budget book for Highways and Public Works. Under third party recover= ies in the Transportation division, there is a line item for $489,000 for recoverable services. There is another line item for $1,716,000 for airport= s. I would like the minister, if he has time, to read into the record a breakdow= n on those funds — who they are recoverable from and what costs they cover= .
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: The recoverable services of $489,00= 0 are for recovered labour, materials and equipment usage for work performed. That would be snow removal, BST treatment or mechanical repairs within the department in the different areas. Of the $1,716,000: $1,641,000 is for com= munity airports, community aerodrome radio stations — CARS program — t= hat we have; $37,000 is for Whitehorse airport third-party electrical use by Nav Canada operations; $16,000 is for Whitehorse airport industry recovery R= 12; that’s electrical cost also; $10,000 is for community airport medevac services provided by CARS; and $2,000 is the Whitehorse airport water and s= ewer costs for restaurant operations.
Ms. Moorcroft: I would just li= ke to say in closing debate that we are running out of time this afternoon and th= at I will contact the minister’s office to accept his offer of a technical briefing related to airport safety and airport expenditures, so I do look forward to receiving further information from the meetings with the minister and his officials than we have been able to receive in debate on the department’s budget this week, as it has been before us.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I thank the member opposite for tha= t. When it comes to airports and the technical briefing, I would encourage any members who don’t have a lot of understanding of how airports operate, there is a lot of technical stuff that goes with that. I do want to get acr= oss again that our airports are very safe. Also, I just want to say that I look forward to this summer, getting out with my officials and visiting some of = the great teams in Highways and Public Works that put in that extra effort, at extra cost to their personal lives in situations like we have now with a bi= t of the flooding.
It’s also important to rememb= er that with the Department of Highways and Public Works — I’ve said th= is before in the House — not a day goes by when a Yukoner isn’t touched by Highways and Public Works.
Chair: Order. You may sit down, Mr. Istchenko.
Termination of sitting as per St= anding Order 76(1)
Chair: The time has reached
Standing Order 76(1) states: “=
;On the
sitting day that the Assembly has reached the maximum number of sitting days
allocated for that Sitting pursuant to Standing Order 75, the Chair of the =
Committee
of the Whole, if the Assembly is in Committee of the Whole at the time, sha=
ll interrupt
proceedings at 5:00 p.m. and, with respect to each Government Bill before
Committee that the Government House Leader directs to be called, shall:
“(a) put the question on any
amendment then before the Committee;
“(b) put the question, withou= t debate or amendment, on a motion moved by a Minister that the bill, including all clauses, schedules, title and preamble, be deemed to be read and carried; <= o:p>
“(c) put the question on a mo=
tion
moved by a Minister that the bill be reported to the Assembly; and
“(d) when all bills have been=
dealt
with, recall the Speaker to the Chair to report on the proceedings of the
Committee.”
It is the duty of the Chair to now =
conduct
the business of Committee of the Whole in the manner directed by Standing O=
rder
76(1). The Chair would now ask the Government House Leader to indicate the
government bills now before Committee of the Whole, which should be called.=
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Madam Chair, the government directs= that Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, the only government b= ill remaining in Committee of the Whole, be called at this time.
Bill No. 10: First Appropriat=
ion Act,
2013-14 — continued
Chair: The Committee will now deal with Bill No. 10, First
Appropriation Act, 2013-14. The Chair will now recognize Mr. Pasloski as
the sponsor of Bill No. 10 for the purpose of moving a motion pursuant to
Standing Order 76(1)(b).
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: I move that all clauses, schedules =
and
the title of Bill No. 10, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14,=
be
deemed to be read and carried.
Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Pasloski that all clauses, schedules=
and
the title of Bill No. 10, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14,=
be
deemed to be read and carried. As no debate or amendment is permitted, I sh=
all
now put the question. Are you agreed?
Motion agreed to
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
Total Operation and Maintenan=
ce
Expenditures in the amount of $977,350,000 agreed to
On Capital
Total Capital Expenditures in=
the
amount of $252,772 agreed to
Total Expenditures in the amo=
unt of
$1,230,122,000 agreed to
Clauses 1 and 2 agreed to
Schedules A and B agreed to
Title agreed to
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: =
I move that you report Bill No. 10
without amendment.
Chair: <=
span
lang=3DEN-US style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'> It has been moved by Mr. =
Pasloski
that Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 201=
3-14, be reported without
amendment. As no debate or amendment is permitted, I shall now put the
question. Are you agreed?
Motion
agreed to=
Chair: <=
span
lang=3DEN-US style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'> As the government bill id=
entified
by the Government House Leader has now been decided upon, it is my duty to =
rise
and report to the House.
Speaker
resumes the Chair
Termination of sitting as per St= anding Order 76(2)
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: Mr. Speaker, Committee of the Whole= has considered Bill No. 10, First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, and direct= ed me to report it without amendment.
Speaker: You have heard the report from the Chair of Committee of the = Whole. Are you agreed?
Some Hon. Members: Agreed. = p>
Speaker: I declare the report carried.
Standing Order 76(2)(d) states, = 220;On the sitting day that the Assembly has reached the maximum number of sitting days allocated for that Sitting pursuant to Standing Order 75, the Speaker = of the Assembly, when recalled to the Chair after the House has been in Commit= tee of the Whole, shall:
“(d) with respect to each Gov= ernment Bill standing on the Order Paper for Third Reading and designated to be cal= led by the Government House Leader,
(i) re=
ceive a
motion for Third Reading and passage of the bill; and
(ii) p= ut the question, without debate or amendment, on that motion.”
I shall, therefore, ask the Governm= ent House Leader to indicate whether Bill No. 10, the only government bill now = standing at third reading, should be called.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, the government directs= that Bill No. 10 be called for third reading at this time.
GOVERNMENT BILLS
Bill
No. 10: Third
Clerk: ̳= 4; Third reading, Bill No. 10, standing in the name of the Hon. Mr. Pasloski. =
Hon. Mr. Pasloski:= I move that Bill No. 10, enti= tled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, be now read a third time and do pass.
Speaker: = 194; It has been moved by the Premier that Bill No. 10, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2013-14, be now read a third time and do pass. As no debate or amendment is permitted, I shall now put the question. Are you agr= eed?
Some Hon. Members:= Division.
Division
Speaker: = 194; Division has been called.
Bells
Speaker: Mr. Clerk, please poll the House.
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Agree.
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Agree.
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Agree.
Hon.
Mr. Graham: Agree.
Hon.
Mr.
Hon.
Mr. Nixon: Agree.
Ms.
McLeod: Agree.
Hon.
Mr. Istchenko: Agree.
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: Agree.
Mr.
Hassard: Agree.
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Disagree.
Ms.
Stick:=
8195; Disagree.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Disagree.
Ms.
White:=
8195; Disagree.
Mr.
Tredger:=
Disagree.
Mr.
Barr:=
195; Disagree.
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; Disagree.
Clerk: The results are 10 yea, 7 nay.
Motion for third reading of Bill=
No. 10
agreed to
Speaker: I declare the motion carried and that Bill No. 10 has passed =
this
House.
We are now prepared to receive the Commissioner of Yukon, in his capacity as Lieutenant Governor, to grant ass= ent to bills that have passed this House.
Commissioner Phillips enters the
Chamber, announced by the Sergeant-at-Arms
ASSENT TO BILLS
Commissioner: Please be seated.
Speaker: Mr. Commissioner, the Assembly has, at its present session, p= assed certain bills to which, in the name and on behalf of the Assembly, I respectfully request your assent.
Clerk: First Appropriation Act, 2013-14; Movable Soccer Go= al Safety Act.
Commissioner: I hereby assent to the bills as enumerated by the Clerk.
This afternoon at
I want to join with you in saying a=
few
words about Judy Layzell, first of all. I’ve known Judy most of my li=
fe,
and Judy and I used to meet out in the hallway from time to time when I was=
a
member and wonder what our caucus members were doing in some of the things =
they
were talking about. We just knew each other so well; we were good friends. I
never told my caucus members what we talked about at the time, but I can no=
w.
It was kind of enjoyable to discuss that with Judy and, of course, I wish J=
udy
and Dave the very best in their retirement. She has provided a great servic=
e to
not only the Liberal caucus, but the
The second person that I want to re= cognize today, of course, is Lois Cameron. Now, Lois and I have known each other, again, forever. Lois actually has probably listened to my words more than s= he has listened to Bob’s. In fact, I know that’s true. We all know that Bob does like to talk, but I’m not sure whether Lois listens to = him all the time.
Lois has been a Trojan in the Hansard office for many years. In = fact, I heard today when you were talking about Lois that in the old days, they u= sed to correct some of the grammar of the MLAs. Well, I was a member of this Legislature when they corrected the grammar. I was one of those notorious M= LAs whose grammar just sucked. I was always happy when Lois would fix all the things that I used to say to make them make sense. In fact, Lois, sometimes= I go back into those old Hansards= and read them and marvel at the things I used to say so eloquently. I know those were probably your words and not mine, but thank you so much for that.
Thank you for your dedication and g=
ood luck
fishing on the boat in the future. I know you and Bob very much enjoy that.
Thank you for your service in Hansa=
rd
and to the
The last person, of course, is Sue
MacDonald. I had the opportunity to work with Sue from 1993 to 2000, when I=
retired.
The one thing I appreciated about Sue was her professionalism, her manner a=
nd
her smile and her attitude — I don’t think I have ever seen Sue
have a bad day. Some of you might have, but I have never seen Sue have a bad
day. I know you will have a well-deserved retirement, Sue. You have done a
great service to the Legislative Assembly and the people of the
Now, for my other job as Commission= er, Sue and I have worked together and had a few good laughs over the last two and = half years. I’m going to miss you. Again, you’re very professional a= nd my executive assistant, Lindsay, and I pass on our best to you in your future,= in your retirement — well-deserved and I hope you enjoy it.
Last, but not least, to the Members= of the Legislative Assembly — this is your last day here until the fall. I j= ust want to wish all of you a very safe and enjoyable summer, and hopefully we = get a summer this year. Enjoy it and good luck in the summer. Have a great time, and I hope the fish are biting when you’re out there on the lakes. Th= ank you very much.
Commissioner leaves the Chamber<= o:p>
Speaker: I will now call the House to order.
As the House has reached the maximu=
m number
of days permitted for the 2013 spring sitting, as established pursuant to S=
tanding
Order 75, and has completed consideration of the designated legislation, it=
is
the duty of the Chair to declare that this House now stands adjourned.
The House adjourned at =
i>
The
following Sessional Paper was tabled May 16, 2013:
33-1-85=
Yukon A=
dvisory
Council on Women’s Issues Annual Report (April 1, 2012 – March =
31,
2013) (Taylor)
2996 &=
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p; &=
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p; HANSARD &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp;