MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01D13676.F6113A20" This document is a Single File Web Page, also known as a Web Archive file. If you are seeing this message, your browser or editor doesn't support Web Archive files. Please download a browser that supports Web Archive, such as Windows® Internet Explorer®. ------=_NextPart_01D13676.F6113A20 Content-Location: file:///C:/B1334EB7/247.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Yukon Legislative Assembly
Whitehorse, Yukon
Thursday, December 10, 2015 — 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order. We will proceed at this time with prayers. =
Prayers
Daily
Routine
Speaker: We = will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tribut= es.
TRIBUTES
In recognition of Human R= ights Day
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to rise tod= ay in recognition of Human Rights Day. It was on December 10, 1948 that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights = was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Since then, we commemorate = this day annually worldwide.
This year’s campaign is dedicated to upholding our rights and our freedoms always. The campaign recognizes the 50th anniversary of two international covenants on human rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights = and the International Covenant on Civil= and Political Rights.
The co= venants, which were created under the leadership of past president Theodore Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt in the aftermath of World War II, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights<= /i>, formed the International Bill of Hu= man Rights set out the civil, political, cultural, economic and social righ= ts that are the inherent rights of all humans.
The campaign brings awareness to hu= man rights that all global citizens should be afforded, especially freedom from fear, freedom of speech, freedom of worship and freedom from want — “want” meaning finding economic understanding that creates heal= th and peace.
Much a= dvancement on human rights issues has occurred in the last 50 years, and the majority = of our fellow countries know that upholding human rights and the rule of law is the basis for thriving societies. However, today we also see images and eve= nts reminiscent of the past, including war, political instability, intolerance, hatred against religious and racial minorities, terrorism, and failure to uphold and respect the fundamental tenets of human rights law. Let’s = not be discouraged. Let this year’s Human Rights Day serve as a reminder = for all of us to safeguard our rights and our freedoms always, and move forward together in addressing global, social, economic and political ills.<= /p>
I woul= d like to also make members aware of community events that are being held in celebrat= ion of Human Rights Day in Whitehorse. Thank you to the host organizations for providing these educational opportunities to advance our understanding of h= uman rights issues in the Yukon and beyond. This week, the Yukon Employees Union= is again hosting their free luncheon speaker series with discussions on topics such as: mental health in the workplace, being a catalyst for change, acces= sing meaningful work, and new Canadians in the Yukon. The luncheons are free to = all and start at noon at the Yukon Employees Union hall in downtown Whitehorse.=
Also, = tonight from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Old Fire Hall, the Yukon Human Rights Commission and Yukon College will host an event dedicated to discussing work being done to reconcile the devastating legacy of residential schools. I wi= ll be one of the speakers at that event. Yukoners will share, listen and learn= the ways in which our community is taking action on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommended 94 calls to action. I would like to take this opportunity to remind Yukon members that recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are being worked on together in cooperation with First Nation governments.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, the Yukon government is proud of our leadership and work on reconciliation.= It started more than 40 years ago in the Yukon and it has progressed in part through the self-government and final agreements with Yukon First Nations. There is much work to be done. We will continue to work with First Nation governments on a path forward to review and take action together on recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Before concluding my remarks, I would like to recognize several guests who are here today from the Human Rights Commission. I believe Chair Al Hubley is here — and the executive director, Jessica Lott Thompson, as well = as new appointees, who will be appointed through motions later today that resu= lt from the all-party committee on appointments to major government boards. Th= ose members are Jennifer Cunningham and Kathleen Avery. Please join me in welco= ming them here.
Applause
Ms. Moorcroft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to acknowledge International Human Rights Day, when we mark the anniversary of the international community convening in Pa= ris, 67 years ago, to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This historic document, and the treaties t= hat grew out of it, set forth the minimum rights essential for a life of dignity for all people, including children, indigenous peoples and workers.<= /p>
Today = in Paris, at COP21, a group of countries led by Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, the Philip= pines and Peru is calling for human rights to be integrated into climate action to protect against the human rights impacts of those affected the most by clim= ate change — affected by rising ocean levels, hurricanes, floods, heat wa= ves and forest fires. If we don’t protect the planet and take action on climate change, we will see more human rights violations, more war and more loss of human life.
The el= ements of the solidarity package being discussed in Paris are: rights of indigenous peoples; gender equality and the full and equal participation of women; intergenerational equity; a just transition of the workforce that creates decent work and good jobs; ecosystem integrity and resilience; and food security. These are all human rights we must continue to respect, protect a= nd fulfill on December 10 and every day of the year.
Closer= to home, tonight in Whitehorse, the Yukon College and the Yukon Human Rights Commiss= ion invite the community to mark International Human Rights Day by sharing idea= s on how to support truth and reconciliation and the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They are hosting International Human Rights Day, the Path to Reconciliation at the Old Fire Hall tonight from 7:= 00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. I also want to recognize the representatives of the Yukon Human Rights Commission in the gallery today.
I will= close with a poem by Haile Selassie, popularized by Bob Marley in the song War:
Until = the philosophy which holds one race superior
And an= other
Inferi= or
Is fin= ally
And pe= rmanently
Discre= dited
And ab= andoned
Everyw= here is war
This i= s war.
That u= ntil there are no longer
First-= class and second-class citizens of any nation
Until = the color of a man's skin
Is of = no more significance than the color of his eyes
This i= s war.
That u= ntil the basic human rights
Are eq= ually guaranteed to all,
Withou= t regard to race
This i= s a war.
That u= ntil that day
The dr= eam of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will r= emain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But ne= ver attained
Now ev= erywhere is war — war.
In
recognition of the MAD program and the retirment of Mary Sloan
Hon. Mr. Graham: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s with= a great deal of pleasure that I rise in recognition this afternoon of Mary Sl= oan, MAD teacher at the Wood Street Centre. When I say “MAD”, Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I’m referring to the highly popular music, art and drama program. I w= ant to take the opportunity too to thank the Member for Kluane for informing me that Mary would be retiring in January after a number of years; I understan= d he has an inside source in the MAD program that kept him aware that Mary was retiring.
In any= event, Mr. Speaker, Mary has brought diverse education in theatre experience to her role at MAD. She taught in Detroit; Tecumseh, Ontario; and the Sandy Bay reserve in Manitoba. In Yukon, Mary taught in Pelly Crossing and Watson Lake before co= ming to Whitehorse at Elijah Smith Elementary and F.H. Collins. Mary found her n= iche in the MAD program where she could blend her teaching and her theatre exper= tise to help transform the lives of students.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I also have to tell you that my daughter was a member of the MAD program in= the early years and she informed me that although Mary didn’t teach her, = she was there when Mary taught and she was impressed with her skills. For a gir= l at 16 or 17 years old to be impressed by a teacher was truly something unique.=
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, MAD is a very demanding program. It’s focused on achievement in all aspects of theatre production. Students earn credits and a strong foundatio= n in creative dynamics, acting, stagecraft, music, dance, and playwriting fundamentals and Mary sets extremely high standards for her students. In tu= rn, Mr. Speaker, they rise to the occasion and they experience the success of bringing ideas= to life and entertaining their audiences.
What m= any people forget, Mr. Speaker, is that MAD is unique to Yukon. Mary and her co-teacher, Jeff Nordlund, have, over time, dev= eloped the program responsibly as they worked with different students, parents and audiences. Today this excellent program is a flagship of arts and education — drama education in the Yukon. The MAD world has set its own rules a= nd their students welcome that. Attendance is extremely high, reflecting students’ commitment to the program and they don’t learn by the bell and by strict routines. They are entrusted with responsibility. In res= ponse, they learn; they learn creativity, cooperation, conflict resolution and flexibility.
I woul= d like to note that Mary’s talents are not just in the performing arts but also= in recognizing students’ strengths and bringing out the very best in the= m. One example is a shy student who was accepted into the MAD program. Mary discov= ered the girl’s gift for organization and this student took on the job of managing the ticket sales, the development of the program and other organizational tasks. Nurtured and encouraged in MAD, she went on to make a career in arts administration.
There = are so many success stories, Mr. Speaker; no doubt in large part to Mary̵= 7;s personal devotion to her students and we could spend a day here.
Aside = from Mary’s own daughter, a number of students have gone on to exciting careers in the drama field. Many students continue to keep in touch with her after graduating, and many MAD alumni have chosen careers in the performing arts, film production and music production. In fact, much of Yukon’s theatre community members originally cut their teeth in the MAD program. We= are now seeing second-generation students coming into the program, the children= of parents who were also in the MAD program. Outside school theatre, Mary is active with the Guild Society, Nakai and Gwaandak Theatre, as well as numerous readings and festivals where she performs, directs and gives workshops.
Mary, = I commend you for your talent, your good work that you have done with the students and the community and for this territory’s culture. Please rise, Mary, so everybody can see you and accept our applause and our thanks for all that y= ou have done.
Applause
Hon. Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, most recently MAD students presented How the Grinch Stole Winter. Unfortunately, Jeff Nordlund, one of the foundi= ng MAD teachers, was unable to attend today, but I know, because Jeff has also tak= en up a new career lately, and that is refereeing hockey, so I get to spend so= me time with Jeff, and I know in what high regard Jeff holds Mary. I would also like to introduce not only the MAD students who are here today to recognize Mary, but we also have the grade 9 OPES class — the outdoor pursuit a= nd experiential science class — and the grade 10 CHAOS class — community, heritage, adventure, outdoors and skills program — all here accompanying the MAD students. Welcome to the Legislature and thanks for ma= king the time.
Applause
Ms. White: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on behalf of NDP Official Opposition to celeb= rate the music, art and drama program and, most importantly, to celebrate the teaching career of Mary Sloan.
I star= ted high school in 1993, just after having spent the summer in Costa Rica on an exchange. The transition to high school was an awkward one at the best of times, but having just returned from being away, mixing equal parts French = and Spanish and feeling out of sorts, it may have been even worse. I was lucky = to have found music in junior high school under the incredibly patient and very talented Mr. Henry Klassen. I can’t imagine how year after year = he nurtured beginners through the growing pains of learning an instrument. I played the trumpet, and my musical beginnings weren’t anywhere near pretty.
My int= roduction into music was relevant to my survival of high school. When I started grade= 10, I was registered for band class and I played in both the concert and stage bands. At my peak, I was probably playing for nearly four hours a day. Music was my safe haven. In 1993, it was also the first year that the music, art = and drama program was run. Ross Peterson, Jeff Norlund and Mary Sloan were offering a semester-long program that focused on the ar= ts. Who would have ever guessed that this was to become a pillar of alternative education in Yukon? It is still a safe haven for arts kids more than two decades later.
I reme= mber attending the final performance of that first year. The MAD program wrote, directed and performed a full-length, original play, and it was awesome. I = was hooked, just like my other geeky arts friends. Prior to moving to its curre= nt location at the Wood Street School, MAD was run up at the Yukon Arts Centre. Imagine a couple dozen teenagers with free run of that facility.
It was= amazing. For many of us then, and I’m sure in the following years, MAD became a safe haven. That was easily the best semester of my high school career, and= I know that sentiment is echoed by many of my classmates and by those who came before and after us. MAD gave us community and a sense of belonging; it gav= e us confidence; it gave us the space to be bigger than ourselves; and it showed= us the value of hard work. MAD has become a springboard for some to continue o= n in the fields of music and art and drama. Our alumnus has a long, proud list of successful actors, designers and artists, and, Mr. Speaker, I know this list will continue to grow.
For th= ose of us who didn’t choose to pursue a life in the arts, it gave us the confidence, the grounding and the problem-solving tools to tackle any challenge. MAD has produced scientists, CEOs and people successful in their chosen fields, and, Mr. Speaker, it produced at least one politician.<= /span>
None o= f this would have been possible without three people — Ross Peterson, Jeff <= span class=3DSpellE>Nordlund and Mary Sloan. Between the three of them, t= hey have influenced and shaped hundreds of lives. I’m grateful to them al= l, as they have separate, yet equally great, super powers. Mr. Peterson h= as already retired to a warmer climate south and I wish him well. I’m ha= ppy to know that Jeff Nordlund is around for a whil= e yet, so that leaves me with Mary Sloan. I gave her tissues earlier and I’m probably going to have to get some myself. What words could I possibly use = to express just what this woman has done for me and hundreds of others?=
Bear w= ith me, Mr. Speaker. I have the responsibility of many people behind me. Thank you, Mary, for be= ing a rock in the turbulent seas of teenage hormones.
Thank = you for your unwavering support in every strange thing we’ve ever wanted to d= o. Thank you for picking us up after failure and never saying, “I told y= ou so.” Thank you for the thousands of dress rehearsals, costume adjustm= ents and dance numbers. Thank you for showing us that you can successfully live = life marching to a different drummer. Thank you for showing us how to make the written word come alive off the paper. Thank you for showing us what fearle= ss looks like, day in and day out. Thank you for teaching us the value we have= of being, and remaining, true to ourselves. Most importantly — thank you= for showing love to each and every kid who ever crossed your path. Enjoy your retirement.
Applause
Speaker: Int= roduction of visitors.
Introduction
of Visitors
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask the indulgence of all members to join me in welcoming a friend of many, and certainly a friend of mine, to the gallery — Ms. Lynn Pigage.
Applause
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a pleasure to see my son in= the Legislature today — maybe here to see the theatrics later in Question Period. I do want to welcome my son. I’m pretty proud of the program = that he is in and I want to thank Mary for all her hard work. So welcome to the gallery, Travis Istchenko.
Applause
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: I would be remiss if I did not mention the young guitar player= , two or three seats behind him — young William Symans= ki, who is another Junctionite.
Applause
Ms. Moorcroft: I would like to ask all members to join me in welcoming a former member of th= is Assembly, my constituent and former colleague, Dave Sloan, present here tod= ay, I’m sure, for the tribute to Mary Sloan. I would also like to acknowl= edge Mary Sloan for the wonderful work she has done over the years with the MAD program. I know it was certainly the highlight of my daughter’s years= in high school. Thank you both for being here.
Applause
Mr. Barr: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the House to welcome Keona McLaughlin from Carcross. He’s an awesome young man.
Applause
Speaker: Oka= y, it’s getting a little intense in here. For a lot of you, it’s t= he first time here. In fact, the members of the gallery are not to participate= in the conduct of the business. So from this point on, I would ask you to please refrain from applauding or showing your like or dislike for any comments th= at you hear. During those tributes, though, I think it was more than appropria= te. Thank you.
Are th= ere any returns or documents for tabling?
Tabling
Returns and Documents
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have for tabling Yukon Hospital Corporation’s Defining Moment= s — A Year in Review — 20= 14/15.
Speaker: Are= there any reports of committees?
Petiti= ons.
PETITIONS
Petition No. 23 — r= eceived
Clerk: Mr.&n= bsp;Speaker and honourable members of the Assembly: I have had the honour to review a petition, being Petition No. 23 of the First Session of the 33rd Legislative Assembly, as presented by the Member for Mount Lorne-Southern L= akes on December 9, 2015.
Petiti= on No. 23 meets the requirements as to form of the Standing Orders of the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
Speaker: Acc= ordingly, I declare Petition No. 23 read and received. Pursuant to Standing Order 67, “The Executive Council shall provide a response to a petition which h= as been read and received within eight sitting days of its presentation”= .
Theref= ore, the Executive Council response to Petition No. 23 shall be provided on or before the fifth sitting day of the next sitting of this Assembly.= p>
Are th= ere any further petitions to be presented?
Are th= ere any bills to be introduced?
Are th= ere any notices of motions?
Is the= re a statement by a minister?
This t= hen brings us to Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Mobile homeowners
Ms. White: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like other homeowners, mobile homeowners work for ye= ars to pay off their mortgages to eventually reach that happy day when they own their homes. Unlike other homeowners, mobile homeowners can get evicted from the land their home is sitting on. This has happened to a group of Yukon homeowners who have been given one year to find a new pad to rent, to move their home, to bring it up to the codes that predate the purchase of their home, and obviously find the money to pay for it all.
The Ci= ty of Whitehorse has stepped up to do its part with respect to a potential locati= on for these homeowners to move their homes to. Mr. Speaker, will the Yuk= on government also step up and do its part in finding solutions for the challe= nges these evicted mobile homeowners are facing?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the member opposite for raising this. = Of course, the new Residential Landlor= d and Tenant Act will be coming into place very soon and it will govern tenan= cy agreements between mobile homeowners and mobile home parks. It will provide additional protection and certainty for mobile homeowners and will also pro= vide new tools and options for mobile homeowners to avail themselves of in the e= vent that they need help or advice or have a dispute with the park owner.=
In ter= ms of protection and certainty, it will limit pad rent increases to no more than = once per year. It will require mobile home park owners to provide at least three months’ notice of an increased pad rent, and it will prohibit pad rent increases in the first year of tenancy.
As we&= #8217;ve discussed previously, there has been an acknowledgement by this government — by me, as minister — that the relationship between a mobile homeowner and a park owner is different from other types of tenancy agreeme= nts.
As I h= ave previously noted, I would be willing to reconsider the laws governing that relationship, but I don’t have anything new to update with regard to = what those changes may look like. That being said, with this specific case, if individuals would like to approach my office and discuss what possible type= s of support we could provide, I would be happy to entertain that request and consider what sort of options or supports we can provide.
Ms. White: The cost for relocation and for bringing a mobile home up to code will amount to tens of thousands of dollars. With only one year’s notice, an unfores= een cost of, say, over $30,000 could force some people out of their homes.
I have= advocated for greater legislative protections for mobile homeowners for years. Now a worst-case scenario is playing out right here in Whitehorse. If they are go= ing to keep their homes, people are going to need help that only this government can provide.
Will t= he Yukon Housing Corporation investigate what measures it can take to assist with the relocation of evicted mobile homes?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: In addition to the comments I provided earlier about the new Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, I should note that, if a tenancy is to be terminated, the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act provides expanded time of notice for mobile homeowners — than for other types of tenants — and prohibits a park owner from requiring a tenant to move a mobile home du= ring the coldest months of the year.
Additi= onally, mobile homeowners will have access to the Residential Tenancies Office, whi= ch will be prepared to offer advice and assistance for mobile homeowners on matters related to their tenancy, including tenancy agreements. As well, the RTO offers a new avenue for dispute resolution beyond what is currently available.
While = there are new protections, new tools and new options for mobile homeowners built into= the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act= , obviously I think there is more work to be done.
With r= egard to this specific instance in this specific case that the member is raising, I = will be happy to work with the minister responsible for Yukon Housing Corporatio= n to see if any of the existing programs offered through that corporation will f= it with this particular case. I don’t know the details well enough to indicate for sure whether or not they will, but we would be willing to cons= ider options and consider what can be done with existing programs through Yukon Housing Corporation as well.
Ms. White: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hadn’t realized that Community Services could help with funding, because that’s what’s required right now.
These responsible homeowners are not looking for handouts. They’re looking = to keep their homes. Yukon’s legislation leaves mobile homeowners vulner= able but the government can mitigate that vulnerability. It is inevitable that s= ome evicted mobile homes will need upgrades, either for the move itself or to m= eet current codes after they move to their new neighbourhood.
The go= vernment has incentives to encourage other homeowners to make improvements. It even = has a grant program for landlords.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, will the government commit to ensuring there are adequate resources to assi= st evicted mobile homeowners with relocation and necessary retrofits through low-interest loans, grants or other affordable financial arrangements?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite is quite corr= ect. There are a range of programs in place to help homeowners, renters and landlords with upgrades to buildings — although, to date, we haven’t had a specific program aimed at mobile homeowners or bringing= up to code substandard mobile homes that need to be moved. That’s someth= ing we can look at but it’s not something we have in place right now.
Question
re: Psychiatric treatment and assessment
Ms. Stick: For the past five months, there have been no on-call psychiatrists serving Whitehorse General Hospital. For the seven before that, there was just one = on call. So for the past year, Yukoners facing psychiatric distress in the hospital have not had access to — as one Yukon psychiatrist says R= 12; the help they need.
There = are just two psychiatrists serving the entire Yukon and for long stretches in the pa= st, only one. As the YMA — Yukon Medical Association — president sa= ys, it is too much to ask our psychiatrists to be available on-call for 24 hour= s a day while running their own practices and working with the government ̵= 2; Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Services and Department of Justice. =
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, has the minister considered hiring a psychiatrist to work primarily out of Whitehorse General Hospital?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly thank the member oppo= site for bringing this question forward. The psychiatry services that are provid= ed in the territory are something that is very important to this government an= d we see the need for those services in the territory. We do realize that within= the last short while, one of the psychiatrists has stepped down due to maternity leave, so we are always interested in working within the department and wit= hin the Hospital Corporation on recruitment and retention; as well, with other health professionals, such as nurse practitioners, nurses, and doctors.
Again,= I thank the member for bringing this question forward. I am aware of the situation = that is currently occurring, but we continue to work with the Hospital Corporati= on and we continue to work on the recruitment side for medical services in general.
Ms. Stick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government is currently asking two psychiatrist= s to cover the entire territory’s population. At times, there have been visiting psychiatrists; that helps. But for people in an emergency — = when they need the most support and care in the hospital — there have only been on-call psychiatrists. The president of the YMA says the Yukon must do= uble that number of psychiatrists from two to four to handle the territory’= ;s needs. Even the Department of Health and Social Services puts that number closer to five. We understand that this government is struggling with physi= cian recruitment. A Yukon psychiatrist has suggested that the current compensati= on for psychiatrists’ work at the hospital is part of the issue. =
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, has the minister done any research on the impact that compensating hospital psychiatrists may have on recruitment success?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the member opposit= e for bringing this question forward. As I indicated in my first response, we = 212; being the Department of Health and Social Services — continue to work with the Yukon Hospital Corporation. In fact, we’re working through a committee made up of those two organizations, looking at the short-, medium- and long-term solutions for psychiatric and mental health services at the hospitals and linkages with the communities.
As the= member correctly asserted, we have two psychiatrists locally, but one, as I indica= ted earlier, is on maternity leave. We continue to work with the Hospital Corporation. We continue to work with other jurisdictions around Canada on = the recruitment piece for psychiatrists and for medical doctors. In fact, as my colleague mentioned to me earlier, our strategy on recruiting physicians se= ems to have been very successful, but perhaps we can look at those similar type= s of strategies when we are recruiting psychiatrists as well.
Again,= we appreciate the work that the psychiatrists do in our territory. Certainly we are interested in working with our psychiatrists and working with the Hospital Corporation on the recruitment piece and looking forward to addressing some= of the issues in the territory.
Ms. Stick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The minister needs to listen to the call from Yukon health professionals for better psychiatric care.
The YMA president agrees and the chief of the medical staff at Yukon Hospital Corporation agrees, saying in his 2014-15 report — and I quote: “Psychiatry and the care of the mentally ill patient is probably the largest the gap in service in the Yukon.” The largest gap, Mr. S= peaker — this government’s piecemeal approach to providing mental heal= th services is not working. It’s time for a mental health strategy.
Yes or= no, Mr. Speaker: Will this government finally deliver its long-awaited Yukon mental health strategy?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member opposite for this question. As the member opposite is well aware, this is a challenge in Yukon, but it is also= a challenge right across Canada. During our strategy at recruiting physicians — in fact now we have probably one of the best doctor/patient ratios = in Canada. As I have indicated on this floor before, mental health is a key fo= cus area for this department. Had the member opposite been paying attention in = the debate on Health and Social Services, she would have heard that, in fact, we are awaiting permission from McMaster University — I have seen the dr= aft for the mental wellness strategy, and we do look forward to releasing that draft in the new year.
Question
re: Dome Road and Mary McLeod Road rerouting
Mr. Tredger:&= #8195;Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year the government rerouted the Dome Road and = Mary McLeod Road with public funds to accommodate the Slinky mine. The government committed $1.3 million to reroute the road on the condition that the claim owner would only operate the mine until the 2017 season, and then cede the claim for future residential development. At the time of the agreement, the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources said that it would — and I qu= ote: “… provide for a timely end to placer mining near the road and residences...” Now the Slinky mine operator has applied for a 10-year permit to mine the other side of the Dome Road.
Why di= dn’t this government include the Slinky mine’s eastern claims into the negotiated agreement that saw them spend $1.3 million in public funds to accommodate this operator?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won’t speak to this specific situation. Obviously, there is an ongoing YESAA assessment with respect to the claim b= lock that the member opposite references. The public comment period is open right now, and I believe closes later on this month. I can again mention for individuals that the Yukon government works with municipal governments to clarify and resolve issues with mineral claims and exploration activities on claims within municipal boundaries. The Placer Mining Act itself prohibits staking of new placer claims within municip= al boundaries. However, there are existing claims in some areas. This is mostl= y in the Dawson City area, but these claims predate the expanded municipal boundaries as well as the Placer Mi= ning Act prohibitions of staking of new claims. We will continue to work with municipalities and industry on a case-by-case basis where there is conflict= between the two, but one of the things we won’t do is expropriate claims or b= uy out claims. I would certainly be interested in the New Democrat’s position with respect to that issue and whether or not they would take the claims away from the claimholder or buy out the economic opportunity that exists with those claims.
Mr. Tredger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government bent over backwards, committing $1.3 million to placate the owner of the Slinky mine and settle the conflict bet= ween residents and the owner. At the time, the minister said the settlement would — and again I quote: “… see the Slinky mine complete its operations on a much shorter and certain timeline…”
The government’s settlement is next to useless and the people of Dawson a= re right back where they started, wondering whether there will be a new mine operating in their backyard once again. This government tried to fix this problem without dealing with the core issue — mining claims in municipalities.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, why did this government commit to spending $1.3 million placating a mine ow= ner without getting assurances that it would solve the community issues?=
Hon. Mr. Kent: So the Yukon government, the Town of Dawson City and the owners of the Slinky = mine signed a multi-party agreement in May 2014, which enabled future developmen= t of country residential lots in the area. It enabled the placer miner to reach a timely end to placer mining near the road. As well, it has rerouted the road and made safety improvements with respect to the road in that area. Again, there were a number of benefits from the agreement that we negotiated with = the municipality and the placer miner.
As I m= entioned in my initial response, I would be interested in the New Democrats’ position with respect to what they would do with these placer claims that h= ave pre-existed the municipal boundaries. Again, there is no — under the = Placer Mining Act, they are not al= lowed to stake new placer claims within municipal boundaries, but it would be interesting to see what they would do. Would they expropriate those claims = from the mining company or would they compensate the mining company for those pl= acer claims? There are a number of placer claims that exist within the municipal boundaries of Dawson City, so I would be interested in their response and I’m sure many other Yukoners would be interested as well.
Mr. Tredger:&= #8195;The minister is right. This is part of a larger issue of mining within municipalities that this government has refused to address, time and time again. Mining rights continue to supersede the rights of municipalities to govern and the rights of people to peaceful enjoyment of their property. The government has refused to take a proactive stance when it comes to pre-exis= ting mining claims in municipalities. The result is that we have crisis after crisis, with this government burying their head in the sand and pretending there is nothing wrong, and then spending millions of dollars in public fun= ds instead of dealing with the problem directly.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, when will this government take a proactive stance and work toward addressing issues of mining claims in municipalities?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We have taken a proactive stance on a numb= er of different issues related to this one. We issued a prohibition order on quartz claim staking for 74 percent of the lands within the City of Whiteho= rse on June 19, 2012. That prohibition order is in place for five years. Again,= we have negotiated with the municipality of Dawson and the Slinky mine holders= on the property in question. We’re in discussions with Dawson City regar= ding a revision to the existing prohibition order on quartz claim staking within= the town limits.
Again,= Mr. Speaker we haven’t heard a response or a position from the New Democrats on t= his, but they seem willing to either expropriate those mining claims — cla= ims that were staked in good faith under the rules of the day and registered properly with the mining recorder — or would they compensate those cl= aim holders for the overall economic loss? That’s an important question t= hat I think deserves an answer from the New Democrats when it comes to what the= ir position actually is.
Would = they expropriate mineral rights from existing claim holders or would they compen= sate those claim holders for the economic loss that would exist? Again, Mr. = ;Speaker, it’s a question that I would like the answer to, and I’m sure m= any Yukoners would as well.
Question
re: Economic outlook
Ms. Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, by all accounts — national statistics, the Conference Board of Canada= and the Yukon government’s own reports — Yukon’s economy has shrunk more than any other province or territory across Canada over the past three years. In fact, Yukon’s economic growth has declined each year since this Premier took office.
These = hard times will continue, with an estimated further decline of six percent in real GDP this year. The first step in solving any problem is to identify the root ca= use. As the Minister of Economic Development said on Monday — and I quote: “… the government’s job is to provide an environment so t= hat the private sector can succeed.”
This g= overnment can point to international mineral prices all day long, but will the minist= er acknowledge that, according to his own words, Yukon’s current economic woes are due to his Yukon Party government’s inability to support the environment for a resilient economy?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s interesting to listen to this question, because the member opposite is partly correct. It is the government’s job to create an environment where the private sector can create a good economy for the Yukon. As a government, we are doing that. We= are investing in infrastructure. The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources = is working on mine licensing. We continue to do the good work so that, when the economic downturn in mineral markets turns around globally, the Yukon will = be in a very good place, Mr. Speaker. And when that time comes, we will h= ave done the hard work that we need to do to ensure that all Yukoners prosper, = Mr. Speaker.
Ms. Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, much like consultation and accountability, this government has a tendency to reference diversification without seeming to grasp its true meaning. The National Resource Governance Institute warns that resource-rich jurisdictio= ns that — and I quote: “… remain heavily reliant on revenues generated by mining or oil production, jeopardizing their chances for sustainable growth.”
Divers= ification is vital to Yukon’s long-term economic growth. It’s why the Yuk= on NDP supports an environment that will provide jobs and opportunities for current and future Yukoners across all sectors, responsible resource development, tourism and wildlife viewing, local procurement and small business, innovation, the knowledge sector, and cultural industries.=
Will t= he minister recognize that all growth numbers show, without a doubt, that this governme= nt is not doing enough to diversify the economy?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This government truly d= oes understand the importance of diversifying our economy and we’re worki= ng toward that. We continuously assist a wide range of local businesses and industry organizations to pursue economic development opportunities. Econom= ic growth is a critical component, Mr. Speaker, in the continued diversification of Yukon’s economy and requires the capture of extern= al wealth from a number of sources.
The De= partment of Economic Development provides financial and advisory support for local businesses and industry partners for export marketing and investment attrac= tion activities. As I said, Mr. Speaker, we continue to do the hard work in terms of education and mine licensing, and all of those other important fac= tors so that when the world’s markets do turn around, Mr. Speaker, the Yukon will be in a great place.
Ms. Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, this government orchestrated a made-in-Yukon recession and has overseen the near collapse of mining in the Yukon. Now it says it can still resuscitate Yukon’s economy by diversifying to oil and gas development. = p>
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, minerals, oil and gas are all internationally traded commodities, subject to the ebbs and flow of volatile international markets. Further developing oil= and gas is not diversification; it is distraction. Just this Monday, the govern= ment said — quote: “Commodity prices are in a situation right now wh= ere there is not a lot of pressure on Yukon to develop our oil and gas resources.”
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, will the minister admit that his government’s current economic strate= gy is simply to shift its reliance on one type of commodity prices to another = and not in fact to diversify our economy?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the member opposite for the questions here.
You kn= ow, Mr. Speaker, since this Yukon Party was elected back in 2002, the Yukon government ̵= 2; and this is in fact our third mandate. Our aim has always been and continue= s to be very clear, and that is to move forward together on a path toward a stro= ng and a more prosperous Yukon for everyone.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, this government has — thanks to its fiscal record of strong fiscal prudence — been able to continue to invest in key strategic infrastructure all across the board — whether it has been in energy infrastructure, highways, public works, and the list goes on.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, we’ve been able to streamline and we continue to streamline the regulatory regime and continue to invest in the largest capital budget, I m= ight add — investments that have enabled us to continue to invest in the creative economy, the knowledge economy and IT, in tourism, in culture, in mining, in oil and gas, in all of the respective industries.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, this government will continue to invest heavily in Yukoners and putting Yukoners to work where it counts the most, Mr. Speaker. It’s unfortunate that the members opposite do not recognize those strategic investments because, if they would, they would actually vote in favour of t= his budget.
Question
re: Tagish water well pump
Mr. Barr: Mr. Speaker, Tagish residents are curious about the answers the Minister of Community Se= rvices gave to my questions about the community water well pumps. I brought up the Department of Community Services’ notification to stakeholders about further delays to the fire pump installation that will reach into the new y= ear. The minister responded — I quote: “As soon as information comes available to us, we make it available to the interested stakeholders and our partners.”
The pr= oblem, Mr. Speaker, is that neither the Tagish Local Advisory Council nor the Tagish Fire Department was ever actually told about the fire pump delay, which increases its tanker refilling time five times.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, why didn’t the Department of Community Services tell Tagish’s f= ire department and the Fire Marshal’s Office about this important roadblo= ck to restoring its firefighting capacity?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I think the member opposite is a little bit confused. The water plant at Ta= gish — the pumps that are on order there are well underway. As I indicated earlier this week, they should be in place by the end of this month.
Now, t= he member is doing a disservice to his community when he implies that somehow his citizens or his residents are not being adequately protected by the fire department in that area. The fire department continues to have access to a sufficient of water they need to fight fires if they should arise. They have joint agreements in place with the local First Nation and with the private sector to provide water if it is necessary. They also have access to other sources of water if necessary.
The Ta= gish water plant is not the primary source of firefighting water in that area, so the member opposite is doing a disservice to this community by indicating that delays in the pumps coming in for drinking water are somehow inhibiting the ability of the volunteer fire department to keep the residents safe.=
Mr. Barr: The minister is obviously confused. We are speaking about the fire pumps specifically.
We kno= w that Tagish authorities didn’t know because we actually talked to the community. While it’s unfortunate that there were contractor issues t= hat delayed replacement of the water well pump in the spring, at least Tagish residents have better access to clean drinking water with their old well th= an other people — for example, Keno.
Howeve= r, Tagish’s operational firefighting capacity is compromised when a sepa= rate pump has to be ordered from Germany that isn’t scheduled to arrive un= til January, at best.
The Yu= kon Party government has not taken the setback to Tagish’s emergency response capacity seriously. Why didn’t it tell anyone at the Tagish Fire Department when the government knew about the delay?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: I have to take issue with the statement that the volunteer fire department’s capacity has been compromised. That is not true. =
The re= sidents of Tagish should rest assured that they have adequate fire safety and fire protection, and for the member opposite to imply otherwise is simply not tr= ue.
Some Hon. Member:&= #8195;(Inaudible)
Hon. Mr. Dixon: The member opposite can shout off-mic all he wants, but those are the facts.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, the volunteer fire department has access to the necessary water to fight structural and other types of fire, should they arise. For him to suggest t= hat the delays in the pumps of the drinking water plant have somehow compromised that ability is simply not correct.
Some Hon. Member:&= #8195;(Inaudible)
Hon. Mr. Dixon: The member can continue to shout off-mic all he wants but that’s not goin= g to change the facts.
The re= sidents of Tagish continue to have an adequate amount of protection from fire, both structural and otherwise, and the member opposite ought to know that.
Question
re: Mayo B project
Mr. Tredger: Thank you Mr. Speaker.
$120 m= illion and counting for 10 megawatts of power at Mayo B is simply not good value. Since the Yukon Party is planning more hydroelectric projects, it is critical tha= t we learn from past mistakes.
Mayo B= was not shovel-ready as promised. The river’s reaction to water controls R= 12; in other words, the hydrology of this waterway — is still not complet= ely understood and cannot be predictably managed. Although this is a Yukon Ener= gy Corporation project, it is the government that is paying for flooding-relat= ed issues.
How mu= ch did the Government of Yukon pay, and through what departments, to manage flow-relat= ed issues like the flooding on the Mayo River from 2012 until now?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: The member is unfortunately doing a disservice to the House in jumping to conclusions about matters that are still being studied by hydrologists. The behaviour of the Mayo River — no one is clear about= why its behaviour has changed. Yes, there is speculation that it may have to do with the management related to Mayo B, but in fact the problem started prio= r to Mayo B being installed so there is speculation that it may be the dam in general or other changes within the environment that have been made.=
Again,= Mr. Speaker, the members have to make up their minds about what course of action they favour. They stand up in the House and claim to favour investments in green energy, and yet criticize those investments in green energy that were recom= mended by the Yukon Energy Corporation.
With t= he support, in part, of the Government of Canada, the Yukon government investe= d in Mayo B. We also invested in a third turbine at Aishihik and invested in connecting the isolated northern grid to the southern grid, which has impro= ved stability and, through the work of both Yukon Energy Corporation and Yukon Development Corporation, we are continuing to do planning for potential hyd= ro projects and to assess the options, so that Yukoners and the Yukon governme= nt will be able to make informed decisions about our energy future and our energy choices.
Mr. Tredger: Again, the minister opposite is right: the hydrology studies should have been done prior to increasing the flow. YEC controls the Mayo River from the lake, through Mayo A, through Mayo B and downstream to the Stewart River. Impacts= are both upstream and downstream of the dam. More flooding can be anticipated.<= /span>
The De= partment of Community Services has applied to YESAB to remedy — and I quote: “… damage done previously as a result of emergency flood mitiga= tion measures…” The department is also applying for up to five event= s of sediment removal over the next 20 years to prevent further flooding.=
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, how much has the department budgeted to repair the damage and dredge the Ma= yo River for the next several years?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, again, the funding that is done — the = member partially answered his own question in his remarks — is provided thro= ugh the Department of Community Services. Just as when there were flooding issu= es in other locations — including Rock Creek, Upper Liard and Marsh Lake — the Yukon government, through the lead of the Emergency Measures Organization under Community Services, acted to help Yukoners who were havi= ng their homes or properties placed at risk by flooding events.
Those investments in Mayo have been done through Community Services, but the memb= er is jumping to conclusions about the cause of the flooding in Mayo and is failing to note the fact that, in fact, the flooding events began prior to = the installation of Mayo B and the experts have not yet concluded whether those changes are due to changes in the water table, changes to silt in the river, silting up at river mouths — as some in the area have expressed the theory is the cause. That work is underway right now through hydrologists trying to determine the causes and trying to determine the solutions.
This g= overnment will continue to act as needed, but in fact, the river behaviour — th= ere have been some years where the costs have been very minor to manage it, and other years, such as, I believe, last winter, that we expect to have to do = more work than was required. We will continue to make what investments are neces= sary to protect the people of Mayo and their properties.
Mr. Tredger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The flooding started to occur when the flow of the r= iver increased to create electricity. The point is to learn from past mistakes. Also, something bigger is at stake, and that is government meddling in ener= gy planning and financing best left to experts.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, YDC and YEC are the Crown corporations assigned to operate at arm’s length to ensure Yukon’s energy needs are met. They must take their applications to the Yukon Utilities Board for approval. When the government directs and finances energy projects independent of the mandated Crown corporations, it is avoiding oversight, driving up costs and undermining the design process.
Will t= he government take a step back and allow the experts at Crown corporations to operate at arm’s length, as was intended?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, Yukon Energy Corporation recommended the May= o B project to the Yukon government. It required our support and our efforts in getting federal investment to make that project happen. The member is either completely unaware of the facts, or is choosing to make statements that don’t reflect the facts.
Speaker’s
statement
Speaker: I w= ould caution the member about using the word “choosing”. It implies = that he is deliberately doing it, and that is unparliamentary. Please continue w= ith your statement, but watch your language.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, the member is not accurate= ly reflecting the facts through his statements in this House. In fact, Yukon Energy Corporation recommended the project and the member would give the impression to Yukoners through his statements that there is not direct accountability of both those corporations to the Yukon government, which is absolutely incorrect. Those corporations are structured to be accountable to the Yukon government, but in its role as a utility, the Yukon Energy Corporation is mandated and required to report to the Yukon Utilities Board, which is the regulator and reviews projects and reviews their application f= or including projects and their costs within the rate base.
Again,= the member is painting an inaccurate picture through his inaccurate statements = in this House. Mayo B was recommended to government by Yukon Energy.
Speaker: The= time for Question Period has now elapsed.
We are= now prepared to receive the Administrator of Yukon to grant assent to the bills that have passed this House.
Administrator Isaac enters the Chamber, announce= d by the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms
Assent to
Bills
Administrat=
or: Please be seated.
Speaker:=
195;Mr. Administrator, t=
he
Assembly has, at its present session, passed certain bills to which, in the
name and on behalf of the Assembly, I respectfully request your assent.
Clerk: Act to Amend the Municipal Act; Act to Amend the Travel for Medical
Treatment Act; Act to Amend the=
Oil
and Gas Act.
Administrat=
or: I hereby assent to the bills as enumer=
ated
by the Clerk.
Administrat=
or
leaves the Chamber
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order.
We wil= l proceed to Orders of the Day.
Orders of
the Day
GOVERNMENT MOTIONS
Motion No. 1110
Clerk: Motio= n No. 1110, standing in the name of the Hon. Mr. Cathers.
Speaker: It = is moved by the Minister of Justice:
THAT t= he Yukon Legislative Assembly, pursuant to subsection 17(2) of the Human Rights Act, does remove Janet Wood and Barbara Joe as mem= bers of the Yukon Human Rights Commission, effective December 11, 2015. <= /p>
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With this motion, as with the sec= ond one — removing members from the Human Rights Commission and from the panel of adjudicators — I would just note for the record that this is= as a result of the resignations of those members from those bodies. I would li= ke to thank them for the work that they have done respectively on the Human Ri= ghts Commission and on the panel of adjudicators.
As wit= h the motions that are appointing members to the commission and panel of adjudica= tors respectively, these have all been subject to review and discussion by the all-party Standing Committee on Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees.
With t= hat, I will conclude my remarks and just thank Ms. Wood and Ms. Joe, as = well as all members of the commission and the panel of adjudicators for the work that they have done and, for those continuing, for the work that they are continuing to do.
Ms. Moorcroft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We support this motion and I would like to thank Ms.= Wood and Ms. Joe for the work that they have done as members of the Yukon H= uman Rights Commission.
Speaker: Are= you prepared for the question?
Motion No. 1110 agreed to
Motion
No. 1111
Clerk:̳=
5;Motion No. 1111, standing=
in the
name of the Hon. Mr. Cathers.
Speaker:=
195;It is moved by the Minist=
er of
Justice:
THAT the Yukon Legislative Assembly,
pursuant to subsection 22(3) of the Human
Rights Act, does remove Geneviève Chabot as a member and deputy
chief adjudicator of the Yukon human rights panel of adjudicators.
Hon. Mr.&nb=
sp;Cathers: Thank you, Mr.&nbs=
p;Speaker.
Again, I will not speak at length to this. I would just note that for the
public record and for members that after her appointment as deputy chief
adjudicator, Ms. Chabot became aware of a concern by her employer, the
federal government, regarding the potential for conflict between those roles
and was unfortunately unable to serve in that role, at her employer’s
direction. But I do thank her for her interest and willingness in serving in
that capacity. With that, I will conclude my remarks.
Ms. Mo=
orcroft: Thank you, Mr. Speak=
er. We
support this motion and would like to thank Ms. Chabot for her interes=
t in
the work.
Speaker:=
195;Are you prepared for the
question?
Motion No. =
1111
agreed to
Motion
No. 1106
Clerk:̳=
5;Motion No. 1106, standing=
in the
name of the Hon. Mr. Cathers.
Speaker: It = is moved by the Minister of Justice:
THAT t= he Yukon Legislative Assembly, pursuant to subsection 17(1) of the Human Rights Act, does appoint Kathleen Avery, Jennifer Cunning= ham and Louise Bouvier as members of the Yukon Human Rights Commission for a term of three years, effective December 11, 2015.= span>
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In introducing these individuals = to the Assembly, I would note that Kathleen Avery is currently the general counsel= on contract for the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board.= She has 14 years of experience practising law, has been a member of the Yukon L= aw Society since August 1995 and has a bachelor of laws degree from the Univer= sity of Alberta.
Jennif= er Cunningham went to Queen’s University and has a bachelor of laws degr= ee from there, as well as a bachelor of art and science, with honour. She is in private practice doing criminal trials and appeals from 2008 to the present. She has worked for the Yukon Legal Services Society as well as worked with = the Women’s Directorate in the past.
Last b= ut not least, Louise Bouvier, who was the co-chair unt= il November 2015 of the Dan Keyi Renewable Resourc= es Council, is a member of the Kluane First Nation Justice Committee, has been= on the Kluane First Nation Elders Council from 2002 to 2015, and was the Yukon Indian/Aboriginal Women’s Association president from 1992 to 2005. = span>
I woul= d like to thank all three of these individuals for putting their names forward as wel= l as thank those who applied but were not successful candidates. I would like to acknowledge and thank all members of the all-party Standing Committee on Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees for their work. This follows the recommendation of that all-party committee.
Ms. Moorcroft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Official Opposition supports this motion to appo= int Kathleen Avery, Jennifer Cunningham and Louise Bouvier= as members of the Yukon Human Rights Commission. We spoke earlier today acknowledging the International Human Rights Day on December 10. The Human Rights Commission does important work in the Yukon to uphold human rights f= or all residents of the Yukon.
I woul= d like to wish them well in their work over the next three years of their appointment= s. I would also like to thank the members of the commission who are present in t= he gallery this afternoon.
Speaker: Are= you prepared for the question?
Motion No. 1106 agreed to
Motion
No. 1107
Clerk: Motio= n No. 1107, standing in the name of the Hon. Mr. Cathers.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Minister of Justice:
THAT t= he Yukon Legislative Assembly, pursuant to subsection 22(2) of the Human Rights Act, does appoint Carmen Gustafson as a member of = the Yukon human rights panel of adjudicators for a term of three years, effecti= ve December 11, 2015, and pursuant to subsection 22(2.01) of the Human Rights Act, does designate C= armen Gustafson as deputy chief adjudicator.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Carmen Gustafson, I understand, is counsel at Cabbott and Cab= bott, barristers and has worked there from 2012 to the present. She has been a me= mber of the Yukon Bar for several years, was co-chair of the Yukon chapter of the Canadian Bar Association and has a bachelor’s degree from the Univers= ity of Alberta.
I woul= d like to thank Ms. Gustafson for her willingness to serve in this important role and wish her luck during her three-year appointment.
Ms. Moorcroft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Official Opposition supports this motion to appo= int Carmen Gustafson to the human rights panel of adjudicators and to take on t= he position of deputy chief adjudicator. We wish her the best in her work as t= he deputy chief adjudicator so that the human rights panel of adjudicators can proceed with their work.
Speaker: Are= you prepared for the question?
Motion No. 1107 agreed to
Motion No. 1108
Clerk: Motio= n No. 1108, standing in the name of the Hon. Mr. Cathers.
Speaker: It = is moved by the Minister of Justice:
THAT t= he Yukon Legislative Assembly, pursuant to subsection 22(2) of the Human Rights Act, does appoint Michelle Mb= uto as a member of the Yukon human rights panel of adjudicators for a term of t= hree years, effective December 11, 2015.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Michelle Mbuto, I understand, has a bachelor of arts in psychology, a minor in communication and culture, an MA in theory and the practice of human rights, a certificat= e in international humanitarian law, and was an intern for the Yukon Human Rights Commission — Canada in 2013.
I woul= d like to thank her for putting her name forward and her willingness to serve on the panel of adjudicators. Again, as with all of the appointments here, this appointment was recommended by the all-party committee, the Standing Commit= tee on Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees.
Ms. Moorcroft: The Official Opposition supports the appointment of Ms. Mbuto to the human rights panel of adjudicators and wishes her all the best in her work on the panel of adjudicators.
Speaker: Are= you prepared for the question?
Motion No. 1108 agreed to
Mr. Elias: I move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Motion agreed to
Speaker leaves the Chair
Committee
of the Whole
Chair (Ms. McLeod): Committee of the Whole will now come to order.
The ma= tter before the Committee is continuing general debate on Vote 8, Department of Justice, in Bill No. 20, entitled S= econd Appropriation Act, 2015-16.
Do mem= bers wish to take a brief recess?
All Hon. Members:&= #8195;Agreed.
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will now come to order.
Bill No.
20: Second Appropriation Act, 2015-=
16
— continued
Chair: The m= atter before the Committee is continuing general debate on Vote 8, Department of Justice, in Bill No. 20, entitled S= econd Appropriation Act, 2015-16.
Department of Justice — continued
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I believe I have the floor in resuming debate, but I will sit = down and look forward to further questions from the Member for Copperbelt South.=
Ms. Moorcroft: Yesterday I had a question in Question Period related to policies and the use of lock= down at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. I think that’s the last area of questioning that I have for general debate in the Department of Justice = 212; those related to Whitehorse Correctional Centre.
Since = the Auditor General’s report on the Correctional Centre was released, the department has said that it respects the findings of the Auditor General and will undertake to improve the amount of programs and the nature of programs= at the Correctional Centre.
The we= bsite does now list the programs that are offered, but there is no information related= to how many people have access to the programs and how often they are offered. Perhaps the minister could start with an update on whether there have been = any increases and any new programs related to aboriginal offenders and the other programming matters that the Auditor General addressed.
Just t= o add to that, Madam Chair, the information I’m looking for from the minister = is: What has actually been offered and to whom and for how long?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I’m not sure if the member was seeming to sound as speci= fic in her questioning as she was, but, of course, when she talks about programming provided to who and for how long — things related to individual inmat= es would be protected information, I believe, for privacy reasons, unless it w= as something that then became subject to a court proceeding and was disclosed = as part of that. I certainly don’t have that level of specific detail he= re.
I can = tell the member, in terms of the audit, that the majority of recommendations of the audit for the Auditor General have been complied with. The commitments made= in response to the audit have been largely fulfilled. Work on development of culturally relevant offender programming will take additional time and effo= rt to be realized and will be dependent in part by information provided by, and received from, First Nations, and the resources available to develop and implement the recommendations will also have an effect on the speed of implementation. Again, we are committed to doing more work in this area.
Yukon Corrections will be engaging with Yukon First Nations over the next six to eight months to receive additional input on what constitutes culturally relevant First Nation programming within the Yukon context. Again, as I bel= ieve the member is aware, a number of the programs are based on programs that ha= ve been found to be successful and are evidence-based effective programs from other jurisdictions. We recognize that there has been a desire, understanda= bly, from Yukon First Nations to see some adjustment to provide more culturally relevant Yukon programming to members of Yukon First Nations who are incarcerated at WCC.
This p= rocess and that discussion with First Nations will help to determine what resources ex= ist to aid in strategic planning for the development and implementation of culturally relevant programming for First Nation offenders at WCC, as well = as for people who are completing community sentences. Ongoing monitoring and quality assurance in the integrated offender case management practices were established following an internal review in 2013. The quality assurance processes include review of policy and compliance in each of the aforementi= oned areas: risk assessment, case management, transition planning and return to custody interviews. Management continues to monitor these important aspects= of case management to ensure there is policy compliance and that best practices are followed. Program delivery statistics are also monitored, reported and updated through the Government of Yukon website on a quarterly basis.
That, = I believe, will answer the question that the member asked — perhaps not in as specific a level of detail as she had hoped — but it will provide that statistical information on access to programs.
In the= area of First Nation cultural programming in terms of inputting Yukon First Nation-specific, culturally relevant programming and tailoring the existing programming to include that, the Department of Justice has always been mind= ful of the overrepresentation of First Nation people at the Whitehorse Correcti= onal Centre, and the Correctional Centre was designed with that in mind — = in fact, including that the healing room that exists at the facility was desig= ned with the input of First Nation representatives, and, I believe, through the input of the elders council — that room was designed in part through that.
The Wh= itehorse Correctional Centre has been very active in taking steps to incorporate Fir= st Nation culture into the fabric of operations and programming at WCC. Measur= es taken to address this have included: incorporating traditional foods into t= he menu, supporting the development and the implementation of the Yukon First Nation land-based healing camp, and referring offenders from Whitehorse Cor= rectional Centre and offender supervision services to participate in a program whenev= er it is offered.
Just j= umping back to the member’s previous question, the program delivery statisti= cs are available on the Department of Justice website. As I mentioned, those a= re compiled on a quarterly basis.
Additi= onal First Nation cultural programming at Whitehorse Correctional Centre includes R= 20;I am a Kind Man”, which is a First Nation program originating from Onta= rio and is being piloted at Whitehorse Correctional Centre, and it’s base= d on traditional teachings related to family violence.
Additi= onal steps taken at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre include: establishing an elders advisory board to consult on cultural matters including: First Nation cultu= ral training into correctional officer basic training; increasing the availabil= ity of First Nation facilitators to provide cultural workshops such as beading, drum-making, carving, spirit rattles and handling hides; offering Southern Tutchone and Tlingit First Nation language training via elders when availab= le; offering Kaska language training upon request t= hrough Yukon College First Nation initiatives; partnering with Yukon College to deliver the heritage and cultural essential skills to offenders; making smu= dge kits available on every unit and individual smudge kits available upon requ= est by offenders; and incorporating some traditional medicines into health serv= ices — again, available on request of offenders. It also includes establis= hing a library of Yukon First Nation books for offenders; starting a video libra= ry project that involves elders talking about their clans, their cultural practices and telling stories with the goal of making those stories through= the video library available to offenders on televisions; as well, steps have be= en taken to undertake recruitment initiatives to hire First Nation people to w= ork at the Correctional Centre.
The De= partment of Justice and Yukon Corrections will be working on engaging with Yukon Fir= st Nations in the upcoming months regarding their views of what constitutes culturally relevant First Nation programming and to identify resources that= can assist with that initiative.
An eng= agement package will be going out to all Yukon First Nations including focused engagement questions and information on current programs and services offer= ed to Yukon correctional clients as identified through case and risk management processes. Corrections remains committed to continuing to incorporate First Nation culture and needs into correctional programs and services. Again, as= I have noted previously on several occasions in the House, there has been excellent work done to date in raising the bar and raising the standard of programming we’ve offered, but we do recognize that there is more wor= k to be done. The Department of Justice and the Yukon government remain committe= d to continuing to build on the work that has been done to date in raising the standard of rehabilitative programming offered at Whitehorse Correctional Centre.
The evidence-based core programming currently in place is the intellectual prop= erty of other jurisdictions. That programming has been developed and evaluated w= ith scientific rigor over many years and the programs have been evaluated as be= ing effective for First Nations in other jurisdictions, and that was one of the criteria for selection of the programs. While work is underway to acquire sufficient operational data to undertake outcome evaluations of these core programs in the Yukon, the steps are being taken to provide programming tha= t is specifically relevant to Yukon First Nation citizens who are incarcerated at Whitehorse Correctional Centre.
The de= partment has contacted a well-known Yukon First Nation contractor to assist us in developing and delivering programming for First Nation offenders at Whiteho= rse Correctional Centre and that has recently occurred with a contract for this fiscal year that has an option of renewal for the next fiscal year. =
I hope= that this additional information has been helpful to the Member for Copperbelt South.=
Ms. Moorcroft: Earlier today, we acknowledged that December 10 is the International Day of Human Rights and the minister made reference to the UN convention on civil and political Rights, which is, along with the UN convention on economic, social and cultural rights, the focus of the human rights community over the next year.
I just= want to quote from article 9 of the civil and political rights convention that: “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person… Anyo= ne arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power and sha= ll be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release. It shall not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody…”
Articl= e 10 then says: “All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person̷= 0; Accused persons shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be segregated from convicted persons and shall be subject to separate treatment appropriate to their status as unconvicted persons”.
So I h= ave a couple of questions for the minister related to that and related to our commitment as we expressed today to uphold the inherent dignity of the human person.
When t= he Official Opposition was able to have a tour of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre last week, we learned that approximately 60 percent or more of the people being held at Whitehorse Correctional Centre are on remand, and that it’s typically that high or higher of persons who have not been convi= cted who are at the Correctional Centre.
I want= to ask the minister whether the department has considered what legal procedures mi= ght be used to try to reduce the number of people who have not been convicted, = but who are being held in the correctional system — for example, through = bail review hearings. I also want to ask the minister to respond to how the Correctional Centre administration is working to segregate convicted persons from unconvicted persons.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I do agree with the Member for Copperbelt South that access to justice is important, and that includes timely court proceedings. One thing I would po= int out to the member, as I’m sure she’s aware — that compare= d to a number of other Canadian jurisdictions, we don’t have the problem t= hat others do, in some cases with significant backlog in the courts, particular= ly the criminal courts. As the member may be aware, the Province of British Columbia had a large number of people who, at one point, had been charged w= ith offences and a number of files were dismissed by the court because they had been in process for so long that the Justice in that case determined that justice had been delayed enough that justice had been denied and dismissed those files.
We do = not have that same problem here. The issue of the percentage of those on remand at Whitehorse Correctional Centre is really something that is largely a matter that is up to the courts, since they are the ones that determine where some= one who has been charged with an offence is to be placed, whether that person is released on bail into the community or whether they are continued to be held while awaiting the conclusion of their trial at Whitehorse Correctional Cen= tre on remand.
That is something that is primarily within the control of the courts, and I would a= gain note the fact that our court system, as with anywhere in the country, the justice process, especially for complex trials, can take awhile, compared to the situation in other Canadian jurisdictions, we are doing wel= l in terms of the speed of process of trials within the Yukon system.
I woul= d note, as I believe the member is aware, that through increasing the base budget for = the Legal Services Society, we have provided them increased confidence and incr= eased annual resources through that increase of roughly $400,000 annually to their base budget.
I am i= nformed that there are issues at times within the Whitehorse Correctional Centre wh= ere they are not able to separate convicted persons from non-convicted persons because of no-contact orders and incompatibility among inmates. That can po= se an issue in some situations, but staff do their best to follow the spirit a= nd intent of the convention and attempt to, as I believe the member quoted, re= duce the amount of time and, when possible, eliminate — I’m not quot= ing the words exactly from the convention — the issue of non-sentenced persons being held with people who have been sentenced within the Correctio= nal Centre.
I beli= eve that, generally speaking, the staff our Correctional Centre, compared to other jurisdictions in the country, do a good job of the work they do. I would no= te that, while there was criticism directed at staff of Whitehorse Correctional Centre and government as part of the Auditor General’s report, we accepted that criticism and committed to take action to address it. In fact, the problems that the Auditor General of Canada found with the Yukon correctional system, when compared to a similar audit conducted in the Northwest Territories, our correctional system is in much better shape than theirs — not to be critical of our neighbouring jurisdiction, but not= ing by way of context, we are doing a much more effective job according to the Auditor General than the Northwest Territories has in dealing with these challenges.
Ms. Moorcroft: It disturbs me to hear the minister referring to what occurs at Whitehorse Correctional Centre in response to one of the worst facilities in the north. Yes, we are doing better than the Baffin Correctional Centre, which the Aud= itor General and the Office of the Correctional Investigator have written about = as being overcrowded, unsafe and failing completely to meet programming standa= rds. That is not the standard that we should aiming for — to say that, “Oh well, we are better than that”. We should be aiming for the highest standard. I would also not agree with the minister that when the ta= ble of contents of the Auditor General’s report under its findings, recommendations, and responses, says under Offender Management that the department is not adequately preparing offenders for successful reintegrati= on into the community; is not adequately managing many aspects of community supervision; and is not yet meeting its obligations to incorporate the cult= ural heritage and needs of Yukon First Nations into its programs and services — that the minister would stand on being better than the Northwest Territories.
One of= the programs that the website lists is the work program. I would like the minis= ter to indicate how many times a work program has been offered, if any, in the = last year; whether there has only been one offering and how many people were abl= e to leave the Correctional Centre to engage in a work program.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I think the member misunderstood me when I was pointing out the comparison to the Northwest Territories. Certainly we are not using Northwe= st Territories as the standard that we’re shooting for. As the member kn= ows, the standard we’re shooting for is outlined in the Corrections Act and emerged as a result of the corrections refo= rm project. Where the Auditor General found the Department of Justice and Whitehorse correctional system lacking in the report by the Office of the Auditor General was primarily in that we had failed to meet the new higher standard that had been set out as the result of correctional reform.=
Again,= it should be noted contextually that the bar on the standard of programming was raised significantly from what it had previously been at here in the Yukon. In the area where the bar had been raised — in that period within 2012 where= the Auditor General reviewed those programs — the Auditor General determi= ned that, for those files and those offenders within that snapshot in time beginning three-plus years ago, the Department of Justice was not adequately delivering the services in keeping with the standards that we had set out. Again, we recognized that steps had been taken already through internal rev= iew processes to address some of those issues. By the time we had received the report from the Auditor General, those additional matters that had not been previously identified — steps have been taken since that time to meet= the standard.
As I n= oted in my earlier remarks — that, in fact, in most of those areas — the Department of Justice has acted to implement and respond to the recommendat= ions of the Auditor General and the actions that we committed to undertake at th= at period of time.
For th= e member, my reference to the Northwest Territories was certainly not setting that ou= t as the standard to achieve. It was pointing out the fact that, by way of one c= lear example of the review by the same office — that being the Office of t= he Auditor General — comparatively, we were leaps and bounds ahead of wh= at was being done in the Northwest Territories during the time period that they reviewed them.
I unde= rstand that there have been at least three work programs in the last year. Those include: Habitat for Humanity, a gardening program for women, and assisting= the Yukon Quest. There may be others; I didn’t have that information righ= t in front of me. That is just through the information that staff have been able= to provide me in the couple minutes since the member asked her question. Those= are at least three examples of work programs that were offered, and there may h= ave been more but we’ll have to endeavour to look into that.
In the= area of offender programming, it should be noted that Whitehorse Correctional Centre offers evidence-based programming to address inmates’ criminogenic ne= eds. These programs may be delivered in group or individual settings. Sentenced offenders are assessed by case managers who develop a case management plan, including programming recommendations for each inmate.
Crimin= ogenic programs offered at WCC include: cognitive skill programming such as the Courage to Change program, which explores seven areas of concern: peer relationships, self-control, responsible thinking, substance abuse manageme= nt, social values, family-tie skills and successful living.
The su= bstance abuse management program examines pathways to addictions and the importance= of treating the whole person, and other substance abuse supports include Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and referrals to Alcohol and Drug Services and substance abuse counselling circles facilitated by a contracted service provider.
Another programming area is relapse prevention. It helps participants to identify t= heir high-risk situations and/or triggers and helps them to develop an individual relapse plan and personal strategies for dealing with those situations and avoiding falling into problematic and criminal behaviours.
There&= #8217;s an emotion management program for women, which helps them explore appropriate = ways to deal with anger and other difficult emotions. There’s a relationsh= ip violence program for women, which addresses attitudes, violence and abuse in relationships. There’s a respectful relationships program for men, wh= ich is a spousal assault program focused on problem-solving and self-management tools and strategies. Another program is the violence prevention program, w= hich identifies beliefs, attitudes and habits that lead to violence, as well as management and problem-solving skills.
There = are additional sexual offender programming that addresses changing attitudes and beliefs, goal-setting, problem-solving and coping skills. The “I am a Kind Man” program, which I previously mentioned and won’t expla= in again — the member can refer to my earlier comments about that program — as well as the Balanced Life program, which is a life-skills program co-facilitated by the Whitehorse Correctional Centre health care unit and Y= ukon College. It is available to both male and female offenders within the Correctional Centre. There’s also programming available that helps inmates do educational upgrading. Yukon College operates the Whitehorse Correctional Centre campus with services, including educational assessment = and testing, individualized programs, a GED program, and work-related certifica= tes such as first aid, FoodSafe, transportation of dangerous goods, and fall protection. Yukon College also assists with finan= cial planning, basic literacy and resumé writ= ing.
In the= area of work programs available at WCC, sentenced inmates are placed in work assignments that are suitable for each offender, based on their security levels. Remand inmates are not mandated to work but may volunteer for paid = work opportunities within the secure perimeter of the Correctional Centre only. Ongoing work for sentenced and remand inmates includes: food services, laun= dry, workshop and secure janitorial programming. Whitehorse Correctional Centre engages in special employment-skills-related projects including construction with Habitat for Humanity, Yukon Women in Trades and Technology, and Parks Canada. Other projects include assisting the Yukon Quest by producing the t= rail markers, as well as building a garden to donate fresh produce grown to the Whitehorse Food Bank. It turns out I actually did have some additional information about work programs in my notes that I was not aware of, so it = has been more than three programs that have been offered in that area.= p>
With t= hat, Madam Chair, I will conclude my remarks.
Ms. Moorcroft: I had a question for the minister yesterday about the use of lockdown and what measures in the area of staff training and management were being undertaken= to be more rehabilitative-focused interventions rather than relying on the use= of lockdowns.
The mi= nister said in response to my questions that there was an attempt to minimize the = use of lockdowns, and he spoke about the E unit, which was the protective custo= dy unit. That’s not the only unit where people have called to say that t= here has been considerable use of lockdown. When people are locked down for long periods of time, it doesn’t do anything to promote rehabilitation or = to promote better behaviour in an institutional setting.
The mi= nister will likely have to get back to me with a response, but I want to put some specific questions on the record on: how many inmates have been incarcerate= d in the special handling unit and for how many days at a time from the beginnin= g of the fiscal year, April 1, 2015, to the end of November 2015; how many inmat= es have been placed in the secure supervision placement unit at Whitehorse Correcti= onal Centre and for how many days at a time during that same period; and how many inmates have been incarcerated at the E unit dorm at the Correctional Centre for that same period of time?
The mi= nister said that lockdown was done at the discretion of the staff and managers, an= d I would like to ask him again whether there are not correctional policies and guidelines that could be used by the staff.
The mi= nister spoke about the work programs, and I think, with the exception of the Habit= at for Humanity, those programs — the women’s gardening, the Yukon Quest — are programs that are actually conducted in the institution. They’re not work programs where minimum-risk offenders are able to do work in the community, such as for the Habitat for Humanity.
Anothe= r question that I have related to the Human Rights Commission is whether the governmen= t is still blocking the Yukon Human Rights Commission from investigating the jai= l, and I would like to ask the minister to respond to the question that I had written to him about last month, requesting that the Yukon Human Rights Commission be added to the list of privileged phone calls from the Correcti= onal Centre so that people who are incarcerated at Whitehorse Correctional Centre can make a call to the Human Rights Commission — that they would not = be charged for that call and that they can speak in confidence to a human righ= ts investigator.
That p= rivileged phone list includes the Office of the Ombudsman; it includes the offices of MLAs; it would be reasonable to add the Human Rights Commission to the list. I’m aware that the department has used its discretion to add privileg= ed phone call numbers to that list that are not enumerated in the act, so I’m hoping the minister will not just say that because they’re = not in the act, he can’t do it. The fact is that this discretion is exerc= ised when it comes to making calls to other offices. The Human Rights Commission should have the authority to investigate any allegations of human rights ab= uses at the Correctional Centre.
I also= want to ask the minister about the use of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre for a hospital placement. How many times has the Whitehorse Correctional Centre h= ad people there who were placed there under a hospital designation? What polic= ies are in effect to deal with hospital-designated prisoners regarding access to medical and mental health services, family visits and day leave? Are hospital-placement prisoners able to meet with family members? Are they ever housed in general population?
Anothe= r question related to medication — because we’ve had calls from inmates wh= o go into the Correctional Centre on a particular medication and particular psychiatric medications, and then they are placed on a different medication. Those meds are taken away by the doctor and they’re placed on a diffe= rent medication. Is there a list of permitted medications? Why would prescribed medications that are working for people be taken away just when they are pl= aced in the very stressful situation of being incarcerated?
When w= e did tour the facility last week, the update was that the physician at the Correction= al Centre did not yet have certification for methadone, but that this was underway. Perhaps the minister can indicate when that might be completed. I will let the minister respond to those questions, and then I have a couple = of others.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: The member asked a number of questions there, so I will attemp= t to answer them — but when it comes to the use of lockdown, I don’t have information at my fingertips as far as what specific policies or guidelines are in place. I believe there are policies and guidelines, but t= he comment I made in Question Period that the member referred to was the fact = that it is my understanding that there is also discretion used by management bas= ed on individual cases for the use of lockdown. The general rule and general principle that they use is attempting to reduce lockdown while providing for the safety of inmates and the safety of staff. Yes, there is a lockdown pol= icy — and I am informed that all the Whitehorse Correctional Centre polic= ies are on the website, so the member can find that and review it at her leisur= e.
In the= area of prescriptions and the use of the hospital, it should be noted that there is= a legal distinction between being inside the Whitehorse Correctional Centre compared to being out in the community. That is why prescriptions that were used outside can, in some cases, be suspended and not in effect. There is a doctor in Whitehorse Correctional Centre, but when it comes to specific medications — what occurs in some situations is that different doctors have different opinions about medication. Ultimately, if there is a differe= nce between health care professionals, the doctor who is within Whitehorse Correctional Centre has the authority to decide what the appropriate prescription is. The reasons for adjusting medication could be based on the changing needs of a patient or they also could be based on other considerat= ions made from a health care perspective regarding medication within that area. = I am not going to get into an argument or a difference of opinion between two doctors, but as the member knows, doctors often don’t have identical opinions or decisions in similar circumstances. They may have a different perspective and a different health care opinion on how something should be treated.
When i= t comes to methadone, specifically, the physician who is on contract at Whitehorse Correctional Centre and in charge of that is able to prescribe methadone. My understanding is that there have been at least two people since the reintroduction of that program who have received methadone therapy. The doc= tor is taking additional training and certification in methadone therapy. I have been assured that, in fact, the doctor is in a legal position to write prescriptions, but is taking additional certification that is not available directly within the Yukon to have additional training that — though n= ot a legal requirement to prescribe methadone as a physician in the Yukon —= ; is seen as being helpful and beneficial to her in being better trained than an ordinary physician in the specific use of methadone therapy.
When i= t comes to differences of opinion between physicians, or differing needs of the patien= t, I am not going to get into a debate between two doctors. I am not a physician and, ultimately, we do have confidence that Yukon physicians are sufficient= ly trained and, managed and regulated by the Yukon Medical Council, they are eligible for licensure in whatever they are licensed for and are managed appropriately by the Yukon Medical Council, which is the regulatory and disciplinary body within the territory.
As far= as the question the member asked about how many are placed in segregation — again, I don’t have that information right at my fingertips here for = the time period that she asked about.
Ms. Moorcroft: Thank you, Madam Chair. The minister indicated that there was a policy on lockdown and that it was on the Justice website. I wonder if he can clarify whether = that is the statement of policy that describes the procedure for responding to inmate disturbances, which is completed redacted.
It giv= es the first part of a sentence, but it says: “The Person In Charge of a correctional centre will establish and maintain” — redacted. = span>
“= ;The Person In Charge will ensure that all corrections officers receive” — redacted.
“= ;All staff in a correctional centre will receive training in responding” — redacted.
“= ;Training for staff in” — redacted — “will include at a minim= um, the following:” — redacted.
So per= haps there is another policy and that other policy may also be redacted. I’ll le= ave it at that but if the minister could come back with further information in writing I would appreciate that.
I woul= d also like the minister to give an undertaking for a breakdown of the use of the separate confinement, the special handling unit and the secure supervision placement unit for the 2014-15 fiscal year — and for 2015.
I woul= d like to move on and ask whether the Correctional Centre does have in place an alternative measures panel as provided for in sections 31 and 32 of the cor= rections regulations to deal with internal charges against inmates; if not, will they establish one? If not, what is the reason there has not yet been one established?
I unde= rstand that in most cases, internal charges against inmates are always marked as s= erious on the inmate charge form, which would result in them having to go to a hea= ring with an adjudicator who has the power to sentence inmates to segregation. B= eing able to use an alternative measures panel, which is provided for in the corrections regulations, could presumably keep some inmates out of segregat= ion. Could the minister respond to that?
Hon. Mr. Cathers: With regard to the policies on lockdown, my understanding is t= hat lockdown is referenced in several policies that are on the website.<= /p>
As far= as the member’s questions about parts that were redacted, I will have to ask that myself because quite frankly, the member has looked at it on the websi= te, but I have not. I am not familiar with the details of the policy on lockdow= n. I do expect that staff will manage Whitehorse Correctional Centre appropriate= ly.
While = I do exercise oversight of that, I am certainly not a micromanager when it comes= to the correctional system because I cannot profess to be an expert in that ar= ea and I leave it to those who are to manage the Whitehorse Correctional Centr= e.
As far= as alternative measures — my understanding is that the section to which = the member is referring, under the Corr= ections Act regulation, is a permissive section, not a requirement, that allows= for an alternative measures panel to be established. This can be done by appoin= ting one or more persons who are not employees of the department for terms of up= to five years. Under section 31 of the Corrections Act regulation, the person presiding over a disciplinary hearing may, if the inmate accepts responsibility for the breach of a rule, divert the matt= er to an alternative measures panel. An alternative measures panel may apply o= ne or more penalties under section 33(1) of the regulations as appropriate, in= cluding a warning or reprimand, intermittent self-confinement, assignment of extra duties, and a restorative process, which could include things such as payme= nt of restitution and/or requirement to participate in a program. Those can al= l be conditions put in place by the alternative measures panel. An alternative measures panel may also apply any of the penalties available to the hearing adjudicators under section 33(3) of the regulation, if it deems that appropriate. For example, those can include forfeiture of earned remission = or segregation. My understanding is that the Corrections branch has been explo= ring implementation of an alternative measures panel since earlier this year.
The pr= oject has experienced some delays due to the lack of internal capacity, but I am advi= sed that the Corrections branch hopes to be able to implement that in the next fiscal year and is taking steps to do just that.
Madam = Chair, I think that has addressed the questions the member asked.
Ms. Moorcroft: What I am asking the minister to do is to macromanage and to ensure that the corrections regulations and the Corrections Act, with their focus on rehabilitation — whi= ch this minister is proud to defend — are actually implemented. I don’t need the minister to read to me the sections of the regulations that allow for setting up an alternate measures panel. I read them before I asked the minister the question.
His an= swer is that it is permissive and it’s not required. It’s permissive because the act and the regulations did set forward a rehabilitative approa= ch to corrections. What I am asking the minister to do is to ensure that those goals of a rehabilitative approach are followed. I appreciate that the mini= ster did respond to the question by saying that, even though it’s not requ= ired, the management are working to establish, at some point, an alternate measur= es panel. I would like to encourage the minister to ensure that it happens = 212; sooner, rather than later.
I know= that the minister had some response in relation to the use of the Correctional Centre for hospital placements. We have heard concerns about that. If the minister= did respond to whether hospital-designated prisoners were ever housed in the general population, I didn’t catch that, so I’ll just ask him to respond again on that.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: The information that the member asked for about the use of Whitehorse Correctio= nal Centre as a hospital facility is information that I don’t have at my fingertips. Again, I would remind the member, as I believe I put it out to = her earlier in debate, that improvements at Whitehorse General Hospital itself = to create the secure medical unit were made by, not only this government but u= nder me, as Minister of Health and Social Services at the time. I signed the Management Board submission to authorize funding for the project. If memory serves, I think it was actually completed under Minister Hart. But we attempted, through that measure — that was in part intended to reduce= the need to use the Correctional Centre as a hospital-type facility for someone= with mental health issues by providing that secure medical unit at the hospital. That issue was prompted by past incidents that fortunately had never been o= f a major nature — but there had, prior to that, been conflicts with peop= le with temporary or longer term mental health challenges within the Whitehorse General Hospital engaging with other patients and resulting in one situation — the situation that prompted the hiring of security guards at Whiteh= orse General Hospital. There had been an incident that required one of the staff members to physically tackle someone who was mentally disturbed at that time and was acting in an aggressive manner. The staff member, though it was not= his job, did act to resolve the situation.
Throug= h that investment and the creation of the secure medical unit at Whitehorse General Hospital, that is a significant investment made by this government in the attempt to avoid, if possible, and certainly reduce the use of Whitehorse Correctional Centre for people who are experiencing mental health issues un= less they are either remanded or sentenced inmates at that facility.
The is= sue as well that should be noted is that — whether for sentenced offenders or for those who are remand — it is the determination that is made by the courts on a case-by-case basis where someone is sentenced to — whether they are released on bail, whether they are placed under house arrest or released in the community with conditions, or whether either — and I’m speaking of either before or after sentencing — the court m= akes the determination about where that person should be. We are required, if the court has sentenced somebody to being incarcerated in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, to deal with that. If, while they are on remand, they = have chosen to have them kept in custody rather than released, then we are also required to deal with that situation.
In the= area of domestic violence treatment and spousal violence, I should also note the wo= rk that has been done through the successful implementation of the Domestic Vi= olence Treatment Option Court since March 2001. It is a therapeutic court that supports offenders and victims to make necessary changes in their lives so = that they lower the risk to reoffend. The DVTO Court continues to operate in Whitehorse as well as in Watson Lake in response to ongoing high levels of domestic violence in those communities. It has been effective in addressing specific cases. I don’t see a current number, but again I would note = that the Domestic Violence Treatment Option Court has been quite successful in providing services to those offenders who are engaged with it.
The Co= mmunity Wellness Court — and the Justice Wellness Centre — is a judicia= lly supervised therapeutic court that works with offenders with addictions, men= tal health or cognitive issues. The Justice Wellness Centre was established in December 2010 in response to a recommendation from an evaluation of the Community Wellness Court. It provides wraparound services and supports to clients going through the therapeutic court. The Justice Wellness Centre al= so serves as a check-in centre for individuals on bail and provides support and programming to offenders involved in the correctional system. I should note= , as I have previously in the House, that the Community Wellness Court not only = has proven up quite well under the independent assessment that was conducted of= it, but the model of that court, because of its success, has been looked at by a number of jurisdictions, both within Canada and overseas, that are looking = to see the success of the program and are considering implementing similar mod= els within their jurisdictions.
Follow= ing several assessments of the Community Wellness Court, an in-depth wellness p= lan is developed by probation officers to meet the needs of each client. The wellness plan focuses on the provision of rehabilitative programming intend= ed to address the criminogenic needs of offenders. A wellness journey can often take up to 18 months before a sentence is imposed by the court. Case manage= ment plans also include the provision of other services such as referrals to individual or group therapeutic counselling and treatment through both government services and community organizations. It can include assistance = with employment, housing or other basic needs. It can include medical assistance, including psychological services, and it can include assistance from agenci= es such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon, Challenge, Blood Ties Four Directions, services for people with disabilities and the Learning Disabili= ties Association of Yukon. Case management plans can also include intensive supervision and support by a probation officer working closely with the cli= ent and assistance with building family and community supports.
I woul= d be remiss if I did not note that a number of these organizations, including the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society Yukon and Challenge, are also supported by t= he Yukon government through funding from the Department of Health and Social Services in most cases, and that the Yukon government has increased support= to those groups. During my time previously as Minister of Health and Social Services, I was successful in getting funding increases for FASSY and for Challenge, and I know that increases have been made since that time in addressing their needs and supporting their important work as key partners = of the Yukon government.
The bu= dget for the Community Wellness Court and the Justice Wellness Centre has been appro= ved for funding of up to $504,000 per year until March 31, 2018. As mentioned previously, the intention behind doing funding for a set period of years wa= s to ensure there would be evaluation of the success of the program and allow us= to make adjustments as needed. Certainly it’s my expectation that the funding would continue past that point of time because they have been successful models and we look forward to seeing them continued within the Y= ukon government’s framework of support services and rehabilitative programming.
We als= o received funding of $100,000 over the next three fiscal years from the federal government’s drug treatment core program to support us in that area. Again, I would like to commend everyone involved in the Community Wellness Court and the domestic violence treatment option at providing those service= s, particularly for the excellent work that they do and the fact that it has b= een successful. A great number of clients of those programs have seen improveme= nts as a result of the services provided through them.
I shou= ld also note that the programming to people who are outside the facility — th= at programming is provided through offender supervision services, through staff facilitation, contracted services, non-governmental organizations and programming provided by First Nation contractors. When required, referrals = are also made to other government agencies, like the Alcohol and Drug Services for Health and Social Services, but clients who are on bail orders are not able= to access core programming at the Correctional Centre because they have not be= en sentenced yet for their alleged offences.
That a= gain can also be a factor — going back to the member’s previous question about the number of people on remand at WCC — that is one of the fact= ors that may influence a judge’s decision of where to send someone. There= can be issues around safety and the judge’s sense of whether that person = has accepted any degree of responsibility for their actions and will behave in a manner that the judge believes is appropriate while they are awaiting sentencing, but could also make the determination that, because of specific programming at Whitehorse Correctional Centre, that could also be a factor = in influencing the judge’s decision. As the member knows very well, judg= es make their decisions for their own reasons and give the reasoning for that = in the rulings they issue, so it is subject to the judge’s view and determination of the facts and of the needs of the needs of the specific individual who has been in contact with the courts, whether that person has been convicted of an offence or is still in the court process, prior to a conviction.
Ms. Moorcroft: I also would like to thank the officials who are here in the Assembly this afternoon to assist the minister with providing briefing notes and for gett= ing answers to questions, as they are put on the record from other public offic= ials within the Department of Justice, who are also looking to find the informat= ion that we request.
I have= another question about the Correctional Centre and the solstice feast that is held = on December 21. The practice previously was that all of the Correctional Centre could gather, along with family members and invited guests. I know the mini= ster is planning to attend the solstice feast, and I look forward to seeing him there, but the practice is now that each unit has their solstice feast separately. I wondered whether that’s because there isn’t a pla= ce at the centre large enough for that to occur, or whether that was something that only could occur at the summer solstice.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: The solstice feast — my understanding is that the reason= for separation is a decision made by staff, based on factors that I believe inc= lude issues of conflict between some of the inmates who are currently housed in = the facility — particularly the ones the member is aware of from past dis= cussion, who are within E unit. There are several sittings, starting at 10:30 in the morning, I understand. So again, the decision is based on the issue of potential conflict between inmates and safety and security of both staff and inmates at the facility and is a decision that is not only entirely left to staff, but I was actually not aware of all of the details of that until I w= as just informed by officials of how that is being handled.
For pe= ople who wish to attend that, they can do so at the request of an inmate, but Whiteh= orse Correctional Centre — if there is a reason that they believe somebody should not be in the facility, they can make that determination if there wa= s an issue in that regard.
Ms. Moorcroft: I have no further questions in general debate. However, before I would clear = the department, I would like to ask the minister if he is prepared to give me an undertaking to return with written responses to the questions that he has n= ot been able to answer. I will review the Blues and send a letter to the minis= ter with the outstanding questions, and I would like to ask him for committing = to the courtesy of a response to those.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: We will certainly look into what information we can provide in response to the member’s questions, and I will endeavour to respond to those but, without knowing some of them, the level detail or whether there = are any privacy issues around some of the specific questions, I’m not prepared to make a blanket commitment that we will provide everything ̵= 2; but we’ll certainly undertake to find out what we can provide and pro= vide the Member for Copperbelt South with the courtesy of that information, if we are able to do so.
With t= hat, since I understand it appears the member is wrapping up her questions, I’m = not sure if others of her colleagues are asking questions, I would also just li= ke to thank and acknowledge the staff with me today assisting me. In addition,= I thank all of those within the Department of Justice for the excellent work = they do each and every day in the many areas covered within that department̵= 7;s services, and I would like to thank them both personally and on behalf of t= he Government of Yukon.
Chair: Does = any other member wish to speak in general debate?
We are= going to go then to line-by-line debate.
Ms. Moorcroft: Madam Chair, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, I request the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 8, Department of Justice, cleared or carried, as required.
Unanimous
consent re deeming all lines in Vote 8, Department of Justice, cleared or
carried
Chair: Ms.&n= bsp;Moorcroft has, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, requested the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 8, Department of Justice, cleared or carried, as required. Is there unanimous consent?
All Hon. Members:&= #8195;Agreed.
Chair: There= is unanimous consent.
On Opera=
tion and
Maintenance Expenditures
Total Op=
eration
and Maintenance Expenditures in the amount of $741,000 agreed to
On Capit=
al
Expenditures
Total Ca=
pital
Expenditures underexpenditure in the amount of $1,480,000 agreed to
Total
Expenditures underexpenditure in the amount of $739,000 agreed to
Departme=
nt of
Justice agreed to
Chair: We ar= e going to be moving on to Vote 11, Women’s Directorate.
Would = members like to take a brief recess?
All Hon. Members:&= #8195;Agreed.
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will now come to order.
The ma= tter before the Committee is continuing general debate on Vote 11, Women’s Directorate.
Women’s Directorate — continued
Ms. White: I welcome the official back to the House and would like to thank the minister= for the engaging conversation we had the last time the Women’s Directorate was up. That’s all I have for questions. Thank you.
Chair: Does = any other member wish to speak in general debate?
WeR= 17;re going to move on to line-by-line debate.
Ms. White: Madam Chair, pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, I request the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote 11, Women’s Director= ate, cleared or carried, as required.
Unanimous
consent re deeming all lines in Vote 11, Women’s Directorate, cleared=
or
carried
Chair:̳=
5;Ms. White has, pursu=
ant to
Standing Order 14.3, requested the unanimous consent of Committee of the Wh=
ole
to deem all lines in Vote 11, Women’s Directorate, cleared or carried=
, as
required. Is there unanimous consent?
All Hon. Me=
mbers: Agreed.
Chair:̳=
5;There is unanimous consen=
t.
On Operation and Maintenance Expenditu=
res
Total Operation and Maintenance Expend=
itures
in the amount of $123,000 agreed to
On Capital Expenditures
Total Capital Expenditures in the amou=
nt of
nil agreed to
Total Expenditures in the amount of $1=
23,000
agreed to
Women’s Directorate agreed to
Chair: We’re going =
to move
on to Community Services. Committee of the Whole will recess while we wait =
for
officials from Community Services — 10 minutes.
Recess
Chair: Commi= ttee of the Whole will now come to order. We are continuing general debate on Vote = 51, Department of Community Services.
Department of Community Services — continued
Hon. Mr. Dixon: It is a pleasure to rise again to speak to the budget for Community Services. I had the opportunity to quickly review the Blues from the last time we were debating this budget and was reminded that the last question I received, and was beginning to answer when we left off last time, was in relation to some infrastructure improvements around water in Carmacks. To close off the resp= onse that I would like to make for that question, I will provide a bit of information.
I want= ed to note that in planning for the next round of federal infrastructure funding, Yukon government conducted a significant amount of consultation with municipaliti= es, First Nations, LACs and other groups to develop what we refer to as the Yukon Infrastructure Plan. In that= plan, which is available online, you see a number of projects that were identified through that process and ended up in this plan. Not every project that was submitted to government by the municipality ended up in this plan. That is = for a number of reasons, which I will explain in a few minutes.
In the= plan as we see it available online now, members can note a number of projects for Carmacks. Those include ones that are planned to be done with the Village of Carmacks as well as ones that could be done with the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation. They include the investigation of a water treatment facility = for trucked fill for the Village of Carmacks. It also includes: street lighting throughout the community; a new wastewater truck bay for the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation; road upgrades to the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation’s area; and replacement of sewer lines and manholes. As well, there is a Yukon government-run facility in the area that needs to be worked on. That is the septage pit that is in that are= a as well as an eduction station at the plant there = in Carmacks.
With r= egard to Carmacks and future plans for infrastructure development, I would direct members to the Yukon Infrastructure= Plan.
As I h= ave noted previously in discussing the development of this plan and the plan itself, = it was never intended that the infrastructure plan as presented on the website — it was never intended that it would be a static document; that is, frozen in time. It was always intended by us that the Yukon Infrastructure Plan could be modified and changed as priorities emerge and change over the course of our time in government. Of course priorities, in some cases and in some communities, have changed with regard to communities. Some of those changes have occurred as a result of t= he newly elected mayors and councillors in various communities. I know that Carmacks is one of those that have seen a number of new councillors elected, although the mayor was indeed re-elected.
If the= members wish to explore some of these issues more robustly, I would be happy to. If there are further questions about the plan for that community, I would be h= appy to entertain those at this time.
Some Hon. Member:&= #8195;(Inaudible)
Introduction
of Visitors
Mr. Elias: Madam Chair, with your indulgence and with the indulgence of all members of the Assembly, I would like you to welcome William Josie, the director of the Vu= ntut Gwitchin government’s Natural Resources Department and former member = of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation leadership. He is my constituent and a men= tor of mine. Welcome to the Assembly, William.
Applause
Mr. Barr: I welcome back the officials and I thank the minister for his remarks. That w= as going to be something I was going to further inquire about, so we’re = up to date on that.
I have= a few questions left. I will get into those and then I have a few in line-by-line debate. First, something that we had asked about previously in the House and have not heard back yet was about a couple of questions around Beaver Creek= and the ambulance station — on the rebuild. At the time it was replaced, = we were informed that the ambulance did not fit into the new building. Has that situation been rectified?
While = I ask that, I’ll also ask: Has the Beaver Creek School fire alarm been connected to the fire hall yet?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: With regard to the fire alarm connection — I don’t= know the answer to that and I don’t have the information here provided to = me. I should say that of course we endeavour to meet the requirements of the building standards in all of our buildings throughout the Yukon and, of cou= rse, the requirement to have public buildings’ alarm systems connected to = the local fire hall is ongoing. We deal with that requirement in a number of different ways and in a number of different areas.
With r= egard to the fire hall — my understanding is that the fire hall is indeed complete. It does have three bays and will include EMS and Search and Rescu= e. The fire pumper there is in fair condition.
The pu= mper tanker owned by the First Nation is unfortunately in poor condition. Fire training sessions are ongoing.
With r= egard to the bay, I hadn’t heard that the trucks weren’t fitting into the building. That could be something that is considered as we move to a new sy= stem of fleet vehicle replacements in our communities. The intent of the new sys= tem of sharing trucks and ambulances throughout the territory is aimed at ensur= ing that no one community has trucks or ambulances for any great period of time. That is to ensure our trucks and ambulances are dealt with on a usage basis, which means that we put different ambulances on, based on the hours logged = on the machine, as well as prospective hours of usage in a community around the Yukon. So we have a system whereby all of our ambulances are cycled through= out the Yukon and if, in the course of the cycling of ambulances, Beaver Creek found themselves with an ambulance that didn’t fit in their bay, I as= sume that is something that would have been raised with our officials immediatel= y. I haven’t heard any more on than what I’ve heard from members opposite.
If the= re is indeed a problem with the EMS equipment in Beaver Creek — whether it’s the trucks, the ambulances or any other type of operational issue — I would encourage members of the force out there to make it known to our officials and we would be happy to rectify the problem as soon as possi= ble.
Mr. Barr: The reason I bring this up is because it was folks from Beaver Creek who brough= t it forward and they hadn’t received anything, so it had come to our attention and it was raised in this House — this is why I’m rai= sing it again.
If the= minister could take it upon himself to look into this matter along with the school — it was brought forward by the school about the safety of the fire h= all not being connected to the school, which was a safety issue. I had wanted an update on previous questions, so if the minister could also take it upon himself to get back to this side of the House with an update in letter form, that would be great. It could be that these things have been taken care of,= but we on this side of the House would like to know what the current situation = is.
I will= also now ask the minister about rural landfills. As I understand it, there was a 10-= year plan for rural landfills. We have heard that there are landfills that ̵= 2; I believe Marsh Lake is one that is in this 10-year plan and is already comin= g up to its capacity within five years. Could the minister inform the House if t= his is the case and also give an update as to any other rural landfills where t= he solid-waste capacity is reaching full capacity, and what is the plan — seeing that we are only halfway through.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: The question is, of course, a very broad one. What is the plan= for solid waste in the territory? Perhaps I will address the specific issue of Marsh Lake first. My understanding is that the Marsh Lake solid-waste facil= ity is one that is owned by Yukon government. It’s operated by the local group. It is a transfer station primarily, so it is transferring waste from Marsh Lake usually into Whitehorse. However, in the case of construction and demolition waste, that is landfilled at the site. The member is correct in noting that it is filling up. It is reaching a point where we will have to consider what sort of options there are going forward.
I will= return to the broader question with regard to solid waste in the territory. As we have discussed previously, the plan that we have is articulated in our Solid Waste Action Plan, Yukon. It= is to move to a regional system whereby we have regional landfills and then commensurate transfer stations at other areas throughout the territory. We = have been moving in that direction for some time. We have made progress in a num= ber of areas on that front. As members will be aware, we have a regional solid-waste agreement with the town of Dawson that sees that area serviced = by the Quigley site in Dawson. We also recently, earlier this year, signed a regional agreement with the Town of Watson Lake wherein the Watson Lake solid-waste facility that is owned and operated by the Town of Watson Lake would become the regional solid-waste facility. Following that, we closed t= he Upper Liard site that was operated by the Yukon government. Obviously, any = time that operations are closed or changed in certain areas, there is a certain amount of turmoil, and it took a bit of time for us to communicate with loc= al residents as well as the Town of Watson Lake with regard to the new system there. I think, in general, it has been successful. We have seen some upgrades made = to the Watson Lake facility and the Upper Liard site has been successfully clo= sed.
In the= western part of the territory, in the Alaska Highway area, we have made some change= s as well. We are working toward a regional agreement with Haines Junction. Howe= ver, I know that the previous council was less than enthusiastic about moving to= ward that regional model. That being said, we continue to make changes to our si= tes in that area, including Destruction Bay, Burwash and Canyon City. Those are sites that are all changing. We are beginning to put up gates. We are begin= ning to manage the sites a little tighter.
Ultima= tely the goal is going to be for Haines Junction to become a regional centre, but we= are not going to rush or force Haines Junction into that. We’re simply go= ing to continue to take the steps we need to take to manage our sites and, when Haines Junction is ready, if they decide they want to participate, we would hopefully achieve a regional agreement with that community. That would see = the waste transferred from the various sites to a centralized location in Haines Junction in the same manner that we see in Watson Lake and perhaps Dawson.<= /span>
Now, l= et me turn back to the Southern Lakes, because currently we have four sites in that ar= ea that are all under various types of pressure. Marsh Lake has the pressure t= hat we talked about earlier, Mount Lorne has a certain degree of pressure, and Tagish and Carcross all have similar types of issues. I think what I’= ve talked about previously and what we may consider doing is developing a regi= onal plan for the Southern Lakes that would see changes to all four of those sit= es.
Right = now, every site in the Southern Lakes — those four sites — accepts everyth= ing. They accept waste; they accept recycling; they accept special waste and e-waste. Everything that anybody has with regard to solid waste, they accep= t. That may not be the way it is forever.
I think it’s a reasonable course of action for government to look at regionalizing certain streams. For instance — and I don’t want = this to sound like we’ve made decisions about this and are going to be implementing it, but I want to give the members a sense of the direction — perhaps one site becomes the site where we landfill C and D waste, = and that would mean that we would prohibit the deposit of those wastes at other sites. Those are the kinds of things that we might look at.
Of cou= rse, anything that we were to do there — if we were to go down that road a= nd develop a regional plan for the Southern Lakes, it would be something that = we would have to do in consultation with the local residents, the groups that operate the sites on behalf of Yukon government, and the residents who are depositing the waste.
I thin= k that it would be short-sighted of us to not include the City of Whitehorse in those discussions as well, because I think, as we all know, as a result of change= s at the City of Whitehorse’s landfill here in Whitehorse, pressure has be= en put on the outlying sites around Whitehorse. We see it in Deep Creek, we se= e it in Marsh Lake and we see it in Mount Lorne — where people are avoiding tipping fees or avoiding the rigor of the Whitehorse site by going out to t= he outlying sites around the periphery of Whitehorse. That is, of course, putt= ing pressure on our sites.
All of= those sites in the Southern Lakes, in the west, on the Alaska Highway in the west= or north on the Mayo Road are all sites that are owned by YG and operated by Y= G, and so we’re really feeling the pinch. When we have to deal with that additional waste, we see our costs increase significantly.
Partia= lly in response to that, we’ve begun to make changes that I have talked abou= t: putting up gates, putting in tighter controls, empowering the local groups running these sites to, if necessary, refuse or redirect people to other si= tes. If an individual is bringing material that really ought to be dealt with somewhere else, the attendants will direct the individuals to the appropria= te sites. This is all an evolving situation.
I won&= #8217;t go through site by site because I think that would take some time, but, as a general update, we’re moving toward a regional system whereby we land= fill in certain areas and convert other site into transfer stations. That’s the direction we’ve been going in that’s what members will see = when they go to sites like Marsh Lake or Mount Lorne. They’ll see sites, t= o a strong degree, that are properly set up for diversion, transfer and, ultimately, the shipment of that solid waste into town or into another site= .
That= 8217;s the direction we’re going. If the member wants to discuss any of the specifics, I would be happy to, but that’s sort of a general overview= of where we’re going with solid waste and some comment on the specific question he asked.
Mr. Barr: It’s good to hear that this minister is acknowledging that there is an issue with the solid-waste capacity filling up halfway through the 10-year plan. I had brought this up a couple of years ago to the previous minister and there wa= s no acknowledgement that this was forthcoming. Here we are, two years later, and it’s a reality. It is good that the government is now willing to actu= ally look at how they’re going to deal with this issue.
I am a= lso glad to hear that the minister has plans to work and consult with the communities that are affected. I do believe it’s necessary, and I will inform the local advisory councils of this conversation — actually, I’ll s= hare the Hansard with them. I’m sure they will look forward from the commu= nication. I know it’s an issue and it has been brought forward specifically by = the folks in Marsh Lake, in my riding. There have been other concerns brought forward over the past couple of years that the minister mentioned that may specifically help to deal with some of the other issues, such as waste diversion and so on.
I know= there has to be work done in that area. I know the 50-percent waste, 50-percent diver= sion target was not successful. We’re still not there, so it is at least g= ood to know that there are conversations coming. I would hope that, as the mini= ster has stated, he is going to work with the communities.
In the minister’s response, he brought up Watson Lake. I was going to ask ab= out Watson Lake. Previously, he didn’t respond to committing to getting b= ack to this member regarding the ambulance and whether or not the school was connected to the fire hall — if he would look into that. I would still like a commitment from the minister on those two situations in regard to Wa= tson Lake.
We und= erstand the demolition of the old hospital — how is the government going to w= ork with Watson Lake’s landfill, specifically regarding hazardous waste t= hat will undoubtedly be coming from this old building? There’s likely asbestos. If there isn’t, can the minister clarify that there will be= no hazardous waste, so therefore not an issue? If there is, how does the government plan to work with the Watson Lake waste site?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: There are three major demolitions underway in Watson Lake curr= ently. Of course, there are the two that are managed through Yukon government thro= ugh Highways and Public Works — those are the demolition of the old school and the demolition of the old Environment building — both of which we= re buildings that were in fairly strong need of being removed. Certainly in the case of the old Environment building, I had a chance to tour that building before the construction of the new one and it was certainly outdated and re= ady to be torn down.
As wel= l, the old school had been boarded up for a number of years and was an eyesore, to say= the least, but also arguably a bit of a hazard. I know that many in the communi= ty were happy to see those being dealt with. I think there are always some who= are somewhat nostalgic and don’t want to see old buildings torn down, but that’s the way it goes.
In the= case of the hospital — that’s a contract and a project that is being managed by the Hospital Corporation, so it’s independent of Yukon government. My understanding of that is that the old hospital — the contract for the demolition of that has been awarded. It was awarded to a l= ocal contractor there who has a private landfill site in the community. That is where the material is going immediately, but my understanding is that there= is some sorting going on at the private site and ultimately some of the waste = will end up at the Watson Lake facility. The numbers I have heard have ranged between 10 and 20 percent that will end up in the Watson Lake facility from= the old hospital. Much of that material will be crushed concrete and building material, which the Town of Watson Lake will receive at their site.<= /p>
With r= egard to hazardous waste — we’re not aware of any hazardous waste in the sense of asbestos at the old hospital — I’m not, at least. The Hospital Corporation may be, indeed, aware of something. If there is asbest= os, they will deal with it in the permitted fashion. It will have to be dispose= d of properly by certified contractors, who are trained and equipped to deal wit= h it responsibly. I think the common way of dealing with asbestos is to bury it,= but I’m not positive. That is something that I would have to check on.
If the= re are other types of hazardous waste that come out of any demolition project that= is being dealt with by the Town of Watson Lake, we always work with the municipalities with regard to special waste. We have our hazardous waste and special waste pickup programs; we provide support to the municipalities to = deal with special and hazardous waste. In some cases we pay for, or have special collection days — that is more aimed at the public, as opposed to the= se commercial operations.
I have= n’t heard that the Town of Watson Lake is being overwhelmed with special or haz= ardous waste as a result of these demolition projects. If they are, then we’= ll have to work with them to find a solution. That’s just on the hospital side. On the school and on the Environment building, those are contracts th= at are managed by Highways and Public Works, the details of which I will have = to direct to my colleague.
What I= do know is those have also been awarded to the private contractor in Watson Lake who has a private facility, and a similar arrangement is in place for those. We’re going to see some amount of material end up at the Watson Lake facility, and we’re going to see some material end up being either re= used or dealt with separately by the contractor. We understand that the Watson L= ake facility is prepared, to a certain extent, for this material, and if we nee= d to make changes to their site or improvements to their site, that was what we contemplated when we signed the agreement and offered up to $700,000 in the regional agreement for Watson Lake to spend on capital upgrades to their facility. So if they need to make a new cell, if they need to change the structure of some of their existing cells, if they need to put a new buildi= ng up or improve fencing or do any kind of capital upgrade that is needed to a facility, we contemplated that in the regional agreement and have committed= to infrastructure funding of up to $700,000 to deal with that. My understandin= g is that some of that money has flowed already — not much; I think about $100,000 has flowed to Watson Lake to begin making capital infrastructure i= mprovements. We anticipate making further upgrades in the coming year as a result of the implementation of that regional agreement.
I thin= k that answered the member’s question, but I will defer to him to provide me with further questions if I haven’t answered them.
With r= egard to the questions on Beaver Creek — as I’ve been speaking, officials have done some digging, and my understanding is that the ambulance in Beaver Creek does fit in the new fire hall. It has been confirmed by officials. The school alarms are being monitored, as it’s a code requirement of the building standards code. So those are updates to the two issues the member asked for.
Mr. Barr: I thank the minister for those clarifications on Beaver Creek and also regard= ing the Watson Lake solid-waste facility. Was this contractor — was this a sole-sourced or tendered contract?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Again, I’m speaking out of my department here, so I coul= d be wrong, but my understanding is that the contracts for the demolition of the school and the Environment building were a competitive tender process, and = my understanding — and I stand to be corrected by the Yukon Hospital Corporation — is that they did a competitive process for theirs as we= ll. Again, in both cases, those aren’t my departments, so I’m a lit= tle uncomfortable with commenting too much, but that’s my understanding.<= /span>
Mr. Barr: Thanks to the minister for his response. Can the minister inform this side of the House around the Quigley landfill in Dawson, as to the status of their abil= ity to receive hazardous waste at this point in time?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Sorry, Madam Chair, I was just conferring and I missed the que= stion. Could the member ask the question again please?
Mr. Barr:Q= 95;Of course I will repeat that. With regard to Quigley in Dawson City and their ability to receive hazardous waste, could the minister confirm that they ar= e able to at this time? Was this service unavailable in this past year to the peop= le in Dawson City?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: With regard to the programs that we operate — we continue to operate the special waste pickup program in Dawson. I believe we are up there annually = to do the household hazardous waste pickup. That is done by a contract that has been awarded to a local firm here in Whitehorse that goes around the territ= ory and does those programs.
With r= egard to the capacity of Dawson’s site — again, I am talking about a site that doesn’t belong to the Yukon government, so I am a little uncomfortable, but my understanding from having toured the site this summer= and met with mayor and council is that they do have the ability to accept hazar= dous waste. They have a facility there that is constructed for the purpose of accepting hazardous waste, although I do recall conversations with the mayor and council and officials from the Town of Dawson about the idea or the possibility of developing a new building for hazardous waste. That could be something that could be done with the infrastructure money that was committ= ed to Dawson as a result of the regional agreement, or they could do it on the= ir own through their own funding. I seem to recall a discussion about perhaps = a new building for hazardous waste at Quigley, but I hadn’t heard about any interruption in the services at Quigley. That would be something that would= be up to the Town of Dawson to decide. If they decided to not accept the mater= ial or change the way they accept materials — that is a site that is completely owned and operated by the municipality.
Ms. Stick:= 195;I have gone over the Community Services debate and I just wanted to bring up = one piece that has to do with EMS and some questions I raised earlier in the Ho= use in Question Period earlier in this Sitting. My understanding — and li= ke I say, I did read everything that the minister spoke to earlier in debate on this. It is my understanding that EMS volunteers do respond to emergencies = in the community. It could be a motor vehicle accident or someone who is sick = at home or needing assistance, and they would possibly bring them to the nursi= ng station. What I just want confirmation on is if a person is in need of a medevac to Whitehorse or another community such as Dawson, that it is the community nurse who has to attend to the patient in what we call “pre= -hospital” care. It’s not the EMS volunteer who accompanies the patient in the ambulance, but it is actually the community nurse. I am just wanting to get clarification if that is true — that the community nurse is the one w= ho must go in the ambulance to a community hospital and provide that pre-hospi= tal care.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: It’s a good question and one that we were just discussing briefly here. I’m under the impression that it depends on the communi= ty. I know that some of our EMS volunteers are trained with that air-travel training so that they can go on board a medevac flight if necessary. But it does seem to me that it would be likely that the community nurse would be on board a medevac in some cases as well. So I believe the answer is that it depends on which community and it depends on the situation, but I’ll = have to double-check with regard to a more specific answer about when and where = and who goes on the medevac plane.
I cert= ainly do know that in some cases we have had EMS volunteers on a medevac plane, and = that does require a certain degree or different amount of training, I believe, a= nd that is something that depends on the community.
The Yu= kon Emergency Medical Services, in the course of providing safe, effective and timely emergency pre-hospital care to Yukon residents and visitors, are responsible for air and ground transportation of patients to and from the health facilities throughout Yukon and tertiary centres in southern Canada.=
EMS professionals or volunteers do travel on medevacs, either from Whitehorse s= outh or from the communities in, but I do seem to recall that there are situatio= ns where a community nurse may have to join on the medevac as well. But again,= I think those are case by case.
Ms. Stick: Thanks for that answer. I realize that it will vary from community to community, especially when we’re talking about volunteers.
I̵= 7;m going to put two questions here together just so I can finish this up. Is the department considering more legislation that would outline the mandatory standards for EMS workers in communities? I understand that now there is an= MOU that they do sign, but you can go — and the minister himself mentioned it. There’s a range of skill levels that volunteers in the communities might have, so how are we going to standardize that so that every community= has the same level of care?
My oth= er question is — I have just been reviewing what happens in other jurisdictions a= nd I just looked to Atlin, BC, or northern BC where = they actually have now what are called primary care paramedics who are complemen= tary to community nurses and have a wider scope of what they’re able to do= . In BC, this is legislated under the health emergencies act and it certainly clarifies those definitions, scope of service and what the individuals are = able to provide.
I truly appreciate the volunteers we have in the communities. It’s a big task= to take on when you live there, and I understand why people would want to do i= t, but I do believe that there should be some consistency across all communiti= es. I’m wondering if that would be better served with clearer regulations= or descriptions of scope of service.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Again, this is a very good question and I will do my best to a= nswer it as best I can. The question in general is how YEMS is structured in Yukon essentially. The system we have in place right now, of course, is a volunte= er model in much of the territory. Obviously Whitehorse is serviced by paid st= aff officials — paramedics. Dawson City and Watson Lake each have paid responders as well.
EMS has undergone a fairly dramatic shift over the last few years. It started in 20= 07, when it was transferred from Health and Social Services to Community Servic= es and, since then, there has been a significant amount of development of policies, a significant amount of structural changes, and a significant amo= unt of protocol and guideline development. I’ll speak about all of those things.
Let me= just give a general overview and I’ll talk a little bit specifically about the possibility of legislation and what other jurisdictions have done — as being a potential model for Yukon.
Yukon = Emergency Medical Services provides safe, effective and timely emergency pre-hospital care to Yukon residents and visitors. In doing so, it is responsible for air and ground transportation of patients to and from the health care facilities throughout Yukon and tertiary centres in southern Canada. YEMS is an essent= ial partner in Yukon’s health care system and works with Health and Social Services, the Yukon Hospital Corporation and other partners to respond to emergencies. In this way, YEMS helps to provide consistent, competent health care across the territory.
In 201= 4, YEMS responded to 6,632 ground calls — 5,329 in the Whitehorse catchment a= rea, and 1,303 in the communities. The YEMS medevac — the air ambulance service — responded to 876 calls in the same time frame. Since 2007, = when responsibility for YEMS transferred from the Department of Health and Social Services to Community Services, demand for YEMS services has increased, as evidenced by ongoing annual increase in the call volume. To meet demand, st= aff have been added to the Whitehorse stations to increase service delivery. Permanent paramedic staff are stationed in Dawson City and Watson Lake. Additional personnel were allocated to clinical and medevac operations, and infrastructure upgrades have been made in all communities where YEMS has a presence. In particular, 17 full-time staff have been added to YEMS in Whitehorse, bringing the total complement of full-time staff members in the city to 72. Seven new staff members were distributed between Dawson City and Watson Lake, in addition to paid staff —
Some Hon. Member:&=
#8195;(Inaudible)
Point of order
Ms. Stick:= 195;I appreciate the information that the minister is providing me. It’s the same information he did provide at the last debate on November 16.= p>
Chair: Order, please. Do you have a Standing Order that you wish to quote?
Ms. Stick: Yes, 19(d), which was reading unnecessarily from the Hansard. I just wanted to s= ay that I’ve read that information that he is just repeating today.
Chair’s
ruling
Chair: There= is no point of order. I believe the member is providing context.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: If the member has read that information, then she can answer the question to a certain degree in knowing that we have an MOU between YEMS and rural volunteers. We have clinical guidelines in place and we’ve made a significant amount of change over the years.
If she doesn’t want that information, I’m a little unclear as to the question that is being asked of me with regard to this budget.
Ms. Stick: What I was looking for was: Are we considering a different model, besides the volunteer model, such as they have in BC, where they do have primary care paramedics and where it is legislated what their mandate is so that it̵= 7;s not just an MOU? I understand there are policies and those things. What I w= as looking for is: Are we just going to stay with the volunteer model or are we looking at other options?
I know= we also did the test case out at Haines Junction. Are we looking at something bigge= r?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: To answer the specific question about if we are considering mo= ving away from the volunteer model, the answer generally is no. We are not going away from the volunteer model in Yukon because we think the costs would be incredible. If we were to move to a situation where we had paid primary care paramedics in every community throughout the Yukon, we would be faced with incredible costs.
The vo= lunteer model has challenges and they’re well known to all of us — recruitment and retention, training, burnout. These are all things we face = in the volunteer model, but the alternative — a completely paid EMS model — would be untenable, I think, for Yukon on a cost basis.
We have developed, grown and made improvements where possible. We have paid staff in Dawson and Watson Lake now on a fixed-time basis. They’re not 24/7; t= heir hours are fixed. I don’t remember the hours exactly.
One of= the things that paramedics and folks from the EMS field have pointed out to me = is that, even if we wanted to pay primary care paramedics to be in small communities, they probably wouldn’t want to work there, because people who are trained to the degree that many of the primary care paramedics are = want to be engaged in their craft. They want to be doing their work, and the call volume in some of our communities is just so small that it wouldn’t b= e a challenging environment for them.
That= 8217;s one aspect of it, but again, Madam Chair, to be frank, the costs are so overwhelmingly scary to us that to go down that model of having paid staff = in all communities would be very difficult. But the member did correctly point= out that we did try something new in Haines Junction.
We tri= ed a pilot project there with some paid staff on a fixed-time basis. It was a temporary program. All the while, we communicated very clearly to the community, to t= he First Nation, to the officials and volunteers that this was a pilot project. This was not an attempt by us to move away from the volunteer model. This w= as a booster shot for the volunteer model. This was an attempt to reinvigorate t= he volunteer core there. It was an attempt to get some new blood into the volunteer group, to provide some training to some young people who were interested in the field and to maybe get some new faces and new blood into = the system in that community.
It is = something that we would be willing to consider in other communities as well if we were facing a similar situation as we were in Haines Junction. I am hesitant to commit any further than that, because what we are doing now is evaluating w= hat happened in Haines Junction with that pilot project. We will conduct the evaluation. We will talk to those who were involved. We will communicate wi= th the municipality, with the First Nation and with those individuals who were involved and determine what was a success or what wasn’t a success in that pilot project.
I have= indicated to members in other communities that if it is a success in Haines Junction,= we would be interested or willing at least to think about doing it in another community if it was necessary. I should say that when we announced that we = were doing that in Haines Junction, there was a lot of trepidation from other communities about what this meant. There was a lot of trepidation because of the fact that volunteers in one community were noticing that in Haines Junc= tion the job that they were doing in their community was being paid for now, and that wasn’t too well-received by some. That is why we say that we had= to very clearly communicate to everybody involved that this was a pilot project and that we were not moving away fundamentally from the volunteer model.
With r= egard to legislation, I think we have had early, early stage discussions about legislation that would lay out the parameters, roles and responsibilities of EMS responders here in the territory, but we haven’t advanced those discussions very far. At this point, our focus is on improving our current system, improving the training, improving the material, equipment and volun= teer recruitment and retention. That is what we are focused on. We think we need= to do that before we ever consider going down the road of legislation.<= /p>
Mr. Barr: I have no further questions and would like to move into line-by-line debate.<= /span>
Chair: Does = any other member wish to speak in general debate? We are going to now proceed to line-by-line debate on Community Services.
On Opera=
tion and
Maintenance Expenditures
On Corpo=
rate
Services
Corporate
Services in the amount of $50,000 agreed to
On Prote=
ctive
Services
Mr. Barr: Could I get a breakdown of this please?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: The bulk of this amount is for wildland fire and that’s a result of the significant fire season that we had early in this year’s fire season — particularly May and June were very exceptional months = for wildland fire — so $4.6 million is for additional funding to support additional early fire activity in May and June. That’s initial attack, that’s bringing in groups from Outside if necessary, and responding to the fire season that we faced in May and June.
Howeve= r, there is some additional money as well with regard to EMS. The Emergency Medical Services strategic investment is an initiative of this government — a $1-million investment over multiple years aimed to address community EMS operations and their volunteer base, supporting recruitment, retention, training, facility equipment maintenance and communications.
This i= nvestment began in 2014-15, and this $114,000 of this amount was an increase under th= at program. That EMS strategic investment and the $114,000 identified in this amount were aimed at just what we were talking about before — about engaging with communities, engaging with our volunteer groups and improving= our recruitment and retention, improving our facilities and equipment, as well = as improving the training opportunities for volunteers.
There = is also a $75,000 drop in there, which is attributed to a divisional records position= moving to the Corporate Services Division to support a corporate records management program. The increase of the amount for wildland fire, the increase for EMS= and the small decrease for the position that was moved to Corporate Services results in that $4.639, which the member asked about.
Protecti=
ve
Services in the amount of $4,639,000 agreed to
On Commu=
nity
Development
Mr. Barr: Could I have a breakdown of this number, Madam Chair?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: There are a number of items in this increase, one of which is a $70,000 increase as a result of the funding provided in support of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club hosting the Haywood cross country ski nationals in March of next year. Of course, as members will be aware, Whitehorse won the opportunity to host the Haywoods in the spring and $70,000 is being contributed by Yukon government to that endeavour by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club.
As wel= l, this includes the funding provided to communities and First Nations for asset management. Community Affairs is supporting municipalities and First Nation= s in developing their own long-term asset management plans and implementing supporting tools. Funding was approved under the northern strategy fund totalling $314,000 with an additional $100,000 from the gas tax funds total= ling $414,000.
To jus= t remind members, we hosted an asset management conference earlier this year, where = we had representatives from around the territory come in and share experiences with asset management, whether they are from First Nations, First Nation development corporations or municipalities. One of the key presentations wa= s by the Village of Teslin and the Teslin Tlingit Council presenting a pilot pro= ject that they had completed with support from Community Affairs on asset management. At that conference, I announced that we would be providing this funding, which was up to $40,000 for each municipality and First Nation to advance their own asset management plans.
Every = community is a little bit different with where they are now and where they want to go with regard to asset management, so we felt it was a better option to provi= de some flexibility and simply fund what the priorities of the community were,= as opposed to us taking, say, this $414,000 and buying a stock cookie-cutter a= sset management program and doling it out to the individual communities. That has been tried before in other areas and it simply hasn’t worked, so we’re adopting a flexible approach to this that allows communities to input their own priorities, their own realities and develop in a way that is appropriate for them. This funding relates to that initiative.
As wel= l, there is an increase in the grant-in-lieu of taxes of $306,000 and that is primar= ily due to higher tax rates and assessment values, mostly in Whitehorse. We pay= tax rates like anyone else and when rates go up in Whitehorse, we have to pay an increased amount. There is also an increase of $148,000 that is available f= or Yukon Lotteries, which can then be accessed by sport and recreation groups through an application process.
The bu= lk of the $938,000 is asset management money that has been committed. I should note t= hat not all committees have tapped into that funding yet. The funding is made available here in this budget, but it will be on an application basis that municipalities and First Nations access that funding. For instance, my understanding from some earlier conversations is that Whitehorse may not bo= ther tapping into that money. It’s one of those things — $40,000 is = an excellent amount of money and a boon for a community like Teslin or Carmack= s, but $40,000 for asset management is kind of a drop in the bucket for Whitehorse. They, I think, are more interested in just continuing on doing their thing. The up to $40,000 that is available to others will likely be tapped into in the coming months as municipalities and First Nations develop their plans for spending that money.
Community
Development in the amount of $938,000 agreed to
On Corpo=
rate
Policy and Consumer Affairs
Corporat=
e Policy
and Consumer Affairs in the amount of $103,000 agreed to
Total Op=
eration
and Maintenance Expenditures in the amount of $5,730,000 agreed to
On Capit=
al
Expenditures
On Corpo=
rate
Services
On Information Technology Equipment and Systems<= o:p>
Hon. Mr. Dixon: I just want to note that this is to complete the implementatio= n of the new personal property security registry. It may be of interest to membe= rs because we passed the bill earlier this year that relates to personal prope= rty and the creation of a personal property security registry. This funding is going toward setting that registry up. I just thought members would be interested in that.
Information Technology Equipment and Systems in =
the
amount of $113,000 agreed to
On Prote=
ctive
Services
On Fire Marshal — Carcross Fire Hall Repla=
cement
Fire Marshal — Carcross Fire Hall Replacem=
ent
underexpenditure in the amount of $3,392,000 cleared
On Commu=
nity
Development
On Sport and Recreation — Dawson City Recr=
eation
Centre
Sport and Recreation — Dawson City Recreat=
ion
Centre underexpenditure in the amount of $480,000 cleared
On Sport and Recreation — Yukon Outdoor Sp=
orts
Complex
Sport and Recreation — Yukon Outdoor Sports
Complex underexpenditure in the amount of $110,000 cleared
On Community Operations — Water and Sewer =
Mains
Community Operations — Water and Sewer Mai=
ns in
the amount of $40,000 agreed to
On Community Operations — Roads, Bridges a=
nd
Streets Upgrade
Community Operations — Roads, Bridges and
Streets Upgrade underexpenditure in the amount of $40,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Roads, Bridg=
es and
Streets Upgrade — Ross River Suspension Bridge
Mr. Barr: Could the minister comment on the number?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: This increase of $70,000 is to move forward with the detail de= sign work that has been completed. That work was not BCF-eligible, so we had to = pay for that ourselves and that’s where this funding is coming from. That completes that phase of the project now that we have a detail design, as I noted before in Question Period. Otherwise we would need to begin seeking t= he funding to complete the second phase of the bridge repair.
My understanding, off the top of my head, is that includes the decking, the ca= bles and some other changes to the bridge, including stairs that need to be completed in order for that bridge to be safely traversed by the public. As I’ve noted before, the cost of completing that work, is fairly substantial. It’s a lot more than I think people realized at the outs= et. We are hopeful that we’ll be able to tap into federal funding for the completion of that work in the coming year.
As I n= oted previously, there’s some uncertainty about the type of federal funding that’s going to be available. Members are aware of the New Building Canada fund that is in place, but we’re not sure — I don’t think anybody is sure — whether or not that fund will stay in its cur= rent form or change. As well, if it doesn’t change, there will likely be additional federal funding available through some other mechanism, as commi= tted by the federal government in their election campaign earlier this year.
Community Infrastructure — Roads, Bridges =
and
Streets Upgrade — Ross River Suspension Bridge in the amount of $70,0=
00
agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Burwash — Well Head Protection
Mr. Barr: Is this a revote? I would ask for clarification on this reduction.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: This is just an offset because the project didn’t wind up being as large a= s we thought. This is a decrease of $560,000. The work that was planned to be do= ne will be completed under water system upgrades territory-wide project. This = is just one of those changes within the Building Canada fund that occurs from = time to time. I have mentioned previously that one of the benefits of this Build= ing Canada fund, which is soon to be completed here next year in March, is that there is some significant flexibility around it. If a project comes in underbudget, then we can move that money elsewhere. Likewise, if a project comes in overbudget, we = can move money in from outside. This is a case where the project came in under = what we expected.
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Burwash — Well Head Protection underexpenditure in the amount=
of
$560,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Carmacks — Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation
Administration Building Energy Retrofits
Community Infrastructure — Carmacks —
Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation Administration Building Energy Retrofit=
s in
the amount of $50,000 agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Carmacks — Wastewater Plant Upgrades
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
—Carmacks — Wastewater Plant Upgrades underexpenditure in the
amount of $300,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Carmacks — Wastewater Inflow and Infiltration
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Carmacks — Wastewater Inflow and Infiltration in the amount of
$293,000 agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Dawson City — Water System Upgrades
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Dawson City — Water System Upgrades in the amount of $67,000
agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Dawson City — Sewer Force Main
Mr. Barr: Could the member break that down for me please?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: There is no breakdown; $900,000 is how much the force main cos= ts. Again, this is an instance where, because of the flexibility of the Building Canada Fund, we were able to find additional money to meet this emerging ne= ed in the Town of Dawson. Dawson identified their force main as being of immin= ent concern and it is one of the first things that the mayor raised with me whe= n I became minister — and with the Minister of Highways and Public Works = as well.
We wer= e able to find the $900,000 necessary to complete that work with in the Building Cana= da fund. As we see throughout the Building Canada fund section of this budget, these increases and decreases are all reflective of the way we manage the Building Canada fund. As I said before, we find money in projects that we underspent= on and we transfer it to new and emerging projects or projects that have chang= ed in scope. That’s the case with this particular one. My understanding = is that the project is either complete or soon to be complete and the Town of Dawson is quite happy with this project.
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Dawson City — Sewer Force Main in the amount of $900,000 agre=
ed
to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Dawson City — Solid Waste Upgrades
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Dawson City — Solid Waste Upgrades in the amount of $400,000
agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Faro — Pumphouse
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Faro — Pumphouse in the amount of $67,000 agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Haines Junction — Water Reservoir and Pump System
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Haines Junction — Water Reservoir and Pump System underexpend=
iture
in the amount of $48,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Mayo — Water, Sewer and Road Upgrades
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Mayo — Water, Sewer and Road Upgrades underexpenditure in the
amount of $490,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Mayo — New Community Well and Treatment
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Mayo — New Community Well and Treatment in the amount of $105=
,000
agreed to
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Mayo — Water Well Upgrades
Mr. Barr: Could this minister explain this please?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: This is an increase of $105,000 due to less work being complet= ed in 2014-15 than anticipated. Again —
Chair: Excus= e me, Mr. Dixon.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Wrong one?
Chair: I bel= ieve we’re discussing the Mayo water well upgrades reduction.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: With these three projects in Mayo — the water projects i= n Mayo — and specifically this one for $2,560,000, the initial estimates were higher than actual work required. The decrease of $2,500,000 reflects the actual work and the project budget remaining. We’ll manage within the fund to find other uses for that money. That’s what we see throughout this Building Canada section; it’s the way we account for that.
For al= l three of these projects — whether they’re increases or decreases — it’s managed within the fund and that’s how we manage the Build= ing Canada fund.
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Mayo — Water Well Upgrades underexpenditure in the amount of
$2,560,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Pelly Crossing — Road Upgrades
Community Infrastructure — Building Canada=
Fund
— Pelly Crossing — Road Upgrades underexpenditure in the amount=
of
$40,000 cleared
On Community Infrastructure — Building Can=
ada
Fund — Ross River — Suspension Bridge
Hon. Mr. Dixon: This increase of $91,000 is to move forward with the detail de= sign work, as I talked about earlier. This portion of the work was eligible under the BCF, so 75 percent of it will be recoverable through BCF. Some of the w= ork done on the Ross River bridge was eligible for BCF and some wasn’t. That’s why you see this here and some other appropriation earlier in a different section outside of Building Canada fund. The reality of this particular project is that some of it was eligible for BCF and some wasn’t.
Madam = Chair, seeing the time, I move that you report progress.
Chair: It ha= s been moved by Mr. Dixon that the Chair report progress.
Motion agreed to
Mr. Elias: I move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair.
Chair: It ha= s been moved by Mr. Elias that the Speaker do now resume the Chair. = p>
Motion agreed to
Speaker resumes the Chair
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order.
May th= e House have a report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole?
Chair’s
report
Ms. McLeod: Mr. Speaker, Committee of the Whole has considered Bill No. 20, entitled Second Appropriation Act, 2015-16,= and directed me to report progress.
Speaker: You= have heard the report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole. Are you agreed?<= /span>
Some Hon. Members:= Agreed.
Speaker: I d= eclare the report carried.
Mr. Elias: I move that the House do now adjourn.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Government House Leader that the House do now adjourn.<= /p>
Motion agreed to
Speaker: Thi= s House now stands adjourned until 1:00 p.m. on Monday.
The House adjourned at 5:25 p.m.
The following sess=
ional
paper was tabled December 10, 2015:
33-1-1= 85
Yukon = Hospital Corporation annual report: Defining Moments — A Year in Review — 2014/15 (Nixon)
<= !--[if supportFields]> PAGE 74447445